《The Emperor Has Returned》 CH 1 Translator: BaeBae The gods have decided. To erase all humanity. In defiance, humanity fights back. Through this defiance comes hope. An emperor rises. The emperor cuts down the gods to pieces, scattering their remains in forests and rivers. ***** Sharp pain erupts as the last bit of strength fades in my arms and legs. Blood gushes out through my throat. The blade of a sinister black knife sticks out from a chest. Stench of foul odor lingers on the blade as dark blood is smeared on the tip. I slowly turn around. And there he was, my son. Covered in blood with both hands trembling. In his hand, lay the knife that pierced my chest. A bit of me wanted to hold his hands in my palm. Created from splitting a part of my soul. My eldest son. ¡®Gared Ga-in¡¯ ¡°Your majesty¡± A voice filled with fear. Even when he faced the dragon lord, this level of fear could not be found in his voice. One who was more brave, more proud than anyone. A shining model for knights. That was my son. No one doubted for a moment that he would become the next emperor. But it was he who stabbed me in the back. No one could have foreseen this. Blood swells within my throat. My body feels as if it¡¯s burning. Pain is something that I am familiar with, but not to this level. I am unsure if the knife is causing this pain or if it¡¯s to do with the person wielding the blade. Any normal person would have died without a sound from a single thrust. However, I am an emperor. I am humanity¡¯s guardian. One who tore the gods into pieces and scattered the remains in mountains, fields and rivers. With a deep breath I let out a scream. Everything inside the room is flattened and the ground shakes. Gared falls on his knees. It seems like he is in far greater pain than I, who was stabbed with a knife. On his knees, Gared snarls as he speaks. His rambling words had no logic behind it. As I looked at him, there were many questions I wanted to ask. Why are you here when you should be protecting the eastern front? How did you get past the royal guard? How did you discover a knife that can actually kill me? And after betraying me why do you look like you¡¯re in discontent!? But I kept silent. Only thing that matters is that he stabbed me in the back. Betrayal. It¡¯s something I am familiar with but never imagined it would come from my own son. Gared¡¯s knife gradually sends me closer to death. But I don¡¯t do anything. I could rip out Gared¡¯s soul and have all my questions answered, but I didn¡¯t. With a snap of my fingers I could burn all living existences close by, but I didn¡¯t. Thinking back to when a god offered me immortality in the past, I didn¡¯t take it. I didn¡¯t even think about how my death could diminish all efforts I put into laying down the foundation for a stable empire. I did nothing. I was afraid to think about future repercussions. I devoted my life to saving the human race through countless battles. Endless killing and dying. Many important sacrifices made. The one shining light I had in my life was my family and friends. For all that and yet betrayed by my child. The one I cared for most and loved dearly stabbed my back. The source of my happiness betrayed me. Maybe everything was wrong from the beginning. ¡°- I won¡¯t ask anything¡± I thought to myself as I looked at him. I wanted to tell him not to be afraid. If my past actions have led this situation to arise, then I was willing to accept death. My sight gradually fades. The black blade squirms within my chest as if it¡¯s a worm. A fire starts from the stream of blood. The blade scrapes against my bone and makes an aberrant sound. A stream of burning blood flows down between my fingers. The blood is sticky. Ooo Ddduk! I hear something break within me. 43 years since its form. The Empire¡¯s first Emperor, humanity¡¯s guardian, one who slayed the gods. ¡®Juan Kalberk Kenosis¡¯ closed his eyes in death. ***** Year 94 Ever so often in a hundred years, a great fire swept across the southern plains. In its aftermath, only dust remains and nothing else. ¡°¨C I promised myself that I would die!¡± Nothing remained, except a boy covered in ash. The child was deafeningly shouting what sounded like scream and a sob. Letting out anger that no one else would understand. ¡°Which idiot brought me back alive-eee!!¡° CH 2 Translator: BaeBae To no one¡¯s surprise, shouting did not bring forth the perpetrator. Juan looks up to the sky and lets out a sigh as the vast sky swallows his deafening shout. A clear blue sky. Slowly he stands up and inspects his state. Thin skeleton alike limbs and attached a small white hand. ¡°Roughly 9 years old huh¡± For a moment Juan thought he came back to his past. ¡°No. I was never this fragile at this age¡± His body structure reconfigured to match the proportion of mana in him internally. Most of his strength from when he was an emperor has vanished and all that was left was a bit of mana just enough to keep his new puny body running. He was given a body with physical capabilities true to his age. Juan pondered about any magic that he could use. The base of his strength during his ascension as an emperor lied in his magic proficiency. Magic with capabilities that could nourish the entire world, look into different dimensions, even creating something out of nothing, his previous magical knowledge still remained in his head. Precisely a master of all kinds of magic, but with no mana he couldn¡¯t use it to his benefit. But as an emperor he was born to protect his people. Not only magic but swordsmanship, strategy, somatic art, Juan mastered everything necessary for a battle. Going beyond common sense, pioneering new dimensions. His skills in strengthening fellow humans so they could retaliate against the gods. He still had all of this knowledge. Juan with this strength unified the continent and commanded humanity to battle gods and demons into submission. God of war was beheaded under his sword, God of magic¡¯s heart was ripped apart with his magic, and their corpses were Juan¡¯s trophies of war. With more time, he would have strengthened humanity so they would never fall apart. But now his power all but disappeared, trickling away like sand. There¡¯s nothing left. With this weak body, he wouldn¡¯t be able to display even 1/1000th of that power he once had. ¡°Well. Whatever¡­.¡± Juan laid back down on the ground. The sound of crackling ashes drifted away, as they turned into dust. A clear blue sky. A good day to resurrect. Also to die. An unwanted resurrection. He simply did not care in the slightest, which year it was, where he was. ¡°Let¡¯s die again.¡± I died without any lingering regrets. Seeing unnecessary things will only bring about more remorse. If we know what events take place after we die, what exact circumstances caused my death, we don¡¯t know how we will react to it. If I set my mind to it, there are thousands of ways to recover my powers. If recovered, I could set ablaze the empire, the continent and even the whole world on fire. ¡®There¡®s nothing stopping me from doing this¡¯ A silent whisper can be heard from somewhere deep inside Juan. Juan pushed back his inner thoughts. His consciousness slowly drifted back to sleep. What woke him was a voice. ¡°Oi.¡± Someone was tapping his leg. An emperor from the moment he was born, Juan found amusement in such carefree treatment being directed at him. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A man wearing a turban with a colorless face was looking down at him. ¡°Who are you, were you running away from the great fire? Behind him stood a carriage, carrying many slaves with gaunt expressions. Their hands and feet were shackled with metal chains. ¡°A slave trader¡­..¡± While he was emperor, Juan strictly banned slavery. Likewise, Juan did not give permission to stab him in the back. In spite of one¡¯s effort, he knew in some places banning something wouldn¡¯t stop it from occurring. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me¡± As Juan turned his back on him, the slave trader had an absurd look on his face. Once more, he kicked Juan¡¯s thighs with force. ¡°Where¡¯s your parents? You alone?¡± ¡°My parents¡¯ well being is none of your concern. Rather, think about taking care of your own parents first.¡± For more, The bald man eventually calmed down and brought his knee together and drooped his head. The female elf tightly squeezed Juan as if to reassure him and repeatedly whispered in a soft voice, ¡®Its alright sweetie¡¯. Meanwhile, Juan¡¯s interest had drifted away to another topic. Tantil? Colosseum? The places sounded familiar. ¡°Hey.¡± Juan opened his mouth and the mountain goat horned man looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is this place Tantil? Is there a Colosseum at Tantil?¡± ¡°Your way of speaking is¡­¡­ Well yeah. Tantil is known for its Colosseum. But don¡¯t worry. There will only be boos when children like you are sent out. You¡¯ll be used more for things like errands. Gladiators always have a need for slaves.¡± But Juan wasn¡¯t listening to his words. There was only one thought in his head. Tantil was the name of the land where Juan made his mark on killing a god for the first time. The land where the emperor planted the flag of hope for humanity. During the era when Gods and humans fought, a god by the name Taltere of Madness resided over this land. Taltere often demanded sacrificial beings from his followers. And his enjoyment included watching sacrificial beings kill each other, staining the floor with blood. The madness and blood from this is where Taltere got his power. To the day Juan ordered to seal Taltere¡¯s temple, his followers had called the temple a Colosseum. Once again¡­ a Colosseum was built in Tantil? Juan felt weird. He devoted his whole life to killing gods, therefore his heart started to beat softly. But Juan quickly suppressed his beating heart. ¡°I¡¯m not the emperor anymore.¡± Juan bit his lip. ¡®Emperor is dead. Assassinated. By a human. By the hands he trusted most.¡¯ CH 3 Chapter 3. The Emperor worth two silver leaves(2) Translator: BaeBae Fourth day. Juan was lying down at a corner inside a cave. Around him, the sound of pick axe and heavy breathing rattled throughout the cave. Construction to expand the Colosseum dungeon was in place. But, no adequate lighting had been set up in the cave and furthermore no proper equipment was handed out. Using limited torches for light, blunt pickaxes to pry away at the wall was good as it got. The dungeon underneath the Colosseum was sturdy with a stone structural base, but at the cave it was but all rocks and dirt. To add fuel to fire, ventilation and drainage had not been properly set up as well. No spaces in the dungeon were given to slaves as it was already used to accommodate beasts and creatures who had better treatment. Therefore, they were making more room for their own containment space. No designer nor director was sent to manage the construction. Instead, a few guards were placed so that slaves didn¡¯t slack off. For more, Juan¡¯s body was entirely made from mana but without nutrients, it wouldn¡¯t function properly. The food that the woman gave was just enough to sustain his lifeforce. Just barely. Juan slowly but surely was creeping closer to death. Only the feeling bones could be felt when one gripped around his wrist. Who would have believed that the resurrected emperor would die from starvation. But for him, starvation wasn¡¯t painful. Instead, the thing that pained him was the face of his son appearing every time he opened his eyes. Rather than the proud, majestic appearance he showed all his life, the face of his son covered in blood came to his mind. ¡®Gared. If you are alive, are you too suffering?¡¯ Juan on purpose tried not to hear about the events that had occured after his death. Luckily, a Colosseum wasn¡¯t the right place where you could leisurely discuss history. ********** Time passed. As slaves started to grumble about when their meal was to arrive, a disturbance was heard outside. Clattering noise of metal chains, loud shouting, along with a spine chilling low growl from a creature. Slaves who were digging a hole immediately flattened themselves against the wall in fear. ¡°Hold on properly!¡± A black wolf the size of an adult man walked into the cave. Its eyes glistened as if it had been starved for a couple of days. ¡°A demonic creature.¡± Differently shaped compared to a normal monster, their looks resulted from gods altering their appearance often in part of their humor. With most gods killed, their race survived by breeding over and over. Many still existed. ¡°What, this cave construction still hasn¡¯t ended yet?¡± The men who entered the cave behind had metal poles holding the creatures¡¯ necks in place. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, two men on each side held metal poles in their hands. The men looked around the place uninterestedly. ¡°Hmm, the place has become plenty wide enough, why don¡¯t we let them loose now?¡± Screams and pleas came out from everywhere. The men let out a cruel laugh. They had no intention of releasing the creatures. They actually weren¡¯t guards but were slaves just like the cave digging slaves. Only difference was, they became gladiators from fighting multiple times in the Colosseum arena. Gladiators who survived three battles would receive a completely different treatment compared to a normal slave. Their status was right below a typical soldier and the work they received were mostly related to physical and weapon training. The highest ranked gladiator titled ¡®Champion¡¯ would get treatment on par with the director. Because of this, there were many cases where commoners living a difficult life would self volunteer to become a gladiator. Amongst them, one person had recently done exactly this. The bald man. He arrived the same day as Juan did, but due to his violent personality, this one attribute helped him to be dragged off to become a Gladiator before anyone else. Bald man, who seemingly wanted to be recognized by other gladiators, acted with more violence than usual. After seeing the slaves¡¯ frightened expressions, they reeled back the creatures in satisfaction. Being pulled back with force, the creatures distorted their body and growled. Having starved for a long time, they appeared extra sensitive today with the amount of fear they could sense in the air inside the cave. ¡°Our ¡®Butterfly¡¯ seems to be hungry.¡± Everyone refused to believe that was the creature¡¯s actual name. A gladiator looked around the area then spoke. Every slave frantically diverted their eyes away. ¡°Is there anyone who can feed our ¡®Butterfly¡¯ some food?¡± Of course, nobody wanted to get involved with a creature. The gladiator pointed to a few slaves. He had no intentions to wait around for a volunteer. ¡°You and you. Follow me.¡± ¡°Eeeeek! Um¡­. I have to work here. Sir! Uh¡­¡­ instead, there is a fellow who does nothing here!¡± Before the bald man could even properly select someone, one slave shouted out as if he was waiting for this moment. The person that the slave pointed to was Juan who was lying down at the corner of the cave. ¡°You¡­ newbies should get in line¡­.. Huh. What is he doing?¡± About to growl at baldy, a gladiator noticed someone and tilted his head. All gladiators¡¯ attention followed suit, towards the baldy. Baldy, about to panic with all the gaze directed at him, realized that everyone was actually staring behind him. When he turned around, Juan was standing there. A skeleton-like skinny boy stood still. Ever since the first day they met, he only lied still like a corpse, so baldy was startled a bit more than other gladiators but quickly regained composure. However, looking at Juan standing still, he felt something alien. Between the gladiators, an awful silence grew. Someone whispered softly. ¡°That¡­.. Is he alive? Maybe an undead?¡± Juan didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even look at them. He just stood still. The gladiators didn¡¯t even swallow their saliva and continued only to stare. It felt like someone was holding their necks in place on the spot. Not just the gladiators, the slaves were all frozen in place and stared at Juan. The only sound heard inside the cave was low breathing and sound of chains inaudibly clanging. ¡®Chains?¡¯ Through all gladiators¡¯ heads, a thought passed. Their attention redirected to the stone pole that creatures were strapped to. The creatures were on their stomachs, shaking. Then spastically, they started to twist their body and struggle. In doing so, the clumsily tied chains started to loosen. Then, Juan turned his head towards the gladiators. Simultaneously, all creatures let out a loud ¡®bark!¡¯ as they broke their chains and started running. The gladiators and slaves all started screaming as they ran away. But the direction creatures ran towards, wasn¡¯t at gladiators nor slaves but towards the cave exit. CH 4 Chapter 4. The Emperor worth two silver leaves(3) Translator: BaeBae ¡°Grab it!¡± The one gladiator who quickly analyzed the situation cried out. The closest gladiator desperately grabbed the metal chain but all he could do was hold on for dear life as the creature dragged him around left and right. Gladiators hurriedly rushed out of the cave before the creatures turned it into chaos. Only one was left behind. Baldy was sprawled on the floor and had pissed himself. ¡°Fuu, Fuck¡­.¡± He tried numerous times to forcefully get up but the strength had left his legs. He gave up and sat back down on the wet ground. Out of options, he hopelessly started to crawl towards the cave exit. Then, his gaze shifted to Juan. Juan was a few steps away from the same place as before. He wasn¡¯t moving towards the crazy woman. Very slowly,Juan walked towards the back end of the cave. Beside his foot lay a broken pickaxe that slaves tossed it away before escaping. Juan picked up the pickaxe. It felt strange that Juan¡¯s tree branch-alike arms could even lift it up. Juan lifted the pickaxe and brought it down against the wall. For baldy, this situation seemed like a prank. He was about to enjoy his moment when Juan suddenly woke up, the creatures started causing havoc and upon standing up Juan started to pry at the wall with his pickaxe. But above all this, the most laughable point was his uncertainty at whether he pissed his pants when he thought creatures were rushing at him, or whether it was when he had made direct eye contact with Juan. ********** A fist sized stone was pulled out from the wall the moment the pickaxe slammed against it. One could feel a small pleasure at the pile of dirt pouring down from the wall. Juan again gripped the pickaxe and lifted it up. Before, Juan was finding it difficult to even lift a broken pickaxe, but now was expertly axing against the wall. It had been a while since he¡¯d done any pure physical labor work. During when he was emperor, a few magical chants could achieve tasks beyond imagination. But even without chants, he had thousands, tens of thousands of subordinates willing to do his bidding. Now, all he had was just one pickaxe in his possession. Clang! As the pickaxe struck down at a rock buried under the dirt, his arms shook. Looking at it on a positive note, it meant his swings had plenty of power behind it. This physical labor was unintentionally providing an effective workout for Juan¡¯s body. Naturally, cave widening construction work was something that a 9 year old couldn¡¯t handle. Even for an adult, pickaxe was heavy to lift and proper meals were not distributed as well. Normally, overused muscles repair with time and come back more healthy than before, but doing such tiring cave work didn¡¯t help strengthen the muscles but only ruptured it making it worse. Luckily, Juan¡¯s body was constructed on mana. Mana composed his body and kept it going. The fact that Juan¡¯s body was weak could be interpreted positively; it would take only a bit of mana to restore it. For more, But cozied inside her warm cuddle, Juan slowly started to forget the feeling of the black blade. The day gradually dulled until it disappeared. ********* ¡°Hey, kid!¡± During work, he turned his head responding to him being called. Person who bothered him the most after the crazy woman was the Faun. The mistake laid in talking to him once. Being a Faun, his ability to climb walls were excellent, so he was working in areas that were more dangerous. ¡°You seem much better than before when you were acting like a corpse?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. could you bugger off. Ahlil [1].¡± ¡°Ahlil? Using antique words are we. Nowadays everyone calls us half breeds. Well, though we still like being called ahlil more.¡± For more, The expensive parts would have been sold and parts like intestines and lean meat would have been tossed in. Boiled until the bottom of the bot started to burn, this eradicated most toxin¡¯s inside creatures. A few people still did get stomach aches, but ironically, those parts contained vast amounts of mana, so it wasn¡¯t all too bad. A normal person did not have the ability to accept the mana and had to release most of it out, but Juan was absorbing every bit of mana as he ate. He made a bitter smile. The sensation of moving around, breathing in and out, sleeping, eating and drinking, all these actions were telling Juan to live on, to become stronger. It was building up strength within him. Even the sound of the prayers close by. While chewing on the unknown identity of meat inside the porridge, Juan looked about. A considerable number of people were eating just like Juan, but there were quite a lot that were praying like the crazy woman. Looking at them, Juan felt confused. Gods were mostly dead. He was confident of this as he killed them with his own hands.. The ones that were alive fled to places that they could never return from. Listening closely, their prayers were not raised to gods. ¡°Without a doubt, eventually the emperor will rise and help us from this suffering¡­..¡± It was a prayer none other than to Juan, the emperor. Juan felt strange. He was enthroned as a saviour of humanity. But most of these slaves were half-humans and the few humans there, were mostly people captured from outside the empire. For these folks to be praying to the emperor, it was difficult to say if they were foolish or truly unfortunate. Not only slaves, but gladiators, soldiers, even the inspector prayed to the emperor. In the past, Juan did see people giving him praise but would have never thought this to be the case for people in the lowest social ladder. Even the Faun had his hands tightly grasped together. [1] Ahlil ¨C What half breeds were called back when Juan was emperor. CH 5 Chapter 5. A gimlet inside a pocket(1) Translator: BaeBae ¡°Why are you praying to the emperor?¡± Juan asked the Faun who was still in the middle of praying. Looked like he was flustered for a moment. ¡°Why? I¡¯ve never even once actually thought about it.¡± ¡°The Emperor is dead. Just like the gods. So why are you praying?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dead. But¡­. hmm, fallen asleep. Proof lies in that at the imperial center, his corpse still remains and hasn¡¯t decomposed.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t decomposed?¡± Juan tilted his head in doubt but thought maybe the magicians or his dedicated followers used some chemical to achieve this feat. The practice of creating a mummy was a technique that was known during his days as emperor. But never imagined, it would have been done on him. For more, A group of soldiers congregated next to a wall muttered silently. Inspector got irritated as to know what on earth the soldiers were doing at their work station. ¡°What? Was there an accident?¡± ¡°Ah, inspector. Have a look at this¡± Once the soldiers moved to make a gap, a big hole in the center of the wall could be seen. The hole was almost big as a human height so it felt peculiar. Beneath it, a large rock was broken into many pieces. The biggest piece came up to a person¡¯s waist. ¡°This was too big so he told them to leave it but then when we had a look this morning it was broken.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a slave that can break this?¡± ¡°With a pickaxe? You¡¯re mad. Your wrist would break before the pickaxe would.¡± The inspector scans the broken area. It was really difficult to break a rock the size of an adult without the right equipment. Maybe a skilled masonry could, but there was no reason for such a skilled individual to be sold off to a fighting arena. Obviously no signs of explosives or fire being used could be seen aswell. ¡°Did you ask the slaves?¡± ¡°Yes, already asked. But they gave an absurd story¡­.¡± ¡°What did they say?¡± ¡°Uh¡­..¡± The soldier told him the story. Listening to his words, the thought of sand dyeing disappeared. Replaced was a distorted expression. ¡°The kid?¡± ***** ¡°Come in¡± The door opened and a shabby looking boy walked into the room. Inspector analyzed the boy¡¯s appearance as he made his way into the room through the door. Disheveled muddy clothes that hadn¡¯t been washed for a while. Greasy hair. It was a common look of a slave. But his eyes told a different story. Eyes that had no emotion behind it. If there is any, maybe a hint of annoyance. The inspector couldn¡¯t help but feel weird. If gladiators existed above slaves, soldiers were above gladiators and above all of them was himself. Usually, when he brought slaves into his room most were scared or tense regardless of the reason why they were here. Checking to see if the boy is in a right state of mind, the inspector asks his name. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Juan.¡± An immediate reply. The boy did not look mad nor tense. Juan. The inspector brooded over his name, but also thought highly of his boldness. ¡°Name matches the emperor. A good name.¡± Juan didn¡¯t retort. ¡°Juan. Did you break the large rock inside the cave?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The inspector pondered on how to react to Juan¡¯s way of speaking. Tantil was a settlement in the most outskirts of the empire and slaves were often captured from outside the empire. He had met slaves who couldn¡¯t speak the empire¡¯s language. If Juan couldn¡¯t speak the empire¡¯s language well it was understandable. ¡°How?¡± ¡°With a pickaxe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.How with a pickaxe?¡± ¡°By prying the pickaxe.¡± That went without saying. You couldnt dig a rock with a pickaxe. The inspector suddenly had an urge to pry Juan¡¯s head. Brooding over his replies, a thought passed his head. For a bit, he made a nonbelief expression then slowly asked a question. ¡°How many times did you pry the rock¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t count ¡­.. Maybe all day yesterday? Inspector stood up and felt Juan¡¯s arms. Then moved down to his hands where callas had start to form. The inspector was soon disappointed. Juan¡¯s body was plain average. It wasn¡¯t at all strong. ¡°It¡¯s a rock that even adults wouldn¡¯t be able to break after a week let alone a day. No, for starters it¡¯s a size that cannot be broken with a pickaxe. So how on earth did you ¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, that would be the case if you¡¯re randomly prying all over the place.¡± Juan interrupted the instructor and replied back curtly. The instructor ignored his tone and understood the meaning behind his words. ¡°Wait. So you pried the same spot for the entire day?¡± Juan nodded his head. His vibe gave off a feeling ¡®what¡¯s so hard about that¡¯. Instructor pulled out a dagger from his waist belt. Juan looked at the dagger presented before him and raised his eyebrows. He gave back a ¡®What am I supposed to do with this¡¯ face. He knew giving a weapon was dangerous, but had confidence that he wouldn¡¯t lose to a child. And above all that he placed his curiosity first. ¡°Use this to stick it on the desk.¡± Juan gave a suspicious glance then accepted the dagger. As requested, he brought it down on the desk. A single white blemish was left on the solid wood desk. Inspector nodded his head. ¡°Do it one more time.¡± Juan sighed as he brought it down again on the desk. The dagger was brought down on the exact same spot Juan made before. The inspector nervously fiddled his lips after looking at the dagger rooted without a single margin of error. Juan didn¡¯t line up the angle nor readied his shoulders. He simply did it instinctively. ¡°Once more ¡­.¡± Kwak, Kwak, Kwak, Kwak, THUD! Before the inspector could even finish his words, Juan repeatedly stuck the knife on the desk five times. On the last attempt, half of the dagger rooted itself into the desk. No damage could be found anywhere else except where the dagger had been rooted. Juan looked at the inspector with an expression that asked ¡®are we done?¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s for real.¡¯ There¡¯s a saying where water drop could penetrate a rock. If water continuously dropped on the same dot over hundreds, thousands of years, a hole would form and eventually completely pierce it. Concentration to be able to consistently stab on the same single spot. This boy was able to do this. ¡®A tremendous talent¡¯ Accurately swing his weapon as intended and freely move it as he wants. An attribute that was highly sought in a swordsman. Additionally, a touch of ill mannerism and overflowing with self confidence. His superb concentration would stay with him on a battlefield. ¡®Too talented to be rotting away as a slave.¡¯ The inspector summarized. His job wasn¡¯t just simply to buy slaves and make sure they didn¡¯t die. His role as an inspector entailed growing talented seeds into swordsmen where there was potential or cut them down if they posed a threat. ¡°You¡­. what¡¯s your age?¡± ¡°No clue.¡± ¡°Okay. It¡¯s not really important. A little more height and a few years, it¡¯s possible you could surpass Lecto as the gladiator champion¡­. But to raise you until then could be tricky.¡± The inspector looked truly regrettable as he spoke. If Juan was 13 or 14 years old, he would have suggested to Daaron the director to train him into a gladiator. But Juan was too young. And yet, he was too talented to be passed up on. The inspector thought for now, keep him at arm¡¯s length close by till the time comes when he could use him. CH 6 Chapter 6. A gimlet inside a pocket(2) Translator: BaeBae ¡°Juan, from tomorrow come here instead of working at the cave.¡± ¡°Huh? What? No thanks.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The inspector determined if Juan was to continually come into his office, one of the first things to get right was his way of speaking. ¡°Maybe my words were hard to understand. What I meant was from now on, il task you with easy work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll decline. I don¡¯t find current work any bit strenuous.¡± ¡°No. Your opinion doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re a slave and you will do as you¡¯re told.¡± The inspector didn¡¯t expect that he would have to explain this as well. With his arms crossed, Juan unpleasantly looked at the inspector. After pondering about something for a while he replied back. ¡°That¡¯s right. But what if I still say no?¡± The inspector calmed the anger rising in his head as he feared he was about to release his rage on him any second. He now realized his boldness went above and beyond to crazy. Yet, it was a waste not to nurture that talent even if he was crazy. Instead of using force, the inspector decided to gently persuade him. If he had a vision to make Juan the champion of gladiators, nothing beneficial would come out of creating animosity between them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pry a pickaxe in a cave all day. Isn¡¯t it exhausting? You don¡¯t have to do it anymore. You can eat delicious things. Not porridge, instead something chew-able. You can feel sunlight, breathe clean air and have a shower. How about it? And plus I will, no I will personally ask Lecto to teach you swordsmanship. You could become a gladiator.¡± The inspector explained it simply so it was easy for Juan to understand. Still after all that, Juan¡¯s expression showed no sign of being interested. However, when the inspector brought up the topic of gladiator, the slightest of his expression being interested showed. The inspector didn¡¯t fail to catch this small detail. Kwa-ang! The inspector slammed his desk. Juan made no response while looking up bemusingly. In that moment, the inspector noticed the dagger rooted to the desk. Instinctively, he pulled out his sword from his waist belt. He thought Juan might swing the dagger at him. It was only an imagination, yet his back started to sweat. Needless to say, Juan had no such intentions. ¡°I apologize if you were offended. Can I go now?¡± Juan¡¯s behaviour made him even more furious. Inspector raised his sword at Juan¡¯s face. The tip of the blade hovered an inch close to Juan¡¯s eyes. ¡°One eye for a lesson in manners? Maybe cutting your tongue in half would teach you some humility? Or better yet, slicing the tip of your nose would cut down your overflowing arrogance.¡± The inspector¡¯s blade slowly moved down Juan¡¯s cheek. Blood particles had formed on Juan¡¯s cheek where the sharp blade had scratched over. The blood particles combined together and trickled down his cheek, falling from his chin. But Juan not once flinched. He had the exact same facial expression as when he first entered the room. No emotion. Hint of annoyance. Inspector gulped down his saliva nervously. The inspector felt as if he swung his sword at Juan¡¯s neck to behead him, he still wouldn¡¯t bat an eye. To a skinny child slave, he had the authority to do whatever he pleased. Yet for a long time, the inspector stood still. He was too talented for him to act rashly. Then, a thought passes in his head. A better method than simply forcing him against his will. ¡°Cocky little shit¡± Inspector lowered his sword. A suspicious smile appeared on his face. ¡°Expected of someone brought in from outside the empire. I¡¯ll teach you a few pieces of advice on basic etiquette.¡± ***** Clang! A steel bar door had shut. Beyond the steel bars, Juan looked at the bald gladiator who silently locked the door. ¡°So. I see that the arrogant baby boy has managed to come this far.¡± A set of keys twirled around the baldy¡¯s finger. He couldn¡¯t stop smirking. All gladiators had received whipping as punishment for the creature cave incident. It was to be expected as they let the creatures escape while they were on duty. Yet baldy thought all the blame lay with Juan. Because of this, when he saw Juan being sent to prison, he insisted on going instead of soldiers. ¡°Do you have any idea how much inconvenience your little stunt has caused me? Huh? I don¡¯t know what worthless things you learnt from outside the empire¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never learnt a skill that could make someone urinate.¡± Baldy¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Hit a nerve, have I? I noticed on the way here, you¡¯re being ostracized by the other gladiators. I wanted to advise it¡¯s not just because you pissed yourself. It¡¯s your reputation. There¡¯s a reason why different social classes exist. Anyways other than yourself, two other people had also pissed themselves¡­ ¡° ¡°I told you to shut up! You bastard ¡­..¡± Badly slammed his spear against the metal pole. As a sharp sound echoed throughout, creatures started to howl and shriek in response. For more, The creature¡¯s howl caused other creatures to also act crazy. After glaring at him for a while, baldy started to remove the lock device that held the creature in place. Bit by bit as the creature freed itself, it¡¯s teeth inched closer to Juan¡¯s face. Baldy let out a hysterical laugh as he imagined what Juan¡¯s fear-stricken face would look like. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a piss? Maybe you¡¯re too scared that your dick shriveled up?¡± Unconsciously, beads of sweat started to rise on his back. The inspector instructed him that Juan was to be put in a room with a creature that was firmly tied up. He was playing a dangerous game, acting beyond what he was told to do. Now for Juan, there was only a bit of standing space left. The creature¡¯s burning breath covered his face as it showed his deadly teeth before snapping it shut. Then something happened that no one wanted. Kwang! The creature starved to its limit, lost its patience and tugged at the metal chain that was tied around his neck. Kwang! Surprised by the sound, baldy hurriedly tried to hold the metal chain in place. Kwang! Baa-zzik! Sound of metal chains breaking apart resonated and the creature instantly pounced at Juan. The iron bars were thoroughly crushed and bent outwards. From the impact, baldy was flung backwards. He quickly lifted his chin to analyse the situation. But all he could see was Juan¡¯s left shoulder in tatters and the creature furiously chewing on his left arm, in his mouth. ¡°Ehh ahhhhhh!¡± Realizing what had happened, baldy sprinted away without looking back. CH 7 Chapter 7. A gimlet inside a pocket(3) Translator: BaeBae Some time had passed. Juan slowly opened his eyes. His body ached a little. Juan wiggled around and pulled out his left arm from the creature¡¯s mouth. His left arm was glowing red. Juan was unsure if this was due to his arm being soaked in blood all night or if it was the fact his arm was only just reconstructed that was making it glow . Or maybe¡­. It was because he used the creature¡¯s blood to reconstruct it. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Juan muttered silently, while looking down at the dead creature. Streams of blood were flowing out from its mouth and neck. When the creature closed in, Juan was willing to accept death. But his body reacted on its own. When he presented his arm to the creature he was only half sure of what he was doing. His body could regenerate simply with mana. So he thought; creatures who unlike beasts had an abundance of mana, could be used to his advantage. When he was initially bitten, his left arm had almost been bitten off completely. Yet Juan moved his hand deeper into the mouth. Dogs and beasts don¡¯t have teeth towards the back of their mouth to cut an arm. They usually spit anything back out that they can¡¯t swallow. The creature faltered when it couldn¡¯t chew on Juan¡¯s arm properly. Juan pushed his arm deep into its mouth and desperately hung on. Then, he went at the creature¡¯s neck and ripped it apart with his mouth. Juan lost a vast amount of blood from this. His left arm was barely connected by his flesh. He immediately fell into a deep sleep as he had used an enormous amount of strength, incomparable to the amount he used when working in the cave. After waking up, he had noticed his arm had recovered as if nothing had happened. ¡®Maybe if it was entirely swallowed by the creature, my arm would have reappeared inside its belly¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if his regeneration skill was good for him or not. Juan increasingly lost his confidence. His confidence that he would surely die. ¡°Hmm..¡± He moved his arm around and titled his head in puzzlement. Losing a lot of blood, he had thought his current state would not be good, but rather his body felt lighter than before. Seemed like his strength had increased as well. His mana capacity had also grown a frightening amount. ¡®All thanks to the creature¡­.¡¯ He had consumed it¡¯s raw blood. And much of his left arm reconfiguration phase had involved the creature¡¯s blood. It wasn¡¯t something he was aiming for but a significant improvement nonetheless. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how much stronger he had become, but he felt it was now possible to send mana to his physical body to empower it. Grrrr¡­. although he had the opportunity to somewhat satisfy his hunger by drinking raw blood, his stomach violently grumbled at him. He knew with mana he couldn¡¯t die of starvation but the emptiness inside his stomach didn¡¯t feel right. He had half a thought to endure but then his eyes had already noticed the creature¡¯s corpse. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A complex thought drifted past his head. Then, he heard someone calling. ¡°Hey kid.¡± ¡°Huh? What? Why are you here?¡± It was none other than the Faun. He scanned the nearby area with a scared look. ¡°I came after hearing you were imprisoned. The other side of this dungeon is linked to where I¡¯m working at. What caused the inspector to do this¡­. Ughhh, What is this smell? Dried raw blood? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hurt now.¡± What do you mean ¡®now¡¯? Wait, what is that behind you! A creature? You alright? ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The Faun looked at Juan with a complicated look. His vision drifted between Juan and the fallen creature. The cave was quite dark so he guessed that the creature was asleep. The Faun extended his hand to give something. ¡°Take this.¡± What Juan received was a stiff hardened bread. ¡°The inspector gave this to me. He was raving on about the fact it¡¯s a special meal that¡¯s chewable unlike porridge. I heard you¡¯re imprisoned so I thought you wouldn¡¯t have had a proper meal for a while.¡± Juan chewed on the bread while looking at the Faun. He was nodding at him. ¡°Yeah¡­. She misses you a lot. Always crying. So I decided to come and check up on you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t ask.¡± We were referring to the crazy woman. The Faun only chuckled back. Juan felt complicated yet baffled at what he should do. He couldn¡¯t stay around her side. Especially while they were still slaves. On one hand, he felt staying away from her would help her find her rationality back. ¡°I can¡¯t leave today. They said they¡¯ll let me go tomorrow.¡± ¡°I know. Phew¡­¡­ They mentioned we will be working at the Colosseum tomorrow. Might not even get to see you during meal time.¡± ¡°Colosseum?¡± As Juan raised his eyebrows, the Faun waived his hands. ¡°Work at the Colosseum is not always dangerous. Our work is sand dyeing or something similar. Noona is also going with me. Plus, I don¡¯t think they will kill me. I¡¯m a valuable worker who can work on the walls expertly remember?¡± Juan nodded back. He agreed it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous as they stationed the crazy woman to work there as well. Sand dyeing¡­. Sounded like coating colour onto the sand. Yet he couldn¡¯t stop but feel something was wrong. ¡°Can¡¯t you ask to work at the same usual place?¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be slaves if we could decide what we wanted to do.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Him being imprisoned was a prime example of this. He gave a quick thought and chose not to worry anymore. ¡°Right then. Imma head back seeing as I¡¯ve seen you are alive and kicking. Staying out here too long might furiate the gladiator I¡¯ve bribed off.¡± Juan nodded. But as the Faun stood, he held him in place. ¡°Wait.¡± Juan grabbed a handful of his hair and ripped it off. Then expertly, he showed his skills as he tied his hair into a knot. The faun with his widened eyes, stared at Juan. Juans hand skills suggested it wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s done this. ¡°Take this to that woman.¡± ¡°This is¡­..¡± The Faun looked like he knew what this meant. Juan flustered a little. It was an act that wasn¡¯t done in general practise but what you would call it a military tradition. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything unnecessary and just give it to her. There¡¯s no special meaning behind it.¡± The Faun grinned in response and left holding the tied knot. After he sent the Faun on his way, Juan plopped down leaning back on the steel bars. He didn¡¯t particularly have any thoughts when he gave the knot away but looking back, he worried if he did something unnecessary. It¡¯s not something he usually did, and something that didn¡¯t suit his current situation. The Faun had managed to notice its meaning behind it as well¡­. Being half human, he never thought the Faun would have known. Maybe he had a military background possibly? Juan kicked himself in regret but it was all in the past now. Finally, he reminded himself to ask the Faun his name the next time they met. ***** Dududududu. Sound of hooves reverberated as a heavily armed group of people were closing on the Colosseum. At the front, a flag flew high from a person¡¯s hand. A blue rose was drawn on it. The front rider halted to a stop once they arrived at the Colosseum. Along its tracks, a cloud of dust had appeared. A soldier rushed over after noticing the flag symbol and the identity of the rider. ¡°Sina Solbein nim![1] What brings the Knights of Blue rose to Taltere¡­¡± ¡°I came hearing about a suspicious activity related to a cult.¡± Unfittingly, the knight¡¯s refreshing voice belonged to a female. The knight pulled up her visor and revealed her pale white face and blue eyes. The soldiers¡¯ eyes fixed themselves upon the beauty who they had not expected to meet. The top knight from the Blue rose order, Sina Solbein squinted her eyes as she urged her horse forwards, intimidating the soldiers. Frightened, the soldiers scrambled backwards. ¡°Tell your superiors that the Knights Blue rose has come.¡± ¡°Again, is it to do with a cult suspicion?¡± ¡°There is never a limit in testifying one¡¯s faith.¡± ¡°However, director Daaron is currently busy with work¡­..¡± ¡°Then I guess he will meet me without being notified.¡± At hearing those words, the soldiers bolted back to the entrance. The other knights by now had tied their horses and quickly caught up to Sina who had already raced ahead with great strides. One of the knights carefully asked her something. ¡°This place again¡­ Sina nim?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I thought president nim[1] told us to go somewhere else?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have given us permission if we told him. You know that pig receives cash from keeping Tantil Colosseum in operation. Startled from Sina¡¯s sudden outburst, the knights looked at each other. Her comrades clearly heard her insult but pretended not to hear. ¡°President nim¡­ No, the president is indeed a pig and we all know that. But still, wouldn¡¯t this cause trouble down the line? We are ignoring instructions set on the permit letter. ¡°If we find evidence that a cult exists, there won¡¯t be any trouble.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be a problem that we¡¯ve already searched 7 times? There might be talks that we¡¯re doing targeted investigations. Sina nim. There¡¯s not a single knight in our order that dislikes you. But if you keep acting like this, you will be kicked out.¡± ¡°Ausrey.¡± Sina called out the knight¡¯s name who was talking back and stopped walking. Then at once, smacked her guts with her hilt. Ausrey gasped for air as she was sent sprawling on the ground. ¡°I was born and raised in Tantil. I know Tantil should deserve more than this. So if I am to destroy this slave rotten Colosseum that is defiling my home town, I am willing to do anything to achieve this.¡± ***** Next morning, the sound of marching army boots could be heard from outside. ¡°Kid, did you have a good night¡¯s slee¡­.. Huh, what¡¯s this?¡± The inspector came into the cell with a booming voice, but found himself confused at the stench of blood. He thought the possibility that the creature could have eaten Juan. Then right on cue, Juan stood up from the pool of blood. ¡°I kind of expected it to be comfortable as it¡¯s a ball of fur, but i guess not.¡± He had a totally different reason for his lack of sleep but Juan with a straight face said in a nonchalant manner. Inspector¡¯s anger rose at seeing the creature killed but that feeling was suppressed by his overwhelming desire for Juan. A nine year old killing a creature with his bare hands? Although he was covered in blood, it looked like he didn¡¯t sustain any critical injuries. ¡®This kid is special.¡¯ His heart was boiling in greed. To him, it didn¡¯t matter if keeping him here would be limiting his potential. Like growing a baby shark in a pond. ¡°So, have you changed your mind?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already heard my conditions.¡± Juan replied back as if he was annoyed but the inspector surprisingly let it slide. ¡°Alright. Keep thinking about it, maybe it will change.¡± The inspector signaled his soldiers. They cuffed his hands and pulled him out. Juan didn¡¯t retaliate. ¡°Lets go¡± Escorted by soldiers, Juan followed the Inspector. Dungeon corridors inside the Colosseum were crowded with gladiators doing last minute training and getting ready for the event. From them, Juan received many curious glances as he passed. It was normal inside the Colosseum to see violent gladiators walking around, filthy, fully armed. And yet, a small weak looking child in cuffs was tightly escorted by many soldiers. They all thought, ¡®Hell, what kind of sin did you commit¡¯? [1] nim ¨C a title of respect in Korean. Kinda similar to Sir and Ma¡¯am. CH 8 Chapter 8 Sand Dyeing(1) Translator: BaeBae While walking along, Juan found himself looking at the cave where he usually worked. As expected, the crazy woman nor the Faun were nowhere to be seen. Around this time, they would be working hard. Juan remembered what Faun told him yesterday. ¡®He said they¡¯re working at the Colosseum.¡¯ Juan tried recalling the Colosseum¡¯s layout. A layout map he saw when he had to secretly enter to assassinate Taltere, god of madness. Most of the facilities were kept and used the same way. Although it seemed like they didn¡¯t know about the hidden devices that Taltere¡¯s priests were using. ¡®Going towards the Colosseum I see.¡¯ There must¡¯ve been a large task load, if they were making crazy woman help with the work. But something about that felt weird to Juan. There weren¡¯t many working people on the site. An uneasy feeling welled up inside him. And then, they arrived at the bottom of a long staircase. ¡°You know what this place is? Gladiators call it ¡®The staircase of glory¡¯. That¡¯s because even lowly half humans and slaves have the opportunity to obtain glory on the sandy arena.¡± Juan ignored the inspector¡¯s laughable explanation and started to walk up the stairs. Inspector twisted his face and immediately followed him up the stairs. Soon before arriving at the arena, they met someone unexpected at the end of the staircase. ¡°Daaron nim.¡± A man staring at the arena on top of the stairs turned his head around at the inspector¡¯s call. An elderly man with long white hair tied in a ponytail. His emaciated face was hard as a radish and cracks had begun to form from old age. ¡°Did you come to check on how sand dyeing is going? It¡¯s proceeding as planned.¡± ¡°Yeah. Seems like it.¡± The director of Colosseum, Daaron grasped a handful of sand and opened his palm. The reddened sand trickled down like an hourglass. ¡°The colour must be as dark as possible so refrain from holding back on ingredient use.¡± Daaron turned his body and brushed past the inspector. He didn¡¯t give one look at Juan. The tense inspector let out a sigh and disheveled Juan¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯re in luck. If I received the instruction one day earlier¡­.¡± Juan was acting jittery as soon as he saw the reddened sand. He smelt a strong scent of blood from the sand that Daaron let slip from his hands. It wasn¡¯t blood spilt by the gladiators. It was rich, fresh blood. Instead of anger and excitement, he could sense fear tainted inside the blood when it was spilt. Juan left the inspector to his own and walked up the remaining staircase. The sunlight was intense. A blazing heat shined on his head. Everything was red in front of his eyes. The enormous arena¡¯s center was filled with reddened sand. At regular intervals, something was laid on the ground. Juan¡¯s heart started to pound. Dead bodies. He spent most of his life on a battlefield. All it took was one look to see what had happened. Juan could see the events that had inspired here as clear as if it had happened in front of his eyes. (Moments before) The morning air was cold. A tense atmosphere between the slaves was clearly evident. The soldiers start grinning viciously. With a thrust of a sharp spear, the first victim emerges. A man who had his ankles almost torn off, fell while screaming. From here and there, slaves who had been lightly hurt started running off aimlessly. In quick fashion the slaves were ¡®spread¡¯ over the arena. The soldiers allow them to run around, then aptly kill them at the right spot. While trying to escape, the slaves find themselves stabbed repeatedly with swords and spears and those that are injured are once again stabbed by soldiers chasing behind. On purpose no one is fatally wounded as humans spill more blood when the heart is racing. The fallen slaves groan, scream and cry out in pain. They are given a slow painful death. The smell reeks of the blood split and people¡¯s skin turn pale. It¡¯s only flies that start dancing happily in the area. The reddened sand rustle between Juan¡¯s toes. The sunlight dries the blood into the sand creating a clear red colour. ¡®Sand dyeing huh.¡¯ Is there a more apt word for what has happened, this picture. Juan started walking through the sand. In front of him lay the body of a male and female that tried to escape. The blood that had yet to completely dry, was covering his leg. There was no need to walk far. He never got the chance to run away. Yes. That¡¯s because his hands were full looking after someone else. The Faun was sprawled over the crazy woman as if he was protecting her. His legs were strong and great at climbing walls. If he wanted to escape, he would have died at the outskirts of the arena. Likely speared to death while trying to climb the tall slippery walls. But he didn¡¯t do this. Instead he chose to die being stabbed on top of the crazy woman who was certain to die. Also, it looked like the crazy woman was holding onto something tightly next to her chest. Juan knelt down and found what she had been holding onto. The lump of hair that Juan gave to her. It was covered in blood. When Juan was emperor, it was tradition for soldiers leaving for war to leave behind a lump of their hair tied in a knot back home. The person who safe-kept the knotted hair were their mothers. The person that eternally waited at home safekeeping it until the soldier returned from battle. Someone to go back and meet again. It signified the will to return home at any cost. ¡®Sweetie.¡¯ Juan let out a laugh at the voice lightly drifting away in his ears. ¡°Inspector nim, what is this guy doing?¡± ¡°Leave him be. Looks like he¡¯s met someone he knows.¡± The inspector grinned nefariously as he looked down at Juan¡¯s back. Stupid idiot. If you listened to me, she might have survived. The inspector came up close to Juan and put his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Alright, Juan. Can¡¯t do anything about the past. Director Daaron ordered me to dye the sand, so I had no choice in the matter.¡± Inspector whispered an excuse into Juan¡¯s ear. ¡°Forget about this and look at it from a logical point. All deaths are a tragedy¡­. But as a slave, having no one important in your life can actually be a strength. Furthermore, the soil was turned red for the Emperor¡¯s 94th anniversary birthday event. It would¡¯ve been an honor for them.¡± His majesty the emperor? ¡°Instead of turning into creature food or dying alone in a cave, isn¡¯t it much better to meet a noble death like this? In a way, I provided them with that opportunity.¡± What on earth is he spouting¡­ ¡°Normally a healthy male¡¯s blood is used to soak the sand. You see, the emperor doesn¡¯t like a weak sacrificial offering. Yet an opportunity presented itself for a half human elf who isn¡¯t even in a right state of mind to offer her blood to the emperor. It¡¯s an honor for her and her whole race, is it not?¡± Sacrifice what to the emperor? ¡°But the best present, more than anything else is you! There¡¯s never been a talent like you. When you turn 15 years old, I have no doubt that on the emperor¡¯s 100th anniversary birthday year, you will be crowned champion! The emperor yearns for the strong! And I will have brought him the greatest present to him!¡± Juan slowly turned to look at the inspector. The inspector looked as if he was intoxicated in vanity. His neck seemed to be creaking. The inspector widened his arms and tried to cuddle as if he was consolidating Juan. Then, something hard hit the inspector¡¯s chest. Uhh duduk! A horrifying sound echoed inside the inspector¡¯s head. After rolling on the ground in pain, blood gushed out from his mouth. ¡°Inspector nim!¡± The soldiers came rushing towards him. With flickering eyes the inspector looked up at Juan. A crooked left arm belonging to Juan came into his view. With that arm? Really? Maybe he¡¯d swung so hard that his arm broke? The inspector quickly searched for his sword from his waist. But the only thing that his hands could grasp at was sand. ¡°What are you doing¡­ Why don¡¯t you try fighting back.¡± His sword was in Juan¡¯s hand. He was looking down at him with pitch black eyes. His eyes contained blackness that couldn¡¯t be found on even the darkest nights. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the emperor dislikes weak sacrificial offerings?¡± Juan softly whispered as he pierced the inspector¡¯s throat. ***** Sina turned her head at the loud stir coming from the Colosseum. It appeared to be a large commotion as the sound had reached the guest¡¯s reception room. For more, ¡°So, what in particular did top knight nim expect to find here? I heard you found evidence of a cult, but I just wanted to say, you couldn¡¯t find a more faithful servant of the emperor elsewhere. The fact is one tenth of the profit I make from the Colosseum is given to the church. Isn¡¯t this a clear sign of the devotion I have towards his majesty emperor?¡± ¡°Faith is something that can¡¯t be bought. Find one act of heresy and all that effort to build up trust turns to dust.¡± Daaron smiled and thought deep in his mind ¡®what an irrational bitch¡¯. Sina also smiled back and thought to herself ¡®bloody murderer who thinks everything can be solved with money¡¯. ¡°According to reports, fights in the arena follow a similar scheme to the one back in the day before the emperor slew Taltere the god of madness. His loyal fanatics were employing the same methods. Do you have any comments on this matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all but coincidence. I¡¯m just wanting to reenact our majestic emperor¡¯s past. His past when he disguised himself as a slave, snuck in and killed Taltere. So to an extent, some unavoidable similarities are going to exist.¡± ¡°I know most slaves meet their death here. Are you implying the emperor was also humiliated and killed at the time?¡± ¡°That is to articulate what reality was like for the humans before the emperor arrived. They were helplessly being beaten by the gods. But ever so often, one slave stands out prominently, giving something to cheer about for the crowd. I gave this a term and called it, ¡®the emperor has returned¡¯.¡± ¡°His majesty¡¯s sacred body is currently laid inside the palace. Saying such blasphemous words could cause problems.¡± ¡°Completely right. Yet, how could I not compare the symbol of heroism to the emperor? It¡¯s down to my imperfect cultural sense, so let¡¯s not make a big strife about it.¡± During their discussion, Sina tried finding something to use as leverage but it certainly wasn¡¯t easy. Although he was an ignorant, idiotic public official, he was excellent at providing logical excuses. Sina had expected this to happen. Daaron was not an easy opponent. Instead, Ausrey and the other knights were instructed to desperately search for any clues around the Colosseum. If they didn¡¯t find anything, today would once again end in failure. And it felt as if this was their last opportunity. Sina wanted to close down the colosseum by any possible means. The colosseum had been built when Sina left home to finish her training in order to become a knight. Of course Tantil wasn¡¯t the cleanest city to begin with. But with the Colosseum arrival, the darkness inside the city thickened. The things that were done secretly in the dungeons were brought up for the people to see. The slavery market also blew up in size. People¡¯s blood and lives were mistreated as they were sold and bought with a couple of coins. This had an influence on the ordinary public as well. Naturally, as people were used to conduct business, people¡¯s value were calculated with money. By the time Sina had returned to her hometown, the place had manifested into something unrecognizable. CH 9 Chapter 9 Sand Dyeing(2) Translator: BaeBae Having completed her knight training which included memorising the emperor¡¯s whole history, Sina discovered resemblances between traces she found at Colosseum and Taltere¡¯s former religious group activities. And yet, Daaron was clearly demonstrating that he was a faithful follower of the emperor. Priests had given their judgement that Daaron¡¯s a devoted supporter of the emperor. There wasn¡¯t any clue how many of them had received money from Daaron to say that. Scratch that. Maybe none of them received anything. At the Colosseum, many people were killed under the name of the emperor and people praised, glorified him. The church didn¡¯t care about anything else other than this point. ¡°On that note, wouldn¡¯t our top knight nim need to prove her faith as well?¡± At Daaron¡¯s words, Sina made a face. ¡°What are you exactly implying with those words?¡± ¡°The emperor stressed the importance of obedience and discipline. From what I know, the president of your Blue rose knights order isn¡¯t Sina nim, yet I¡¯ve been meeting Sina nim more so than your president. It would be unlike your president to ask you to investigate so often. So I can only imagine that your actions are all but your own?¡± ¡°Do not distort the emperor¡¯s words. ¡®Obey to a better volition. There¡¯s never a wrong thing but there¡¯s always a better thing.¡¯ Also, ¡®the discipline that binds you isn¡¯t submission. As an individual you are only a small stone, yet as a group tied together in discipline, you will be a formidable castle wall¡­.¡¯¡± On the precipice of saying another quote related to the church, Sina stopped herself at hearing the door knock. Daaron frowned his eyes. Sina momentarily felt embarrassed at herself for getting agitated and reciting a speech. She didn¡¯t come here to lecture Daaron, she came here to investigate him. The one who should do most of the talking was Daaron. Yet she had babbled on and on. She felt ashamed being played to his provocation. ¡°What is it.¡± ¡°Da.. Daaron nim. There¡¯s been an incident at the Colosseum.¡± ¡°Incident?¡± With an annoyed face, Daaron got up and was about to head on over when he stopped and looked at Sina. ¡°Sina nim, it seems like today¡¯s not a good day. Is it alright if I excuse myself early?.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not alright. If there¡¯s a problem at the Colosseum, it¡¯s going to be linked to violence. Why don¡¯t I lend you an extra hand.¡± An incident linked to Daaron. This might be an opportunity, Sina thought. Daaron hesitated for a moment, but then nodded back as if it shouldn¡¯t matter. Swiftly, they arrived at the Colosseum¡¯s entrance and found soldiers loudly shouting towards the central area. ¡°Shoot him! Turn him into a porcupine!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± The soldiers quickly backed off as Daaron rumbled. Daaron and Sina pushed them out the way and peered towards the Colosseum¡¯s center. ¡°That¡¯s¡­.?¡± It was a miserable state inside the Colosseum. There wasn¡¯t a single soldier in normal shape. Most were dead or horrified at the sight of their organs flowing out from their body. Some, glued to the wall, were shaking in fear. The Colosseum was full of corpses which had been stacked into a pile. The blood from the bodies had coloured the sand bright red. One person was standing at the center of the Colosseum. All around his body, there were arrows deeply stuck and yet it looked like he was standing upright. ¡°Daaron nim has arrived! Hold your fire! ¡± As the arrows stopped, the man who had been turned into a porcupine slowly toppled over. And hidden behind, a young boy could be seen. She thought of the possibility that she was facing an extraordinary genius. She called out to him unwillingly. ¡°Surrender!¡± Again, Juan did not reply and instead swung his sword at her. In frustration, Sina bit her mouth and instantly swung her sword, knocking Juan¡¯s sword away. Having received many cracks from previous fights, his sword broke. Despite that, Juan tightly held the remaining sword handle. He thought to himself ¡®I guess this is it then¡­¡¯. He wobbled a bit before slumping down on the spot. His eyes were reversed, completely white. It was quite certain he¡¯d lost his consciousness. ¡°You little bastard¡­..¡± Once Juan collapsed, a soldier approached, attempting to stab him with a spear. Sina urgently cried out. ¡°Stop!¡± Then suddenly, Juan who¡¯d been motionless till now, quickly evaded the spear, grabbed it and pulled it towards him. The soldier lost his footing and tumbled towards Juan. In a flash, Juan bit down at his neck. The soldier flailed his arms around as he tried to escape. But gradually, his movements started to weaken until it stopped. Showered in a stream of blood, Juan was staring down at Sina. Her hair stood on its end as she thought, ¡®had she been caught off her guard she would have ended up like that soldier. Nobody dared approach Juan who was soaked in blood. After a while, Sina pushed herself to approach him and confirmed Juan had passed out with his eyes open. This time it was real. As Sina lifted Juan up into her arms, Daaron came over. ¡°Top knight nim, who is he¡­.¡± ¡°Appears to be a gladiator slave.¡± Sina replied while giving him a wide smirk. ¡°Why are you so quiet? Just like you said, shouldn¡¯t you be amazed that ¡®the Emperor is here¡¯? I believe that¡¯s how you phrased it?¡± CH 10 Chapter 10. Sina Solbein(1) Translator: BaeBae (Past memory) Everywhere was burning. Places beyond the horizon were also burning. The sea was right beside the city, yet the flames didn¡¯t stop. Inside the devilish blaze, all living things including their bones were incinerated. The flames flickered high as if it was about to burn the sky. In the midst of the flames, walked one man. He wore a nonchalant expression on his face, as if the flames didn¡¯t exist. He wore a light attire and appeared to be carrying a long sword on his waist along with a bundle on his back. Calmly strolling across the fiery beach, he eventually stopped. The man looked up and shouted out loud. ¡°Excellently done!¡± Towards where he was looking, a blue light dragon was lying dead. While its colossal body was large as a mountain, its head was buried deep in the sand and streams of blood was flowing. Above its head, a male in an armored suit was gasping for air from being out of breath. Surprised at hearing who the voice belonged to, the armored male immediately bowed his head. ¡°Your majesty, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve made a mess. Ga-in.¡± ¡°The negotiations¡­.. didn¡¯t go as planned.¡± ¡°Dragons are quite stubborn and prideful. Did you kill them all?¡± ¡°I believe all seven of the ancient class were killed. Only the lord escaped.¡± The man called Ga-in looked as if he was in pain from breathing but he managed to stumble out a reply. The lightly attired man spoke. ¡°Drink the dragon¡¯s blood. You¡¯ll feel better. Don¡¯t worry about the one who escaped. I¡¯ve already taken care of it.¡± Ga-in widened his eyes. The man grabbed his bundle and shook out all his belongings. The head of a blue haired old female rolled out. Blood was still flowing from her open throat. ¡°It seemed they had no intentions to negotiate from the start. They were planning to draw our attention by creating a hail storm on the eastern shore. I took her head on the way here.¡± The way he spoke sounded as if he plucked an apple because it was there. Ga-in let out a hollow laugh. ¡°Yet again, I¡¯ve caused nothing but trouble for Your Majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°Nothing wrong trying to solve situations through compromise. It¡¯s always good to avoid bloodshed. Only these bastards were planning to betray you from the start.¡± The man shrugged his shoulders. Consequently, I¡¯ve been thinking about killing all adult class. I already managed to kill a few on the way here. It should be fine to only raise hatchlings. ¡°Every¡­¡­. adult class?¡± ¡°Some will run away. However, i¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t even think about coming back to the empire.¡± The man spoke with a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t forgo any actions to those who tried to attack my son.¡± ***** Juan woke from his sleep. A light headache and feeling of displeasure greeted him. Looking back, at the time it certainly wasn¡¯t a bad memory. A long past memory of meeting a familiar face and thrillingly purging dragons who rebelled in the eastern part of the empire. It was a while since he¡¯d dreamed of Gared and he wasn¡¯t stabbing him. Yet, a feeling of displeasure enveloped his body. Looking around, he was in a damp stone room with mould growing all over the place. Nobody was present. Juan inadvertently reached for the crazy woman¡¯s hand and realised she wasn¡¯t here. Furthermore, that he will never be able to hold her hand anymore. A great sense of despair overwhelmed him. It felt as if another hole had opened up on the same spot where Gared stabbed him in the past. The feeling of despair found a place in his body and rooted itself deep in his heart. The emotion got better of him as a wave of nausea came crashing over him. ¡°Eugh!¡± Before he knew it, Juan vomited over the floor. Blood and bits of flesh from the creature he consumed yesterday came out and soaked the floor. The ends of his fingers started to shake. Juan lifted and looked at his hand. Someone had treated him by wrapping his hand with a bandage. ¡®Making other people die¡­ instead it should be me that¡¯s supposed to be dead.¡¯ But strangely he found himself not unhappy that he didn¡¯t die. At realizing this, Juan¡¯s mind became blank. He¡¯s never thought about wanting to continue living. No concerns about what the future could bring. But when he slaughtered the soldiers, covering himself in blood, the thought of wanting to die never came about. Juan fumbled his hand around his chest and inspected his mana heart status. Different to a physical heart, his mana heart controlled the flow of mana in, out and around his body. When he was emperor, he extracted the god of mana Mananen-maclil¡¯s heart and used it as his own. Although he didn¡¯t have it now, he could still remember the infinite and strong power it gave. Furthermore, he knew how to stop a mana heart. If Juan really wanted to die, it was a simple task. Destroy his mana heart. It was easier than flipping a hand over. A normal person would have forgotten how to control their mana, but not Juan. His physical body was made of mana and restored with mana. To lose his mana heart would mean death. It was peculiar that Juan never thought of this before. Not that it mattered as now Juan didn¡¯t want to destroy his mana heart. For more, ¡®General.¡¯ Vares Valte. Part of a species that grew horns like a crown on their head. The last descendant of the powerful Honsluin tribe. Juan had left his responsibilities to him when he¡¯d died. When his entire tribe was exterminated by a god, Vares came to Juan giving his absolute loyalty to the emperor and from then onwards, entirely devoted himself in killing gods. Juan taught Vares his own swordsmanship, and from there the fundamentals needed for a strong imperial army was laid out. While Juan was the teacher, the swordsmanship was a symbol more associated with Vares and he can see why the name Valte swordsmanship stuck. There were too many other skills and techniques that originated from Juan. He happily conceded the naming rights for this one, as it¡¯s inappropriate to name everything after one person. Thinking about this childish thought, Juan revealed a sheepish grin. Maybe the things he thought about was a reflection of his current age. You could tell a lot about a person from their actions. Anyways, he had to retreat when he clashed with the female knight. It was his mistake he didn¡¯t make the correct decision. For more, But different from a teleport, it jerked the user¡¯s body and landed it on a spot. Because of this it proved too difficult for many people. Magicians who used it without mastering it, found themselves occasionally slamming into walls and people, causing unnecessary damage. Because of this, magicians relied on teleport magic and most refrained from using blink. ¡®But for me right now, this is a very useful magic.¡¯ The fact it required low mana consumption was fantastic for Juan. Juan concentrated on the mana located on his hand. A burning painful sensation could be felt but not long after a red tattoo slowly started to appear on the back of his hand. Imprinting a tattoo with concentrated burns was a high level technique that was known only to a selected few. Not letting out a moan even once, Juan bitterly smiled after looking at the imprint that was coming along well. ¡®My old self wouldn¡¯t have needed to imprint.¡¯ His past self regularly used the highest level of magic as if it was easy as breathing. With a bit of mana, he would have been able to crush the entire Colosseum flat. Yet it was all in the past. Juan refocused on finishing the imprint. CH 11 Chapter 11. Sina Solbein(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: Chazathan777 Clang Clang! Juan turned his head when someone banged on his prison bars. Outside the bars, someone unexpected had paid a visit. Sina Solbein, the female knight that he had fought earlier midday. She unlocked the prison lock. Behind her, soldiers were sending murderous stares at Juan. Thinking they were here for vengeance, Juan found his body tightening. Then, Sina spoke. ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Instead of replying, she threw a sword at Juan. A sword that wasn¡¯t used by the soldiers;rather, it was sized just right for Juan. Juan thought, seeing as she¡¯s giving me a sword, at least she¡¯s not here to kill me. He firmly grabbed the sword and followed behind Sina. Sina didn¡¯t cuff him nor keep him on a tight leash. She only looked back a few times to check if he was keeping up. Being shoeless, Juan was dead silent when walking behind her. The place she led him to was the practice hall inside the Colosseum. Usually the place was rowdy, full of hard training soldiers, but right now it was past midnight. The soldiers stood at the entrance, observing the two from a distance. Sina threw down her flaming torch and turned around to face Juan. Juan quickly realized what her intentions were. ¡®She wants to fight me one more time.¡¯ Juan wanted to save his mana for the future. His opponent was Taltere and anyone else related to the Colosseum, not this female knight. Plus she wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. However, when the young female warrior challenged him, it reignited an old dying emotion inside him. During his days as emperor, Juan¡¯s had a tendency to never back down from a challenge. His own thoughts briefly reminded him of the fact that he was acting on emotions again, but he disregarded the thought as he raised his sword. ¡°Blue rose knights order, top ranked knight, Sina Solbein. You?¡± ¡°Juan.¡± Sina tilted her head, frowning as she heard his name. His appearance suggested he was from outside the border. Black hair was a characteristic of a person from outside the border. And yet, his name was the same as the emperor¡¯s. But thinking about it more, wherever you looked, parents would want to give you a good, strong name. Sina merely guessed someone well versed in the empire¡¯s history had given that name. A light inhale. Then without notice they swiftly clashed into each other. A sharp Clang sound echoed throughout the Colosseum. Then a downward strike followed. Sina used her larger mass to strike down at him then moved in for a thrust. She showed no intentions of going easy on Juan because he was a child. And yet, without difficulty, Juan met her strike and immediately counter-thrusted. On his 4th strike, Juan slipped in a minor skill. Sina quickly distanced herself from Juan, before his 4th strike landed. She looked at her hands. Her hands were shaking. Juan took in a deep breath but didn¡¯t show any look of nervousness. Sina sighed as she let her sword hang limply. Juan looked on with an odd expression. ¡°What.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± While a little disappointed, Juan understood what she meant. Sina¡¯s mind became complicated. To make things balanced, she brought a regular sword made for soldiers instead of her own sword. And she refrained from using her full strength. But still, Juan¡¯s skills were above what she imagined. ¡®Looking purely at swordsmanship skills, he¡¯s equal¡­ no, possibly above me.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t confident of victory if their duel had lasted longer. And it seemed Juan had noticed what her intentions were when she requested for a duel. All things considered, everything about Juan didn¡¯t feel like a child. Right at the end, he even emulated the way she struck down his sword back in the colosseum. If her physical strength was a little lacking, she would have dropped her sword. ¡°Now, now, aren¡¯t you skilled.¡± ¡°You too, are very skilled.¡± Sina thought he was saying that out of respect. A child much younger than her had just shown her an impressive skill level. His words ¡®You too, are very skilled¡¯ didn¡¯t sound sincere to her. But in truth, Juan had meant every word. But only if Sina had trained for another 10 years. There was never an existence like Juan in the past. A genius crafted with years of experience. ¡®Needless to say, a lot of mana had to be used.¡¯ Fighting Sina wasn¡¯t a walk in the park. He had used mana, yet Sina battled with just her physical strength. ¡®Vares would have taken her as his disciple.¡¯ His species extinct, Vares focused on growing his disciple count as he had no way to birth heirs. If he saw Sina, he definitely would have made her his pupil. ¡°Where did you learn to use your sword?¡± ¡°Self taught.¡± ¡°Do not jest. You think you¡¯re the emperor or something?¡± The emperor was a legend who was born alone, grew alone, and ascertained the reason for everything. As a knight, Sina believed this wholeheartedly. Juan didn¡¯t reply. His behaviour gave the impression that he didn¡¯t have to explain himself. His stubbornness hardened Sina¡¯s expression. ¡°Having the same name as the emperor doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re equal beings. While I¡¯ll tolerate this behaviour, you should be careful what comes out from that tongue in front of others. Your behaviour just now was extremely heretical.¡± ¡®So what, are you going to cut out my tongue?¡± ¡°I would never think of doing something that terrible.¡± She spat out those words as if she really meant it. ¡°Instead, I would cut your throat. How could I cut out a tongue from someone young as you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what could be any different¡­.¡± Sina slumped down on the ground and swiped the spot in front of her. Once Juan sat down in front of her, she started laying out food from her basket. Hardened bread, cheese, and water. Juan was using mana to move around but nothing bad would come from filling his stomach up. As he started putting food into his belly, his expression brightened. Looking at Juan putting food into his mouth, Sina shook her head. ¡°You have a lot of strange things about you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a compliment. While it¡¯s been 47 years since the start of his eternal rule, it¡¯s my first time coming across someone who doesn¡¯t admire the emperor, let alone not fear him.¡± ¡°To choose between fear and respect¡­ Instead of respect, the more accurate term would be tyranny.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your connection with the paladins?¡± ¡°Paladins?¡± ¡°Stop pretending like you don¡¯t know. How could you not know who paladins are when you¡¯re familiar with Valte swordsmanship. Though I¡¯ve been deprived of my title as a paladin, my sense of duty still remains. I have the right to immediately convict you the moment I saw the usage of Valte swordsmanship.¡± Juan had a puzzled look on his face. Was Valte swordsmanship a standard criteria among the paladins? ¡°That, I didn¡¯t know. Here¡¯s a question, what do you mean eternal rule? What¡¯s been 47 years?¡± ¡°¡­. Quite ignorant aren¡¯t you. Although the emperor passed away from a bloodless apostasy, his flesh and blood have remained, continuously guiding us. Even now, his body refuses to deteriorate and currently lies inside the royal palace. Someday when the false gods return to this world, his majesty will surely arise to lead us again. And it¡¯s been 47 glorious years since he last sat on the throne.¡± Juan had already heard this from somewhere. Once he thought it over, though a few details varied, it was the same story he¡¯d heard from the faun. And hearing her say something about ¡®bloodless apostasy¡¯, it had seemed, Gared was found guilty after he had killed me. He¡¯d tried imagining a future where Gared could come away innocent but he was confident his followers wouldn¡¯t have allowed that to happen. Plus, the way they idolised and worshiped him reaffirmed his thoughts. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Amusing. A corpse that rules.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Although we can¡¯t hear him talk, through prophecies, omens, and prayers he voices his words to us.¡± ¡°By omens are you referring to signs like a murder of crows, nightmares, the emergence of deformed animals, and the movement of stars?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That¡¯s awfully similar to a cult. Juan swallowed his thoughts and simply smiled back. During his reign, he tried hunting down the roots of such groups of people who had similar beliefs. It seemed like they still existed. He sensed the same absurdity was still prevalent today. Nothing had changed. People were still falling for the same lies. Only now, the absurdity was done under his name. Juan grinned. For more, Juan felt bored. Sina¡¯s explanation was lengthy with a lot of information, but he failed to see what her main point was. ¡°Just tell me your point.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you live.¡± Sina declared. ¡°If you tell me where you learnt your swordsmanship, I¡¯ll persuade my president and legally indoctrinate you as a student under someone from our order, one of our retired knights. Right now, you are nothing as you¡¯re guilty of defying the emperor for heresy, but if you join our order, you¡¯ll become someone great that will change our world.¡± Juan stopped his hands that he was eating bread out of and looked at Sina with an expressionless face. Sina flustered at seeing Juan¡¯s sudden change in expression. ¡°Two others were saying similar things before.¡± ¡°¡­..And?¡± ¡°One of them, I shoved my knife into his throat today.¡± Sina didn¡¯t reply. Juan put the rest of the bread into his mouth. ¡°The other, well¡­ He stabbed me in the back. So statistically, it¡¯s either one or the other. Stab or be stabbed. Out of the two, which option would you take? Sina couldn¡¯t muster a reply. CH 12 Chapter 12. Sina Solbein(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: Chazathan777 Juan smirked as he waved his hands. ¡°Basically I¡¯m saying no.¡± ¡°Give it another thought.¡± I¡¯m not offering with any ill intent. Right now, yes you are talented, but you also have glaring weaknesses. Join our order to fix those issues. With a little training, you will improve dramatically. No.. maybe you¡¯ll even¡­.¡± Sina spoke in a serious tone. ¡°If everything goes right, you could become a Paladin and have grace bestowed upon you. That is, if you aren¡¯t black haired by that time.¡± ¡°Grace?¡± ¡°Yes. Although grace is permitted only to those related to the church, our Majesty the Emperor is generous. I was stripped of my paladin status, yet there¡¯s still grace left in me. If it¡¯s you, I believe in the near future, we¡¯ll be welcoming the new strongest person in the empire. Despite the fact that you¡¯re black haired, there are exceptions. Just like Vares Valte nim is of half human descent.¡± ¡°What is grace?¡± For more, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it before. But isn¡¯t this something royal guards strictly pass down to their heirs?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know about the emperor¡¯s grace, yet you know about this small detail¡­. Well okay. At least you have an idea of it¡¯s worth. What the ring symbolises is more important than the magic inside it.¡± Sina¡¯s mother had given it to her with hope that she would also become a royal guard. But Sina had been sent to the empire¡¯s outskirts after failing her duty to show faith during her time at the empire¡¯s center. It was highly unlikely Sina would ever become a royal guard. ¡°Usually, people would keep it with them until they come across a youth with potential to become their heir. Once you become a royal guard, the strength the ring provides becomes evermore essential. Of course not all people become a royal guard when given a ring, as there are plenty of cases where rings have gone missing. Once there were 300, yet I¡¯ve heard less than 100 exist now.¡± ¡°Saying that, are you sure you can give this to me?¡± ¡°You are¡­..¡± Sina looked at Juan who was behaving tactlessly. ¡°Live. What I¡¯m asking you to do is to live on and come to the empire¡¯s center.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant.¡± Juan clapped his hands as he smiled. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t give this to me, I was intending to go.¡± Sina¡¯s expression brightened as she heard Juan¡¯s words. Juan didn¡¯t really say that to make Sina happy. It was far from the truth. At the empire¡¯s center, a guy was selling Juan¡¯s name and forcing blood rituals in a far away settlement like Taltere? On top of that, paladins? Church? Grace? It was getting out of hand. Someone who killed gods in the past was being worshipped as a god. It was preposterous. Juan¡¯s chest started beating with a gloomy feeling. He needed to see with his own eyes, what sort of ridiculous work was being conducted in the empire¡¯s center. First kill Taltere, then after that, focus on the center of the empire. When he goes, he¡¯ll clearly show them how a god is killed. They will pay the price for making the empire that he left behind a mess. He will dye the empire¡¯s center with their blood. Just like the arena inside the colosseum. Sina faltered upon looking at Juan¡¯s creepy smile. She felt as if she made a mistake. As if she had awoken something that must not have been disturbed. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you say this owner guy has a talent in show business?¡± Juan asked while looking up at Sina. ¡°What? I guess he does, but¡­.¡± ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll need to compromise with him somewhat.¡± Before he returned, he first needed to take care of the God of Madness. ***** Juan returned with soldiers guiding him back. However, Sina stayed back and simply stared at the empty spot that Juan had left. Her meeting with this boy had left a strange feeling. ¡°Sina nim.¡± Ausrey who was hiding behind a wall came out. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright.¡± ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s a lot of suspicious things about him. It might cause problems down the line.¡± ¡°Just leave him be. He ain¡¯t a bad person. I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± Like Ausrey said, there were many things that were suspicious about Juan. Yet from him, Sina felt something even more than a familiarity with him. This feeling was afflicting her fundamentals. ¡®Just like when I saw the emperor¡¯s flesh and blood.¡¯ Sina quickly shook her thoughts away. Her foolish thoughts were an act of heresy. To change her thoughts, she fired a question at Ausrey. ¡°Did you find any evidence about Taltere, God of Madness?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thanks to Sina nim distracting everyone¡¯s attention away, we found some clues. Although it¡¯s not certain, a blueprint that matches the one you showed before was found. From the blueprint design, the real intentions behind the colosseum was for it to be a giant device. ¡°Device?¡± ¡°Yes. Although we still need to check¡­..according to the blueprint design, deep in the colosseum¡¯s dungeon, there is a large triangular pyramid shaped room. While it was made for a purpose similar to an underground water tank, we haven¡¯t found out the real intentions behind it and its function. But if Daaron is using that space and knows what its function is, then it¡¯s likely the clue we have been looking for.¡± ¡°Alright. There¡¯s going to be a festival tomorrow so something is bound to happen. Till then, keep looking.¡± CH 13 Chapter 13 Overcoat(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: Chazathan777 It was morning and the Colosseum was already filled to the point where people were stepping on each other for space. Today¡¯s big match had been announced already for quite some time. A fight between a monster and a human. It was a topic that always made the crowd¡¯s heart race. In the empire it was difficult to attend such events unless it was far away from the central district. Long ago, when the previous emperor was killing gods, many legendary monsters also perished during that period. Monsters and demi-humans were created from a god¡¯s grace or needs. And in turn, a god¡¯s death meant its slaves also followed them to the afterlife. In the end, demi-humans fell in standing, many turned into slaves. Meanwhile, monsters and creatures were on the brink of extinction. The few that remained were found on the outskirts of the empire and mostly outside its border. Tantil¡¯s citizens and excited tourists who had come from all over the empire were loudly discussing today¡¯s match up. ¡°Ah, of course champion Lecto is going to win! Did you forget his last match when he voluntarily accepted to fight three contestants at once and killed all of them?¡± ¡°He¡¯s only the strongest in Tantil. I¡¯ve heard that director Daaron has brought in Rampage, the centurion[1] from the northeastern city. While he¡¯s retired, the fact he was a centurion is nothing to scoff at.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a no-life gambling addict who accumulated a huge debt. No thanks, he can piss right off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Lecto is the better choice although he is a bit ugly.¡± ¡°Idiots, he¡¯s still a human. I¡¯ve heard today¡¯s monster is a giant cyclops that was caught outside the empire. How are a few gladiators supposed to catch a monster that required an army to catch.¡± ¡°Huh, a giant cyclops? Isn¡¯t that taking it too far?¡± ¡°You never know, if they manage to bring it out under their control, that would really be¡­.¡± The crowd¡¯s noisy discussion could be heard even from the director¡¯s seat. The director¡¯s seat was close to the arena and on a deck which provided a great panoramic view of the entire colosseum. Even though excitement buzzed in the air, Daaron¡¯s expression was grim. A jam packed Colosseum and an excited crowd, there was nothing that was ticking him off. However, the people around were tense. Daaron was extra sensitive during times like this. Then, a tactless individual walked up to him. ¡°Kyahaha. Doesn¡¯t it seem like the audience is eagerly waiting for my appearance?¡± It was Lecto, the champion of Tantil¡¯s gladiators. Supposedly he was to be on standby at the waiting room, but had come at Daaron request for a last minute check up on the contestants. Behind him, another gladiator stood with a cold expression. While a bit skinny compared to the slightly large, chubby Lecto, this male¡¯s body consisted entirely of muscle. ¡°Lecto, Rampage ssi[2].¡± Daaron went up to them and tapped their shoulders. ¡°Everyone is anticipating a great match today. I ask you don¡¯t disappoint and provide good entertainment please.¡± ¡°Ke hahaha, do not worry. I¡¯ll make sure to twist and rip out this skinny man¡¯s neck.¡± ¡°How much is my share? I¡¯ll take my earnings that I¡¯m due today in advance thanks.¡± ¡°Ha, you¡¯ll be left with nothing then! Ah, I guess money is of no use when you¡¯re dead? Kehaha!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring some grapes to your funeral.¡± ¡°Now now, stop with the boasts. Winnings will be given to the last man standing.¡± Lecto and Rampage¡¯s eyes both sharpened. For more, Forget about cooperating, they weren¡¯t even familiar with a sword, so it was an expected outcome. Off to the side, a gladiator stood, his teeth chattering. His body was quite muscular but clearly mentally, he was not taking it well as his hands were shaking. ¡°You, stop shaking so much. These desert trolls can smell fear. Even the kid beside you is looking fine.¡± Someone threw a snide comment as if the excessive shaking was annoying him. The man quickly nodded and grabbed his shaking arms, but it didn¡¯t seem to stop. The annoyed man didn¡¯t say anything, that was because he had also started shaking as well. The only calm-looking one was Juan. ***** ¡°Next!¡± A bit of time passed as the arena had to be cleaned. Juan saw the metal poles in front of him rise up. He felt a hand on his back push him forwards. Juan ran out towards the arena alongside other gladiators. A dazzling light made his eyes sore. A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd. The blood smitten trolls smiled devilishly at the new meals that had appeared. ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡­..¡± The man next to him was pissing himself. Another man was telling the other gladiators that they could win if they stuck together. But the words didn¡¯t get through to anyone including himself. The cheering crowd suddenly came to a stop. They had noticed Juan among the contestants. A kid that barely looked ten? Without any armor but only a small sword in his hand, the defenceless looking child looked out of place. Usually, children weren¡¯t sent into the Colosseum. Some perverts did have bad tastes of getting enjoyment from seeing women or small children be slaughtered. However, it was desecration to send out a child on this day where the emperor¡¯s birth was being celebrated. The murmurs grew, and fingers started being pointed and jeered at Daaron. Meanwhile, oblivious to all this, the desert trolls had smelt the fear resonating from Juan¡¯s group and slowly made their way towards them. Saliva drooped from their mouth as they closed the distance. But it wasn¡¯t only Juan¡¯s group that had entered the arena. ¡°Form up!¡± A loud command echoed throughout and the sound of feet lining up quickly followed. On the left side of the arena, Rampage and six other gladiators with spears and shields formed into a practiced formation. Wearing matched up uniforms, it really made them look like a group of veteren soldiers. ¡°Ooohhh¡­. Are they really soldiers?¡± ¡°They certainly look like it.¡± The crowd¡¯s attention instantly turned towards Rampage and his small group. Once a centurion for the empire¡¯s northeastern corner where acts of treason were prevalent, Rampage¡¯s troops now numbered only six. Yet, he assumed it was plenty enough to face desert trolls as his defensive formation couldn¡¯t possibly be penetrated, he thought. ¡°Kyahaha. Are you scared you can¡¯t win unless you hide behind your shields and spears, Rampage?¡± A scoffing sound was heard from the opposite side and Lecto and his henchmen came running out. Wearing nothing on their upper bodies, they were holding an oddly shaped weapon. They shouted and taunted the desert trolls, and even Rampage. ¡°Lecto! Lecto! Lecto!¡± The crowd cheered for the taunting Lecto rather than the silent Rampage. While Lecto was reckless, he was Tantil¡¯s champion, good at providing showmanship to the audience. Before anyone knew it, Juan¡¯s group had been forgotten. The surrounded desert trolls went on guard and growled in a low voice. The enemy had grown eight more in total. Unlike the first group, these looked their match for hunting. Their predatory sense quickly locked on to the first target. In the wild, the weakest was the first to die. The desert trolls¡¯ gaze turned towards Juan and his group. [1] Centurion ¨C commander of hundred soldiers (Roman in origin) [2] ssi ¨C Koreans use this after names to sound more formal. Think of it as ¡®San¡¯(JP) CH 14 Chapter 14 Overcoat(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: Chazathan777 ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± The man who was pissing himself threw down his shield and sword and ran for the hills. ¡°No!¡± One gladiator screamed for him to come back but once he fled, the desert trolls didn¡¯t miss the opportunity for such an easy picking. With a sharp shriek, three trolls surrounded Juan¡¯s group at once. The man who had fled banged on the closed metal bars and screamed. ¡°Let me out! Something¡¯s wron¡­..!¡± Ooo Ddduk! The man¡¯s head was ripped off. Meanwhile, Juan and his group scattered in all directions from the incoming desert trolls. Luckily, the trolls instinctively rushed towards the weakness first, so there were no other casualties except one. But it was going to be difficult for the group to come together as one again as everyone had scattered. It was every man for himself. And anyways their survival rate looked higher by joining Lecto¡¯s or Rampage¡¯s groups instead. ¡®That¡¯s good.¡¯ For Juan, it was better that the group had scattered. First of all, he was confident he would not get caught by dull monsters like desert trolls. There were many other easier targets all over the place. It was important to save his stamina for opponents further on in the match. Juan looked at Lecto¡¯s and Rampage¡¯s groups, who were watching the people in Juan¡¯s group get slaughtered. Unlike before, Lecto was refraining from taunting the trolls. ¡®He¡¯s made the same judgement I suppose.¡¯ For more, Three sharp spears were thrust forward from the gaps between the shields. From the desert troll¡¯s perspective, they never saw it coming. The first victim started screaming as a spear was driven through its eyes. The crowd started cheering as the monsters were receiving injuries for the first time today. The spear was driven through the desert troll¡¯s head then pulled back out to drive it in again and again around its body. Not long after, the troll gave its last breath and died. Desert trolls had a slow regeneration as their metabolism was slow as well. The two trolls that were left let out a threatening roar but were hesitant to attack. Instead, they resorted to throwing decapitated heads and bones to no avail as the shields easily stopped them from causing harm. Rampage¡¯s soldiers slowly started moving forwards, putting pressure on the trolls. The trolls were backing off when their heads were suddenly smashed open with a puuh-suk sound. For more, Daaron swung his body over over the palisade. An unnerving look filled his face. ¡®He¡¯s not here.¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t be seen inside the Colosseum. ***** Juan began concealing himself when everyone¡¯s attention shifted towards the desert trolls. Not a single person from the crowd nor a gladiator were watching him. While there wasn¡¯t normally anywhere suitable to hide inside the open arena, for Juan, all he needed was dead bodies, blood, and sand to conceal himself. He used the blood to make the sand stick to his body, forming a layer of camouflage. ¡®Then¡­..concealment.¡¯ Juan dispersed his mana like fog around his body to dim his presence. He was able to do this because he had excellent control at manipulating his mana. One couldn¡¯t have achieved this merely by knowing magic. While he¡¯d lost most of his mana, his expertise in manipulating mana didn¡¯t go anywhere. And like a snake hidden beneath the sand, he stalked his prey. The blood that had been sprayed over the ground had stained the sand. It was a slaughter everywhere. Juan analyzed the entire Colosseum from beneath the sand where he was hiding. He¡¯d felt the movement of an enemy¡¯s blood. Inside the Colosseum, a sizable amount of mana created from snake blood was being directed somewhere. Back when he killed Taltere, his goal was to simply take his head. But now, he first had to find where Taltere was hiding. Juan didn¡¯t doubt for a second that Taltere would be at the other side of this blood trail. ¡®But¡­there¡¯s¡­.not enough blood.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t enough blood to figure out where the blood was heading to. A more assertive behaviour was required to know who was pulling the strings. Juan glimpsed at director Daaron. While he was the most suspicious candidate for now, it looked as if he wasn¡¯t faking it. ¡®I might need a little help.¡¯ While Juan was contemplating, the arena had turned into chaos. Once the desert trolls were ripped apart, Lecto and Rampage started growling and taunting each other. It looked as if a fight was gonna break out at any moment, yet the two stood their ground. In a roundabout way, this was them signalling to hurry up and send in the next set of monsters. Juan recognised this signal and observed what the director¡¯s response would be. Just below the director¡¯s area, a soldier pulled on a complex set of chains and the Colosseum¡¯s north gate started to open. ¡®There.¡¯ Juan suddenly blasted off, having waited patiently for this moment. Blink. The scene around him went blurry, along with his body feeling like it was pulled forward. Juan instantly arrived at his desired location. Juan skimmed past a fellow gladiator, but he didn¡¯t notice anything but a breeze. Juan stood next to the prison cell and looked around curiously. There were two soldiers inside. He swiftly drove his knife into one of the soldier¡¯s neck, who was snickering at the events that were unfolding in the arena. ¡°Kuk, Kuakuukuk¡­.¡± ¡°Huh? What? Oi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Juan squeezed himself past the cell bars and crawled inside. The cell was made to keep grown adults and monsters in place, not skinny children. The other soldier pulled out his sword as soon as he saw Juan. Effortlessly, Juan proceeded to stab his knife into the soldier¡¯s skull the moment he entered the prison room. Juan didn¡¯t even feel an ounce of sympathy. To clean his dirtied knife he swung his knife down, and the blood on it splattered on the floor. His attention shifted to the mechanical devices. ¡®Nothing¡¯s changed since then huh.¡¯ Everything was exactly the same as when he beheaded Taltere. Back then, Taltere¡¯s priests had made many mechanical devices to satisfy their god. Those who proclaimed to worship the emperor were using the same methods to operate this device that belonged to a god that the emperor slew. Juan lifted his head and looked at the Colosseum. Screaming gladiators swinging their swords and soldiers putting their lives on the line for money. The exhilarated crowd that were giving away their money to see such a gruesome event. On the arena¡¯s floor, the crazy woman¡¯s and faun¡¯s blood pasted into the sand. Looking on, for a strange reason, Juan felt refreshed. It felt as if he took off a blindfold that had been covering his eyes. Yes. The world has already been like this. If someone cleaned up rubbish, there was someone there to diligently place the rubbish back. It was nothing to be disappointed about and be called unfair. It was unsurprising, just like how he was stabbed in the back with a knife. For more, ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± The snake shook around and straightened its body towards the sky before limply slamming back down. It¡¯s head had fallen towards the crowd and a few spectators were crushed to death. After a brief silence, a new panic mode kicked in. ¡°Aughh ahhhh! Save me!¡± ¡°What are they doing¡­. Don¡¯t push! I said stop p¡­.!¡± ¡°Where are the guards!¡± People who were enjoying a slaughter fest till just now, had tears and despair on their faces now that they were the one¡¯s being targeted. The narrow corridors were crowded and only a few managed to escape. Most suffocated or were crushed to death by the stampede. But that wasn¡¯t all. Bits of rails had fallen inward, which created a staircase from the arena to the podium. The monsters began their way up the stairs or used the snake¡¯s body to get to the spectator area. The crowd stuck at the narrow exits were pounced upon. A brutal slaughter took place. A river of blood streamed into the arena. ¡°Blimey¡­¡± Lecto who was stuck underneath the snake looked on at the spectacle. This was an opportunity for him. Monsters had moved up towards the podium, lessening the amount left in the arena. Lecto forced his body out from underneath the snake¡¯s corpse. He had a sprained ankle but could still move. ¡°I will live through this. I will survive and¡­.¡± At that exact moment, a large shadow loomed past his head. Lecto blankly raised his head. A radiant sun. And a large shadow. That¡¯s the last thing he saw. CH 15 Chapter 15 Overcoat(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: Chazathan777 ¡°What is this!¡± Sina Solbein couldn¡¯t help but be appalled at the chaos inside the Colosseum. For starters, Sina didn¡¯t enjoy gladiator fights. But while deliberating on whether she should come or not, she came out of respect for seeing Juan¡¯s last moments at least. However, the flow of the battle inside headed in an unexpected direction. Every door inside the Colosseum opened, and countless monsters ravaged the arena and podium, covering it in blood. ¡°Sa, save me! Sav¡­.¡± Sina got her wits back together, after being frozen in place. She drew her sword and quickly cut off the troll¡¯s arm but the man¡¯s arm had already ripped and was limply dangling from his shoulders. ¡°Ausrey! Take command of our troops! Help people evacuate! Also send the youngest back to headquarters for aid!¡± ¡°Yes! And what¡¯s Sina nim intending to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to Daaron and try to figure out a way to get this situation back under control! Now move!¡± The Blue Rose knights all scattered and began confronting the monsters. The knights instructed the Colosseum¡¯s soldiers, while cutting down monsters down with ease. However, a few monsters were too powerful, even for them. ¡®How on earth did they capture and transport such powerful monsters.¡¯ They did hear that they went overboard because it was the emperor¡¯s birthday. But even so, this was too much. Sina raced across the seating, thinking about what she needed to say to Daaron. The director¡¯s podium was already destroyed. A massive ant with a fat stomach was trying to crawl inside, while orcs were hanging onto the rails.. The soldiers desperately slashed their spears at the monsters in retaliation. Tiny beads of green blood oozed out but they couldn¡¯t do meaningful damage through the orcs¡¯ leather skin. A spider suddenly speared a soldier with her front leg and threw him into her mouth. The soldier¡¯s belly was instantly ripped apart and his intestines flowed out. A horrible scream followed. Sina moved forwards while swinging her sword in a circle. A clear light cut through the spider and its limbs detached from its body. She stepped on the spider¡¯s corpse and ran towards the director¡¯s seat. She grabbed Darron by the collar as soon as she saw him. ¡°Daaron! Explain yourself! What¡¯s happened!¡± Daaron¡¯s expression was frozen and a cold sweat was dripping down his neck. Sina had interrogated him many times before but this was her first time seeing him panic. Sina realized after seeing his face that this situation had gone beyond Daaron¡¯s control. ¡°I was, I uh¡­ only wanted to recreate the emperor¡¯s scene¡­.¡± At that moment, a troll finished crawling up the rails. Sina slashed the troll and sprayed its blood everywhere. Daaron flinched from being sprayed by the blood and let out a groan. Sina hoisted him up by his lapels. ¡°Wake up! You have to get things under control or everyone will die!¡± Daaron came back to his senses once Sina belted him with words. He quickly pointed at somewhere in the Colosseum. ¡°Control room!, the control room is over there! We¡¯ll be able to close the doors if we manage to get control there!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late! Your beasts have already crawled up to the podium!¡± ¡°No! If we close the doors, we¡¯ll avoid the worst possible scenario¡­.¡± Ooo Ddduk, Ku Kwang!. As Daaron was frantically speaking, somewhere a sound of something collapsing could be heard. Daaron¡¯s pupils twitched and Sina looked towards the origin of the sound. One part of the Colosseum had collapsed and something was revealed from inside the dust that had formed. A colossal size so large that it was hard to comprehend how it was hidden inside, let alone how it fit through the doors. One large eye was embedded in the middle of its face. Sina muttered a groan. Juan didn¡¯t particularly wish to kill everyone inside the arena, but then again, he wouldn¡¯t be sad either if they had all died. Anyways, he had achieved his objective. ¡°Is this the fellow?¡¯ Juan tilted his head while looking up at the giant cyclop. He soon denied his thoughts. It was certain, he could feel Taltere¡¯s mana from this cyclop, but it wasn¡¯t the physical body that had pulled all that mana previously. He also felt that the cyclops was forcefully grown beyond its right size. It was possibly sent out to sort out the situation in the arena. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s an avatar.¡¯ Gods typically raised avatars to do their bidding and spread their influence across humanity. The giant cyclops was still a baby but was forcefully fed mana to inflate its body to an irregular size. For more, Juan recalled back to when he saw the dungeon. Inside, countless dead remains and sacrifices were neglected, resulting in a pit of hell. Juan had ordered the closure at seeing the horrible sight. But when Daaron developed the area into a Colosseum, he had secretly reopened the spacious area to grow monsters. He knew this from analyzing the flow of mana and working close to the dungeon in the caves. The giant cyclops was likely brought in when it had been small in size. Juan could already picture exactly what would have happened. The problem would have stemmed from Taltere¡¯s mana. He wasn¡¯t sure of the exact details, but at the time, Taltere¡¯s mana had chosen the baby cyclops. And once the giant cyclops began to grow abnormally fast, Daaron would have panicked and closed off the area, secretly hoping it would die inside the dungeon. But earlier, Juan had disengaged Colosseum¡¯s entire locking system. Thus, the cyclops came out onto the arena, tempted by the smell of blood. ¡°Daaron that bastard¡­..to go this far¡­.¡± It sounded as if Sina didn¡¯t think of the possibility that Juan had disengaged the locking system. Of course Juan had no thoughts of telling her the truth. It wasn¡¯t something she would understand. Thinking back, in his heydays, under Juan¡¯s commands thousands had died and thousands were killed. Only difference now was that humans were now the subjects. Suitable props for his grand aim. ¡°We can decide Daaron¡¯s punishment later. First we need to escape!¡± ¡°How many times do I have to say it. If you want to be a saviour, go and save other people. I¡¯ll look after myself.¡± Juan irritatedly slapped her hand away. Sina dumbly looked at Juan. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°What I¡¯ve always done. Kill monsters.¡± Juan leapt away. And in a flash, rushed towards the giant cyclop. ¡®Alright, first it¡¯s height needs to be reduced.¡¯ Using blink, Juan¡¯s body swiftly darted past the giant cyclops¡¯s achilles. A long horizontal scar had formed at the back of its feet. The giant cyclop screamed in agony and grasped its ankles at the unexpected pain. Because Juan had quickly hid his body, it seemed the cyclops hadn¡¯t yet figured out what had injured it. ¡®Not deep enough¡­.¡¯ Although he successfully slashed at its achilles, the giant cyclops had three layers on his tendon to support its colossal size. Juan clicked his tongue in frustration. He had just earned the cyclop¡¯s full attention. On top of that he did not achieve meaningful harm. Then, he noticed the cyclops suddenly stumble and lean forwards as if it was in pain. He needed no more motivation than that. ¡°A little wasteful but¡± Juan blasted off the floor again using blink. Juan¡¯s feet crashed on the giant cyclop¡¯s stomach but it seemed it had only tickled the giant cyclops. Thinking it was a mosquito inflicting him pain, the cyclops swung his arms around. But In truth, Juan had other plans from the start. He executed blink once more, when the giant cyclops pulled him into his chest. The sunlight reflected a silver trajectory onto the cyclop¡¯s eyes, blinding it.. A scream that shook the hearts of everyone inside the Colosseum, roared out. The nearby monsters stumbled and collapsed. People of faint hearted started collapsing as well. The giant cyclop¡¯s eyes exploded as Juan¡¯s worn out sword made a long cut. White fluid and blood flowed down its face. The one eyed giant moved its hands aimlessly in an attempt to find the enemy that it couldn¡¯t see. Everywhere its hands went, nothing was there. Using blink, Juan moved into the air then turned his body. One more time, he aimed his blade towards the ground. And just before Juan¡¯s body had reached its limit, he sunk the knife deep into the cyclops glabella. JJung! ¡°Keuk!¡± Juan¡¯s body was flung back along with the sound of his blade breaking. In spite of the ferocious speed, the giant cyclops skull still couldn¡¯t be breached. Juan¡¯s attempt to end this fight as soon as possible was a mistake. Juan clicked his tongue. Only if he was able to send mana into his weapon. Only if his weapon was more sturdier than now at least, this fight would¡¯ve been over already. With a scowl, Juan lifted himself up from the sand. The cyclops was growling as blood flowed down from its eyes and forehead. Although it lost its eyes, it was now even more violent. In anger, it swayed its arms in frustration and a giant scorpion creature was instantly crushed. ¡®Well, looks like I can¡¯t go near it.¡¯ Blink only required little mana consumption, but it did put significant strain on one¡¯s body. It required one¡¯s body to blast off, so for a child¡¯s body that hadn¡¯t fully developed, it was to be even more expected. Juan¡¯s body ached from the after effects of unnatural body enhancement. ¡®Moving forward¡­.two more times.¡¯ And he needed to consider using it once to escape from the Colosseum. To escape by fighting through all the monsters inside just wasn¡¯t ideal. The solution was simple. Kill the giant cyclops and the trail to where Taltere was hiding would be revealed. The cyclop violently thrashed around then suddenly it stood still. It¡¯s hazy eye that had been cut in half was staring at where Juan stood. Realising something was wrong, Juan tried lifting himself up. But the effects of his collision had robbed him of his legs. As if catching a fly the giant cyclop slammed down its hand onto Juan¡¯s body. This was unavoidable. If he narrowly escaped death, at the very least he would suffer a critical injury. The monsters would take care of his body. Juan couldn¡¯t say for sure if he would have enough mana to restore his body. ¡°Juan!¡± Something was thrown in front of his eyes. Without hesitation, he grabbed the sword and smoothly swung it in an arc. Not an old worn out sword, but a sword made for a knight of the empire. With a single strike, Juan used Sina¡¯s sword to slice off the giant cyclop¡¯s fingers. The cyclop restarted screaming. With a flustered face Sina looked at Juan. She tossed it without any hope but Juan had grabbed it and confidently sliced the cyclops fingers as if he was waiting for the sword to be thrown. ¡°Been a long time since I held a proper sword.¡± Juan staggered to his feet. As if reacting to Juan¡¯s mana that had flowed in, the sword was humming and lightly vibrating. Although it was a one handed sword, Juan build was too light and had to confine himself to hold it in both hands. Juan lowered his stance towards the cyclops. A blueish mana energy started flaming above the sword. The one eyed cyclop stopped struggling from its pain and like previously as if it was being controlled, it stared directly where Juan was standing. He had waited for this moment. When the giant cyclops stopped moving, Juan¡¯s body disappeared. Sina didn¡¯t even notice that Juan had disappeared. But she did observe that the giant cyclops had abruptly stopped rampaging. Sina¡¯s gaze naturally shifted upwards. A crack had started to thread open behind the giant cyclop¡¯s head. Jjuckk! An ear splitting noise resounded and blood started pouring down from above. CH 16 Chapter 16 From the ashes(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Sina could believe what was unfolding before her eyes. Her eyes couldn¡¯t even keep up with Juan¡¯s movements. She barely saw Juan zoom past the giant cyclops, then launched himself into his chest and immediately blasted off into the open air. And the moment she felt that he was in danger, she tossed her sword at him. Juan snatched it out of the air expertly and proceeded in splitting the cyclops skull in half. Such overwhelming combat ability, one would not be surprised nor jealous but in awe at seeing flawlessness Instead of calling it a battle it was good enough to be called a public execution. ¡®Amazing¡­.¡¯ If she used grace, would she have a chance against him? The possibility was there. Juan had used the lightning fast movement ability three times. After that, he clearly looked out of breath. If she managed to overcome his movement ability three times, the likelihood was there for Sina. However, in truth she wasn¡¯t confident she could block his attack even once. And that wasn¡¯t all. Juan was still young and small in build yet he moved as if these traits didn¡¯t hamper him. Using the bare minimum amount of strength required to strike down his enemies. Throwing himself into danger in order to achieve his objectives. Sina was afraid of how much Juan could grow. ¡®An epitome of Valte swordsmanship.¡¯ Sina was surprised with her inadvertent thoughts. The founder of Valte swordsmanship was the emperor and the direct successor was general Vares Valte. Saying he was the epitome of Valte swordsmanship was implying Juan was Vares Valte or the emperor himself. At such profane thoughts, Sina quickly shook her head. She remorsed that she had become lazy in her training, after she¡¯d returned from the capital[1]. Compared to the seasoned veterans she met in the capital, the knights in the outer districts were incompetent. Sina was someone that at the age of twenty, reached head knight within her order. Because of this, she had somewhat become complacent. ¡®I need to start training again.¡¯ Sina bit her lips while glaring at Juan. ***** Juan let out a long sigh. He did go beyond his limits but it had all been worth it. Juan looked down at Sina¡¯s sword. While it wasn¡¯t a named sword, it had been well maintained. He recalled back to when he threw out the two handed sword from the smithy. He was regretting he¡¯d done that. But regardless, even if he had the sword, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift it. Juan crawled up the cyclop¡¯s corpse. And wiggled through the crack on its skull that he¡¯d made earlier. Struggling to fit through he eventually managed to crawl deeper inside. Juan¡¯s small body was almost drowning in the pool of blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Juan found what he¡¯d been looking for at the back of it¡¯s eye. A deep red substance squirmed in his palm. Taltere¡¯s mana could clearly be felt in the blood clot. Juan tossed the substance to the side. The red substance quickly flew off. And simultaneously, all the blood inside the Colosseum followed it. ¡®He¡¯s over there.¡¯ ¡°Juan!¡± Sina had come over. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? I thought you strained yourself by going beyond your normal capabilities¡­..¡± ¡°Thanks for lending your sword. Not a bad sword at all.¡± Juan handed Sina her sword back. Before Sina could mutter a reply, Juan picked up his old worn out sword and followed where red substance had flown off. To the director¡¯s quarters. The room was shining red with all of the recent blood split inside the Colosseum flowing in. The blood clotted and squirmed as it all converged towards the directors room. Beside the rail, Daaron was crying as he looked closely at Juan. ¡°Oh.. Ohhh¡­.¡± Daaron¡¯s hands trembled as he loomed closer to Juan. As if he didn¡¯t care in the slightest about the blood converging phenomenon. ¡°The Emperor!¡­.The Emperor has come!.¡± Till now, he had spoken those words for the sake of formality. But now, after seeing the real Juan inside the Colosseum, he couldn¡¯t but speak those words genuinely. Our majesty has come. He had appeared in front of him. Daaron was aged seventy six years old. He still remembered the times when gods had walked on this very ground. While growing up, he of course experienced first hand the heroics and achievements of the emperor. Daaron¡¯s father was a slave. To go further, someone who was going to be sacrificed as an offering. Then a young emperor appeared and killed Taltere, freeing the slaves in the process. This story had captured the young Daaron. And it was the reason for his obsession with the Colosseum. A bitter strife between humans and monsters. He wanted to see a hero rise from the struggles. And finally, with his own two eyes, he was seeing the emperor who once upon a time was revered as the hero of heroes. ¡°The Emperor has come. The Emperor has returned.¡± Daaron repeatedly muttered and approached Juan, inching closer on his knees. Again and again he kissed Juan¡¯s feet that were covered in sand. Juan smiled. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Only yesterday, Daaron didn¡¯t even give him a glance when Juan was found being dragged towards the Colosseum. And now, he was on his knees, kissing his feet. ¡°Maybe only a maniac could recognise the real me.¡± Juan lifted his broken sword and slammed it down. He accurately brought it down on the boundary of the stone plate. Using the sword, he pushed away the broken stone plates. Below it, contained a small space enough to fit a fist. Juan put his hand in and took something out. ¡°So this is where you were hiding. Still the same as ever, hiding like a rat.¡± It was a small glass bottle and inside a dark red blood was whirling around, like a vortex. The dark blood jolted around as if it was trying to escape from Juan¡¯s grasp but its strength was meager. ¡°Juan! What¡­¡­..is that?¡± Sina who¡¯d just arrived looked around the room with a surprised look on her face. While shaking the bottle, Juan replied. ¡°Taltere¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°Ta, Taltere¡¯s blood?! How could it be here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. It could be the work of one of his devotees. It looks as if his blood was going to be used to revive him once they found a suitable physical body.¡± With widened eyes, Sina glared at Daaron and raised her sword. Heresy was considered the highest act of treason in the empire. But furthermore, he¡¯d planned to revive a god? Juan continued to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him. He wasn¡¯t involved. Just like you said, he was nothing but a maniac that was obsessed with creating stage entertainment. The one who hid this here was secretly using Daaron¡¯s obsession to his advantage.¡± Juan picked up the bottle and peered inside. The dark red blood was disturbingly swirling around, in the shape of humans and monsters. Although evil aura was flowing out to all directions from the bottle, nothing had suggested Daaron had been behind this contamination. He didn¡¯t need to delve further, as he could already feel this was true. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! I can¡¯t overlook this when such detailed evidence has been found! He was already under suspicion and now there¡¯s proof. First interrogate him, then we¡¯ll know what crimes he¡¯s committed. He won¡¯t be able to escape the death penalty!¡± Juan breathed a sigh. ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± ¡°What? The evidence is in your hand¡­..¡± Juan lifted the bottle and opened the lid. Sina¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. And just like that, Juan poured the contents of the bottle into his mouth. ¡°What are y¡­.!¡± Taltere¡¯s blood flowed down Juan¡¯s neck. Sina swiftly rushed at him to snatch the bottle away, but it had already been emptied. Sina checked Juan¡¯s condition. When the emperor slaughtered the gods, most of their remains were perished. But a few were secretly siphoned off or concealed. Among them, a few tried eating the corpse to gain their power. But every single time it had finished in a disaster. Stiff as a sheet, Juan didn¡¯t move a muscle. ¡°Juan!¡± Sina anxiously called out his name. ***** ¡®You always get in the way, don¡¯t you¡­.¡¯ In his subconscious mind, Juan heard a familiar voice. The very first time he¡¯d heard it, it was the sound of a mad laughter and when he¡¯d heard it last, it was a scream from being slowly cut away. Now it sounded tired and fragile. ¡°Taltere, if you wanted to avoid me, you shouldn¡¯t have revived.¡± ¡®Fool. Back then, I only underestimated you because I didn¡¯t know you. A sacrificial lamb offered to humour me so I complied unwittingly¡­.¡¯ Juan grinned. Like Taltere said, it had been reckless of Juan¡¯s to choose Taltere as his first target. Had he not challenged him first, Taltere would have been a difficult opponent because despite everything he was the god of madness, the battle enthusiast. When Taltere first met Juan, he was a child that without any accolades. It made all the more sense that Taltere had underestimated him. ¡°And the consequences were severe. Was it not?¡± ¡®I laughed when I¡¯d heard that you¡¯d died. But to think you¡¯d revive with a childish appearance.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You were humiliated by a child, Taltere¡­.Twice I might add. Also, you¡¯d do well to consider your own appearance before judging others.¡± Taltere let out a roar of anger. ¡®Foolish child! Your insolence has gone far enough. To have consumed my blood¡­.. Soon your body will be encroached by my madness. Hmm.. although you look weak, you did defeat my puppet cyclops¡­ maybe it¡¯s somewhat serviceable.¡¯ Juan started laughing at Taltere¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s the insolent one here.¡± Suddenly, Taltere felt a chill down his spine. Having no physical form, it was a sensation he shouldn¡¯t, no couldn¡¯t have felt. Nervous as he is, he quickly tried taking over Juan¡¯s body. But upon doing so, he couldn¡¯t feel anything. Taltere mustered every bit of mana he had and attempted to take control of Juan¡¯s body. And yet, it was not even close to being enough. Seeing the vast empty space within Juan that hadn¡¯t been filled by his mana, Taltere was left stunned. He now understood why he¡¯d felt the chill before. The difference was overwhelming.. As if he was looking into the endless empty space above. Taltere¡¯s mana was only a dot in comparison. Taltere was hit with reality and he even felt a sense of fear towards Juan¡¯s mana space. Juan whispered to Taltere. ¡°To me, you¡¯re just a mana potion.¡± ***** Sina, who had Juan in her embrace, suddenly felt his body burning which forced her to quickly drop him. Jjuckk! With the sound of his body hitting the ground, a cut appeared on his skin. From the widening cut, flames started to soar. Any blood close by evaporated from the flames and shortley the fire had caught on to Juan¡¯s clothing. Juan¡¯s whole body was up in blaze. Cursing, Sina tried dousing the flames but in doing so, her cape caught on fire. Backing away from the flaming heat, Sina desperately called out. ¡°Juan!¡± Despite her screams, Juan¡¯s body continued to helplessly burn. It was starting to get difficult to breath as the air in the room intensified. Unable to cope with the burning heat Sina escaped, dragging Daaron along. Soon, the whole room started to burn up in flames. It was hard to see how Juan could have survived inside. Thinking Juan was dead, Sina was devastated. ¡°Juan¡­.¡± But not long after, from the blazing flames, someone stumbled out while clutching the cracked walls. Sina looked on as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. The boy slowly trudged out and once he shook his body, the heap of ashes on him flew away disappearing into the wind. Daaron as well couldn¡¯t believe the situation unfolding before his eyes. Suddenly he remembered the enormous fire that had recently swept across the great plains. They still hadn¡¯t discovered the cause of the disaster. And a few days later a boy covered in ashes was brought in, to be sold at the Colosseum. ¡°Tsss-Ahhhh¡­ I feel like the aches I had in my body are all gone.¡± Juan looked down at his butt naked body. It seemed like the mana had made him grow to around twelve years old. ¡°Taltere, you¡¯re only worth three years?¡­..Bastard, you could have done a better job at growing your mana.¡± Juan¡¯s body reconfigured based on how much mana he had. So once he¡¯d absorbed Taltere¡¯s mana, he went through a rapid change. If Taltere was at his prime, Juan would have made a huge progress. But, the bastard was so weak that it would¡¯ve been a disgrace to even call him a god. It did feel it wasn¡¯t too long ago, Taltere had tucked himself away in the Colosseum. At this rate, Juan was concerned how long it would take for him to reach his true level. But it wasn¡¯t all doom and gloom. A bit of muscle had formed on his skinny body. He was still a child but now, at least he looked normal. ¡®It seems I¡¯ll have to revert to absorption methods to restore the body¡­¡¯ In the past Juan had sealed certain gods and their inheritance around the empire. If this was absorbed, it would dramatically speed up the process in which his body could be restored back to its original state. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [1] capital ¨C While the literal translation from KR to ENG is ¡®central¡¯, as it could confuse users, previously I¡¯ve been translating it as ¡®center of the empire¡¯. To me it sounded a little off so moving forwards I¡¯ll use the term ¡®capital¡¯, to not have to write ¡®center of the empire¡¯ every time. CH 17 Chapter 17 From the ashes(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Juan¡­.just now¡­.how?¡± Sina asked with a gobsmacked face. Juan gave her a wide smile. For some strange reason, Sina felt her heart skip a beat. Underneath that smile of his, something was swaying her inner emotion. ¡°Rebirth through fire. You¡¯ve heard of it, right?¡± Sina was startled. She knew what Juan was talking about. Where one casted their body into a fire to resurrect anew. She was well informed of this as it was part of the emperor¡¯s tale. ¡°¡­..That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Doubts of faith are a necessary part to prove one¡¯s belief.¡± Juan¡¯s retorted back a sarcastic manner. To Sina who was striving hard to become a paladin, Juan¡¯s reply felt like a bad joke. But Sina didn¡¯t let this bother her. She was now fully aware his words had some weight behind it, as she had seen what he was capable of. ¡°I will admit. Clearly you¡¯re not an ordinary guy. But that doesn¡¯t mean I believe every word of yours..¡± ¡°Hmm.. You have a lot of faith in what you believe.¡± Juan didn¡¯t mind. He wasn¡¯t going to go out of his way to persuade her. Meanwhile, Daaron had crawled across the floor and was holding out his cloak to Juan that he¡¯d been wearing. For more, Juan went into a long silence after hearing Sina¡¯s reply. His hands tightened, firmly grasping his worn out broken sword. The air froze between the two. Juan, who¡¯d been standing there in bitter silence, sighed and gave his reply. ¡°And to think it was something so meaningless.¡± Juan pointed the broken sword in his hands at Daaron who¡¯d been lying flat on the ground and spoke. ¡°Do you know the reason why I asked you not to kill him?¡± ¡°To put him on fair trial? Or because he¡¯s your follower?¡± ¡°Wrong. I decided that I would only kill him, after I¡¯d killed Taltere.¡± Before Sina could even move, using his broken sword, Juan instantly drove it down into Darrons¡¯ head. The elderly¡¯s skull hopelessly broke apart in two and fell on the ground. Sina screamed out a sharp shriek. While looking down at the Colosseum, Juan muttered. ¡°And with this, the Colosseum will never reopen a second time.¡± ***** Ausrey discovered the fire spreading from the director¡¯s room. Judging from the momentum, there was no stopping it. Sina had ran off in that direction. And although, she was anxious, she couldn¡¯t spare any time worrying about her. Their hands were full from the monsters that were pouring out and at the same time had to control the panicked crowd. ¡°Our knights are arriving soon! Just hold on for a bit longer!¡± ¡°Ausrey!¡± It didn¡¯t take long to recognise the voice. It was Sina¡¯s. ¡°Sina nim! Did you find a way? What did that bastard Daaron say?¡± ¡°Daaron¡¯s dead.¡± Sina spat back a reply. Ausrey looked at Sina with shocked eyes. Noticing her gaze, Sina shook her head sideways. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who killed him. The perpetrator escaped. We need to follow him immediately! So round up the knig¡­.¡± Sina stopped talking once she looked at the situation unfolding before her eyes. Total chaos as monsters and people were running amok. If she pulled out her knights now, the damage would be insurmountable. Ausrey¡¯s nervous face was telling her the same thing. ¡°There¡¯s no one that we can spare Sina nim¡­. To make matters worse the fire is continuously spreading¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Sina was trapped in a conundrum. If she didn¡¯t pursue Juan now, she may never get the chance again. But, people were dying before her eyes. Sina didn¡¯t mull over it for too long. ¡°Tell the guards to lock down the entire city. I¡¯ll stay here and protect the civilians.¡± ***** It was dark and noisy. Every time the ground shook from the chaos above, bits of dirt dropped down from the walls that were clumsily built. Sina thought when Juan disappeared from her sight, he had left the Colosseum but it was the opposite. Juan walked into the Colosseum. Into the dungeon where monsters had poured out from. Kiiieeeakk! A desert troll suddenly popped out from beneath the ground. And when its strong hands went to grab Juan¡¯s leg, Juan simply lifted his leg out of the way. The desert troll eyes widened in frustration. It had thought for sure, on the precipitous of grabbing itself a tasty meal. Meanwhile, Juan had already turned his body around in the air. Kwa-Jjjiick! Using momentum of his fall, Juan¡¯s dagger accurately pierced the desert troll¡¯s skull. Once its brain was destroyed, it instantly went still and tumbled over like a statue. Juan pulled out his dagger that was rooted deeply in its head with difficulty. It took him longer to pull the dagger out than it took to kill the troll. ¡®While my physical conditions have improved, I need to work on building my body.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure about the requirements he needed to use mana to heal his body. The amount of mana within Juan was already significantly above what a normal adult man should¡¯ve had. His physical body state had grown to around thirteen years old. But ignoring muscle strength and mana, everything else had stayed relatively the same. Juan touched his upper stomach where his mana heart was located. Although he had absorbed Taltere¡¯s mana, it was a meager amount when compared to a real god. He was still weak. Nothing much had changed since he¡¯d revived. His mana heart was virtually empty, as the amount of mana currently wasn¡¯t enough to fill the bottom. It could even be said, his physical body was proportionately in a better state than his current mana level. ¡®There¡¯s still too many I don¡¯t know yet.¡¯ There were many unanswered questions. Why he had revived, how it happened and under what principle his body was operating. If he had given up on life, these questions wouldn¡¯t have mattered. But now it did. ¡®If I had any say in alterations, I would¡¯ve preferred a more bulky and manly look.¡¯ But unfortunately, that was not something Juan could freely change. He could recover from sudden injuries with mana but nutrition, training and strengthening his body was something out of his control. He thought to himself, once he began proper training, it shouldn¡¯t take long. Juan finally found the path he was looking for after wandering around the dungeon. He felt a mixed bag of feelings as he looked at the empty path in front of him. Taltere¡¯s apostles had built this dungeon. They had kidnapped slaves, monsters and brought them to this place. Those who resisted were made examples of and killed ruthlessly. The floor was tainted red from the blood that had been split. After Juan had killed Taltere, he ordered all hidden passageways to be blocked. But right now there was not even a single trace of a blockade having been here. Most likely, Daaron would have tore it down, needing more space inside the dungeon to accommodate his monsters. Juan began to slowly walk forward onto the path. He was thankful for the unnecessary trouble he didn¡¯t need to go through. Juan was intending to use this hidden path to go escape out of Tantil. For more, Descending from above, Juan stepped on the corpses, crushing the dry fragile bones. Finally his foot stepped into the pool of blood that had flooded the floor. As he looked at the countless number of corpses, blood and bones, his mind thought back to two individuals. Two people that he would never find out if they were rotting away, nor trace their whereabouts. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± Out of his many regrets, for the first time, he recognized and admitted one. He pulled out his dagger. The rusty blade looked just right for the job that he was about to do. Juan put the blade on his hand and slowly made a cut. His red blood ran down his palm. And once he applied some mana into it, the blood started to burn brightly as if it was oil that had caught on fire. Seeing the flames, creatures started loudly barking. But even those that were growling, soon found themselves running away as the fire spread to the pool of blood. In a flash, the fire spread rapidly and soon flames were burning from all sides. The closed dungeon cavity soared in temperature. Inside the flames, Juan was calming using his mana to create more flames. ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if it had been burned to the ground and started anew from the ashes.¡± CH 18 Chapter 18 Doctrine trial(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae A huge flame engulfed Tantil¡¯s colosseum. The flames quickly enveloped the Colosseum as if the colosseum was made out of straws. The heat wave reached out to the surrounding areas. Fortunately, the colosseum was located away from the other structures, so there was no fear of the fire spreading. However, the colosseum had burned so hot that it was hard to think that not even a bone would be left. ¡°Sina, this is¡­.¡± Blue rose knight president Hasell who¡¯d just arrived muttered a groan. To no surprise, Sina¡¯s wore the exact same expression. Rather than a great fire, they were gawking at a scene from hell. While they evacuated most of the spectators, many had still died. The dagger that cut apart and drank the blood of the victims for as long as history was recorded. After Taltere¡¯s death, he didn¡¯t even think to search for this. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be hidden here. Juan thought the Taltere inside his body would react when he grasped the sacrificial dagger, but he could not feel any disturbances within him. Juan knew Taltere wouldn¡¯t disappear so easily. He was sure someday later, he would reopen his eyes. But whenever that was, Juan was confident he would be able to subjugate him again. ¡®Anyways, it looks like I¡¯ve gotten a useful weapon.¡¯ It was natural for the victor to receive all the spoils. Juan lifted his foot to start walking. Something black and indescribable, was left crushed beneath where his foot had just been. ***** ¡°Lately, I¡¯ve heard of some disturbing news from there.¡± ¡°How could such a sacrilegious incident occur from my diocese!¡± ¡°This is spitting at the emperor¡¯s authority!¡± An elderly sharply turned his head each time he talked to himself, spitting the words out. It looked as if the elder was moving without stopping as his legs and fingers were continuously shaking. Even his eyes moved about incessantly in every direction. So bizarre, it was difficult for any normal person to look at. Being the highest official in the room, everyone inside the courtroom avoided meeting the elder in the eye. ¡°I had sensed a bad smell of an apostate ever since that mere merchant had stepped into our holy land!¡± ¡°Even if the sinful apostate is dead, we cannot leave his corpse in one piece!¡± ¡°He needs to be whipped. Whipped until his limbs are cut off!¡± For more, ***** ¡°¡­¡­Bishop Rieto is taking the case?¡± Sina Solbein asked with a flustered expression. She had already half knew a doctrine trial was inescapable as she¡¯d been seen together with Juan, and she was at the Colosseum during the incident. Furthermore, she had improperly used the ¡®search certificate¡¯ given to her by the knight order. However, she¡¯d thought everything would be handled internally by a priest. She didn¡¯t expect her presence to be requested by a bishop. Ausrey scratched her head. ¡°The first time I met him, I didn¡¯t think he was a bishop. He looked a bit¡­ let¡¯s say uneasy.¡± ¡°Everyone thinks that at first.¡± Sina bit her nail. She was thinking back to her first meeting with bishop Rieto. Her sentiments back then were similar to Ausrey¡¯s. A crazy old man. But his abilities were real. Out of the empire¡¯s twenty four bishops, he was in charge of six dioceses which realmed over six cities including Tantil. A position as such wasn¡¯t earned by just having good faith. ¡°Is he talented?¡± ¡°Talented isn¡¯t the right word¡­¡­.put simply it¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯. He¡¯s always said this.¡± ¡°Grace?¡± ¡°He says he can hear the emperor speak out to him.¡± Ausrey looked at Sina with doubt in her eyes. There were plenty of maniacs out there who¡¯ve claimed to have heard the emperor¡¯s voice. There were even those who self-proclaimed as the emperor. Sina didn¡¯t bother justifying her words. ¡°It¡¯s been said, because the emperor¡¯s voice is too powerful, bishop Rieto¡¯s mind was broken into many pieces. And that¡¯s why bishop Rieto has multiple consciousness, and through the separate consciousness he debates between them and acts as the proxy for the emperor.¡± ¡°What? If it¡¯s the emperor¡¯s voice, couldn¡¯t he simply voice the words without debating it?¡± ¡°While it¡¯s called a debate, it¡¯s just repeating the same words. An already settled debate. Just think of it as an old man¡¯s habit of repeating the same thing in slightly different ways.¡± ¡°Not sure if it¡¯s real, but nevertheless it certainly is an unusual habit¡­¡­¡± ¡°I too am unsure if it¡¯s real or not, but he wouldn¡¯t be a bishop for no good reason. Plus sometimes he¡¯s able to know things that he shouldn¡¯t know about. Yes he¡¯s a fanatic, but not an ordinary one. While he looks a little sick at times, he is esteemed in high regard by other priests.¡± The power struggle was substantial among the bishops at the capital. There was even one instance where a new bishop was seated four times in a span of six months. And yet, bishop Rieto had been in the position for eight years. It was proof that he wasn¡¯t some ordinary fanatic. ¡°So if he is half the person everyone says he is, then Sina nim need not worry right? Our Blue rose order knows full well you are innocent.¡± ¡°I would like to say yes but¡­¡­¡± Sina¡¯s words trailed off. She didn¡¯t know if the extremist Bishop Rieto would tolerate the kinds of things she saw and experienced. And plus, she was someone who had been ousted from the capital with suspicion in her lack of faith. Bishop Rieto was an individual who would set anyone on fire without mercy if there was even a little hint of heresy found. ¡°Anyways, if it¡¯s bishop Rieto this is going to be tough. There won¡¯t be any other juries.¡± ¡°What do you mean no other juries?¡± ¡°Remember, Bishop Rieto has multiple consciousness so he¡¯s always advocated his ability to reflect upon different opinions by himself. He does all the evaluating and judging on his lonesome.¡± This absurd behaviour was only possible because he was a bishop. The doors to the courtroom opened. President of the Blue rose knights, Hasell walked through. Underneath his eyes sat a pair of dark circles that had recently formed due to the sleepless nights. ¡°Sina, it¡¯s starting.¡± Ausrey¡¯s expression hardened. To reassure her, Sina lightly bumped her elbow into and then followed Hasell through the doors. Being overweight, Hasell didn¡¯t look like your typical knight commander. His appearance made one question if he could even handle a sword properly. And yet he led the Blue rose order being the most senior member in the group. ¡°President, I apologise for the nuisance I¡¯ve caused.¡± ¡°You should have thought about that before you headed into the colosseum.¡± Sina gave no reply and Hasell didn¡¯t blame her. Nobody could have foreseen the events that occurred. The catastrophe at the colosseum from two days ago, had resulted in the death of over four hundred casualties. It was the first time in Tantil¡¯s history a disaster of this magnitude had occurred. The whole city was in shock and the capital was paying close attention to this incident. And secretly a rumor was spreading. That a single misled boy had been behind the events that unfolded. There were a lot of talks about this pagan child¡¯s identity. Originally from beyond the border and brought about misfortune to the empire¡¯s land, years of slave work had corrupted him to the evil side, there were even talks that someone else had disguised themself as a child to enter into the empire¡­¡­¡­all sorts of vile and disgusting talks travelled between ears and mouth. ¡°¡­¡­Is it true that you met the child?¡± Hasell asked in a casual manner. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say then. Damn it¡­.. Just say the boy was an arsonist. Please.¡± Sina also wanted to say exactly that, but this was something that she couldn¡¯t simply lie about. The boy she had seen was not an ordinary child. But he wasn¡¯t an evil heretic like the rumours suggested either. She had felt Juan acted a rotten corpse but at times was noble in his approach. He was full of anger and yet sorrow at the same time. He was saint-like but equally intolerable and ominous. Looking at all those points, it was hard for her to say this was a human. Shortly after, they¡¯d arrived at the court. Before they entered, Hasell put his hand on Sina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sina, whatever you say¡­¡­ don¡¯t be too truthful.¡± Sina gave Hasell a bitter smile. ¡°I know what you think of me Sina. You might be thinking I only care for my safety, right? I want to let you know, it¡¯s already been a long time since I¡¯ve given up on my career path. The things you might have to go through might be far worse than what I had to endure. The pigs at the capital, and bishop Rieto in particular are really¡­¡­¡± ¡°President, I know this already¡­.¡± Hasell was one of the more snobbish people Sina knew, but he wasn¡¯t bad in heart. Like Sina, he had also escaped from the capital. All he really after was to maintain a wealthy lifestyle, and receive some bribe from time to time. Rather than ¡®president of a knight order¡¯ the title ¡®rotten beaurocrat¡¯ fitted him more. Till now, he¡¯d adequately done his part. But moving forward, she felt like she needed him to be a knight. CH 19 Chapter 19 Doctrine trial(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Sina Solbein entered the courtroom. The court room walls were tilted slightly inwards. This symbolized the emperor looking down from above. The soaring walls reached an enormous height before connecting at the top. The height of the ceiling signified the church¡¯s authority and power. When the defendant sat on their seat, it was said if they snapped their head upwards, a ray of light through a small gap at the tip of the roof could be seen. This signified the emperor¡¯s compassion. ¡®However, to this day, not a single defendant had yet seen this.¡¯ Anyone who walked into the courtroom as a defendant was prohibited from lifting their head. Likewise, Sina had her head down towards the ground as she walked in. Unlike a hearing, a trial was conducted whenever the case involved any heresy. A trial was stricter and harsher therefore, it was feared amongst all defendants. Anticipating how her actions would be reflected, Sina gave a good thought then carefully opened her mouth. ¡°Bishop nim.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Before she had a chance to speak, she was rained down upon by the bishop¡¯s words. ¡°Disgusting!. You reek of heresy!¡± ¡°Sacrilegious! You dare try to justify yourself, in my presence? In my court trial? Are you questioning my judgement?¡± ¡°As an agent of the emperor, this blasphemy cannot be ignored.¡± Dumbfounded at the situation, Sina felt as if she was back in her days at the holy city of Torra. When she repeatedly protested against a fanatical priest¡¯s sophistry. But this situation wasn¡¯t the same as back then. If she opened her mouth again, the situation would not be salvageable. The Gray tower. It attracted many beasts to the surrounding area and sometimes changed them into creatures. The Gray tower was where mana randomly gathered. The probability of encountering a dangerous beast increased as you headed towards it. Juan didn¡¯t have thoughts of going there right away. For now, his destination was the capital. CH 20 Chapter 20 Gray Tower(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan injected some mana into Taltere¡¯s dagger that he¡¯d used for hunting. Above the achromatic sword a red blooded pattern emerged. As he started to strip the skin off the stag, the smell of blood covered the area. Taltere¡¯s blade easily cut across and separated the skin from the fat. ¡®It¡¯s more useful than I thought.¡¯ Especially, when Juan injected Taltere¡¯s mana that hadn¡¯t yet fully assimilated inside his body, its usefulness skyrocketed. Although Taltere¡¯s consciousness was eradicated, his impure mana still existed separately inside him. It was only a matter of time before he absorbed it, but he needed to consider whether it could destabilise his balance. Whenever Juan used Taltere¡¯s mana instead of his own, an outrageous display of strength was demonstrated on many occasions. Like when he¡¯d set the colosseum dungeon on fire, his mana concentration was far more denser than he¡¯d thought. ¡®Although a large part was because I was too emotional at the time, it¡¯s always a good idea to be extra careful.¡¯ He knew having this explosive strength on standby for the right time could be very useful. On top of that, if used in conjunction with Taltere¡¯s blade, the synergy would double the power that he could unleash. Looking at it from that perspective, it was for the better that Taltere¡¯s mana had been separated. In dire situations, a bit of madness could be more helpful than being logical. Blood and god of madness, Juan didn¡¯t feel any rejection toward using the evil weapon that had caused death for countless sacrificial victims. To him, a weapon was simply just a weapon. There was no reason to reject using an enemy¡¯s weapon for such thoughts. In his days as emperor, he¡¯d come across far superior weapons but they¡¯d all been destroyed or sealed. Yet now, he was in desperate need of it. ¡®Plus, if I count up the number of lives I¡¯ve killed, it would likely surpass Taltere¡¯s.¡¯ If he counted his days as an emperor, it was fair to call Juan a slaughterer. It would¡¯ve been a sad joke to think deaths could have an influence on his behavior. Quickly, Juan finished dismantling the stag. He had hanged the skin on a branch but left the meat on the ground for the forest beasts. It was too heavy to be carried on his journey. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± Then, he suddenly felt a menacing presence. He realized the smell of blood would be attracting virtually everything from the forest. It didn¡¯t feel like a wolf. He felt the ground shake each time it came closer. What had appeared out from the forest was a brown bear. Its size was almost as tall as a tree. ¡®Creature huh.¡¯ He was certain that it had mutated, excessively grown from mana entering his body. Here and there, unproportionate muscle growth and deformed teeths confirmed this. The brown bear scoffed as it looked at Juan but quickly lost interest. Its attention was fixed upon the delicious looking stag that had more meat for him to devour. If Juan rag away, it wouldn¡¯t have chased him. And yet, Juan grabbed his dagger invertedly. ¡°It¡¯s gonna take forever to strip the skin off this one.¡± ***** The smell of blood was heading towards the town¡¯s center. The majority of the townsfolk here made a living as a hunter. The beasts attracted towards the Gray tower was a good source of income for the hunters. However, beasts that¡¯d absorbed mana were extremely dangerous. Casualties were a common sight. And for these hunters who live a rough life, seeing a hooded boy dragging behind piles of leather pictured a terrifying sight. One object in particular was the cause of their astonishment. The head of a brown bear placed on top of the leather pile. It felt as if the bear¡¯s eye socket was big enough for Juan to fit through. A few hunters were about to say something to Juan, but back off as fellows hunters restrained them from doing so. Juan continued pulling the leather pile forwards and only stopped once he found himself in front of an exchange stall. The wide eyed shop merchant who had been staring at Juan from afar, quickly came to his senses and greeted Juan. ¡°¡­..Did you really catch this? A brown bear creature?¡± Juan simply nodded with a tired look. It was a bigger deal than Juan was making out to be. Unlike at a colosseum, in its natural habitat, the creature¡¯s level of danger was extremely higher in a forest. The level of danger it posed was dangerous enough to call every hunter inside the village and hire mercenaries in certain cases. And yet, Juan had solely killed it. Juan touched his chest where it still slightly ached. The brown bear fell to its death on top of him at the end, breaking his bone. Not a bad result considering he¡¯d refrained from using magic and used only his physical abilities to topple it. At the very least, he decided not to rely on his magic unless his life was threatened. Relying on his magical ability to restore his body did not help him improve in any way. In dire scenarios, it was possible that he may not have the opportunity to use it. ¡°Huh, and here¡¯s me thinking that bear was going to be something special. As expected, people from beyond the boundary are on a different level. I¡¯ll have to let the master know to cancel the request for an expedition. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s going to be many disappointed bastards haha.¡± The merchant stated happily after having checked the leather for its authenticity. A few days ago, the merchant had gladly helped a beggar looking child when the child handed him the corpse of a dead beast. While he knew this different child was from outside the empire being black haired, he didn¡¯t look that dangerous. Only after seeing that the child had killed the beasts with a single dagger, he was scared out of his wits. But to him, his love for money came before anything else. The church didn¡¯t properly regulate in places deep in the mountains. The merchant decided to hold off his curiosity and make full use of this opportunity. He¡¯d never expected someone to have brought along a dead creature. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll reward you handsomely for this hunt. If you catch another one, bring it to me.¡± In a happy mood, the merchant offered a good price. The brown bear had a bounty on its head so it wasn¡¯t a bad deal for the merchant either. ¡°Huh, what are you saying suddenly!¡± From the village a loud voice could be heard. A group of adventures were loudly shouting at an elderly hunter. In a pickle, the hunter was trying to calm them down. ¡°The situation was out of my control. Who could have known that he¡¯d lose his leg?¡± ¡°In that case, you should have gotten a replacement from the hunter group!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you¡­.Recently, creatures have been appearing more frequently.¡­. And plus, with the rumour going around about that incident at Tantil, who would be foolish enough to go into the Gray tower? Lets not be stupid here¡­ you guys should forget about going too.¡± ¡°For fucks sake!¡± The male leader of the adventure group grabbed the old hunter by the collar but immediately his party members held him back. The townsfolk consisted of mainly hunters and their family. Nothing good would come out of them picking a fight with an elder of the village. ¡°It¡¯s that bastard who came half a year ago and left with a face as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. Once again, it seems someone gave up on entering the Gray tower.¡± Juan asked after listening to the merchant¡¯s mumbling. ¡°Enter the Gray tower?¡± ¡°A few do attempt it. Lured by the rumour that the emperor had confiscated a nearby church¡¯s entire treasure and locked it into that tower. Ignoring the fact it¡¯s impertinent for them to try to break past the emperor¡¯s seal, I don¡¯t recall our emperor being so pathetic that he¡¯d allow adventurers like them to break into his seal.¡± The merchant gave a hearty laugh towards the reckless adventurers, but quickly turned his head as the group sent sharp stares towards him. The elder hunter continued his advice. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more that I can help with¡­.. I know there¡¯s a hefty reward that comes with catching creatures close to the Gray tower, but there no one stupid enough among us to actually enter the Gray tower.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent my whole income on this expedition old man!¡± ¡°Then search for a new party member willing to join from a different town. Maybe there is someone who wants to commit suicide, someplace else.¡± While the adventurers grumbled back, they¡¯d couldn¡¯t find the appropriate reply. It seemed the members were originally going to join forces but partitioned due to an injury. Juan recalled back to his past when he¡¯d formed his little group and started their journey around the empire. He snorted inadvertently. ¡®Won¡¯t happen again I feel.¡¯ Juan suddenly realised the adventure group was looking at him. He quickly pretended not to have noticed them. Juan understood why they were looking in his direction. ¡®I need to get going soon.¡¯ He¡¯d stuck around for too long. It was about time rumours from Tantil would be spreading to solitary towns like here. Although he couldn¡¯t out-travel a rumour, he wanted to avoid any unnecessary encounters. ***** Juan immediately left the town once he¡¯d bought the items that he¡¯d needed from the merchant. And sure enough, the group of adventurers that was causing a ruckus back at the village was on his tail. They were pursuing in a secretive manner but Juan could sense their presence from a mile away. ¡®Five, all armed.¡¯ Juan sighed. He didn¡¯t want any unnecessary disputes. And in saying that he had no intentions of sitting around waiting for trouble to find him. Not long after, a group of adventurers hastily passed by. Five in total, their numbers were exact as he¡¯d sensed. Like when he¡¯d been hunting for beasts, he used the same method to pounce at a hooded woman at the back of the group. ¡°Hughhk!¡± Instead of piercing her in the back of the head, Juan placed his dagger on her throat and gave her a hard kick to knock her on her back. The woman let out a moan at the surprise attack. Only then, her party members finally looked back. ¡°What do you want.¡± It wasn¡¯t too late to kill them after he¡¯d heard their purpose. If they were really aiming for the Gray tower, he wouldn¡¯t feel any guilt in killing them as none of them were going to be alive for long anyways. ¡°Hang on, wait!¡± It was the adventurer that was shouting back at the village. Looking at his sword and shield, it looked as if he was a Warrior. Juan ascertained that he was the group¡¯s leader. ¡°Kid, are you alone here? Where¡¯s the others?¡± Juan felt it was a question not even worth responding to. He simply moved the knife closer to the woman¡¯s throat. The woman let out a whimper as a cut had formed and a streak of blood flowed down. ¡°Stop your whining. If you¡¯re too noisy, I¡¯ll make you bequiet.¡± Understanding his words, the female went immediately silent. Upon observing Juan¡¯s ruthless attitude, the group¡¯s leader quickly changed his stance. ¡°My name is Huksel. Ki¡­. no I mean, You. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Juan.¡± Then, one of his comrades whispered to Huksel. ¡°Boss, look at his hair colour¡­..¡± Upon realising Juan¡¯s hair colour, Huksel nodded his head in affirmation. It seemed as if he¡¯d been expecting it. Where gods had hidden themselves away and the emperor¡¯s grace could not be reached. The land beyond the empire¡¯s border was still full of mystery and fear. As an empire¡¯s citizen, they couldn¡¯t understand why someone would live there. But Huksel¡¯s attitude was different from normal. As if he¡¯d already expected Juan¡¯s hair to be black. ¡°It looks as if you¡¯re alone. We have no intention to fight.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time Huksel had seen someone from outside the empire. He¡¯d noticed the majority of them were on alert to the extent of being paranoid and their sensitivity level were on par with beasts. He found them alright as mercenaries but not so much as comrades. It looked as if Juan was no different. ¡°Your name is Juan? Do you mind if we have a short talk?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we having one now¡­¡± ¡°Uh. Okay. Um, So uh¡­. Where are you headed?¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question first.¡± They had pursued him after once they¡¯d laid eyes on him from the village. To Juan, it was obvious what they were after. So be it, Juan had a few questions he wanted to ask as well. CH 21 Chapter 21 Gray Tower(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Caught off guard at Juan¡¯s response, Huksel looked away and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of a strange rumour going around.¡± ¡°Rumour?¡± ¡°Apparently a demon appeared in Tantil and slaughtered colosseum Director Daaron after ordering the monsters to massacre the civilians. Even the knights were no match for this demon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Not only that, the bishop personally led the search for this demon in Tantil, sealing the city for a week but couldn¡¯t catch him. They¡¯ve even requested assistance from the capital in order to catch this demon¡­. And in truth, rumours suggest the demon is a¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.a black haired boy?¡± Juan smiled bleakley and finished Huksel¡¯s sentence for him. Huksel felt as if a knife was placed on his throat. His other comrades already had their hands on their weapons. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of the rumour?¡± ¡°First time hearing it.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie as Juan had avoided human settlements on his way here. But considering the chaos he created in Tantil, he had already expected rumours to have spread. Juan had already assumed Huksel and his companions had put the two together when they noticed him back in the village. As nervous as he was, Huksel carefully examined Juan. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not here to fight. I¡¯m here to give you an offer.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± Juan found himself a little interested in Huksel. Demon or not, Juan was still just a thirteen year old black haired boy. Sina felt more strange as time passed. ¡°The central church has never aided incidents in the past even when it was bigger. It seems it¡¯s not only bishop Rieto nim that is taking an interest in this case.¡± At Sina¡¯s words, inquisitor Kato grinned and pointed to the sky. ¡°Everything flows as the emperor wishes from his throne above.¡± Sina¡¯s expression hardened. It didn¡¯t mean much when ordinary citizens said but central priests used the term, it had a deeper meaning behind it. The term meant the involvement of high ranking officials in the Holy city of Torra. Sina was even more confused. Why was the capital taking an interest in matters far on the outskirts of the empire. ¡°It seems we are about to leave. We can¡¯t have the flag bearer being late. Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Sina nodded. The pursuing group in search of ¡®Tantil¡¯s demon¡¯ had the blue rose order positioned at the very front. The expedition team was all ready. Sina leaped onto her horse. She was unsure why Kato told her about the capital¡¯s involvement in this incident. Its meaning was one or another. Either a threat or being empathic. Though one thing was sure. Either way, this expedition would have major implications on her life. The flag pole suddenly felt more heavier in her hands. ***** It was the third time Huksel had visited the Gray tower. The first two trips both didn¡¯t end well for him. He was lucky to have even survived. He felt he¡¯d used up all his luck in the first two attempts, but yet again Huksel was returning for the third time. ¡®This time I must succeed.¡¯ Huksel thought of a particular female worker at a bar. He recalled her bloated belly. The expected date for birth had passed. A cute baby would have already been born. However, all he had for his wealth was a growing debt from gambling. After seeing her pregnant, he¡¯d come to term with reality. Although he was motivated to do all he can for his new family, apart from being a mercenary he didn¡¯t have any other skills. Travelling around as a mercenary didn¡¯t allow him to stay with his family. He needed a lump sum of money. And that was when a woman came asking to join her Gray tower expedition. After his second trip, he never wanted to even think about doing it again but the woman gave him a substantial cash for the necessary preparement and only asked for half of the treasure. Even if they¡¯d failed the expedition, she¡¯d promised compensation. It was a tempting offer, too good to be declined. ¡°Boss, are you sure about the kid?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­He¡¯s survived alone after coming to the empire. He¡¯ll have a few skills in him Benson.¡± The man Huksel replied to; Benson, snorted back. From his team, Huksel felt Benson was most wary of Juan. Kicked out of a guild for rummaging through a party¡¯s belongings, Benson didn¡¯t exactly have the right to say much. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest boss, you also thought he wasn¡¯t alone right?¡± Huksel thought Juan would have other companions that had come from beyond the border. But after observing Juan¡¯s attitude and seeing as they haven¡¯t made their appearance, it didn¡¯t look like it. They were leaving the fate of the expedition in the hands of a boy. ¡°You know, after the boss said those remarks about selling the emperor, I understand your situation, so I wont say much more. But, that bastard¡­¡­..I¡¯m sure you saw him giggling at us.¡± ¡°Yeah I saw it. He¡¯s from outside the empire. It would be normal for him to not respect our emperor as much as us.¡± ¡°Yeah, but did he have to laugh?! The more I look at him, he¡¯s not your typical weirdo. Tell me you guys also sense anything strange about him right?¡± Huksel gave no reply. Benson came right up to him and spoke. ¡°What about this¡­¡­ We tie him up and send him to Tantil?¡± Before setting out, they¡¯d heard from their mercenary guild that there was a large bounty for every blackhaired boy. It looked as if Benson wanted the safe bounty over the dangerous expedition. It wasn¡¯t like Huksel hadn¡¯t given this any thought. ¡°Let¡¯s just watch him, for now.¡± Benson sighed at hearing Huksel¡¯s words. CH 22 Chapter 22 Gray Tower(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae They hadn¡¯t even entered the tower, yet some were acting as if the treasure was already theirs. And for the rest, while they weren¡¯t actively agreeing, it looked as if they had similar thoughts as well. The thief Benson, who had a history of stealing other people¡¯s property was also thinking this to no one¡¯s surprise. The magician Sereum, was an illegal magician. Hogging the emperor¡¯s grace for themselves, the church had prohibited the use of all other magic except their own. Only a selected few from the magic tower were allowed to use and study the principles of magic. Sereum had kept his identity as a magician well hidden but idiotically revealed himself by setting a house of the woman he loved on fire before running away. The church immediately branded him as a heretic. Having lived most of his life on the run, he always tried avoiding matters that involved the church. Shield user Torrell, the group¡¯s vanguard was also a silver rank like leader Huksel, but was an alcoholic. Because his tremor made him frequently drop his shield, he always tied his hand to the back of his shield before heading into battles. And yet again, he drank another mouthful as the group walked towards the tower. Lastly, the woman who¡¯d sponsored the exhibition. She introduced herself as Anya but most probably it was fake. She didn¡¯t have any particular skills, but being the sponsor of the expedition, she forced herself onto the team. Among the group, speculation had it, she was of high nobility who enjoyed going on expeditions. From anyone¡¯s perspective, it was hard to look at them as a proper expedition party. ¡®¡­Chased out of a guild with a mountain of debt¡­..I shouldn¡¯t be judging anyone¡­right.¡¯ Huksel bitterly smiled. Hardly anyone attempted to explore the Gray tower. While people loved money, they didn¡¯t want to throw away their lives. Only those desperate enough had joined. It was to be expected that they couldn¡¯t find anyone normal. Already fragile, the questionable group added another uncertain piece. And in the middle of the uncertainty was Juan. Huksel believed letting one heretical boy join his group wasn¡¯t a problem. He decided he wanted to talk to him and slowed his walk to approach his side. ¡°What.¡± Juan stated a retort before Huksel even had a chance to open his mouth. Huksel thought to himself that Juan talked a lot for someone who¡¯d come from outside the border. ¡°So, um¡­¡­ I thought it would be a good idea to get to know each other.¡± ¡°I have nothing that I want to ask.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. Were you alone before you joined us? Where were you headed?¡± Juan replied without missing a beat. ¡°Capital.¡± ¡°The holy city Torra? Why there¡­¡­do you even know where that is?¡± If a resident from outside the border headed towards the capital, they would find themselves in all sorts of incidents. It was possible he would die from being burnt on a stake before he¡¯d reach the capital. ¡°Of course.¡± Juan gave a mysterious smile. Frustration added inside Huksel. He felt there was something ¡®off¡¯ about him, but couldn¡¯t exactly figure out what it was from his outer appearance. ¡°What about you. Why are you heading to the Gray tower? What are you looking to find in there?¡± Juan let a question fly. Huksel was momentarily flustered but found his reply. ¡°¡­¡­¡­A long time ago, a city existed on these lands we are standing on.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­..¡± ¡°And in close proximity to that city stood an old tower. Its history unknown, the tower was simply used by many as a way back home. But then one day, Grunvalde, the demon lord of fog came to the city. He covered the city in a deep fog instantly making all inhabitants into his slave. Then, he slowly drained their lifeforce increasing his power. Humans at the time were weak. No gods were willing to protect humans, and Grunvalde was careful not to aggravate the gods too much. When all hope seemed lost, the emperor arrived.¡± ¡°A children¡¯s folklore.¡± ¡°Be quiet and listen to the end. Recognising the emperor¡¯s strength, Grunvalde proposed a bet. Play side and seek till dawn. And whoever loses becomes the winner¡¯s slave. It was impossible to find Grunvalde, being the lord of fog. But, the emperor agreed to the bet anyways. Grunvalde merged himself into his fog and set out to hide around the city. Juan suddenly began to look amused. Huksel grinned seeing Juan¡¯s childlike expression, looking eager to hear the rest of the story. ¡°Instead of looking for Grunvalde, the emperor turned himself into the sun, instantly shining light onto the city. The light heated up the ground and as the fog vanished, Grunvalde fled into the tower. The emperor pursued him and burnt Grunvalde into fine gray dust. And that¡¯s where the once nameless tower got its name.¡± ¡°A dull ending.¡± ¡°Yes. But what about the fact Grunvalde looted the city of its wealth and stashed it somewhere inside the tower? Don¡¯t tell me a whole city¡¯s worth of riches doesn¡¯t captivate you?¡± ¡°You would risk your life for a treasure? One that might not even exist?¡± ¡°It exists.¡± Huksel gave an affirmative reply. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes. On my first expedition. At the time I was only a porter and had to wait outside the tower. While I waited for my expeditionary members to return, a couple of nights had passed and suddenly on one night, bodies started dropping from the tower above. The corpses were strewn over the area, but I managed to find one corpse with pieces of gold in its grasp. I¡¯ve been told after inspection that the items were from even before the emperor¡¯s era.¡± The second expedition was led by Huksel. However it had ended up in failure from a lack of preparement. But this time it was different. After listening to Huksel¡¯s story, Juan gave no meaningful reaction. He replied back with the notion that he didn¡¯t care. ¡°That story you¡¯ve just told me¡­. It¡¯s different from the story I know.¡± ¡°What, the story about Grunvalde?¡± ¡°Yeah. From what I¡¯ve heard¡­..the emperor didn¡¯t accept Grunvalde¡¯s proposal. Apparently, Grunvalde didn¡¯t offer to play hide and seek, instead something more ridiculous.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Juan continued to smile as he replied. ¡°As soon as Grunvalde saw the emperor, he wrapped himself in his cloak and fled into his fog. Only when he was captured by the emperor, he proposed a bet. The terms of the bet and the rewards he offered were absurd. Like your story, the reward for the victor was that the loser would become his slave but everything else is different.¡± ¡°Different?¡± ¡°The emperor doesn¡¯t compromise with gods, demons and ghosts. Even when he could compromise through words, the emperor chose violence against them. The emperor said to Grunvalde, ¡®why resort to words when it could be done through fists?¡¯ After saying that, he dragged Grunvalde to the top of the tower and burned him to ashes in the sunlight. And that¡¯s why the tower was dyed in ash, hence the name Gray tower.¡± Huksel stared at Jaun with his mouth gaped open. For a while he didn¡¯t know what to say, then rebutted back shaking his head. ¡°Is that the story spread beyond the border? As expected, blackhaired folks are truly blasphemous. They¡¯ve made the emperor sound like a barbarian.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your story also have the emperor killing Grunvalde in the end after he became his slave? Difficult to say which story makes him more barbaric when it reaches the same conclusion.¡± Huksel was at a loss for words. Instead of replying back, he quickened his pace. Fucking outsiders. ***** Finally, they¡¯d reached the Gray tower. Huksel and his crew hid behind grass thickets and first checked the tower¡¯s surroundings. There were a few beasts that had been lured by the tower¡¯s energy. While many were natural enemies of each other, for some reason they simply wandered around looking fuzzy. ¡°¡­¡­¡­There¡¯s even a creature.¡± The group¡¯s heavy infantry Torrell, clicked his tongue. A rabbit creature with it¡¯s bloody mouth was feasting on a wolf. In a way, it was an amusing sight but no one was laughing. Plenty of people had died, underestimating its appearance. ¡°What should we do? It doesn¡¯t look that tough but a creature is still a creature. Should we lay a trap? Wait until it disappears? Or¡­..¡± The thief Benson smirked as he turned around to look at Juan. ¡°Should we have a look at the kid¡¯s skill?¡± The feeling of curiosity spread amongst the members. Huksel too. It would be good for the group if Juan showed a certain level of skill while the raiding party still had a half confident mood on them. Instead of replying, Juan kicked Benson in the ass. The sight of Benson rolling out the thicket was a comical sight. But the events that followed were far from funny. All beasts in the area turned their attention to Benson. Benson froze in place. ¡°Prepare to fight!¡± Once Huksel bellowed out orders, as if the beasts suddenly awoke, most started running away into the forest. However, a powerful stag that had strength powered up from the tower¡¯s energy, ran at the group. As the stag was about to ram into Benson, Torrell got in front of him and slammed his shield into the ground. Torrell groaned and staggered back from the collision. ¡°Sereum! Start your binding spell! Benson! Get up, you fat pig!¡± ¡°Uh, yes! Huksel shoved his knife into the stag¡¯s neck as it tried ramming again. The stag cried out as it swayed his neck left and right. Blood sprayed over the heads of the party members. Huksel had his entire face splattered with blood and was being shaked around by the stag. Fortunately, he managed to get the stag off Torrell¡¯s shield. ¡°Boss!¡± At Torrell¡¯s cry, Huksel turned around and saw a rabbit creature coming ferociously at them. Huksel became dizzy. He tried pulling out his sword but it wasn¡¯t easy. Before the rabbit creature could bite at Benson, Torrell threw his body as a shield, colliding into it. Torrell was flung back, but from this Benson was able to avoid getting his throat ripped apart. Huksel gave up on retrieving his sword and drew out his dagger. If they lost even a single person here, they would have to forget about going into the tower. A foul odor radiated around the rabbit. The creature bounced quickly left and right as it made its way towards Huksel. Huksel quickly slashed with his dagger. The rabbit easily dodged the attack. But then, when it bounced again its body froze and collapsed onto the ground. He could see Sereum sweat heavily with a pale face. He¡¯d managed to finish his spell just in the nick of time. Before the spell wore off, Huksel threw himself onto the rabbit, attempting to pierce it with his dagger. However, unable to pierce through, the dagger only made a small injury. Immediately following, the effects of the binding spell wore off. The rabbit creature bounced its body in a frenzy manner. Huksel found himself almost blown away at its impact. He sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Boss!¡± The rabbit fled into the forest instead of fighting. The breathless members looked towards where it had disappeared. ¡°Why did it run away?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Looks like it hadn¡¯t been a creature for long. If it still had its instinct, I¡¯ve been told that this can happen.¡± Injuries covered Huksel¡¯s body, who¡¯d been dragged around the place. Torrell had gotten a minor concussion from colliding with the rabbit. Luckily, no one had been critically injured. However, everyone appeared to be worn out and had received plenty of injuries from the battle. They had unexpectedly come across a creature so it was only natural. At once every pair of eyes turned to Juan. Hateful glances were thrown his way. ¡°Useless.¡± And yet his reply was of disappointment. Baffled, Huksel¡¯s crew didn¡¯t know what to say. Juan observed the bloodied crew and mumbled to himself. ¡°I had high hopes when I heard that you guys were raiding the Gray tower, but in return I get¡­. this. I¡¯m embarrassed to have even been curious for a moment what the group¡¯s skill level was like. Do I really have to be using my strength for everything?¡± Huksel wanted to scream out that he didn¡¯t contribute, but he lost the opportunity to do so when Benson acted before him. ¡°You son of a bi¡­..¡± Benson collapsed before he¡¯d even made a few steps. He¡¯d lost all strength in his legs when the rabbit creature had run towards him. Benson¡¯s face turned deep red but Juan didn¡¯t even give him a single glance. CH 23 Chapter 23 Gray Tower(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Can we trust that bastard? Boss, are we really going into the Gray tower with him?¡± ¡°I¡­I agree as well. We might all die because of him.¡± ¡°I believe your judgement boss, but I¡¯m telling you, that guy is beyond crazy. Ignoring whether he¡¯s actually skilled or not, you know what happens when you enter a dangerous place with a psycho.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll constantly be worried whether I¡¯ll be stabbed in the back. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m having him walk behind me.¡± Huksel didn¡¯t say a single word yet his crew was showering him with complaints. The only one¡¯s silent were Anya and Juan. Anya was in silence meanwhile, Juan was blatantly watching them while listening in on their conversation. Huksel put his hand on his forehead. The biggest issue was that they didn¡¯t know if Juan was actually talented or not. If he¡¯d showed them a bit of his skill, the expedition could have continued, but right now Huksel couldn¡¯t force this. ¡°You seem to have a lot on your mind.¡± Anya commented as she approached him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to think too much about this. The tower¡¯s a dangerous place for a boy anyways. Better send him out now rather than never.¡± ¡°Mrs¡­¡± Huksel didn¡¯t want to, but the word of the sponsor was hard to refuse. Plus, if he¡¯d insisted on bringing Juan, it seemed other members were set on turning back. Huksel¡¯s was struggling to make a decision. After a long thought, he opened his mouth ¡°¡­..Alright. Juan will stay behind, while we¡¯ll go up the tower. If it looks doable we¡¯ll commence the raid, while if it looks difficult we¡¯ll retreat and get Juan¡¯s help, just in case he is useful.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?.¡± The one who replied was no Anya but Juan. Juan was smiling while twirling around Taltere¡¯s sword. ¡°With you or not, I¡¯m intending to head up the tower. I don¡¯t have any reason to wait while you lot turn into corpses. If you want to go alone though, then we¡¯ll split here as i¡¯ll head on up first. Whether you guys follow or not I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about¡­.!¡± Anya shouted with a reddened face. ¡°It¡¯s not a place where children can freely come and go! Do people from outside the border throw away their lives so easily?¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. From what I¡¯ve seen, people from inside the border don¡¯t value their lives as well.¡± It was the Gray tower¡¯s true form. The tower looked in good shape but in truth the fog of smoke was hiding areas where it had collapsed. Because of this, there were many places to enter the tower. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one piece of advice before we go in.¡± Juan who¡¯d turned around looked at each member one by one. ¡°Advice?¡± You guys looked sulky so I¡¯m giving you a tip. First the thief. For your role, you¡¯re a bit dim. If you aren¡¯t going to pick locks, then at least you need to bring some combat skills for the team. Absolutely no courage and narrow minded.. You haven¡¯t done any fighting so there¡¯s really no advice to give.¡± ¡°Wha, what? This bastard!¡± ¡°And the magician. Please cast your spells faster. I don¡¯t know where you learnt magic but you must¡¯ve given up half way through training. Are you using ¡®Kenan¡¯ language to speak your magic? It has too many unnecessary words. If you¡¯ve learnt the basics that¡¯s enough. Try to graduate from it as soon as you can. For you, I recommend using ¡®Pelt¡¯ language.¡± ¡°Pe, Pelt? Why would I consider using that dead langu¡­¡± Huksel let a sigh and looked around. The fog was slowly disappearing inside the half collapsed tower. While the fog was still thick, now they were able to see in front of them. Inside the tower, everything was in ruins. They didn¡¯t see any lifeforms. Torrell looked around while sweating. ¡°Boss, that kid is nowhere to be found.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Don¡¯t worry about him. Let¡¯s think for ourselves first.¡± Huksel tried focusing his entire senses to see if it made a difference. Just because you couldn¡¯t see anything, didn¡¯t mean nothing was there. Ever so slowly, some things changed. The fog close to the ground moved against the drift. There were a few areas where this was happening. ¡°It¡¯s moving.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Sereum, prepare the enchantment that I requested.¡± Sereum with a nervous expression started the enchantment. Huksel pulled out one of his equipment that he¡¯d prepared. The fog that was moving in a pattern suddenly moved towards Huksel¡¯s crew. For more, ¡°The light is fading! Come together!¡± As the light weakened and the shadows faded, Huksel threw another light grenade. As he had used his entire fortune on this, he had plenty left. The monsters, dumbfounded at Huksels method, were still moving about here and there to surround Huksel¡¯s crew. However, they simply couldn¡¯t go closer due to the light in the air. ¡°Boss! These monsters can¡¯t do anything!¡± Benson shouted in happiness. As they overpowered opponents that usually put fear into all expeditioners, they couldn¡¯t contain their excitement. However, Huksel couldn¡¯t but feel a sense of nervousness within him. Juan had come in before them. So then, either the amount of monsters should have lessened or Juan should have been a corpse by now. But it was neither of the two. Where had Juan gone off to? At this moment, Huksel heard an unusual noise. A thunderous roaring sound was beckoning from above. Beyond the fog towards the left, a massive impact echoed and shaked the ground. Huksel panicked and looked above. The tower was moving. ***** Sina Solbein was looking at the tower off in the distance beyond the forest. After being incorporated into the chasing group, she¡¯d ridden without stopping through countless nights and days. Her entire body was aching. It was the same for every other knight. ¡°Right, there¡¯s the Gray tower.¡± Kato started a conversation. In all honesty, Sina didn¡¯t want to reply back but couldn¡¯t ignore an inquisitor¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s the place where the emperor¡¯s wisdom was shone bright like the sun.¡± ¡°Now, it¡¯s become a sacred place of ingratitude. I¡¯ve heard many indecent folks attempt to go up the tower in search of the hidden treasure. Of course, adding themselves to the pile of corpses in the tower.¡± ¡°The emperor stated not to view human greed in only a negative way. He said greed is natural and emotions like love and bravery are found from a sense of greed.¡± ¡°Now, now, aren¡¯t you well versed with the words of scripture.¡± ¡°Only the ones I know.¡± In order to argue with a professor of Torra¡¯s knight school, skim reading the scripture wasn¡¯t enough. But from reading it thoroughly, she¡¯d only gotten a bad temperament. The emperor¡¯s words were perfect but the people who scribed his words weren¡¯t. Therefore, errors and contradictions existed in scriptures. The problem was some tried using misinterpreted information to their advantage and ignored the rest which was correctly transcribed. Sina knew from experience when facing these people, stating the orthodox parts of the scripture would usually shut them up. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry then. The sheath is longing for its home.¡± Kato looked into the square glass. Inside the glass, the sheath was vibrating in the direction of the Gray tower. According to Kato¡¯s words, it pointed to where Juan was currently at. And true to his words, on the way, they¡¯d found traces of Juan at a village. Sina still didn¡¯t understand the principle behind it but nervously followed his volition. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s there. Didn¡¯t you say he was initially heading for the capital?¡± At Sina¡¯s question, Kato¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Would someone who didn¡¯t touch Daaron¡¯s treasure trove at all, be looking for riches? Not a chance. More likely, his objective is the evil armor that the emperor sealed inside the tower. After denigrating and desecrating it¡¯s divinity, he¡¯ll make the weapon his.¡± Sina didn¡¯t reply. While it was difficult to agree with Kato¡¯s opinion, she kept recalling a particular scene in her head. When Juan had swallowed Taltere¡¯s blood. Plus, there wasn¡¯t anyone normal who visited the Gray tower. Beasts, humans, most were criminals with no future that were on the brink of despair or heretics that were part of a cult. Sina and the Blue Rose knights hasted their approach towards the Gray tower. CH 24 Chapter 24 Spot where fog has lifted(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Not bad.¡± From the tower¡¯s upper stratum above, Juan was looking down at Huksel and his crew. The equipment that Huksel had brought along proved to be more useful than Juan had first thought. During his heydays, Juan had never come across an equipment as such but he was able to figure out the principle behind it with just one glance. ¡®Hmm..I see that monsters still exist inside the fog, but not enough so they¡¯d wander out of the tower huh¡­..¡¯ When Juan had burnt Grunvalde to ash, those fog monsters had appeared and wandered inside a few cities. They were called fog creatures. The invisible monsters came about when creatures ventured deep into the Gray tower, attracted to the tower¡¯s mana. Like those humans who were sacrificed for Grunvalde, the tower continually took away one¡¯s strength, so creatures found inside the tower were weaker than the one¡¯s found outside. And because their properties were naturally assimilated to the tower¡¯s energy, they became transparent. There were bound to be casualties when one would come across it for the first time. But for Juan who¡¯d known about their existence, getting past them was straightforward. Juan thought, if somewhat prepared, Huksel¡¯s crew would likely not lose their life here either. ¡®But in saying that, whether they could reach the top¡­ is another matter altogether.¡¯ Juan left the group behind and resumed his climb. Even the fog creatures had trouble noticing Juan¡¯s stealthy movements. Juan was always one step ahead, cutting each creature¡¯s throat just as they noticed his presence. He didn¡¯t absorb the mana from their blood as it was heavily tainted with the tower¡¯s mana. ¡®Seems it¡¯s still as powerful as ever.¡¯ It had been a long time and yet, the amount of influence it had was astounding. Unlike Taltere, Juan didn¡¯t think Grunvalde was alive. He assumed this power radiated from the relic that Grunvalde had left behind. The relic he had made sure to seal away as it could have led to total destruction, if it found itself in the hands of someone evil. The relic that gave Grunvalde the name, the demon lord of fog. That was what Juan was looking for. If it still contained the same strength, he was certain that it would be of great use on his journey. ¡°While there¡¯s that, hmm¡­ things seem worse than I thought¡­..¡± Juan murmured as he striked down another monster that he skipped by. He assumed the Gray tower hadn¡¯t been raided for this long because the tower was linked with many wicked stories, while the church ill advised raids. Yet, if anyone had truly wanted to raid the tower, it wouldn¡¯t have been too difficult to figure out how to overcome its challenges. Fog monsters weren¡¯t what was truly dangerous inside the Gray tower. The tower itself was the most dangerous attribute. Krrrrrrrrr. At the sound of rocks scraping, Juan realised, this was the moment he¡¯d been waiting for. In front of eyes, the pillars and walls around him started to move. Anyone outside the tower wouldn¡¯t have seen anything change. The tower¡¯s external look was an illusion created by the fog. As the whole floor crumbled and rearranged itself, Juan hopped upwards. The fog fell down like a waterfall inside the Gray tower and a figure started to form. Slowly, the figure lifted itself attempting to get up. Juan quickly threw his body onto it and started to crawl up. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± This thing, that was made from bits of the tower, let out a strange shout that made Juan¡¯s body shudder. Briefly stopping, Juan hanged on and looked down. From a distant height, a vast empty space greeted below him. The floor that Juan had just been walking on was nowhere to be found. The Gray tower had formed an upper body of a Giant Golem. With an incomplete body, the Golem used the walls to steady itself. It looked down at the intruders. Juan grinned as he looked at the Golem. ¡°Just like how I¡¯d thought it would be.¡± The Gray tower¡¯s Golem was a being that Juan had made, to safeguard Grunvalde¡¯s relic. While he¡¯d created many golems in the past, this one had been one of his earlier works, so it reflected his roughness and inexperience during his younger years. Many years had passed, yet it was still silently carrying out its duties. Speck of moss had grown in the deep corners. The Golem made a throat aching sound as it returned towards Juan. For a moment, Juan harbored an excitement. But then, a giant fist came crashing down. Juan quickly pounced away. The windforce generated was enough to sway his body. Juan clicked his tongue and casted blink. In midair, Juan¡¯s body bounced towards the Golem¡¯s shoulder. At an impossible angle, the Golem attacked and tried swatting Juan down like a fly. ¡®As I feared, without sufficient mana it doesn¡¯t recognise me.¡¯ Juan had nothing to say. Comparing his power from what he once had when he¡¯d created this Golem to now, his current power was a grain of sand in comparison to a shoreline of sand. Kwang! Again, Juan had just barely dodged it. While this situation wasn¡¯t beyond what he had anticipated, he admitted he was lacking in strength. He needed to overcome the Golem in order to climb to the top of the tower. It was only the emperor that was able to control the Golem. But currently, his presence was too mediocre to be considered an emperor. Thing was, if the Golem was instead destroyed, it was impossible to reach the tower¡¯s summit. In doing this, Juan devised so that none other could take possession of Grunvalde¡¯s relic if forced. ¡®Regretting it a little¡­.¡¯ He still had other ways to get around the issue. While it was a bother, he knew of one method that was possible only for himself. Juan started moving strangely. The Golem followed Juan¡¯s path and continued to attack which was reshaping the tower¡¯s interior structure. As Juan tried dodging a swipe, he¡¯d found himself slamming between a wall and a pillar. He decided that he now needed to fight. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to use blink too.¡¯ He¡¯d become a pancake if he accidentally blinked underneath a falling rock. The Golem turned its body at a sharp angle, and swung his stretched arm. Its arm that looked like a pillar, scraped the tower¡¯s outer wall, echoing a screeching sound. Juan moved in just the right angle to escape it¡¯s swing. When he¡¯d made the Golem, he never thought the Golem was fast, but facing it in a thirteen year old¡¯s body, its power seemed overwhelming. Juan¡¯s chest started beating in excitement. ¡°What display of strength.¡± Expected of a gatekeeper that had safeguarded under his orders for half a century, he thought. The Golem¡¯s fist smashed through the wall that Juan was holding onto. Streaks of blood flowed down as flakes of stone skimmed past his cheek. ¡°Hmmph!¡± To avoid the fall, Juan had to use blink. Instantly, the Golem used some of its body and materialized a giant wall in Juan¡¯s path. As if it had anticipated his blink. Juan realised too late. ¡®It must¡¯ve remembered my trajectory pattern from when I had used blink before. Juan admitted his negligence. The consequences were severe. Like a fly, the Golem swatted Juan¡¯s body onto a wall. Along with the sound of a ball being popped, on the wall where¡¯d the Golem¡¯s punch had landed, blood was sprayed over. Not stopping there, the Golem drove it¡¯s fist in a circular motion into the wall. A deep hole was made on the wall. The Golem slowly pulled it¡¯s fist out. Judging that it had completed its mission, it turned its gaze downward now needing to eliminate the other intruders. Then, the Golem suddenly lost its balance. The Golem realised the structures that it relied on to stay up, had been destroyed by it¡¯s own hand. While the difference wasn¡¯t much to an average eye, it was enough to bring the Golem down on it¡¯s own. Multiple times the Golem slammed into the walls. Along with a crashing echo it began its fall down the tower. ***** ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± Huksel¡¯s crews¡¯ eyes widened at the humongous piece of rock that had fallen from above. One of the fog monster¡¯s bodies bursted from being flattened by a rock the size of a human. A ¡®splat¡¯ sound continued here and there as rocks continued to fall. Huksel grabbed a few of his crew and backed off from the unexpected occurrence. It took a while till the rain of rocks stopped falling. Benson¡¯s shoulders were dislocated and magician Sereum was dizzy from possibly being hit in the head, but other than that no one was critically hurt. Huksel nervously thought the tower was going to collapse entirely, but thankfully it hadn¡¯t. Only problem was that the upper floor had vanished. Looking on, it was going to be difficult. Worst case, he was considering rock climbing. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± ¡°Bo, boss. What is that¡­.¡± Torrell was pointing at something in front of him. Huksel turned his gaze at the fog dust that was clouding something as it drew near. At first, he¡¯d thought it was a giant pile of rocks, but upon closer inspection it wiggled and the whole pile was moving as one. Torrell¡¯s complexion paled. Bits of rocks and a giant boulder that had slammed onto the ground all started converging towards the pile. It was recovering its body that broke when it fell. A colossal sized body with each fragment spanning several metres. As he noticed it having arms and legs, he quickly understood that it was of human form. ¡°Golem¡­¡­ Beings that steadily held up the emperor¡¯s throne with its thick arms. They really exist¡­.¡± Huksel heard Anya beside him murmuring a whisper. Her expression was overflowing with happiness and awe. However, he had no leisure to be worrying about her as the Golem had started moving again. ¡°Damn it! I don¡¯t recall discussing that we needed to fight a Golem!¡± Benson screamed. Huksel hurriedly tried shutting Benson¡¯s mouth with his hands, but it was too late. The Golem¡¯s had turned its attention to them. The Golem turned its heavy body towards Huksel¡¯s crew and began its approach. Seeing its overwhelming size and weight shake the ground as it approached, Huksel¡¯s mind soon found itself paralysed. A single step with its feet, would turn them into rice cakes. The moment Huksel imagined the scene in his mind, he shouted out. ¡°Ru¡­. run!¡± Kwoong! Kwoong! The Golem¡¯s movement was slow but had much bigger strides than them. As Huksel fled with a sense of despair, he noticed Sereum standing still in the same spot. He was still murmuring words that were unrecognizable. Huksel didn¡¯t easily give up on his comrades. But this was different. Then, suddenly Sereum stretched out his hands towards the Golem and completed a short verse. An explosive fire bombarded the Golem. The burning fire twirled around its entire body. The nearby fog was evaporating from the heat. Huksel was stunned as he¡¯d never seen Sereum use such powerful magic before. Thought to have been simply a timid magician. Who knew he had such power in him. For a moment, Huksel hoped. That was until the Golem began lifting its foot over Sereum. Sereum was still standing still with his two arms stretched. The Golem¡¯s leg slammed down onto the ground. Huksel cursed himself as he pushed Sereum out of the way. Kwang! Huksel tightly closed his eyes. As he regretted the failures he had to endure in his life, he waited for death. But for some reason dying wasn¡¯t as painful as he¡¯d thought. It was regretful that he never got the chance to see his child, but with this he would leave all his failures behind. But still¡­¡­ ¡°Boss! Get out of there now!¡± Huksel opened his eyes at hearing Torrell¡¯s deep voice. A familiar shield laid in front of his eyes. The imperial army shield that Torrell stole when he ran away from his duty. It was heavier and tougher than most other shields. And the shield which had saved their life countless times was disfigured into a sorry state. Its last act used to save Huksel¡¯s lower torso. Huksel quickly crawled out. ¡°Why¡­¡­?¡± ¡°What do you mean, why. It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to see my boss die a pitiful death! Especially when you¡¯ve been played by that bar waitress fox.¡± ¡°Played?¡± ¡°Pregnant my ass. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many times I¡¯ve seen that bitch wiggle money from naive adventurers. While that bitch only thought about using you to poach as much money she could, you were off dreaming about a sweet married life together.¡± ¡°What? Then why didn¡¯t you say anything till now? Why didn¡¯t you stop me from betting my life on this expedition?¡± ¡°Uh¡­..that¡¯s because¡­.¡± Torrell hesitated for a while then finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain she¡¯s pregnant with my child.¡± Huksel didn¡¯t get the chance to reply. The Golem had started moving again. Recognising they¡¯d become a pattern in the ground if they stayed still, the two grabbed Sereum and started running. Their movements were much slower than before. Sooner rather than later, they would be crushed. Huksel bursted into laughter. He¡¯d made extensive preparations and yet everything was in vain. He¡¯d even forgotten about the purpose of the expedition. So dumbfounded by the situation, he continued to laugh. Beside him, he felt Torrell look at him as if he¡¯d gone mad. As the Golem lifted its foot over them once again, a massive impact hit the Golem¡¯s head. The Golem swayed side to side and lost his footing beside Huksel. Sideways, the Golem rolled past Huksel, Torrell and Sereum. ¡°Wha¡­ What¨C!¡± Huksel looked up at the Golem. He saw a shadow in the big dent that was made on top of the Golem¡¯s head. Huksel couldn¡¯t see what ¡®that¡¯ was. It didn¡¯t seem to look like a human. It looked more like a clot of blood, as fire was burning from its body here and there. It was wearing a ragged cloth, but even that was on fire. Huksel was terrified at the thought of it being a new monster but he noticed ¡®that¡¯ was holding a familiar dagger. Juan¡¯s dagger. Unlike before, the dagger was lit up in fire red and was shining in fancy markings. The fire was burning all over the body of ¡®that¡¯. Huksel finally recognised that it was Juan. However, instead of the face of a boy, he saw the face of a bloodthirsty berserker. CH 25 Chapter 25 Spot where fog has lifted(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan¡¯s head was burning. Hatred towards someone he¡¯d not even met, resentment towards something he hadn¡¯t done. All the hatred and resentment in the world was fuming inside him. The thirst for blood encroached his body. While a normal person would¡¯ve gone mad, Juan didn¡¯t. Rather, he enjoyed the madness. Time to hunt, Taltere. Like an owner instructing his hunting dog, Juan let madness sweep over him. Taltere¡¯s blood flowed over Juan¡¯s entire body, blazing in heat. Juan slammed his foot on the Golem¡¯s head who¡¯d tried stepping on him. Stone fragments flew wide as a crack started to appear on the Golem¡¯s head. Suddenly realising Juan was the it¡¯s biggest threat, the Golem shook its body vigorously. Turning its body 360 degrees, it managed to fling Juan off its body. After finding himself hurled into open air, Juan gathered himself and sped his way back towards the Golem. Juan rooted Taltere¡¯s dagger deeply into Golem¡¯s head made of solid stone. Slow to retaliate, Juan used this time to stab the Golem in quick succession. With each stab, pieces of stone broke from its head. A splintered stone cut Juan in the cheek as it flew away. The blood from the cut went up in flames and disappeared as smoke. Again, the Golem attacked. The charge misses Juan and it runs past him. Even when the Golem grabbed Juan and threw him into a wall, Juan persisted and simply bounced back ready to fight once more. Juan continuously charged again and again. The Golem felt as if it was fighting an undying, unrelenting wasp. It looked for a moment, the Golem¡¯s limbs floundered in fear. When swatted away, Juan simply charged back and caused damage. Then he was struck back. The cycle repeated in a constant pattern. In a last desperate attempt, the Golem tried converging the Gray tower to limit the space Juan had to work with but in doing so, it¡¯s own space was reduced as well. Then later on, it devoted its energy in trying to crush Juan against the wall, but had no luck. It was to the point where Huksel, who was looking on from the side, almost had sympathy for the Golem. ¡°Good god, what is that¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Is that a human, boss?¡± Huksel didn¡¯t know what to reply. Neither god nor human. If he had to say, a demon. He then suddenly recalled, Juan was named as the demon of Tantil. Now, he was sure Juan was indeed the person behind the rumour. ¡°What is that child trying to do?¡± Anya murmured from aside. Hearing her words, Huksel realised Juan wasn¡¯t simply attacking the Golem randomly. Fooled from the extravagant movements, Huksel only now understood that Juan¡¯s attacks were concentrated on the Golem¡¯s head. As if it was all part of the greater plan, the movements focused on breaking deeper into the Golem¡¯s body. The Golem knew this, but couldn¡¯t stop it from happening. ¡°Maybe¡­..a surgical operation?¡± Magicians were known to often do this. As the church pressed strict limitations on the use of magic, they had to find alternative ways to study magic. But of course, it wasn¡¯t the most optimal way to study. Juan was doing an operation on the Golem. He was making an incision at the tip of its head. Suddenly, Juan¡¯s eyes turned bright red. He had consumed the second lot of Taltere¡¯s blood. Juan turned Taltere¡¯s mana into blood and had separated into ten lots. He had never consumed it willingly before, so he was surprised when a surge of power beyond his expectation flowed into his body. His physical attributes improved double the amount when he¡¯d improved using his own mana. ¡®One use lasts about three minutes huh¡­¡¯ This level of enhancement would be useful in dire situations. Juan once again concentrated his attack on the Golem¡¯s head. Dodging a pair of hands that tried swatting him away, he¡¯d moved past the gaps, between the fingers and stabbed the dagger deep into his head. As it¡¯s head continued to break, beyond the bits of fragmented rocks, he could slowly see what he¡¯d been looking for. A rune burning in blue. As soon as he saw the rune, instinctively he wanted to make a grab for it. But right at that moment, the Golem¡¯s hand appeared over Juan. Having difficulty catching him, the Golem had made a third arm. Amongst the sound of rocks clashing, Juan disappeared into the cloud of dust. Huksel and his crew let out a gasp. But before they could even finish their gasp, they saw bits of rock crumbling down from the dust. It was the fragments of the Golem¡¯s hand. Inside the cloud of dust, Juan was pushing himself up. He looked down with an annoyed pair of eyes. ¡®I was too emotional.¡¯ His head had gotten heated the moment he¡¯d located his objective. While Taltere¡¯s blood stimulated his instinct to hunt, it also numbed his sense of logic. But, by consuming Taltere¡¯s blood for the second time, he was able to break Golem¡¯s hand. He¡¯d gotten one problem out of the way. ¡®Well at least I got what I wanted.¡¯ Having its attack stifled, the Golem made another attempt at Juan. Both his arms rushed towards him from the sides. Digging his way past the broken rocks, Juan placed his hand over the blue rune and poured his mana into it. ¡°Halt.¡± Uh du dukk. Sound of two rocks scraping to a stop echoed. When the Golem halted, an eerie silence filled the tower. After being so raucous, the sudden silence was a little disturbing. Juan again whispered. ¡°Stand.¡± With a ponderous sound, the Golem followed his command. The tower that once looked as if it would collapse at any moment, also stopped moving. Because the Golem wasn¡¯t recognising his mana, Juan needed to make contact with its nucleus. Now that authority was established, there was no chance of it attacking him again. The Golem functioned using the mana that flowed out from Grunvalde¡¯s relic. Contaminated by Grunvalde¡¯s mana for so long, Juan had been concerned that Golem wouldn¡¯t recognise his mana. But it immediately acknowledged that Juan was the emperor. It appeared to be working fine, following his orders to a tee. Just like in the past. Juan was a little apologetic about making a large dent on the faithful Golem¡¯s head. ¡°O¡­.Oi! You alright?¡± Huksel¡¯s voice came from below. Juan grinned at hearing the voice. ¡°Sweep out the intruders.¡± The Golem lifted its two arms and slammed it down on the surface. He could see Huksel and his crew scream out as they were hurled up into the air. Then the Golem moved its arms sweeping aside anything it found. The floor was a mess but was instantly cleaned up, as everything on the floor was swept aside. The only bit of space untouched was where Huksel and his crew were standing. Huksel¡¯s crew didn¡¯t breathe as they mindlessly stared at the Golem clean up the floor. As it swung its arms around, gray blood was splattered and sprayed over the ground. Dead or alive, the fog monsters were being cleaned up. ¡°I only need Golem to guard the tower. Don¡¯t need any help from insects.¡± Juan felt refreshed after seeing the fog creatures being swiftly slaughtered. Most intruders were killed from the fog creatures upon entering, but those who immediately ran away got to keep their lives intact. Huksel¡¯s crew were the only group to be alive after encountering the Golem. At this moment, they came about a realisation. It appeared Juan was controlling the Golem. ¡°What on earth¡­..¡± No one could have expected this. And yet, one person, Anya was staring at Juan with bright gleaming eyes. ***** After sweeping the fog creatures aside, Juan used the Golem to make his way to the top floor. Unlike the floors below, it was a room thickened in fog. Between the gaps on the walls and windows, fog was flowing out of the room. In truth, this murky room was the source of the tower¡¯s fog and also contained the Golem¡¯s heart. And in it¡¯s center, laid the reason behind why the tower was covered in fog. The fog enveloped his body, as Juan made his way through. His sight was blinded. A wet moisture smell entered his nose. Juan closed his eyes. His mind recalled the city that was once entirely covered in fog. The enveloped city. Vines and moss had filled the city, contaminating it. Assimilating with the fog, the humans found within were wandering like shadows and appeared ghost-like. Gaunt looking legs, were dragging along a pair of shoes on the ground from a lack of strength. A sound of weak footsteps stumbled into his ears. Across the plaza, an old man sat on a bench. ¡®No strength to run away anymore.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­..¡¯ ¡®Maybe I should have just fought back instead. I was planning to devour you when you¡¯d finally tire¡­¡­ Rather it seems, I was trying to devour the sun.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­..¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re a silent one, yet powerful¡­.. There¡¯s not many young folks like you left. I¡¯m liking you even more. But all this doesn¡¯t matter to you, right?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Handshakes don¡¯t exist so you can crush the other person¡¯s hand¡­.. Young man, you¡¯re lucky my body doesn¡¯t have an entity. No one taught you any manners huh. But then again, arrogance is a charismatic part of being young.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve heard about you. Apparently you¡¯re a god devourer. Who would have thought someone like that would be born as a human. If you¡¯d come around a bit earlier¡­¡­.never mind. I know I can¡¯t escape death. But I want to offer you a proposition.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®I already lost our little hide and seek so I offer this. Do you think you have what it takes to be a noble great king?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯d been a foolish king. With this power, I thought I could become someone who would be able to protect more of my people if I sold every bit of wealth I¡¯d accumulated. But in the end, I was only left with this ruin¡­.. You think it will be any different for you?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®It seems like you believe everything you do and leave behind will be grand, perfect, forever. Why don¡¯t we make a bet about this? The loser will become the winner¡¯s slave.¡¯ Juan didn¡¯t have a need for an elderly slave. The old man giggled even as he was dragged away. Until he¡¯d been cremated to dust. His laugh filled and echoed throughout the city. Once the fog lifted, the barren city was engulfed in flames like a dry log. And the city that had been a demon¡¯s playground for so long, the city that had taken in a idiot king, perished without a trace. In an attempt to crush the ashes of his remains, Juan grabbed a handful of the dust. Then, something softly wrapped around his hand. Juan opened his eyes. The thick fog that filled his surroundings was slowly fading. Left in his hand, was not ash he¡¯d grabbed, but instead a dark gray cloak. He could feel the vast power inside the cloak just by clutching it. And also the evil that was inside it. Juan for a moment hesitated. Did he have the right to use the cloak for himself? Didn¡¯t he lose the bet with the old man? His hesitation didn¡¯t last long. ¡®He¡¯s just a dead old man. I never accepted the bet in the first place. The one who lives on gets to decide who¡¯s the winner and loser of the bet.¡¯ How could he accept a bet with an idiot that had sold out his people to a demon¡­. And anyways, Juan still had chances to redeem himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose. Grunvalde. My territory, myself¡­..still lives on.¡± Juan murmured as he draped the cloak over his shoulders. The surrounding fog all rushed centrally towards Juan and swirled around him like a vortex. ¡°I think it¡¯s time the loser starts to serve like a slave.¡± CH 26 Chapter 26 Spot where fog has lifted(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The fog started to dissipate. As the moisty air that held the entire tower prisoner dispersed, giant dark clouds formed over head. The Gray tower¡¯s true appearance revealed itself, as the fog that once covered it disappeared. Only thing left was the Golem which was holding the tower up from total collapse. Huksel¡¯s crew held their breath as they watched Juan walk down the Golem¡¯s arms. As if it was attending its owner, the Golem carefully dropped his palm, in which held Juan and gently let him onto the ground. By now, Juan¡¯s body had mostly recovered, a new layer of white skin had grown. ¡°How did he do that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an outsider. Maybe he knows some strange magic we don¡¯t know about.¡± The scene where Juan was relentlessly stabbing the Golem on the head was firmly entrenched on their minds. While he looked calm for now, that scene was enough to have them stiff frozen in place. Soon after, another thing caught the attention of their eyes. The Gray tower¡¯s treasure. When Juan returned from the top of the tower, he had a cloak draped over his shoulder. Made of material that seemed not of this world, it looked silky smooth and light. Rather than silk, it almost looked as if it was made from condensed fog. ¡°Grunvalde¡¯s Gray cloak¡­..¡± Beside Huksel, Anya mumbled something. Huksel quickly grabbed her arm. ¡°What does it do? It doesn¡¯t look like any ordinary item¡­.¡± For more, Juan smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing up there, except this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Grunvalde and his treasure all but disappeared within the fire that burned the city to dust. The story of hidden treasure in the tower is nothing but a rumour. If the treasure existed, the emperor would have used it already, why would he keep it stored here needlessly?¡± ¡°No, this cannot be. I saw it with my own eyes!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t they adventurers? It¡¯s not strange to find them carrying items found from previous expeditions. And anyways¡­..¡± Juan walked past Huksel. ¡°Didn¡¯t we already split before entering the tower?¡± Huksel couldn¡¯t say in reply. Then, Benson came over to him. He whispered something into his ears and Huksel¡¯s eyes were glimmered. ***** Dusk was fast approaching and Huksel and his crew decided to sleep near the Gray tower for the night. While the tower had disappeared, many attracted monsters still roamed nearby. It was dangerous to travel through the night. Laying on top of the Golem, Juan was looking up into the sky. The trapped fog from the tower had all been released, filling the sky above. It seemed heavy rain was on the way as distant sounds of thunder could be heard. A wet musty smell had already travelled ahead through the breeze. ¡®All of that is Grunvalde¡¯s mana¡­.¡¯ As he retrieved Grunvalde¡¯s Grey cloak, most of the mana contained within had flowed out. Maybe a by product of being sealed for all those years. For a while he could only display one tenth of his actual power. Good news was that Juan was now able to control fog. Even if it took a long time, he needed to regain his power. For more, ¡°No. But in a roundabout way, you could say yes.¡± Anya sheepishly looked on as she pointed below Juan. ¡°The Golem?¡± ¡°The mighty arms that pillared the throne, built for when the gods would eventually return, it¡¯s a distinct symbol, proof that our emperor hasn¡¯t given up on us. Yes, I came here to find a way to control the Golem.¡± Juan stroked his chin. Resurrected with a child¡¯s body, one of the things he found strange was his non-existent beard. It was a weird sensation, stroking his smooth chin. ¡°Most of the Golems were put to sleep, when the emperor began his reign of peace. By now, they would be covered in moss and erosion. However, according to our ¡®sources¡¯, there were a few Golems left that could be operable. One at the Gray tower. I came, wanting to find out how to activate and control these Golems.¡± Juan made a quick observation at Anya¡¯s level of skill. It looked as if she was more skilled in assasination rather than normal swordsmanship. A little familiar in magic but not at a high level. Even if she had found out how to defeat the Golem, retrieving the Grey cloak would have been beyond her capabilities. What would have happened if she did manage to control the Golem¡­.. Juan recalled the many Golems he¡¯d hidden away throughout the empire. When he was emperor, he¡¯d constructed a myriad of Golems. Especially in the northern lands to face humanity¡¯s arch enemy, he placed countless Golems, so many they formed great walls to deal with the cracks. But right now, they were all asleep. ¡°Control the Golem? Why?¡± ¡°So I can topple the empire.¡± Anya¡¯s reply was not what he¡¯d anticipated. Juan laughed heartily. He welcomed this kind of unexpectedness. If one could control the Golems they would have an enormous power at their disposal. Topping the empire wouldn¡¯t be impossible. ¡°You were gibbering this and that about the emperor, so I¡¯d thought you were one of those lunatics. You don¡¯t seem like one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. We¡¯re faithful towards the emperor. But we feel the current empire is not what the emperor had envisioned. Rather, it feels like a group opposing his will.¡± ¡°So¡­¡­ still a group of lunatics but with a noble purpose?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind what you think of us.¡± Anya stretched out her hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you also discontent with the current empire? If so, could you please tell me how to operate this Golem. Do you need Grunvalde¡¯s power to do so? For a while now, it seemed you had control of it.¡± ¡°Easy. I ¡®just¡¯ did it.¡± ¡°Child, please.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t ¡®just¡¯ do it, then give up.¡± Anya bit her lips. He could see that her eyes were in conflict but luckily for her, she didn¡¯t do anything foolish. ¡°Can¡¯t help it then. There¡¯ll be another chance one day. We¡¯ll never stop trying¡­¡­ So then, what are you going to do with the Golem? Take it around with you? It¡¯s going to attract many eyes.¡± ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Anya picked up her dropped weapon and restrapped it on her waist. ¡°Alright. But I can¡¯t be but curious about your next destination. From Tantil¡¯s colosseum to the Gray tower¡­..what¡¯s next? Rambell¡¯s underground labyrinth? Manannan mac-lir¡¯s Sanctum? The emperor¡¯s throne?¡± Anya didn¡¯t realise she had unintentionally spat out the correct destination. Juan simply smiled back, making sure not to react to any places she named. ¡°If you want to continue on this journey, you will find it difficult with just luck and skill. When it¡¯s time, we¡¯ll meet again.¡± Anya disappeared into the Gray tower¡¯s shadow. Juan felt Anya¡¯s presence quickly fading away. Soon he found himself alone with just the Golem. He slowly patted it. Did he really stay around here to listen to her and ¡®that¡¯ story? No. Juan stuck around to say goodbye to his friend that he¡¯d met in a long time. Soon, the Gray tower would disappear. And this meant Golem¡¯s work was done. It had nothing to guard anymore. But more than that, once Juan retrieved the grey cloak, the Golem lost the ability to operate on its own. Anya was right in saying he shouldn¡¯t bring it on his journey. It attracted too many eyes but more than that he lacked sufficient mana to utilise the grey cloak¡¯s power and operate the Golem at the same time. Juan approached the Golem¡¯s head where the blue rune was located. He patted the area with care. ¡°Job well done.¡± Juan pulled it closer to him and whispered. He stabbed his dagger into the blue rune then pulled it out. The Golem shuttered then like a candle fading, slowly sat down. Simultaneously, the uneven Gray tower started to finally collapse. With a roaring sound, dust of stones spanned out and rushed towards him. Looking at the fallen ruin, Juan uttered a whisper as he tightly grasped the rune. ¡°Farewell. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± Juan walked in the opposite direction, leaving behind the ruins of Gray tower. But then he suddenly realised inside the nearby forest, instead of beasts and monsters, there were people. Before he¡¯d even figured out who their identities were, all of a sudden, his body felt heavy. Juan stuttered and lost his balance. Everything turned red before his eyes. Surprised at the sudden development, Juan tried to stand. However, it felt like a thousand blocks of steel were weighing him down. Some peculiar energy was jolting around in his body. It was Taltere¡¯s blood. Juan suspected if Taltere¡¯s ego had awoken, but quickly denied such thoughts. Wherever he looked, he couldn¡¯t feel Taltere¡¯s consciousness. As one drop of Taltere¡¯s blood was consumed unwillingly, mana inside him jerked. Subsequently, another drop of blood was consumed. ¡°Keu-uk!¡± It was Taltere¡¯s blood. There was a lot of power behind it. Juan was using his entire strength trying to subdue the uncontrollable mana brewing inside him. He felt like his whole body was boiling. Juan fell to the ground. Then, he heard someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Wow, I thought this would¡¯ve been enough to instantly subjugate you. I applaud your mental fortitude.¡± Juan weakly brought up his head and looked up. A man he¡¯d hadn¡¯t never seen before. And Sina Solbein of the Blue rose order. CH 27 Chapter 27 Pursuit (1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Needing to assess his current predicament, Juan gathered up all of his strength. He didn¡¯t feel any strange energy emanating from Sina and the blue rose knights. However, it was different for the man in front of him. To be more exact, Juan felt a familiar scent from the glass box that the man held in his hands. Juan realised something inside this glass box had taken control of his body. ¡°Keu-uk!¡± The mana inside him showed no sign of calming down. Juan tried suppressing his mana from consuming anymore of Taltere¡¯s blood. Whatever weapon the enemy possessed, it was able to control Taltere¡¯s mana. He knew this as his own mana inside him was calm. ¡°Looks quite painful. Know this. The only thing waiting for anyone who doesn¡¯t obey authority is pain.¡± With a distorted face the man smiled. Juan could do nothing but listen to the man¡¯s taunting words. Unable to see more of this, Sina stepped forwards. ¡°Thats enough Kato nim. Your assignment is to help me capture Juan, not anything else.¡± ¡°Capture? Ah, yes. I did all the capturing, while your group of knights were practically useless.¡± Kato sneered at Sina. Sina wanted to argue that he only captured Juan by using the emperor¡¯s power. But thought twice after remembering he was an inquisitor, someone that even ranked higher than a paladin. Juan continued to struggle, trying to force his body to stand. ¡°It looks like we can¡¯t afford to be careless with him.¡± Kato smiled foully, and lifted the glass box higher. Something from inside the glass shined even brighter and suppressed Juan¡¯s body. Juan finally recognised the glass box. ¡®The sheath of Taltere¡¯s sacrificial dagger.¡¯ At the time when Juan killed Taltere, he wasn¡¯t able to find the sacrificial dagger. The dagger was a good medium that could lead to Taltere¡¯s revival, so Juan had put a spell on the sheath as a countermeasure. If Taltere revived, the sheath could be used to suppress Taltere¡¯s power. Juan had never imagined his own measure would be used against him like this. Juan felt as if his body was rupturing into pieces. The uncontrollable mana inside his body had nowhere to go. Here and there, Juan¡¯s skin was splitting apart as beads of bloods started to form. Juan glared at Kato with bloodshot eyes. Seeing his eyes, Kato flinched and stepped back. As if he¡¯d finally decided it had to be done, Kato grabbed his dagger on his waist. As he advanced towards Juan, Sina quickly grabbed him. At Kato barking orders, the knights nervously crept forwards. But once they saw Juan back off, they found courage to begin their attacks. Juan dodged and stayed on the defensive. A few of the strikes from the knights nearly missed which boosted their conscience making them become more aggressive. Sina felt something was wrong. Juan was an opponent that usually went for the kill right away, or disengaged to look for an immediate counter. Stubbornly holding out defensively wasn¡¯t like him at all. Her nervousness won her over. She grabbed her sword and stood up, ready to jump into the battle. But she instantly fell back down finding no strength left in her legs. Ausrey quickly supported her. ¡°Sina nim, you don¡¯t need to participate. It looks like the knights will take care of this one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Fog.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sina looked at the thin layer of fog slowly covering her hand and mumbled. She recalled the strange story about the Gray tower. That the tower interior was not filled with stone walls but with fog. Upon approaching, Sina found it strange she wasn¡¯t able to see the Gray tower anywhere. Something clicked in her head. ¡°Protect inquisitor Kato!¡± The knights had a perplexed look at the sudden cry of order from Sina. Juan grinned. He flapped his Grey cloak and all the fog that was drifting close to the ground ascended. ¡°What¡­.What is this?!¡± The knights all backed off in panic. While the fog wasn¡¯t dense, it was enough to deter vision. Amongst the panic, Juan used ¡®blink¡¯ to swiftly move through. After slithering past everyone like a snake, Juan flew straight towards Kato. Kato simply looked on as Juan dagger became bigger and bigger. Like an arrow, Juan¡¯s dagger was headed straight for Kato¡¯s forehead. Kwa-Jjjiick! The attack was blocked with a heavy thud. Juan¡¯s expression scrunched. Ausrey had just gotten in between to protect Kato with his shield. Juan pulled and swung his dagger again but rather than breaking, the shield outer layer peeled off revealing a crest. A white crow with red eyes. ¡°Paladin¡­..A shield from the White crow order?¡± One of the Blue rose knights murmured in disbelief. Juan found a gap where the shield wasn¡¯t covering to attack once more. However, an eerie energy was covering Kato and Ausrey. Frustrated, Juan used blink once more to get out of the encirclement. Luckily for him, as quite a bit of Taltere¡¯s mana had been consumed, he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing his mind. Especially, when he¡¯d struck Ausrey¡¯s shield, his breathing got easier as some strength left him. It seemed that magic had been put on Ausrey¡¯s shield to allow incompatible energy absorption. ¡®I felt my mana.¡¯ Juan felt the shield that Ausrey was holding onto was blessed with the emperor¡¯s grace¡¯. ¡°What are you doing! He¡¯s getting away! Kill him now!¡± Kato screamed out an order. The knights unconfidently made incremental steps to surround Juan once more. Juan gave up on killing Kato for now. So he had no reason to stick around any further. ¡°Nice toy you had there. Kiddo.¡± Juan spoke at Kato. The surrounding Blue rose knights faces had a confused expression that said, you¡¯re the only kid here. Juan ignored their questionable facial expressions, turned his body around and fled. A few Blue rose knights tried to stop him but in a flash Juan used ¡®blink¡¯ and disappeared into the fog. [1] kyung ¨C another Korean term used after someone¡¯s name. (Kinda hard to explain but its associated with ¡®honor¡¯) CH 28 Chapter 28 Pursuit(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Did we get him?¡± Ausrey shaked his head at Sina¡¯s question. Sina bit her lip. It had been two days since Juan had got away. They¡¯d passed the forest near the Gray tower and were fast approaching the Laus Mountains that split the empire¡¯s southern region from the central province. As they marched forwards, an odd fog followed them clouding their vision, so they had no choice but to send out search parties. And of course, this reduced the amount of progress they were making. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to stop the search due to the thick fog. A few knights have been assaulted inside the fog. There¡¯s been no casualties but even commander Hasell has doubts on whether we should continue¡­¡­ Do you think he¡¯s able to control the fog?¡± As Sina looked out her tent at the thick fog, frustration boiled inside her. She was afraid Juan was waiting somewhere inside the thick fog that looked as if murky clouds had descended upon the land. Even with a child¡¯s body, Juan was difficult enough. Who knows what could happen if they were ambushed inside the fog. ¡°For certain, this fog is not natural. I keep thinking back to the story that the Gray tower¡¯s interior was basically all fog. I fear this could somehow be linked with the recent collapse of the tower.¡± ¡°Even the Gray tower¡¯s power¡­¡­.Who could he really be? Even the emperor¡¯s relic didn¡¯t affect him.¡± Ausrey bit his lips nervously. Looking on, Sina lamented the fact that she was unable to help in the search. Currently, she was in an emergency tent, getting treated. Although there were no big injuries, her whole body was covered in bruises and she was suffering from nausea. After gazing at Ausrey, Sina spoke. ¡°Although I¡¯m most curious about Juan¡¯s identity, there¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about you too. Since when did you have the White crow¡¯s shield in your possession? I wasn¡¯t aware that you¡¯ve been promoted as Paladin.¡± At those words, Ausrey¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Embarrassingly, Kato nim bestowed it to me. He said, Sina nim will be his sword and I should act as his shield. Of course he reprimanded me, if anyone else but me or a paladin got their hands on it, I would be severely punished. He said bishop Rieto nim had temporarily given permission.¡± Sina had never heard of anyone without a paladin title, given permission to use paladin equipment. Receiving an equipment bestowed with the emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ was of the highest honor, and it wasn¡¯t lightly given to others even if it was for the sake of borrowing. In such cases, paladins would rather be deployed instead. Sina felt tightness in her chest. There were too many exceptions surrounding this incident. A knight was bestowed with paladin equipment and an inquisitor was acting like an assassin. It felt she was in the middle of a giant conspiracy that she could not yet see. ¡°Still, it¡¯s disappointing that you didn¡¯t let me know.¡± ¡°Euk¡­ Kato nim did say it was unlikely I would ever need to use the shield¡­.. And moreso, if this expedition succeeded, he would let Sina nim and I¡­.ah.¡± Ausrey quickly stopped himself. ¡°He¡¯ll let you and me what?¡± ¡°Nothing. Uh¡­. anyways, I don¡¯t think anything is a given seeing as Kato nim is in that state right now. Furthermore, the tracking device broke as well.¡± Sina was suspicious of Ausrey in how he suddenly changed the topic. But there were bigger and more important matters. Sina heaved a sigh. ¡°If this fog isn¡¯t natural, tracking will virtually be impossible. Maybe the search will be called off soon. I can¡¯t think of any other ways to catch him¡­.. I just hope Kato sees logic and doesn¡¯t turn even more insane. If he knows what¡¯s good for him, he would stop here.¡± ¡°Just now, he was grinding his teeth inside the tent, so¡­I think that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°Exactly. And if we continue on, there¡¯ll be another big problem to consider as well.¡± ¡°Another problem?¡± Sina squinted her eyebrows as if she didn¡¯t want to even speak of this problem. ¡°Just a bit further and its Raven[1] territory.¡± Sina knew by looking at Ausrey¡¯s face, he hadn¡¯t fully understood what this meant. Realising again how outer districts didn¡¯t care to learn about history, she sighed as she began to explain. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of Lars Raude?¡± ¡°Yes. One of the six apostate¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There were six who instigated the emperor¡¯s assasination. And one of them was his youngest adopted, Lars Raude. Lars¡¯s Hugin knights had set out from the south to attack the capital during the assasination but failed. They were stopped at the Laus mountains, on the borders of southern and central provinces. The one who stopped their march was none other than Capital¡¯s knight order led by General Vares Valte.¡± ¡°Ah, yes I¡¯ve heard of this. In order to stop them, they raised the mountain range, making it more steep and difficult to cross.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s wildly exaggerated but yes they did achieve in stopping them. And with that, the six apostates became isolated, and eventually finished. However, unlike the others, the Hugin knights didn¡¯t disband but decided to hide somewhere in Laus mountain range. Waiting for the chance when the empire is at their weakest to strike again. If it¡¯s them, they wouldn¡¯t ignore someone like Juan.¡± ¡°Huh, if that¡¯s the case then¡­..¡± As Ausrey tried asking a question, a soldier entered the tent. It looked like it was raining outside as the soldier appeared to be drenched. ¡°Sina nim, inquisitor is asking for your presence.¡± ***** ¡°Are you crazy!?¡± Rain was pouring down noisily. Through the downpour the blue rose knights were moving around getting ready to leave. For all the noise created outside, it didn¡¯t reach Sina¡¯s ears. Kwoong Kwoong, she could only hear her own thundering heartbeat. ¡°As I¡¯ve just said, Sina kyung.¡± Strapped completely in bandages, Kato¡¯s appearance looked bizarre. Even though his bandages had been regularly replaced, blood was still flowing out and puss was oozing. As if the explosion had also hurt his throat, his voice sounded strained and creepy. ¡°Our goal is to catch and kill the apostate, as soon as possible!¡± ¡°We¡¯re already armed and ready to go, so I guess I won¡¯t oppose you any further, but shouldn¡¯t we just continue to send search parties!¡± ¡°How?¡± Sina was speechless at Kato¡¯s reply. The holy relic used to track Juan had already been destroyed. A thick fog blinded the Blue rose knights and pouring rain made it more difficult to track Juan¡¯s whereabouts. It had made it practically impossible for heavy armoured knights to search. ¡°Maybe, distribute Wanted notices to surrounding areas and call for a special force to help track him down.¡± ¡°And the likelihood of this succeeding?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just behave and carry out my orders.¡± Sina bit her lip. After glaring at Kato for a while, Sina punched the table in front of her, breaking it. ¡°But to set an entire village on fire!¡± An unwavering Kato calmly glared at Sina. ¡°The principal in dealing with an apostate is through purification.¡± ¡°An outdated principal from several decades ago! The last time it was used was near Tantil before I was even born! Even if you are an inquisitor, won¡¯t using purification which is normally only used to catch traitors associated with the emperor¡¯s assasination incident, have implications down the line?¡± ¡°In the western region, it¡¯s a viable strategy that¡¯s still being used.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the west¡­.!¡± Dumfounded, Sina didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t want my home region to become the same as the western district. That place is practically hell for anyone living there. I¡¯m not questioning the General Dismas¡¯s faith, all I¡¯m saying is, we shouldn¡¯t be following his methods. I¡¯m sure the other knights will tell you the same thing.¡± ¡°My thoughts are the exact same, Kato nim.¡± Rolling up the canvas, a person entered the tent. It was the commander of Blue rose knights, Hasell. Hasell had stepped back, assigning this mission to Sina, so it was surprising to see him giving his input. While Kato¡¯s face was wrapped in bandage, one could feel his expression distort. Bandages around his wrinkles were suddenly soaked in blood. ¡°Your reasoning being?¡± ¡°Simply of the fact whether it¡¯s possible or impossible. If we burn down each and every village we find, it¡¯s going to delay the search. I can get behind the fact that the inquisitor¡¯s method will be more thorough, but if the bastard didn¡¯t hide and chose to run instead, then we¡¯d be delayed so much that tracking him down might be not feasible.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll mobilize another knight order to help.¡± ¡°Do what you need to do. But I don¡¯t know if there is any other order that¡¯s willing to come far deep into the forest to do what you¡¯re asking for. It should be mentioned that I have no knights to send as messengers for you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just saying that because you¡¯re afraid of Ravens?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be lying if i said I¡¯m not afraid of them. However, I would like to say, there¡¯s not a single knight in my order that would run away if we had to fight them. Kato nim, please reconsider your plan. We can all die by fighting the ravens thus losing track of the child, or let the capital know of the situation and ask for reinforcements.¡± As if he¡¯d said all he needed to say, Hasell made his leave.¡± Sina was surprised at seeing Hasell take her side, and acknowledged everything he said was correct. Kato of course had a distorted expression on his face in silence. With Hasell¡¯s words, it became clear the Blue rose knights would not assist Kato with his plan. Kato understood he shouldn¡¯t expect anymore help. Well, at least from the Blue rose knights anyways. ***** As a raindrop fell on his forehead, a giant two handed sword was coming down straight on Juan. The speed in which it fell made Juan sleepy as he easily evaded the strike. The knight regathered himself after missing and struck again. While his movements were acceptable, it was too slow with holes. Obviously he was lacking real combat experience. It was clear as day, that he was a countryside knight that had seen too many peaceful days. Another strike, dodged. Next attack would be a stab. Juan kicked his front leg, making him lose his balance. The knight tumbled to his knees. There was no way he would be hit with such sloppy techniques. Juan had thought of several ways to kill the knight but instead of killing him, he avoided the knight¡¯s next strike. ¡®Reminiscent of when I taught my soldiers years ago.¡¯ In the past, humans were no better than bandits. So Juan trained them and established the royal guard. It had taken him a long time to develop them into a formidable force. The Blue rose knights weren¡¯t on exactly bandit level. However, to Juan, he couldn¡¯t feel any difference. How fitting for a knight from an outer district. ¡°You, you bastard! If you¡¯re going to kill me, then do it already!¡± The knight seemed to have lost his spirit to fight but he admirably continued on swinging his sword. Juan obliged his request. As the knight¡¯s sword swung again hopelessly, Juan pulled out his dagger. Taltere¡¯s dagger scraped against the knight¡¯s sword and made a screeching noise. Staring into the knight¡¯s inner vulnerable body, Juan sighed. Instead of stabbing, Juan kicked the knight in the crotch. The knight fell on his knees as he gulped for air. Juan struck him behind his head, making him pass out. ¡®Third one.¡¯ He¡¯d gotten a rough grasp of a knight¡¯s skill level. Using mana for physical enhancement, Juan had invested most of it on agility. Taltere¡¯s dagger was a good enough weapon for now, and any injuries costed him a lot of mana to recover immediately. Furthermore, his body was light, so naturally Juan¡¯s attack formed a hit and retreat pattern. ¡®But even so, these knights are too slow.¡¯ Even during his days as emperor, he¡¯d faced off against humans. And at the time, Juan tried to tolerate most behaviours the opponent threw at him and also tried being friendly as possible even if they were enemies. But not anymore. He didn¡¯t feel any guilt in killing anyone he came across. ¡°But if the skill level is only this¡­..¡± Unlike at the colosseum, he wasn¡¯t angry, nor was it any benefit for him to kill them. He also didn¡¯t really have a need to kill them either. At least if they were skilled and posed some kind of threat, then it would make more sense to kill, but it wasn¡¯t this as well. He felt the level of knights now had regressed compared to the past. ¡®Of course, these guys are only doing what they¡¯ve been conscripted to do.¡¯ Sina Solbein. It was hard to not give any faults. These knights had all moved with Sina¡¯s orders. Since his resurrection, Sina was one of the people that Juan had come to like the most. He did feel a little bad in hurting her comrades. So while it frustrated him to do so, Juan showed mercy towards her knights. The sound of rainfall swept the forest. The rainclouds joined the fog Juan controlled, pouring down torrential rain. ¡®Tracking through this would be difficult.¡¯ Many other knight orders existed and their tracking relic had already been destroyed, so it was only a matter of time before he would give them the slip. As he got up to start moving again, he sensed the presence of knights. ¡®Here to find their comrades huh.¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to assess their skill level anymore. Using the grey fog, Juan slowly faded himself into it. It was practically impossible to find someone standing still inside a stillness fog. Juan waited for quite a while for them to pass, but the knights didn¡¯t move. From beyond the fog, a light smell of blood drifted into his nose. Juan quickly dissolved the fog and moved towards the direction of the presence. There he found a woman with bright red lips and a ponytail. Anya was pulling out a stiletto from the throat of one of the knights. ¡°We meet again so soon. Child.¡± [1] ¨C Referring to a group called Raven. Not a flock of ravens lol. CH 29 Chapter 29 Pursuit(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan inspected the fallen knights. It looked as if they¡¯d been given a painless death. Able to kill armoured knights this quickly, it seems he had underestimated Anya¡¯s skill. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s the clothes she¡¯s got on.¡¯ Unlike before, Anya was wearing a comfortable looking black leather suit. Juan could feel a small dose of mana from there. ¡°The fog suddenly thickened so I was wondering what was going on. Here¡¯s some present for you. Do you like it, dear?¡± ¡°Why is this the only way you give out presents?¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t seem like the type to like sweets.¡± Juan didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I was watching what you were doing before. You¡¯re letting them live instead of killing them. They¡¯re all the empire¡¯s dogs. You don¡¯t need to keep them alive. I swear the murderous aura from you before wasn¡¯t a lie¡­.Why? Did you suddenly feel pity for them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, if you don¡¯t want to answer dear. I actually find your silent, withdrawn attitude charming anyways. But I never thought of you to show pity to others. So, I was a little curious what the reason could be, that¡¯s all. You¡­.¡± Anya paused and smiled wide as if she was asking ¡®are you curious¡¯. ¡°What.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still too many things about the empire that you don¡¯t know.¡± Juan found the remark amusing, considering he was someone that had governed the empire in the past. However, he felt her words were true to a certain extent. As time went on, Juan felt there were too many things about the current empire that he didn¡¯t know. Including the knowledge that he once ignored. ¡°It¡¯s hard to hate what you don¡¯t know. That is why dear is becoming weak.¡± For more, Anya asked from behind his back. Her complexion pale, she was coughing as if she was close to death. The wet clothes on her made her already petit figure look even more small. ¡®Not really. This was common back in the day.¡± In the past, gods adjourned meetings and made species extinct or gave birth to new ones. Gods were violent and spontaneous. The strong didn¡¯t need to fear or respect the weak. It was natural that they were simple minded. Once upon a time, the Honsluin tribe existed. Out of all the species they were the strongest and ruled the empire having it split into three kingdoms. But one day, they went up against the gods and in a week, their species were exterminated. The only one who survived was Vares Valte, who later became Juan¡¯s comrade. Those who lived through those times, had to experience some of the most grotesque incidents. Compared to then, Juan felt this was mild. ¡°It sounds like you also have come from a heartless place. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised¡­ There would be purification incidents everywhere outside the border I imagine?¡± ¡°Purification?¡± Anya lifted her finger and pointed to the village well. Her broken finger was tied onto a splint. ¡°If there¡¯s anyone in suspicion or have committed or involved themselves with heresy, the whole village is interrogated. I don¡¯t know what you call it outside the border, call it looting if you want. Or the nobility¡¯s pocket money gathering game, instinctual action, stress relief. I heard the west has got it the worst but time to time, you see this in other regions as well. And this is only done to the poor populace to make sure it doesn¡¯t become a problem.¡± ¡°They killed them just to hide traces of their looting?¡± Juan observed the evidence around the village. If what Anya said was correct, a whole village was butchered for looting and boredom reasons. Physical body to equipment, it was said the emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ touched upon every bit of a paladin. Even his voice boomed with authority and power that made people cower. This paladin was head of the White crow holy knights, assembled specifically to track down Lars Raude, one of the six apostates. They were famous for being one of the most strict and persistent holy knight orders. Any wrong behaviours or replies, it was common to see heads mashed until it was below their shoulders. ¡°Nothing in this village either.¡± The paladin stated while he looked down at an elderly corpse who was the last one interrogated. While all the soldiers thought they had dealt with purification missions before, only now they were realising they had never experienced a ¡®proper¡¯ one. The paladin first blockaded all exits, then started with the weak and the young, interrogating by breaking their fingers and gouging their eyes. So extreme there were a few soldiers that declined to participate in the interrogation. They soon found themselves at the bottom of a well, dead. ¡°These are folks that opted to leave the emperor¡¯s protection. There is no need for sympathy.¡± The soldiers went silent. ¡°Inquisitor Kato¡¯s orders are still in effect. Lets move to the next village.¡± CH 30 Chapter 30 Paladin(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°God damn it. Can it piss down any harder.¡± A man that looked like a merchant, entered an inn carrying a bundle on his back. Water was dropping everywhere from his wet clothes. The inn owner chuckled and took his bundle with an air of familiarity. The unspacious inn was already full of people drying their clothes. The rain had drenched everyone. ¡°It¡¯s not even the rainfall season, why is it pouring down so much.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Something happened in the south.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes to an extent, but rather because it¡¯s a heavy sin to fight a Paladin. If you damage a Paladin¡¯s equipment, a bounty is issued for your head. And Paladins, desperate to not be defeated, they¡¯d rather die than have their equipment be taken. And in the instance they die, other Paladins will look to revenge them. So it¡¯s almost always a good idea to avoid any fights, if you can.¡± So basically, they were a thorn to fight and even if you¡¯d kill them, bigger problems will follow. ¡°But aren¡¯t you already fighting against the empire..¡± ¡°Even my master told me not to clash against them if possible. Any confrontation could spiral beyond control. We¡¯re already facing problems related to them as of right now.¡± Master huh. This got Juan interested. He implicitly agreed on Anya accompanying him. He felt she wouldn¡¯t hold him back at least. In many ways, Anya was a little strange and empty, but she did listen and understand his words well. This made him curious to who her ¡®master¡¯ was. ¡°What kind of person is your master?¡± ¡°My master? Hmm¡­. doesn¡¯t really speak about himself¡­..he served the emperor a long time ago. He¡¯d served him until he turned into his current state, a corpse.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about things that happened that long ago¡­.. Can¡¯t even begin to imagine that only about a century ago, it was the age where gods roamed these grounds and holy spirits and creatures were tangled in war. I still can¡¯t believe it. But my master is someone that was alive at the time and saw the emperor. Oh and although he sounds old, his face looks quite young.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡­ Did he mention specifically in what way he served the emperor?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t reveal that sorry. Even if it¡¯s you dear.¡± Anya winked at Juan as she spoke. ¡°Although if you decide to join us, I¡¯m happy to tell you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re too carefree.¡± Juan clicked his tongue. ¡°You said your master served the emperor, yet why are you going against the empire?¡± ¡°This empire is not the emperor¡¯s empire. It is Vares Valte¡¯s empire. You could argue maybe, the church¡¯s. With your hair colour, wouldn¡¯t dear have experienced all the rotten things about this empire? I¡¯m certain that¡¯s not what the emperor envisioned.¡± For more, Telgram was best suited to fight large armies, while Sutra was more appropriate for duels. Because there was no one powerful like in the past, Juan felt Telgram was more than enough. ¡®I¡¯ll need to find out what item it is.¡¯ Juan decided to dig deeper into Anya¡¯s organisation later on. Then the door suddenly opened. Another person drenched in rain walked in while mumbling some discontent. The people inside the inn smiled bitterly and greeted the newcomer. Juan eyebrows twitched. He could smell blood. The innkeeper put on a smile as he took the man¡¯s overcoat but then froze upon looking into his face. ¡°Uh, what? You see a ghost or something?¡± ¡°Uh, uuh, uuuhh. Fu, Fuck.¡± The man wobbled for a few steps then toppled onto the floor. The atmosphere inside the room darkened. Everyone inside the hall was a merchant, so in good faith they all crowded around to help the fallen merchant. They took off his drenched clothes and wrapped him in a fresh towel before placing him beside the fire. And after being fed some hot wine that the Innkeeper brought out, the man started to slowly come around. ¡°What happened. Are you in trouble? Did you encounter a creature or something? I don¡¯t see any injuries on you though.¡± ¡°Wish it was that simple¡­.¡± The man was shaking in fear. ¡°Then did you meet a monster or what? Where¡¯s your party?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alone. It wasn¡¯t a monster¡­..I met a Paladin.¡± The hall erupted at the man¡¯s words. The innkeeper expression hardened. ¡°Paladin? Was it a White crow flag? If it was, you know they patrol these areas quite often. Although i agree, it would be creepy meeting them in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°It¡­ they weren¡¯t patrolling. There¡¯s a small village that I frequently visit, and there they¡­.¡± The tension inside the room tightened. The man hadn¡¯t finished his sentence yet, everyone knew what had happened. They¡¯d heard of the church¡¯s act from time to time, but only a few got to see the scene of the crime with their own eyes. ¡°If they were heretics, cleaning them out is the right thing to do! Our Paladin knights are working hard even through this horrible weather! Those low lifes are all defectors! Defectors, I say!¡± One of the merchants cleared his throat then started loudly speaking to himself. But he soon shut his mouth after receiving several glares from those around him. Nobody reprimanded him. Everyone knew why he was saying those things. Juan stood up. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finally here.¡± ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we leave? Now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Juan grabbed Taltere¡¯s blade on his waist. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Paladin knight equipment is the best of the best?.¡± ***** Paladin Arwen had followed the merchant and was now fast approaching a village. Having seen purification being done, the merchant turned pale and ran off. The fact he sighted wasn¡¯t an issue but it became one when he¡¯d run away. There was no reason for an exemplary citizen of the empire to run after seeing a Paladin. An interrogation was needed. ¡°You lot wait here.¡± Arwen stood his soldiers just outside the village. The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief at those words as they were on edge, wondering if they had to slaughter an entire village again. ¡°Is that really fine? Shouldn¡¯t we conduct a search operation?¡± The captain spoke up but deep down he didn¡¯t really mean it. The other soldiers gave him a look that said, ¡®why did you bring it up¡¯, but luckily for them Arwen shook his head. ¡°This is an exemplary village. They pay their taxes diligently and often perform prayer meetings for the emperor. Taking a large armed force into the village, I¡¯m concerned it would cause unnecessary harm.¡± The captain didn¡¯t know what to say after hearing Arwen¡¯s caring attitude. It was hard to see that this was the same person that was using a hammer to crush people in the past village. The captain just nodded without a word. Arwen walked into the village through the torrential rain. He was the youngest from one of the capital¡¯s noble households. Having aspirations for power and needing to have some ties with the central church, his father made his youngest who was most promising into a Paladin. While the cost was high, for anyone who learned swordsmanship and lived in the empire, becoming a Paladin was the ultimate goal. Arwen happily accepted the opportunity. However, the happiness didn¡¯t last long. A Paladin life was dull and boring. He didn¡¯t find opportunities to use his ¡®graced¡¯ equipment. So naturally, he found himself interested in the field of heresy interrogation. Folk beliefs and ornaments could be argued as a mark of heresy. He always found one or two bits of this when he pillaged a village. Having been gifted the emperor¡¯s grace, everyone trembled to their knees in front of him. Arwen punished apostates accordingly. Following each pillage, Arwen would always dream of himself becoming an emperor during the night. A pleasant dream where the whole world surrendered to his power and will. The soldiers that were guarding the village entrance, hurriedly opened the gates after seeing Arwen approach. There was no one that didn¡¯t recognise the White crow symbol in these lands. Arwen spoke to the guards. ¡°Did a merchant enter this village just now?¡± ¡°Ah. Ye¡­.Yes. This village only has a single inn. He likely headed there.¡± Arwen nodded and went on his way. His steps echoed heavy thuds throughout the village. The villagers quickly closed their doors and windows and with fearful eyes peeked at the Paladin with the White crow symbol. Arwen¡¯s who was heading towards the inn came to a stop. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.And here I thought it was an exemplary village.¡± Arwen muttered to himself. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that I would find you here.¡± ¡°Seeing your armor, it seems like you¡¯re the person I¡¯m looking for.¡± In the pouring rain, a single boy stood in the middle of the town square. A boy with black hair, just as Kato said. CH 31 Chapter 31 Paladin(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Arwen lifted his shield. He wasn¡¯t going to let his guard down just because he was facing a child. Inside the body of a small child, on the tongue of a slender woman, a devil could be lurking. This meticulous way of thinking was the ironclad principle behind White crow knights. Arwen felt an arrogant vibe from the way the boy was standing relaxingly in front of him. An extraterrestrial feeling was emanating as if he really didn¡¯t belong in this world. ¡°A devil¡¯s child for sure.¡± At Arwen¡¯s confident tone, Juan bursted laughing. ¡°When I heard that you Paladins are swords that guard the emperor, I had high expectations but it looks like you guys are no different¡­.. It¡¯s an important role, so you would think they¡¯d have looked for smarter people than..¡­..you. Man what are they doing. Hey you. I¡¯ll give you a special name, How about, ¡®Crabshell¡¯[1].¡± Arwen face twitched at Juan¡¯s ridicule. When he was wearing his Paladin armor, except for his holy knight order, no one had the audacity to behave like that in front of him. Even the countryside nobles chose their words carefully around him. From the conversation just passed, it didn¡¯t look as if he didn¡¯t know what his armor signified. ¡°¡­..Either your eyes are blind or you¡¯ve gone mad .¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a guess and pick one, Crabshell.¡± Instead of replying, Arwen started to walk towards Juan. Each step thudded heavily as if it would get stuck in mud, but surprisingly his steps seemed light and agile. Carrying a thick heavy shield, he looked like a moving tower, like a Golem. In a straight confrontation he couldn¡¯t think of a way to defeat Arwen in his current state. Juan thought Paladins being big and heavy would be dimwitted, but this wasn¡¯t to be. If he¡¯d kept dodging, Juan thought he might tire first but the Paladin didn¡¯t show any signs of tiring. Attack, defence, stamina. Everything was first rate. His skills were lacking but it didn¡¯t matter. Juan came to realize why the church favoured faithfulness and loyalty above being talented. ¡°However, you still disappoint me.¡± For efficiency¡¯s sake, he was better off using the Golems instead. The Golems he designed up in the far north during the war were much more powerful and capable. He didn¡¯t see the need to enhance and strengthen humans like this. ¡°How dare you!¡± During Juan¡¯s muttering, Arwen bellowed. He had felt Juan was looking down at him. In truth, Juan had depleted his energy so he was recouping his strength, but Arwen hadn¡¯t noticed. Arwen was feeling a sense of doubt. ¡®He was using Valte swordsmanship.¡¯ Every knight in the empire learnt Valte swordsmanship, but the way it was applied in battle differently by everyone. He could tell, Juan had mastered the swordsmanship to a level close to royal guards. This was simply just not possible. A boy from beyond the border knowing Valte swordsmanship to a extremely high level. He could already imagine a scene where his peers are laughing at him. Hadn¡¯t earnt but instead forcefully placed as a paladin into the holy knight order. And defeated by a little child. Arwen¡¯s White crow order was one of the weaker skilled knight orders in the empire. A position of a Paladin and emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ couldn¡¯t be attained with just hard work and talent, it was a realm only the top geniuses could reach. For a long time now, the large gap between him and his fellow Paladins had made Arwen feel a sense of inferiority. In truth, his decision to work in the area of heretical interrogation was entirely down to his feeling of inferiority compared to other Paladins. He wanted to escape these thoughts. And to instead feel happiness in killing the weak and feel justified for doing under the emperor¡¯s name. The everso arrogant Paladin Arwen felt Juan had scratched his ego. Unable to control anymore, the deep inner feeling of his inferiority overflowed. It felt as if he could hear his colleagues laughing at him. ¡°I AM! I¡¯m the emperor¡¯s fist!¡± Arwen roared deeply. Juan suddenly felt uneasiness with Arwen¡¯s spirit. The lights surrounding his body turned red. Then, the light burned upwards in flames. ¡°Feel the emperor¡¯s innocent anger, the spear of wrath!¡± At Arwen¡¯s roar, the lights on his armor converged onto his mallet. Light condensation. It was similar to what Sina had shown him. Juan sensed danger. He used blink to quickly pull back, but the light from Arwen¡¯s mallet was quicker. Everything lit up before his eyes. A lighting spear from Arwen¡¯s mallet sped across and penetrated Juan¡¯s body. There was nothing Juan could do. Like lighting, the Spear of wrath continued to pass through anything and finally struck the outer walls of the village. The wall made of rocks crumbled. A giant gaping hole was there for all to see. From everywhere, screams began to sound. Everywhere the lighting strike had passed through lit up in flames. Arwen made a murderous grin and approached Juan. ¡°Foolish bastard. Did you really think your pathetic tricks could defeat me, a Paladin serving the great emperor?¡± Juan¡¯s body didn¡¯t even twitch. It looked certain that he had met his end. No blood could be seen on him but Arwen didn¡¯t think too much of this. Spear of wrath burned and almost disintegrated everything in its path. Injuries would be smoldened, so Arwen thought it was natural to not see any blood. ¡°With ¡®grace¡¯ I¡¯m protected, with ¡®grace¡¯ I move freely. I am the emperor¡¯s sword itself!¡± For Arwen it had been discomforting seeing a boy use ¡®grace¡¯ but as he¡¯d given him the ultimate punishment, he didn¡¯t ponder on this topic. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to finely grind then burn your corpse. And feed the remains to the pigs.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.you.¡± Hearing Juan¡¯s voice, Arwen had a look of disbelief. There was not a single person that survived his strike when he¡¯d used ¡®grace¡¯. This ¡®grace¡¯ was powerful enough to tore apart walls of a castle. Even other Paladins would be dead if they met the strike head on. Only with a more powerful defensive ¡®graced¡¯ item, it could be matched. ¡°¡­¡­..You¡¯re way of speaking makes me want to puke.¡± Juan slowly got up. With wide goggling eyes, Arwen stared not knowing what to say. Just like when they first met at the plaza, Juan was standing smuggly while he looked at Arwen. His clothes were burnt in a circular shape but no injuries were found on his body. ¡°So that¡¯s what the church teaches you instead of training? How to speak like that? Sina spoke somewhat similarly as well.¡± ¡°You, you heretic! I don¡¯t know what you did but you dare stop the emperor¡¯s miracle?¡± ¡°This emperor of yours if a little lackluster¡­.. no?¡± Juan chuckled as he walked towards Arwen. Without realising Arwen had instinctively backed off. He couldn¡¯t believe what his body had instinctively done. I retreated in the face of an enemy? An apostate? Looking on, Juan made a cold expression. ¡°Did you just back away from me?¡± ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± Arwen gathered his ¡®grace¡¯ one more time. The light glowing all over his body converged on the tip of his mallet. A desperate shout bellowed as Arwen made his swing. ¡°Di, die! Heretic bastard!¡± Once more, the spear of wrath swept through Juan¡¯s body. The spear of wrath had destroyed castle walls, penetrated creatures and had made quick work of previous apostates, turning them into ash. And Arwen was certain that his weapon could make Juan into a skewer. Arwen wanted to fully believe this. But no, a small doubt again creeped and blossomed inside his head. Kwang! The spear of wrath passed through Juan and smited the stone wall behind. But Juan was still standing on the same spot, like a ghost. ¡°Again?¡± Upon seeing this sight, Arwen completely lost his fighting spirit. The fact he¡¯d driven Juan back till now was an afterthought. Arwen assumed Juan was dodging in order to taunt and deceive him. An enemy that the emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ has no effect on. Arwen felt the pillars that held up his giant arrogant ego crumble. The emperor is the center of the world and the form of justice. And he was an agent of this emperor. Night after a slaughter, he would dream of becoming one. However, an opponent appeared that even his ¡®grace¡¯ couldn¡¯t conquer. ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± Arwen tossed his mallet and shield, and ran, turning his back on Juan. Juan was waiting in anticipation, looking forward to seeing how Arwen would respond, but was left dumbfounded at what transpired. He wanted to question Anya, ¡®Paladins would die rather than have their equipment stolen?¡¯. But before that, Juan¡¯s head swelled in anger. ¡°You little bitch!¡± [1] ¨C Literally the shell on the back of a crab. CH 32 Chapter 32 Paladin(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan ran at Arwen like an animal. And in that moment, from somewhere a dagger flew at Arwen¡¯s helmet, dealing a heavy blow. The helmet tilted to the side and left Arwen startled. Seeing his chance Juan thrusted his dagger into the nape of his neck. ¡°¡­¡­¡­?!¡± Arwen tried screaming but no sound came out from his mouth. Arwen cupped his neck in astonishment and came to realise what had happened. Endless blood was flowing out and had covered his armor and hand. Arwen toppled to his knees. ¡°You dare turn your back to run when you¡¯ve proclaimed yourself as the emperor¡¯s fist? And you call yourself a knight of the empire!¡± Juan shouted as he kicked the dying Arwen in the chin. His helmet flew off and rolled into the mud. Juan grabbed Arwen¡¯s hair and continuously slammed it on the ground. His nose broke and blood exploded from his nostrils. Puking blood, Arwen was desperately trying to move and get away from Juan. Anger swelled Juan once more and swung his fist. In fear Arwen squirmed away from Juan. Juan only stopped after Anya came and placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s not stab his throat. There¡¯s information we need out of him.¡± After letting out a deep sigh, he glared at Anya as if he was going to stab her. ¡°As I recall you said that Paladins are extremely talented?¡± ¡°There are always exceptions. You¡¯re the same, you don¡¯t seem like the average child from outside the border.¡± ¡°This is the first one I¡¯ve met and if this is their level, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to like them.¡± ¡°There are not many people that like Paladins. Dear is not alone.¡± Arwen let out a coarse moan and while struggling he turned his head to look behind. Anya¡¯s face could be reflected in his pupil. Arwen¡¯s eyes widened and his mouth gaped at seeing her face. Anya gave him a mischievous smile and with her stiletto, cut his eyes. At losing his eyes in a flash, Arwen again coughed out blood and trembled. Seeing Arwen shudder and unable to breath, Juan made a face. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this guy dead yet?¡± ¡°Paladins not only get their equipment ¡®graced¡¯ but their organs as well. Eyes, heart, liver, intestines, brain and even lungs.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..They put too much of their effort into making this trash¡­. significant.¡± During the war with the gods, there were some who thought of innovative ideas to strengthen humans, but he¡¯d never seen nor even thought about this method back then. At this point, it was hard to even call him human. ¡°Then can he still fight back?¡± ¡°Well, if he was a normal Paladin then yes. But it looks like he¡¯s lost all spirit to continue. He didn¡¯t fight back when he was in a better state than this.¡± Juan remembered how Arwen had thrown the spear of wrath. The moment the spear passed his body his mind went blurry, but to his surprise there was no wound mark on his body. After that, Arwen had basically given up. At the time, he thought Juan hadn¡¯t taken any damage because his spear strike was made up of fire, but now¡­.. Juan fumbled around his chest. ¡°You, what did you just use? Was it the emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ or whatever you guys call it?¡± Arwen opened his mouth and mumbled something. His reply was not what Juan had been waiting for. ¡°My identity?¡± Juan snickered as he stooped down. Arwen felt a cold chill up his body. Till now, as a Paladin serving the emperor, he thought of the emperor as the sun and the moon, following his words faithfully. In the moonlight and sunray, he found warmth. However, now that his eyes and voice were taken from him, he could no longer feel anything. It was dark and empty. Every bit of heat was taken and only a void of empty space was left. Even the emperor¡¯s light couldn¡¯t reach the darkness that swept over him. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you.¡± Juan came up to Arwen ear and whispered a word. Arwen¡¯s jaw dropped upon hearing Juan¡¯s reply. Trying to scream which resulted in him puking out more blood, he floundered his limbs in order to try distance himself away from Juan. Juan happily looked on at the scene and laughed heartily. Curious, Anya asked. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Juan remembered his promise to Arwen. That he¡¯d make him blind and go crazy. He felt good about delivering good on his promise. ***** With a loud explosion, the soldiers standing by outside the village saw the outer walls being destroyed and a flame explode. The surrounding area was instantly brightened up. The panicked soldiers realised that Arwen was using his spear of wrath. ¡°Arwen nim!¡± Knowing that the battle had commenced, the soldiers rushed into the village. What they saw inside, was a screaming Arewen with his hands on his face. A dagger was protruding from his neck and it looked like he wouldn¡¯t live much longer. ¡°Tha, what happened¡­?¡± ¡°Captain! It¡¯s uh¡­. it¡¯s the black haired boy that Arwen nim was looking for!¡± The captain only then located the black haired boy. For several days, they had been looking for his description so they immediately recognised him. The entire village guards had him surrounded and yet no one approached him. ¡°Get him!¡± The soldiers closed in around Juan. A woman was standing next to him and his face was hidden deep beneath a hood. While the Captain had him surrounded he didn¡¯t know what to do. Frustration boiled within him seeing Arwen struggle to breath. ¡®Why of all people, an Illde family member!¡¯ Arwen was the youngest from a family that had powerful influence in the capital. If he reported that Arwen died from facing the enemy alone, then he was certain most of the blame would fall on him. Biting his lips, the captain fell into an endless thought of what he needed to do. ¡°Ca, captain. What should we do now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Shit. At the very least we need that bastard head to keep our lives intact.¡± But how were they supposed to overcome an opponent that bested a Paladin? The captain felt the child stare at him. ¡°You there.¡± ¡°Wh, what do you want you heathen!¡± ¡°Why are you¡­..why are you all ahlil[1]?¡± Anya spoke upon seeing the soldiers face in confusion. ¡°Dear, no one uses that term anymore. Even the half breeds themselves are more used to being called demihumans.¡± ¡°Okay. So now they know. I¡¯ll ask again. Aren¡¯t you part of the imperial army? Why are you all ahlil?¡± Like Juan said, every soldier in his surrounding were demihumans. Considering the empire ostracized them, this was an uncommon sight. The reply came not from the soldiers but Anya. ¡°They¡¯re the Laus mountains scout force. Made up of those proficient in mountain climbing. They¡¯re brave and don¡¯t retreat in the face of enemies. Their work mostly involves orders given by the White crow order so they have a tight mouth as well.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Even after having listened to Anya¡¯s explanation, Juan didn¡¯t move. Anya felt a little anxious. Right now, the soldiers were intimidated seeing Arwen defeated, but they were an adept archer force. If they began attacking from long range, it could pose some trouble. ¡°Child, I¡¯ll explain everything later, so for now¡­..¡± ¡°Then were you the lot that looted the village?¡± The soldiers flinced hearing Juan¡¯s question. The captain quickly rebutted an excuse. ¡°What do you mean looting! We simply conducted our orders given by the church to protect Paladin Arwen. A stark doctrine execution!¡± ¡°I only need to hear if you did it or not.¡± Staring quietly at the captain, Juan asked a question. He¡¯d noticed their curved horn, shaggy hair, reverse jointed legs. Their appearance was of a Faun. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing, but looking at you guys I keep remembering someone. He was also proficient at mountain climbing so I had suspected he had a military background. I suppose some of you will have to stay and answer my curiosity.¡± The soldiers didn¡¯t understand Juan¡¯s words. And Juan wasn¡¯t going to give them time to understand. As he rushed forwards, Anya sighed and took a step back. The fight didn¡¯t last long. Although Juan had fought Arwen just before, for some reason he had no shortage in strength. He¡¯d felt this way ever since he was struck by the spear of wrath. Already feeling down from Arwen¡¯s defeat, Juan made quick work of ten or so demihuman soldiers. None had died. Every single one was strewn across the mud. Juan walked up to the captain who unlike his subordinates had many of his bones broken. ¡°St, stop! Why me, why are you doing this to only me¡­.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the boss. I only need to interrogate you.¡± ¡°I uh, I¡¯m the captain of the empire¡¯s scout force! Good luck trying to get information out of me through torture!¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Give me your word that you¡¯ll let me live and I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Juan turned and looked at Anya. She simply shrugged. ¡°Laus mountain scouts consist of over a thousand soldiers. We know this guy is a part of that force. And there are always exceptions. If you believe every propaganda of the empire then that¡¯s foolish.¡± ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be nice since you¡¯re so willingly eager to give us information.¡± ¡°Wh, what do you want to know? Supply route through the Laus? Secret shelters? Assembly location? Just say the word. Laus supply route is an important path that transports the goods produced in the southern region. You could stop 20% of the north¡¯s food supply. Secret shelters are used for spies infiltration plans. If you destroy these, it would limit the radius of operations into the mountains. The assembly lo¡­..¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t need such detailed information about the empire¡¯s operations.¡± Beside him, he saw Anya with a disappointed expression but Juan ignored it. ¡°I knew a Faun Ahlil just like you lot. Do you by any chance know if one of your soldiers became a slave recently? I¡¯m guessing he was part of military descent.¡± The captain¡¯s expression flinched. This person who was willing to even reveal the empire¡¯s core security information was hesitant to answer Juan¡¯s question. His mouth only opened as Juan grabbed his dagger. ¡°I, I¡¯ll speak. Pu, put the knife away.¡± After a deep sigh, the captain started talking. As you know, we¡¯re part of the imperial army. However, we¡¯re not considered as military but more like security guards/scouts. And being security guards, those who act wrongly are promptly dispensed. There was one in our group.¡± ¡°Get on with it. Concise.¡± ¡°¡­¡­While it¡¯s not very often, we do attack villages. Mainly targeting villages with demihumans. Our goal is slave capture. While this order comes from a great noble family at the capital, most of the slaves are taken to the southern province.¡± ¡°Tantil?¡± ¡°Yes Tantil is included. Two month ago, we struck out on a village in the mountains. It was located further deep in the mountain range than usual. However, we were simply following the orders as instructed. Once we arrived, we realised it was a hidden elf village.¡± Juan¡¯s heart was pounding. [1] ¨C Referred in Chapter 3. (What half breeds were called back when Juan was emperor) CH 33 Chapter 33 Falling leaves(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°There were a few among us that are from the Laus scout group, but it was the first time any of us had heard of an elf village there. We only ever saw improvised and shabby elves in the city so it never hit us that they were a beautiful and elegant race. Although it caused unrest among us, we had orders to follow. We uh¡­..like we¡¯ve always done, ambushed them during the night. Those who couldn¡¯t be sold off as slaves were killed and the rest brought home. That was our sponsor¡¯s instructions.¡± Slaughter. Destruction. Fire. ¡°Among us, there was one guy who was a little different. He didn¡¯t belong on a battlefield, but everyone liked him because he was highly skilled. Even during that night, he killed three armed elves by himself. When the battle ended and there were no elves left to fight, he went on his way to loot empty homes. No one said anything because we all knew he was skilled enough to wander alone. However, a scream suddenly sounded from the house he entered.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°When we ran inside, his face was pale white and he¡¯d stabbed a curtain. Behind the curtain was a baby elf that had been stabbed and a female elf. We could guess what had happened, so we pulled the screaming female elf out and left the baby corpse behind. We tried comforting him by explaining that the baby can¡¯t be sold as a slave so would have been killed regardless. We had gone through this many times with him but like before, it didn¡¯t seem to comfort him.¡± The captain fell into silence for a bit before continuing. ¡°And on that fateful night, he helped the elves escape. A considerable amount of elves fled, and while he was fleeing with the female elf, we discovered them due to her screams. In the end, he was sold off as a slave for his sins. After that, we don¡¯t know what happened to him. I would like to know if possible.¡± Juan breathed out deeply. For more, ¡°You guys can all go.¡± Quizzical eyes shot back at Juan. Only the captain had a look that screamed ¡®unfair¡¯. Juan then spoke to all the other scared villagers close by. ¡°Go and spread the word to those who are looking for me.¡± A child completely drenched in rain and blood declared. ¡°The apostate that you are looking for is me.¡± ***** ¡°What were you thinking, Juan!¡± Juan had the empty inn all to himself. There was no one that stayed after hearing Juan¡¯s declaration. Because of this, Juan could dry his clothes in front of the inn¡¯s fireplace comfortably. ¡°I told them to spread the word, I didn¡¯t mention they had to leave. Why did they all leave?¡± ¡°Obviously because if White crow and Blue rose knights come to fight, nothing¡¯s going to remain! Fighting just one Paladin destroyed the outer walls! Why did Juan act so reckless all of a sudden? Our initial plan we discussed was different!¡± If the number of Paladins were low, then get a feel for their strength and fight if victory seems possible. Run if there¡¯s no hope. That was Juan and Anya¡¯s plan. One way or another, the fact they were planning to leave the village was set. It was natural as they were being chased. ¡°It¡¯s still not too late. Juan. There¡¯s not a single soul in the village, no one will know if we slip away now.¡± ¡°Be quiet.¡± Juan spoke while glaring at her. Anya stopped talking. Then after a few moments, Juan was confused at Anya¡¯s action. ¡°What are you doing¡­.¡± Eyes closed, she had lifted her top, revealing her stomach. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hit me?¡± Juan put his hand on his forehead, remembering back when he¡¯d hit Anya in the solar plexus. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hit you. Pull up your top.¡± ¡°But Juan kills someone every time you¡¯re angry.¡± ¡°Not this time. But I might¡­ if you continue this talk.¡± But Anya didn¡¯t stay quiet. She sounded like she was angry, agitated and a little excited. Juan couldn¡¯t understand why she was finding this exciting but he didn¡¯t like it when things got rowdy. ¡°How are you going to face the White crow and the Blue rose knights at the same time? Have you got a plan?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why are you sticking around here? It¡¯s not even deep in the mountain.¡± ¡°If so, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find me. I picked this place so it¡¯s easier for them to find me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juan spoke as he threw a piece of wood into the fire. ¡°I don¡¯t like the fact they¡¯re setting villages on fire just to find me. Plain and simple, I¡¯m telling them to come and find me here. Then, innocent villages won¡¯t go up in flames.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Juan knew it wasn¡¯t only Arwen and the Blue rose knights that were after him. Most likely, White crow knights, Laus mountain scouts and many more would have joined the search. And due to this sheer number, the amount of villages being burned and looted would be even greater. For a while, Juan tried to disregard this, but it got to the point where he couldn¡¯t ignore it any longer. A burned village in ashes was no longer someone else¡¯s matter. It was his. ¡°Anya, from here on out I won¡¯t hide anymore. Those who are looking for me can come freely as they¡¯d like¡­. If possible I was willing to step aside, but if they are so willing to get in my way, I¡¯ll have to split them in half I guess¡­. We all have places we need to go and I can¡¯t be delayed.¡± ¡°But the White crow knights¡­..¡± ¡°Well, more tougher guys will certainly be more troubling.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve understood your intentions. Juan should continue moving to where you need to go. I¡¯ll stay and create a divergence. Isn¡¯t this fine? Juan would be safe and those innocent wouldn¡¯t be harmed as well.¡± Juan looked at Anya with a dumbfounded look. ¡°Maybe¡­.one in a hundred chance that your plan could work¡­. But the more I think about this, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll survive both White crow and Blue rose knights attackd longer than I can. And anyways our appearances are completely different.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut and dye my hair.¡± ¡°Nobody will be fooled. Why don¡¯t you cut your legs while you¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°Those who aren¡¯t deeply informed wouldn¡¯t know. My height, I¡¯m not that tall.¡± Juan completely ignored her. Anya twiddled her fingers before speaking. ¡°If not that, I¡¯ll part with Juan here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong. Me staying with Juan wouldn¡¯t be of any help. I¡¯ll be lucky not to drag you down. However, if I manage to meet my acquaintance in Laus mountains, then I might be able to bring some help.¡± At hearing an acquaintance, Juan tilted his head to the side. He was convinced. It would be good if he could win over someone that he could rely on. Usually, he would decline receiving help from others but now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°Sounds good. You do what you think is right. I¡¯ll think of something for myself.¡± Juan spoke while fiddling around with Arwen¡¯s helmet. ***** ¡°What?¡± Just when the rain started to subside and the fog began to fade, Sina received unexpected news. The news came from a scout from the Laus mountain with a broken shoulder. He gave his third report to Sina, while receiving his treatment. ¡°Located the wanted apostate at village Veras on the footstep of Laus mountains range. Paladin Arwen attempted to eliminate but failed. He was killed in action. We Laus scout forces fought till the end but were injured to the point where continuing the operation was deemed impossible. Therefore, retreated.¡± ¡°What do you mean, wanted apostate! Are you talking about this black haired boy?¡± Sina pulled out the wanted notice that pictured Juan¡¯s description based on her memory. The scout¡¯s eyes filled with fear, just from looking at the notice. ¡°Ye..yes. That¡¯s him. He was a violent one, that one.¡± ¡°You say he won against a Paladin¡­..? How¡­..?¡± The last time they¡¯d met, she surmised that Juan was about on the same level as her. And yet, in a matter of a few weeks, it seemed Juan had grown exponentially. Overcoming a Paladin, she couldn¡¯t even grasp what things he¡¯d experienced since then. ¡°Wait. Why was there a Paladin there in the first place? The closest holy knight division would be the White crow order¡­.and Veras village is situated far away from where Hugin knights are¡­ Furthermore, it was pouring down lately¡­..¡± ¡°Uh¡­.um they were on a classified special operation¡­.¡± ¡°What do you mean classified special operation!¡± The scout tried to refrain from answering but Sina¡¯s relentlessness won out in the end and finally opened his mouth. Hearing his explanation, Sina¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°¡­¡­Cleansing operation? Under direction orders from inquisitor Kato?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How? As I recall, we didn¡¯t send out a messenger?¡± A suspicious Sina continued her questioning but soon her face crumbled. With the emperor¡¯s ¡®grace¡¯ some had the ability to send messages telepathically. Kato never revealed that he had such ability, but if he had this intention from the start, it made sense why he¡¯d kept it a secret. Sina turned her back and sprinted towards where Kato was located. CH 34 ¡°Kato!¡± Sina barged into Kato¡¯s tent. Kato and the knights of the Order of the Blue Rose were packing. They had already been briefed by the scout. Kato had recovered enough to leave his sickbed and move around, but his appearance was still eerie with the blood and puss-soaked bandages covering his body. ¡°What is it, Elite Knight?¡± Kato answered. ¡°Did you actually give orders to conduct a cleansing operation?!¡± Sina screamed right in his face. With his severe injuries remaining untreated and getting exposed to the humid air, Kato¡¯s skin had started rotting. Metal pieces infused with Talter¡¯s mana stuck in his body were disrupting the healing process and only worsening his condition. A sickening smell hit Sina¡¯s nose, but what was more revolting to her than his appearance was his inner state of mind. ¡°Elite Knight, I am the one who holds authority. Your job is to simply carry out my commands. You refused and I was left with no choice but to go with plan B. You should be thankful that you didn¡¯t have to get your hands dirty,¡± Kato growled. ¡°I didn¡¯t refuse, but only suggested a reasonable plan!¡± ¡°And such is the logic of a loser who lost to a heretic.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree that it would be harder to track him once the cleansing operation is conducted? That it would not only take longer to track him but also get unnecessary opposition from the natives?¡± ¡°But we eventually found him, did we not?¡± Kato grinned with his ripped lips. ¡°The rabbit is bound to come out if we set fire here and there; or it might come out to prevent the fire from spreading even further. Whatever his reason is, he appeared in the village on the main road and ordered the villagers to spread the word about his current location. He is waiting for us to come.¡± Sina was left speechless. When considering the result, Kato wasn¡¯t wrong. It was actually an effective method in guerrilla warfare if you were to only consider the result. Kato finished packing up and walked out of his tent, and Sina quickly chased after him. ¡°So what?! Does that justify your action? What about all those people that were slaughtered in Tantil? Committing another slaughter to catch the slaughterer is nonsense,¡± Sina argued. ¡°You are still too young and lack faith. I don¡¯t want to continue arguing about this. Besides, two commanders arguing in front of the knights isn¡¯t setting a good example for them.¡± As Kato said, all the knights around them were looking at them anxiously. Sina was arguing against an Inquisitor¡ªsomeone who had the authority to choose and label anyone a heretic and interrogate them without consequences. There would be no exceptions for Sina either, even if she was an Elite Knight and a Pursuit Unit Captain. Sina realized that she was standing on the edge of a cliff. ¡°Stop being so sentimental, Elite Knight,¡± said Kato as he raised both his hands in front of Sina. ¡°You think I¡¯m being controlled by my emotions, but I am being more rational than ever. I can¡¯t even get any sleep with the pain of my body rotting alive¡ªwounds that bastard gave me continue to remind me,¡± Kato held Sina¡¯s shoulders with his eyes burning with madness, ¡°that it would be the civilians of the entire empire to bear the painful consequences if that bastard isn¡¯t eliminated.¡± ¡®Bullshit!¡¯ Sina felt the urge to spit on his face and insult him, but all she could do was suppress her anger. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Kato let go of Sina¡¯s shoulders and quietly turned his back to her as he noticed her eyes filled with anger. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have a choice. You may return to Tantil if you don¡¯t want to join, and wait for your disposition with your uniforms off. You had value because you were the only one who saw that bastard, but now I have also seen him. We will join the Order of the White Crow to capture the enemy.¡± ¡°...What if,¡± Sina chewed her words at Kato¡¯s back. ¡°What if you fail to capture Juan? What are you going to do if he manages to get away again?¡± Kato remained silent for a while, then answered Sina. ¡°Then I will start an even bigger fire, big enough that he can¡¯t escape.¡± That was the last straw. It didn¡¯t take too long for Sina to pull out her sword and stab Kato in the back. Sina¡¯s sword pierced through Kato¡¯s chest even before he had the chance to look back. ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± Kato¡¯s eyes widened. Sina twisted her sword out of his body and tossed him to the ground. Kato¡¯s blood sprayed over Sina¡¯s body. As a skilled knight, Sina made no mistake in stabbing the most vulnerable area of the body; with his heart pierced through in a single blow, Kato¡¯s body trembled for a bit, but soon stopped moving. Sina looked down at Kato¡¯s body while breathing heavily. It was her first time stabbing someone in the back, especially someone from the Church. Sina slowly lifted her head to look at her surroundings. The knights were in shock. One of them even dropped his luggage on the ground. It was so quiet that even the sound of the luggage hitting the ground echoed loudly. Meanwhile, Sina was wondering if now would be the time that she got arrested to be sent back to Tantil. Just at that moment, Haselle stepped forward in front of the knights. ¡°Inquisitor Kato fought heroically against the heretic, but ended up dying in this remote area due to the deterioration of the wounds,¡± said Haselle with dignity. Haselle didn¡¯t bother looking in Sina¡¯s direction as she was standing in front of him while still holding a sword dripping with Kato¡¯s blood. ¡°His death will forever be remembered by the Church and the Order of the Blue Rose.¡± Everyone remained silent at Haselle¡¯s declaration. ¡°What are you all doing just standing around? Get moving! It¡¯s time to avenge the Inquisitor¡¯s death!¡± Haselle yelled with a distorted expression on his face. The confused knights started to move at Haselle¡¯s word. Sina couldn¡¯t believe her eyes at the sight of the knights rushing¡ªshe had never seen Haselle yell at the knights like this before. A knight walking past Sina bowed and saluted her; no one was paying attention to Kato¡¯s body lying on the ground and being covered with mud. Relieved that everyone tacitly agreed with her decision to kill Kato, Sina¡¯s legs wobbled. Ossrey approached Sina to quickly support her. ¡°...Thanks, Ossrey.¡± ¡°You make us all look like cowards, Sina,¡± Haselle spoke to Sina with a frown. Sina bowed to Haselle and answered, ¡°I owe you a debt, Captain Haselle.¡± ¡°No. Everyone here owes you a debt. It was what all of us wanted to do, but we were too scared to do it. Being a Captain can be hard work.¡± ¡°That was not my intention¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying. I''ll take this incident to my grave, to ensure a safe retirement for myself. I know what you usually think of me, but you should now understand just how hard it is to be honest all the time.¡± Sina¡¯s face got a little red as she felt ashamed. ¡°One thing I¡¯m sure about is that I will be retiring after this mission. In fact, I think the next Captain to lead the Order of the Blue Rose has been decided already.¡± ¡°But captain, I¡¯m not ready to¡­¡± murmured Sina. ¡°I never said it was you. Anyway, I can¡¯t be too sure until this corpse has been taken care of. Let¡¯s clean up this mess before it causes us any problems.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sina and Ossrey tossed Kato¡¯s body down the cliff. Kato¡¯s bandages came off as his body got damaged while rolling down the cliff, but no one would be able to recognize him since his face was already puffed and scarred from the severe injuries. ¡°Well, Pursuit Unit Captain. Complete your mission. You hold the authority to lead us now, given that the Inquisitor is dead,¡± said Haselle. ¡°I¡­,¡± Sina looked toward the north, where the main road crossed the Laus Mountains. ¡°I will go after Juan.¡± Haselle was quite surprised. ¡°I thought you would retreat.¡± ¡°The only goal I have right now is to go after him, and now, I even know where he is. Besides, there will be even more like Kato as I get closer toward the capital. I¡¯m worried about what would happen if Juan encountered them.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead. I hope you made the right judgment. I will request help from the Order of the White Crow since they have already been informed of this mission. That bastard won¡¯t last against the combined forces of both the Orders.¡± Sina nodded. Soon after, the Order of the Blue Rose finished getting ready and took off on their horses. As Sina moved forward through the rain, she thought of Juan. ¡®You didn¡¯t leave the slash-and-burn farmers out to die.¡¯ A young, skinny boy that craved more blood after slaughtering the soldiers in a blink of an eye. ¡®Instead, you revealed yourself and announced your location. Why?¡¯ The boy that ridiculed her in a knight battle with swords against each other. ¡®Should I think you did so to prevent the deaths of innocent people?¡¯ The boy who claimed himself to be ¡®the Emperor¡¯ while standing in the middle of the flame. ¡®Are you calling for me?¡¯ The boy was calling for his enemy. *** Holding his breath, a soldier of the Laus Mountain Scouts was aiming his bow toward the middle of the village square. It was hard to see through the morning fog, but the silhouette of the boy could be spotted clearly. Just at that moment, his fingers inadvertently released the bow string. The arrow flew across the village to pierce through the silhouette and the silhouette slowly toppled to the ground. But even before he could cheer, something cut across his throat. He couldn¡¯t let out a scream and desperately crawled while he heard his comrades scream. ¡®He is going to kill us all. All of us.¡¯ Juan stepped on the soldier trying to crawl away and broke his neck. Then he pulled him by his horn across the village square to toss his body on the floor. The dead bodies littered the whole village square in an organized pattern, and fresh blood oozing out of the bodies colored the square red as if they were dyeing the floor. Juan had learned that every experience would eventually help him in the future, yet this wasn¡¯t an experience he wished to replicate. He concluded that just once was enough for such an experience. Words spread from the escaped villagers and reached the Laus Mountain Scouts, before reaching the Order of the Blue Rose and Order of the White Crow. Part of the Scouts tried to ambush Juan, but failed. As a result, a decent amount of corpses had accumulated in the village square. Juan hoped for more soldiers to come but it didn¡¯t seem so. It seemed like the soldier that he just killed from the Scouts was the last one out of the soldiers that attacked him this time. They were the third group to attack. The Scout¡¯s bow and arrow were of no use in the rain and fog, not to mention the fact that Juan was also skilled at guerilla warfare. ¡®Order of the Blue Rose and White Crow are likely to join.¡¯ Juan figured that they would be satisfied with keeping him surrounded as he made clear he had no intention of leaving the village. Juan sat on the pile of corpses in the middle of the square and enjoyed the feeling of pouring rain soaking his body. It had been a while since Anya left the village. The only people that visited Juan were the travelers who weren¡¯t aware of the current situation, who then turned back in shock, and the soldiers of the Scouts. The sound of rain falling was the only sound heard in the village, but even that had started to slow down after raging as if the sky would collapse. Juan stretched his gray cape out into a faint shape, spreading it across the floor of the village square, and started to re-absorb some of the mana that he had dispersed in the sky through the cape. Although the energy was dark and moist, the gray cape absorbed it like dry cotton. ¡°Come on, now,¡± Juan whispered. He hoped his enemies would arrive soon. He wanted to break this silence and have a battle of ripping flesh and breaking bones, then feel the silence again after finally killing everyone. He wished to let his enemies know how much he loathed them and let them know that he was still thirsty for their blood. Juan was anxiously waiting for his enemies. CH 34.1 Chapter 34 Falling leaves(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Kato!¡± Sina barged into Kato¡¯s tent. Kato, who¡¯d already been briefed by the scout, was busy packing and getting ready to leave. The other Blue rose knights were the same. Kato had recovered enough that he could move around. However his appearance was still eerie from all the puss and blood that soaked the bandage wrapped around him. ¡°What¡¯s going on. Top knight.¡± ¡°Did you really give the instruction to commence the cleansing operation!¡± Sina went right up to his face and screamed. Kato¡¯s skin was decaying from the moisty air around them and not receiving proper treatment. For more, ¡°You came out and announced your location. Why?¡± The boy that ridiculed her skills after dueling her in the middle of a night. ¡®Would it be wishful thinking, that he didn¡¯t want innocent people to die.¡¯ The boy that self proclaimed himself as the emperor in the middle of a fire. ¡®Maybe he¡¯s calling me, telling me to come.¡¯ The boy was calling for his enemies. ***** Holding his breath, a Laus mountain scout had his bow pointed towards the village square. A whisky morning fog made things blurry but they saw a silhouette clearly rise. In this moment, the scout¡¯s finger pulled back the string instinctively. The arrow flew and pierced the silhouette. The silhouette slowly toppled to the ground. But even before he could celebrate his kill, something had cut across his throat. Not a scream was heard. As he tried crawling away desperately, he heard his comrade¡¯s scream. ¡®He¡¯ll kill us all. Every single one of us.¡¯ Juan stepped on the crawling scout¡¯s neck, breaking it. Then grabbing the horn, he pulled it across the village square, dumping it in the middle of nowhere. Fresh blood flowed and drenched the town¡¯s square. The entire square had corpses laid out in a pattern. As if the floor was being dyed. There was a realisation to be earned within every experience. Although it wasn¡¯t one that Juan should replicate, he decided to use it here once, but never again. Messages from those who fled from the village flowed into the Laus scout force¡¯s ears before it got to the Blue rose and White crow knights. A small contingent tried an ambush at first, but failed. A considerable amount of bodies were strewn dead across the plaza. Juan hoped more would have come but it looked as if this was it. The scouts that he¡¯d just killed seemed like the third and final team to arrive. Through the fog and rain, scout archers couldn¡¯t maximize their talents. And plus, Juan was proficient in close combat. ¡®They¡¯ll likely join up with Blue rose or the White crow knights.¡¯ Juan had no intentions of escaping his village so he was happy to wait inside their surroundings. Juan sat on the edge of a stacked pile of corpses in the middle of the square. He felt the pouring rain fall down and soak his body. A long time had already passed since Anya had left the village. The only people arriving were surprised travellers who didn¡¯t know about the situation and turned back. Them and Laus scouts. The sound of rain falling was the only sound heard at the village. By now, the thunderous rain had calmed and only a light drizzle was faintly dropping. Juan stretched his grey cloak. The dim figured cloak thinly spread itself across the town plaza floor. And through the cloak, Juan started to slowly reclaim the mana that he¡¯d thrown into the sky. It was a wet and shady energy, but the grey cloak absorbed it like cotton. ¡°Welcome.¡± Juan whispered quietly. I wish my enemies would arrive soon. I want to fight. The chance to break the silence in this village. Rip apart flesh. Break bones. And in the end after I¡¯ve killed everyone, I want to hear the silence of death. Inside the flames, I want to share my hatred toward them. Tell them I¡¯m still thirsty after drinking all their blood. Juan was anxiously waiting for his enemies. CH 35 Chapter 35 Falling leaves(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Overlooking the Laus ranges, the White crow¡¯s citadel was located on the slope of the mountain. Covered in snow and the air thin, this place was difficult for anyone but a paladin to stay comfortably. On the center of the tallest tower, a giant White crow symbol was placed for everyone to see. White crow knights, the mark of the crow was it¡¯s red eyes. There was a sentiment that black would be more suitable but the first knight commander was adamant about it being red. It was said he was so fixated on it being red because the Hugin knight¡¯s symbol was a Raven. Their assignment was to monitor the Hugin knights in the Laus mountains so it was natural for them to be conscious of them. But the current White crow¡¯s commander Ethan only saw this as a feeling of inferiority. For more, Hugin knights, quite the opposite, always retrieved their fallen comrades¡¯ corpses no matter what. While wasn¡¯t a written code, both sides to a certain extent mutually respected each other¡¯s ways, so they¡¯d leave behind what each other wanted. The White crow knights left behind enemy corpses and Hugin knights left behind the enemy¡¯s equipment. Camille left at once after receiving Ethan¡¯s order. Ethan looked forward to this new face that he¡¯d soon meet. Till now the White crow knights pursued the Hugin knight¡¯s whereabouts and thought, only they posed any real danger to them. Ethan didn¡¯t mind this breeze of fresh air. Most of his time was spent locked in this place on the Laus mountains so his paradigm was very wide. He couldn¡¯t wait to see how this boy from outside the empire could entertain him. Ethan came out of the room with a sword and cloak draped over him. Then, he saw Camille coming up the stairs. There was nobody else nearby. ¡°Did you prepare the others? Why did you come up here so early?¡± For more, ¡°I¡¯m only offering this because the White crow knights are not here.¡± Juan bursted into laughter at Sina¡¯s offer. He shook his head. ¡°A generous offer but no. I was thinking of killing them as well if they had come.¡± ¡°Why? If you found the purification tactic offensive, I apologise. Inquisitor Kato gave the order without our approval. The paladin that instigated the cleansing, the heathen inquisitor both have died so can¡¯t you let this go?¡± ¡°Kato is dead?¡± ¡°Yeah. He died from his wounds on the medical bed.¡± Juan looked at Sina. Sina¡¯s expression was stiff. From his memory, Kato¡¯s injuries were severe but it wasn¡¯t so extreme that he¡¯d die from it. Plus Kato was priest class so he could use healing ¡®grace¡¯ as well. It wouldn¡¯t heal him back to perfect, but it would have saved his life, if he was close to death. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I wanted to take his head myself.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t die painfully.¡± Juan nodded his head. It was surprising to hear that Kato and the White crow knights were not coming but his plans weren¡¯t changing regardless. Juan stood up. A gray curtain spread far and wide. Sina felt the whole square was being hit with waves. ¡®Using fog once again.¡¯ Sina carefully looked at where the fog was moving to. Like before, if Juan used fog to disrupt and cause panic to her knights, Sina and her knights had already formulated a plan to counteract. It would be difficult to cause chaos with just fog. ¡°Did you really come, thinking I would accept your negotiation, Sina?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°You¡¯d do well to become more cunning. That¡¯s the one thing I saw that you really lacked. You need to be more similar to the emperor. To the enemy, he did not hesitate to use any means or methods.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mock the emperor.¡± ¡°If there is one person in the world that can mock the emperor, that would be me.¡± Juan turned his head. Beyond the misty fog a silhouette could be seen. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable not being able to kill Kato with my own hands but my plan doesn¡¯t change. I¡¯m sending all my enemies to hell. Anyone stone that gets in my way will be punted.¡± Simultaneously as Sina let out a scream, the scouts surrounding the village fired their arrows. Juan rolled into the thicker fog close to the ground. However, before he could hide, Sina drawed her sword and rushed in. Sina¡¯s sword swept through Juan¡¯s hair cutting a few strands but Juan¡¯s expression stayed the same. A loud trumpet echoed throughout the moment Sina began to move. Then, the sound of hooves could be heard. The Blue rose knights were speeding towards, on war horses from behind the village. CH 36 Chapter 36 Falling leaves(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Not bad.¡± Juan was impressed. While he was talking with Sina, it appeared the Blue rose knights had made the journey towards the back of the village, eliminating any exit paths for Juan. Cutting off his retreat and allowing their horses a good runway to charge in, it was a good plan. Juan internally gave them props for getting all the way to the back sneakily without being discovered. ¡®If it was anyone else but me they would certainly have panicked.¡¯ Sina tension tightened seeing Juan¡¯s unresponsive reaction. Sina swung her sword at him, multiple times but Juan largely stayed defensive and didn¡¯t retaliate aggressively . ¡°Hah!¡± Ausrey was first to rush in. He drove his horse straight at Juan. A warhorse with speed and weight was racing towards Juan. These horses did not stop even if there were spears and swords in front of it¡¯s path. Juan hastily rolled to the side. Ausrey¡¯s spear narrowly missed and skimmed his cloak. ¡°Sina nim!¡± Same time, Ausrey thru the rein of another horse he¡¯d brought along. Sina quickly mounted the spare horse. ¡°How many did you send towards the back!¡± ¡°Tracks were narrow, only eleven. The rest will come from main, once the battle starts.¡± Eleven warhorses would charge into Juan at crossway. The chances of Juan being able to withstand the spears driving from above and swords was low. Stay standing in one spot and he would be trampled under their horses. However, Sina made sure to keep her knights on alert. ¡°Don¡¯t just rush in, encircle him and take turns!¡± Juan was still yet to draw his weapon. Sina had expected Juan to attack the horses, but seeing his nonchalant attitude, her throat tightened. Following their leader¡¯s orders, instead of rushing directly at Juan, they circled around making jabs with their spears, waiting for an opening. ¡°Well, this is a bit annoying.¡± No matter how agile he was, there was only a limited amount of space he could use to dodge spearheads coming from all angles. Before the encirclement was complete, Juan grabbed the nearest knight¡¯s leg. It was a dangerous move as he could have been trampled on. He then expertly pulled himself up onto the saddle. The knight started to pull out his dagger but was knocked off his horse as Juan pushed him from behind. ¡°Watch out!¡± Sina shouted but the fallen knight was quickly trampled on by the other knight¡¯s horses. Sina gritted her teeth and charged at Juan. To block her sword Juan had no option but to draw his dagger. Sina¡¯s sword and Juan¡¯s dagger met. As the horse was too big for Juan compared to his size, Juan was slightly pushed back. But Juan didn¡¯t intend to stay on the horse for long. Nor fight Sina for long either. In a flash, Juan disappeared from Sina¡¯s eyes. Sina recalled Juan¡¯s small distance maneuver that he¡¯d used back at the Colosseum. She¡¯d felt like it was almost instantaneous. Juan, who¡¯d escaped from Sina¡¯s sight, grabbed the upper part of her helmet and twisted it. Temporarily blinded, Sina lost her balance exposing her white throat. ¡®I¡¯m going to get cut.¡¯ Death passed before her eyes. She¡¯d thought her death would be on the battlefield but didn¡¯t expect to come so carelessly and easily. But then, her horse suddenly raced forwards. Juan lost his opportunity. Having fallen off the saddle, her leg was caught in the stirrup and was being dragged across. ¡°Sina nim!¡± Ausrey quickly grabbed the rein and pulled the horse to a stop, but it was too late, Sina¡¯s body was a wreck. Blood was flowing down from her head. As she tried to stand up straight, she lost her balance and wobbled. ¡°Get that bastard!¡± Sina tried running in, after drawing her sword but everyone could see the strength in her right arm had gone. Her sword dangled lifelessly from her arm that broke from the fall. And with all the blood flowing from her head and dust, it would¡¯ve been difficult for her to even see. Ausrey forcefully held her still. ¡°Stay here! You won¡¯t be much help if you go in now.¡± ¡°Ausrey!¡± Sina had no choice but to admit. However, Juan¡¯s movement was so fast, that even she couldn¡¯t capture him. The other knights would have even more trouble than her. But then, Ausrey lifted his shield and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve got a paladin¡¯s shield, remember?. With the power of the emperor¡¯s grace, it will be enough to stop him. Rest here for a bit and join when you¡¯ve recuperated. He isn¡¯t going anywhere soon.¡± Like Ausrey said, Juan wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the encirclement with ease. He seemed using the short distance skill wore him down. Most likely, he would save it till things turned dire. But still, Juan had to eventually tire. And plus, Hasell and the other knights were charging in from the main entrance. Sina gave a slight nod. Leaving her behind, Ausrey mounted his horse and set off. The Blue rose knights didn¡¯t come here unprepared. Especially Commander Hasell who brought a special weapon and devised a tactic to capture Juan. It was only a matter of time till Juan was suppressed. But for some reason, Sina couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of uneasiness brewing inside her. ***** It looked like a vortex spinning with Juan in the center. Wherever Juan moved, he clashed into a knight. The knights were taking more damage but with each collision, injuries started to mount up on Juan¡¯s body. Both Juan and the knights were unable to land a critical blow. If Juan committed himself to kill someone, he found himself greeted by three or more spears. Juan¡¯s expression slowly darkened. Hasell and more knights had joined the fray. The battle started to look even more grim. And Ausrey decided now to make things even more difficult for him. Ausrey¡¯s shield flew towards Juan. With eyes wide opened, Juan swung his dagger at it, but Ausrey skillfully stopped his attack. Juan¡¯s heart was beating. It felt as if some delicate hands were suppressing his movement. Back when Juan attacked Kato, Ausrey managed to block his attack by moving at speed beyond his capabilities. Ausrey¡¯s heart fluttered. ¡®So this is the power of the emperor¡¯s grace!¡¯ Paladins were fully equipped with these items and clothing. Ausrey couldn¡¯t even imagine how powerful they must be. Juan attacked Ausrey a few more times but was each time his attacks were stifled. He clicked his tongue and gave up attacking Ausrey. He¡¯d received two additional injuries while trying to do so. ¡°Does this bastard have eyes on the back of his head or something!¡± As Juan dodged an attack from behind targeted towards his back, a knight vented his frustration. Ausrey concurred. Although Juan¡¯s body was full of injuries, no one had dealt a fatal strike. ¡®How long are you going to keep this up.¡¯ Ausrey tutted. Having worn no defensive gear, Juan¡¯s evasiveness was quick but his movements were big. It looked as if he would tire before he could take care of all attacking knights. But with most knights receiving injuries, he needed to think what this could mean in the long run. Juan suddenly found himself cornered. Ausrey and Hasell both realised they¡¯d driven Juan into a corner where he couldn¡¯t escape. In doing so, they lost their numbers advantage, but now Juan could only move in a certain direction if he wanted to escape. ¡°Huh, you guys hunting a cat or something?¡± Muttering a sorrow, Juan blasted himself forward using the wall and cut the throat of a knight standing nearby. Blood gushed out. As if he was telling them that they¡¯ll never catch him, Juan moved without being hampered. Ausrey who¡¯d been quiet till now, ran at Juan. Instead of confronting Ausrey shield, Juan kicked it, making room between them. However, Ausrey wasn¡¯t pushed back from the kick, and he simply ran at Juan once again. Ausrey, unafraid of death, charged towards him and Juan had no choice but to meet him head on. The moment Juan thrusted his dagger forwards, Ausrey met it with his shield. ¡°This is the will of the knights!¡± Kwang! As they collided, Asurey felt a deep pain in his palm. The moment his shield and Juan¡¯s dagger collided, he felt as if his fingers had all broke. Juan tried to step back but Ausrey grabbed his dagger. A deep cut was made on his palm and blood flowed down. ¡°Now!¡± Juan movement¡¯s were halted. This was enough. Juan saw a net being casted over him. He tried to use blink, but there was no escaping the wide surface net. Just like that, Juan had been caught by the Blue rose knights. ¡°I suspected you guys were hiding something.¡± As Juan muttered, one of the knights with anger on his face, pierced his spear through Juan¡¯s thigh. Juan scowled and glared up at him. The knight¡¯s face paled just from looking into Juan¡¯s eyes but he didn¡¯t let go of his spear even if his hands were shaking. Meanwhile, Ausrey pulled out Juan¡¯s dagger that had gone through his shield and hand. Looking at the delicate piece of patterns on the dagger, his feeling turned strange. ¡°Ausrey, go and get treatment. You¡¯ve contributed the most today.¡± ¡°Not at all. If it wasn¡¯t for the commander and Sina nim¡¯s plan¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right. We¡¯ll need to bring Sina here. If she didn¡¯t tell us about this bastard¡¯s tendencies and patterns, capturing him would¡¯ve been impossible. We¡¯ll need to show him to Sina anyways. I¡¯ll go and¡­.¡± As Hasell got up to head over to Sina, he was hit by something large. The impact would have even shaken up a horse. Hasell panicked and looked behind. A grand knight in armor stood. As Hasell tilted his head, wondering if there was such a tall knight in his Blue rose order, his head disappeared. ***** ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± As the knight who¡¯d stabbed Juan, attempted to stab again, another knight stopped him. ¡°We¡¯ve got him now. Stop!¡± ¡°But this bastard killed Arber!¡± The other knights agreed and let out a torrent of abuse at Juan. The situation was worsening, yet Juan had a relaxed look on his face. Looking at Juan¡¯s expression, this infuriated the knights even more. ¡°Look at that bastard¡¯s arrogant expression! Thinking that we won¡¯t harm him!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t make the decisions! I¡¯m sure the church won¡¯t give him a painless death. Rather than act rash now, better to send him to the inquisitor as soon as possible.¡± The others all nodded at the knight¡¯s reasonable words. Heretics. Something more terrifying than death awaited those who attacked the church. The knights were concerned Juan would die too early into the interrogation. Then, Juan opened his mouth. ¡°Think you guys need to worry about what¡¯s behind you more than me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are not the only one who has a secret plan.¡± Suddenly, a flapping noise sounded from behind and above the Blue rose knights, blood and skin flew into the air. Behind them, a headless Hasell¡¯s body slowly tipped over to the side, and fell to the ground. Screams broke out. ¡°Commander nim!¡± A giant knight stood before him. In his hands was a heavy shield and a mallet. He was covered in mud, dust and blood so it was difficult to confirm his identity. However, Ausrey could clearly recognise the shield in his hand. It was equivalent to the one that he was currently holding. ¡°Could it really be¡­..¡± Ausrey quickly looked behind. Juan was smiling. ¡°I was considering using it for myself, but it was too big and heavy. So I simply returned it to the owner.¡± Arwen who¡¯d been turned into a fog creature, headed straight for the knights. CH 37 Chapter 37 Falling leaves(5) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Focus the attacks towards the back!¡± Ausrey flicked off his dangling finger to the ground and instructed urgently. Although he wasn¡¯t in a position to relay orders, the situation called for it as both Sina and Hasell weren¡¯t there. No one objected to him taking command. Ausrey was likewise concerned, whether the knights would stand any chance against a paladin. ¡°You, you! Take this bastard and leave the battle! Take him to the White crow¡¯s headquarters then hand him over!¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± The knights nodded realising they didn¡¯t have a choice. Ausrey turned his attention to Arwen. His state was so bad, it was hard to even tell if he was alive. Covered in blood, he looked like a grey corpse more than a paladin. However, his movements told a different story. At every swing with his mallet, several knights flew into the sky. Shields didn¡¯t help. Knights that were blasted back, couldn¡¯t even stand up properly. If it was hard to reach the knights, Arwen attacked the horses. Everyone wondered if anyone could take him and his monstrous mallet on. ¡®Can my paladin shield stop his swing¡­¡¯ Whether he could or not, the frightened Ausrey knew he was their best chance. Using his spear, one of the knights unleashed a thrust at Arwen¡¯s waist. But the spear simply bounced off, and Arwen made quick work of him, crushing his skull. It was hopeless. For more, Every knight who detonated the light grenade was instantly greeted by several arrows. And everytime a mallet was swung, pieces of flesh were tossed into the air. ¡°I can¡¯t see the bastard!¡± ¡°He¡¯s here! I saw him here!¡± ¡°No. I was only trying to stab a creature¡­..not you. It wasn¡¯t on purpose.¡± Desperate groans filled the air. Fog creatures gained the ability to fade away in the fog, making them almost invisible. Same with the scouts that Juan was controlling with the power of grey cloak. ¡°If the enemy was just me, you may have succeeded.¡± ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± Sina swung her sword frantically. Swinging her sword with her left hand that she¡¯d not yet fully gotten used to was a pitiful sight. Juan lightly dodged her attack, finally tripping her, making her stumble onto the ground. While she was standing up in a daze, Sina felt someone with the tip of her fingers. ¡°Ausrey! Ausrey, You alright!¡± ¡°Sina¡­¡­nim¡­..¡± Ausrey moaned a mutter. Sina tried to help him up but she wasn¡¯t exactly in the right state to help a fully grown man stand. Inside the fog, sounds of insults, curses, cries for help could be loudly heard but there was nothing Sina could do. Hopelessness filled her face. ¡°Get up, Ausrey! Do you want to die here?!¡± ¡°I wanted to¡­..return to the capital¡­.together.¡± Ausrey silently whispered. Sina now finally knew the terms between Kato and Ausrey¡¯s agreement. But it wasn¡¯t up to Kato whether they could return to the capital. And plus, Sina left the capital on her accord. However, she did have an idea why Ausrey had made this deal with Kato. ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s go to the capital! We¡¯ll go to the capital together so get up!¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ausreys breathing was slowly fading. She lifted her head and desperately searched for Juan. But Juan was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Juan! I¡¯ll die here! Let my knights go!¡± ¡°Sina¡­even with all your knowledge in history, you still don¡¯t get it do you?¡± Juan¡¯s voice came from somewhere beyond the fog. ¡°The emperor never leaves behind a potentially dangerous enemy. And inside this fog, there are thirty more bodies of dead scouts.¡± Many more footsteps than before could be heard from beyond the fog. Footsteps not belonging to her knights, but a dark, spooky footsteps. Sounds of pain and groans were stopping. Not long after, an eerie silence fell upon the village. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard. Sina held up her sword and carefully surveyed her surroundings. She couldn¡¯t see anyone. Juan was somewhere inside the fog. Sina shouted towards the fog. ***** Juan cut the throat of the last remaining scout. All the scouts that were surrounding the village were no more. It wasn¡¯t hard to kill them inside the fog. Some had fled, but Juan didn¡¯t bother giving chase. With Juan¡¯s gesture, his grey cloak started to absorb the entire fog bit by bit. He was extremely tired from using the grey cloak¡¯s power. Several days of preparement, gathering the power released into the sky from the grey cloak and planning so that his ability to control the dead, all contributed to the success he found today. Even if a paladin knight division had come, they would have found things difficult. While it was overkill just to use it on Blue rose knights, it¡¯d been worth it. Anyways, the White crow knights weren¡¯t coming so Juan recollected the fog and headed back down to the village. The fog creatures that still were around, broke into little pieces as the sunlight shone upon them. A light smoke rose from where they¡¯d stood. The creatures had all turned to dust and in between laid corpses belonging to the Blue rose knights. Some had died while fighting, some while fleeing. They were sprawn out everywhere. While walking through, Juan came into face with Arwen. There were signs of injuries but none critical. If Arwen was alone, it may have been possible to hold him down with sheer numbers by targeting his legs, but the scouts did their part to not let this happen. Juan considered what to do with the paladin equipment. Taking it for himself would help, but it seemed like a waste. The ¡®grace¡¯ inside the armor was rough and simple. Juan knew it would be more useful not on himself but someone else. As for now, Juan had no way of making these kinds of equipment. ¡®I¡¯ll have to stash it away for now.¡¯ Juan ordered Arwen to dig somewhere easy to remember inside the forest and dump his armor there. After taking off his armor, Arwen¡¯s body slowly erupted into flames and finally turned into dust. Juan poured dirt and leaves over it. ¡°You did your job well. Thanks again.¡± It was the first and last time Juan would thank him. Juan returned to the village plaza. The smell of blood was excruciating but time would help. Creatures who¡¯d smell the blood would soon gather. Juan turned his head towards a place he didn¡¯t want to look towards. He had to check one last time. His eyes stopped at a particular spot. The spot where he thought Sina would lay as a corpse. Surprisingly, Sina was still standing. Standing in the most appalling state. ¡°Si¡­..¡± Juan stopped as he was walking towards her. Around her, the area was filled with Juan¡¯s dead scouts. Sina¡¯s appearance was not much better. She was barely standing. Her broken right arm was full of arrows, as if she¡¯d used her arm as a shield. He could see that an arrow landed on her left eye. A mark lay where she¡¯d pulled out the arrow from her eye. But even through all that, she was alive. Ready to fight more. ¡°Sina.¡± Juan quietly called her name. Sina¡¯s neck creaked as she turned towards him. Sina¡¯s dried lips parted. A smile appeared. ¡°Your highness.¡± Sina slowly went down on her knees in front of Juan. CH 38 Chapter 38 Falling leaves(6) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Hold out for just a bit longer, Ausrey. The White crow knights will come soon.¡± Sina cut an approaching fog creature. Her left arm was numb from swinging too much. She could taste bitterness from the vomit travelling up her throat but Sina couldn¡¯t stop now. Again and again, the approaching footsteps didn¡¯t stop. Sina raised her sword. ¡°I can hear swords clashing. Perhaps there are knights that are still resisting.¡± Thuk. Her sword was stuck. She¡¯d swung at a creature and killed, but it was stuck between its bones. Panicking, Sina tried to pull it out, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. One of Juan¡¯s fog minions swung a dagger at her. What blocked the dagger from hitting home was Sina¡¯s right arm. A large cut was made on her lifeless right arm. With the dagger still rooted in her arm, Sina slammed into the bastard that stabbed her, both falling to the ground. Using her sword, she stabbed it¡¯s throat repeatedly. ¡°We are the Blue rose knights. We will never lose to monsters like you.¡± While she was getting up on her feet, she made a painful gasp. Sina¡¯s body arched back, and her head drooped down as she fell back down on her butt. She couldn¡¯t see properly. However, she¡¯d felt where an arrow had struck on her body. Roaring in anger, she ran at the shooter and stabbed her sword at him. Then she made her way towards Ausrey, half crawling. ¡°This is the moment, now is the time for our home to flourish.¡± Sina finally got around to realise that an arrow had embedded into her left eye. Luckily for her, the arrow didn¡¯t penetrate deep into her head, instead it was stopped at her outer skull. Sina attempted to pull it out, but after feeling an immeasurable pain from the slightest of pulls, she instead resorted to snapping the arrow for now. Sina tried to drop the sword in her hand, but her strained muscles wouldn¡¯t listen to her. She put both hands to the ground while still grasping her sword and bowed her head. ¡°I give you my greetings lord.¡± The emperor didn¡¯t say anything. This didn¡¯t disappoint Sina. The emperor was always silent. He only watched and guided people in the right direction. The emperor¡¯s volition would in the end be expressed through knights like her. ¡°I¡¯ve tried my best to follow your will but I lacked the strength.¡± Sina did not believe that any of this was real. She¡¯d already died, and had gone over to his side. And she was receiving the final judgement.This is what she believed. Hearing a reply from the emperor was unprecedented. Even clerics of the church, Bishops, and Popes only received the will of the emperor through movement of stars or a saint¡¯s prophecy. But right now in front of her, the emperor was speaking out to her. In a voice how Sina had always imagined it to be. ¡°¡­..have never shown my will to anyone.¡± Sina became even more shocked by his words. If that was so, was the church¡¯s words and acts all a lie? ¡°I¡¯ve never told anyone to serve me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never told anyone to distort my teaching.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never told anyone to set fire to a village.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never told anyone to praise me with the blood of the weak.¡± ¡°That is not my will.¡± Sina felt if she¡¯d been struck by thunder. ¡°Your highness, I¡­..¡± ¡°So in fact, you did not serve an imposter.¡± As if he knew what Sina was about to say, the emperor gave her the answer she wanted. ¡°I simply wanted you all to live with your own will. You have done well till now. You are a good knight. You are bright and beautiful just the way you are. You should look to continue being yourself.¡± Sina¡¯s eyes glistened. All throughout her life, she¡¯d been disapproved of by those she had admired. Those that she¡¯d loved and cared for had left her side one by one. Tadak, Sina woke to the sound of bristling firewood. A dark sky could be seen. So dark that the light that had surrounded her till now, seemed like a lie. Upon feeling the heat of the fire on her right cheek, she realised she wasn¡¯t dead but still alive. In an attempt to get up, she screamed at the agony that hit all throughout her body. ¡°You don¡¯t wake up quietly do you.¡± There were no parts of her body that weren¡¯t screaming. Every nerve cell was acting wild. And then, something came into her mouth. A finger. Blood was dripping out from a noticeable cut on the finger. Realising she was drinking blood, Sina tried to spit it out, but found no strength to move. ¡°Just drink it. It will help.¡± There wasn¡¯t anything she could do. Oddly, the more she drank, the blood appeared to relieve the pain inside her body. After a long while, Sina senses came back to her. The finger was no longer in her mouth. Sina turned her head. There was a figure crouching in the darkness. Sina remembered the silhouette. ¡°Juan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been two days. I was going to leave you behind if you didn¡¯t wake by today.¡± Juan was sitting far away from her and the fire. Sina tried to get up in every way possible but in the end gave up. Even putting a little bit of strength caused her muscles to convulse, never mind the pain that followed. Sina looked for her sword. She saw that her sword and equipment were placed on the foot of a tree. Only then she noticed that she was naked. ¡°To fix you up, I had no choice.¡± Sina glared at Juan but didn¡¯t reproach him. Like he said, it seemed injuries on her body had been either scorched or stitched by him. While it was a rough job, the treatment itself was done splendidly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say, you were going to kill me.¡± ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t kill you with my own hands. Who would have known that you¡¯d survive.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.The other knights? Anyone else alive?¡± ¡°No. Just you.¡± Although Sina had already expected this, Juan¡¯s reply made her eyes teary. ¡°Should¡¯ve left me to die as well. If you didn¡¯t treat me, I would¡¯ve died on my own.¡± From her memory, she had more than three or four fatal wounds on her body. If he¡¯d left her alone, she would have died from excessive bleeding. Reunited with her knights. Juan did not reply. ¡°Was it to let me taste despair? Or to make me feel helpless?¡± ¡°Would be distasteful to have fixed you for those reasons.¡± ¡°Then answer me.¡± Juan did not easily open his mouth. However he knew Sina would not easily let this slide. ¡°I¡¯m looking to use you as a messenger.¡± ¡°Messenger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The fact the White crow knights did not come here with you, shows the central church isn¡¯t yet fully aware of the severity of the situation. If they¡¯d come, the Blue rose knights wouldn¡¯t have been defeated quite so miserably. At the very least, there would have been some resistance.¡± While listening, Sina tried to move her body again and fainted. When she¡¯d come back to her senses, Juan had come and placed her away from the fire. ¡°It feels as if I¡¯m looking after a child next to a cliff.¡± ¡°They were all brave knights. Don¡¯t ridicule them.¡± ¡°To an extent yes, as they died on the battlefield. I admit there are those worth far less than them. Anyways, I kept you alive because I needed someone to deliver my message to the capital.¡± ¡°If you think I¡¯ll be a messenger for a heretic, you¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll just listen to what I have to speak that¡¯s enough. Those pigs in the capital will look into your head anyways¡­. Tell them this.¡± For more, Simply meeting his eyes felt as if she was being firmly crushed in his hands. Sina didn¡¯t ask who the emperor was. She¡¯d already heard from Juan many times. Not once, she accepted his words but right now Juan¡¯s words were shaking her confidence. The emperor she met in her dreams said he had never given his will to anyone. So this begged the question in relation to those in the capital who declared that they were acting under the emperor¡¯s will. ¡°You are not the emperor.¡± Sina could do nothing but to again deny it. Juan laughed back. ¡°The emperor does not hold feelings of hatred. He¡¯s someone that knows the value of love and forgiveness.¡± ¡°You know nothing. The emperor has always brought upon despair.¡± ¡°A lie. He gave courage to those helpless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a lie. The emperor has always passed despair onto his enemies.¡± ¡°You¡¯re distorting the emperor¡¯s deeper meaning!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what more I can say. I¡¯m trying to give interpretations of my words.¡± Juan laughed dumbfoundedly. A grumbling Sina glared at him and spat out a reply. ¡°¡­¡­.There are a lot of people in the empire still waiting for the emperor¡¯s return.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely not the emperor they¡¯re hoping and waiting for. Of course, you aren¡¯t the real emperor anyways and no one will admit this, but if you continue to proclaim yourself that title¡­..I cannot let you go, for you will erase all their hope they¡¯d held for so long.¡± She scowled at him with her single eye that was left, but the glare was even stronger. ¡°I have no choice but to kill you.¡± Juan made a satisfied grin. ¡°When you have the ability to do so, then I¡¯ll meet that fate.¡± Juan placed his hand on Sina¡¯s face. Sina tried to dodge away but her body didn¡¯t listen. The moment he covered her left eye, Sina felt a sharp gain. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The pain was so great, Sina couldn¡¯t even scream. After a long effort, Juan successfully scalded a spot above her left eye. During that time, Sina repeatedly fainted and awoke. Then finally, she lost her consciousness altogether. Juan murmured while looking down at the lifeless Sina. ¡°If you¡¯re the only one that survives this ordeal again, who knows what they¡¯ll do to you. But with that mark over your eye, it will erase most doubts.¡± CH 39 Chapter 39 Southerly wind Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae If anyone asked, where the authority lied in the empire, most would point to the capital, the holy city of Torra. Located inside the holy city was the throne of eternity in which the emperor was enshrined. The landmark and milestone of the empire. But it was hard to argue for it, as it wasn¡¯t a living authority. A pragmatic person would rather point to the ¡®Citadel of the sun¡¯, where the empire¡¯s regent was located, Vares Valte himself. Head of the empire¡¯s strongest and most powerful knight order and in overall command of half the empire¡¯s armed forces. But if one asked an honest person in private, they may instead point to the ¡®Vatican¡¯ where the Pope resided. The church had a big influence on how the empire¡¯s citizens thought about things and acted. They represented humanity¡¯s saviour, the emperor and acted as his proxy. While some people didn¡¯t believe this to be true, the Pope, Helmut Helvine did. ¡°¡­¡­..Is there still no response from the White crow knights?¡± Helmut was anxiously roaming across his corridor at the Basilica. While he was over ninety years old, his body was still functioning fine. Lately however, there¡¯d been some news that deterred him from his sleep. ¡°No, not yet your holiness.¡± It was a question that had recently been repeatedly asked, and the young priest answered him while having her head glued to the floor and on her knees. Helmut scowled and kicked the girl in the face. The priest girl rolled onto her back but then quickly got back to her knees again. Her face was already bruised up and a few teeths were missing. As blood dropped onto the corridor, the young priest quickly wiped it clean with her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s already been several days! How could there not be any update! The Blue rose knights should have encountered him by now!¡± The young priest shivered and could do nothing but bow her head. She had the power of healing ¡®grace¡¯ so these injuries didn¡¯t matter, but she couldn¡¯t perform ¡®grace¡¯ in front of Helmut in fear of greater punishment. She could but hope that this conundrum would quickly come to pass. ¡°Your holiness, message from commander Ethan Ethil of the White crow knights has arrived.¡± At last, she heard a voice of a saviour. Helmut quickly made his way over to the priest who came to deliver the message. The moment Helmut disappeared, the other priests came over to heal the girl priest. ¡°What, did they say they got him?¡± ¡°Your holiness.¡± With a sour expression, the priest handed over the letter. Skipping over the flowery introductions and phrases at the top, Helmut quickly looked down towards the main crux of the letter. A short message, enough to fit on two lines. [Pursuit of child apostate halted due to detection of Hugin knights activities] That was it. Helmut almost let out a curse. He specifically instructed the White crow knights to kill the child apostate from Tantil. But the knight commander Ethan Ethil decided to ignore this and pursue a different objective. ¡®That little shit, you did this on purpose!¡¯ Helmut just about swallowed the curse rising up his throat. He knew there were many out there who mocked his humble position. The ability to deliver messages was instant through ¡®grace¡¯. There was no reason why a simple message took so long to get delivered. At the bottom of the letter, there was a wordy excuse for the lateness, but he was sure Ethan had sent the message late on purpose knowing his pursuit for Hugin knights would be opposed. ¡°Is there anyone that does their job properly!¡± Helmut shouted while ripping the letter into pieces. He had given clear orders to Bishop Rieto, Inquisitor Kato along with many other church practitioners. As Helmut had no ways to win against him, he was a valuable resource. Helmut twisted his lips. ¡°This prophecy is different.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how¡¯s it different?¡± ¡°First of all, this isn¡¯t a prophecy I had my hands on. There was a great fire on the southern plains that we still don¡¯t know how it happened, and Tantil¡¯s Colosseum was set on flames. Adding to that, when the Gray tower collapsed, reports tell us of a torrential rain swept the area when it was not even the rainy season. There are even whispers that Taltere and Grunvalde have revived. One by one, the boxes are being ticked.¡± Instead of a reply, Pavan gave a shallow laughter. Helmut realised Pavan wasnt believing anything he just said. It was as expected. He would likely have laughed if he was in his shoes. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just coincidence? Maybe it¡¯s a good idea to stop believing everything that comes out of the saint¡¯s room, your holiness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.You¡¯re right. Maybe I¡¯ve gotten too old and kind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing but a passing breeze. There¡¯s bound to be many strange phenomenons here and there. Making a fuss about a strange development here in the capital will cause restlessness, which we don¡¯t want.¡± Helmut observed a strange feeling from Pavan¡¯s accent. His face hardened. The appearance of apostates and cultists usually gave the opportunity for the church to strengthen their power. Pavan was skeptical whether Helmut was using this instance to spread the church¡¯s influence even further. Vares¡¯s opinion was of the same. Helmut¡¯s quick awareness and balance was the reason how he managed to sustain a friendly relationship with Vares for so long and rise to the position of Pope. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ll make sure to be cautious. Please relay that to the general as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m most gratified at seeing his holiness take my humble advice.¡± Helmut quietly nodded his head. All he could do was to bow and stay obedient for now. Vares and his subordinates were arrogant enough to enter the Basilica, while jiggling their armed weapons. And they had the power behind it to support their arrogance. It was natural for them to act that way. Even though Paladins were strong, they couldn¡¯t match the entire capital¡¯s knights and the imperial army. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave here. At hearing your holiness so willing to heed my advice, I have nothing more to say. May the emperor watch over you.¡± ¡°May the emperor watch over you as well.¡± Before Helmut even finished his wishes, Pavan turned his back and headed out through the corridor. Looking at his back, Helmut again made the same promise that he¡¯d made hundreds, thousand times. The day he¡¯d snap Vares Valte¡¯s horn off his head, he¡¯d use the horns to shove it down Pavan¡¯s throat. Helmut did his best to bow and look tame, but there were two things he was hiding. One was that the main culprit behind these events was a black haired boy. The other was that the saint revealed a new prophecy last night. [I¡¯ve never told anyone to serve me. I¡¯ve never told anyone to distort my teaching. I¡¯ve never told anyone to set fire to a village. I¡¯ve never told anyone to praise me with the blood of the weak. That is not my¡­.] ***** For more, ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­..¡± Sina once again was reminded of the fact all her comrades had died. Ausrey as well. ¡°Our knight commander didn¡¯t particularly care, but I on the other hand want to apologise.¡± The female knight bowed her head in front of Sina. ¡°I¡¯m truly regretful. I know you needed assistance, but we were occupied trying to pull the roots of a far greater evil. It¡¯s perfectly fine to resent us as it¡¯s undeniable that your comrades will not return.¡± ¡°Ah, no. I already did understand your situation. Although it was a lie if she wasn¡¯t resenting them at all, she did acknowledge their reasoning. It was natural for Paladin knights to prioritise Hugin knights over catching Juan. Juan had only just caused an incident recently, while Hugin knights were one of the empire¡¯s biggest thorns, having participated in the emperor¡¯s assasination. The Blue rose knights were abandoned and that was the right decision. And anyways, it was Hasell and Sina who still went through with the attack on Juan despite everything. ¡°My name is Camille Castoria. Deputy command of the White crow knights. You can call me Camille. I¡¯ll try to do my best to provide anything you need during your stay. As we are still giving chase, it¡¯s not the ideal time for a patient to recuperate but, if possible I¡¯ll get someone to take you back to the nearest city.¡± After saying so, Camille looked set to leave, wanting to give Sina some space to herself. Seeing this, Sina was confused. ¡°Ca, Commander Camille?¡± ¡°Hmm? You¡¯ve got something to ask?¡± ¡°I uh, wanted to ask you that myself. Don¡¯t you have anything you want to ask me? For instance, what I talked about with the boy?¡± Sina was put on trial for speaking with Juan back in Tantil. This time not only was she the sole survivor, there was evidence that she¡¯d been cured by him. And yet no interrogation nor even an investigation was conducted. ¡°I was going to ask when you¡¯re feeling a bit better. For now, we need all the manpower we¡¯ve got to track down the Hugin knights. The bastard decided to patch you up, so I¡¯m guessing he had something to tell us. But if you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s also fine.¡± ¡°And why is that fine, if I may ask?¡± ¡°Apostates all have snake-like tongues. There¡¯s no worth in listening to their words.¡± Sina flinched at those words. It sounded like she was telling her to wake up, if she had any doubts on her mind from Juan¡¯s words. Looking at Sina¡¯s shaky eyes, Camille smiled and added. ¡°I can tell from the scar on your left eye, that you didn¡¯t commit any sinful acts. The bastard kindly carved the ancient rune on to your skin. There¡¯s no reason for him to do this, if you were on his side. Although it doesn¡¯t really offend us either, so i¡¯m not sure why he did this.¡± ¡°A rune¡­¡­..? Can you tell me what it means?¡± Camille replied. ¡°It means ¡®the emperor¡¯s watchdog¡¯.¡± CH 40 Chapter 40 The Lawless city(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan tilted his head and looked around the city. He hadn¡¯t seen many cities yet but this one called Hiveden that he¡¯d first come across after crossing the Laus mountains was certainly peculiar. Firstly, there were a lot of demi-humans. Fauns that looked like scouts, elves, dwarves, and even black haired people that appeared to have come from beyond the border. No one sent curious glances at Juan. It would be a different story if he had his grey cloak on, but he already had it hidden from sight. The city¡¯s scenery reminded him of Tantil, but one difference was most of the demi humans didn¡¯t appear to be slaves. Their expression was light, and they were all getting along. Also there were hardly any religious sculptures in the city. Compared to Tantil, where he saw carvings and sculptures related to the emperor everywhere, it was almost peculiar. ¡®Isn¡¯t this city part of the central province.¡¯ But it seemed, not everything was all peaceful. Frivolous swindles jiggled their coins and rough looking men strolled the streets. He could also see drunk people lying in alleyways and kids picking their pockets. Furthermore, Juan could see one common attribute. Everyone was armed. He could now understand the casual atmosphere of the city. One wrong behaviour and one could have a knife sticking out their side. Juan had been confused why there weren¡¯t any guards or soldiers patrolling the city. Even the White crow knights were located close by. He quickly understood why. ¡°Kid, look where you¡¯re going.¡± A large male figure almost hit Juan as he passed. Juan could have his eyes closed and never run into anyone, but this man had an unpleasant expression when they¡¯d barely even touched. Juan tried to ignore it but someone grabbed his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re in luck, kid.¡± Juan lifted his chin and looked up. A cheerful looking young woman that seemed out of place in this city was looking down at him. Behind her, stood a young and an elderly male that looked like her guard or companion. ¡°I¡¯m in luck, you say?¡± ¡°Thats right. That¡¯s a dangerous person you just ran into. You see his cloak and his red axe pendant? He¡¯s part of the bloody axe clan, one of the city¡¯s most violent groups. You better be careful whenever you see them. I¡¯ve heard they have got the Hugin knight¡¯s backing as well. You¡¯ve heard of them right? Those scary pe¡­..¡± Juan quickly scanned the woman from top to bottom. The woman flustered at Juan¡¯s gaze but held her hand out and smiled. ¡°You must¡¯ve come across the border. What¡¯s your name? Ah, my name is¡­..¡± ¡°Juan.¡± The woman once again flustered at hearing his name. Juan stopped paying attention to her and walked up to the large man he¡¯d passed. The man fell forwards at being hit from behind so suddenly. ¡°Keu-ak! What, who¡­ You bastard!¡± ¡°You, do you know the Hugin knights?¡± ¡°What? In the middle of the street¡­..Have you got an early death wish?¡± Juan smiled sinisterly. ¡°Lets talk.¡± ***** Hiveden was a city that was built without a plan. There were dark places just around alleyways. Where corpses wouldn¡¯t be found for days. Juan slid his dagger into the sheath. Taltere¡¯s dagger glowed red as if it was thrilled from drinking blood. The blood on the dagger did not have to be cleaned, which was convenient for Juan. Hugin knights huh. Juan was well aware of them. They were the knights under his youngest adopted child, Lars Raude. While he didn¡¯t know the exact details, he¡¯d heard Lars was one of the Six apostates that had betrayed him. That he had marched up from the southern region and had been cut off by Vares Valte. That was all Juan knew for now. The problem was that this was the case for this man aswell. He wasn¡¯t related in any way to Hugin knights or knew much. If everything bad acts that he¡¯d ever done in his life were considered, he would likely deserve death but Juan let him live. Although he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a spoon for the rest of his life. Juan looked at the woman standing at the alleyway entrance, and knew he¡¯d been tricked. The woman looked at Juan with a pale face while watching the blood stream out from the end of the alleyway. An expressionless Juan breezed past her. ¡°Hey you!¡± The young male standing beside the woman tried to grab his shoulder. Juan brushed his hand off and at the same time, grabbed and pulled his wrist, making him lose his balance. By the time his knee was on the ground, Juan¡¯s dagger was placed on his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me, if you don¡¯t want to have your throat cut.¡± The only reason Juan didn¡¯t cut him was because he thought it would cause an unnecessary ruckus in the middle of the street. It was common to see fights turn into violent knife fights in this city. The young man¡¯s face turned white. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve bothered you.¡± The older man stepped in front and with one hand picked up the young man. Juan, who had no intentions of stabbing the young man in the first place, decided to sheath his dagger. The elderly man growled at the teen. ¡°People even at that young age are not ordinary folks, considering they¡¯ve made the journey here from beyond the border. You should know this. Remember to show respect whomever.¡± ¡°Apologies. Teacher[1].¡± The old man bowed to Juan respectfully. ¡°Juan was it? You have an eye for a good name. I apologise in advance, but wouldn¡¯t you mind listening to my lady¡¯s story?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°This is important to her. It might be a little dangerous, but looking at your skills just now, I don¡¯t think we need to worry. I assure you, it wont be a waste of your time. I¡¯ll promise you a handsome reward. If you¡¯ve lived in the empire, you would know the importance of money right? Especially more, considering we¡¯re in Hiveden.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. Bugger off.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to listen.¡± The female for the first time, erased her kindful demeanor and spoke coldly. Juan was almost certain that was her true self. Juan shook his head. For more, ¡°Why, do you know them?¡± ¡°We made the trip to Hiveden¡­.you think we don¡¯t know about them? I¡¯m the type to investigate and need to know everything about anywhere I go, anyone I encounter. Before, I was simply trying to give you a gentle scare but I wouldn¡¯t have said anything about Hugin knights if I knew you were looking for them.¡± Juan crossed his arms. The woman was bothersome but if she had information about Hugin knights, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to talk. ¡°Are the Hugin knights in this city?¡± ¡°Here? Hah. This place is practically, territory belonging to the Hugin knights, ever since the emperor died. It¡¯s full of nobles that have come from the capital in fleeing those crazy fanatics. These people choose to stay with defectors rather than whatever they came across in the capital. This is the crazy city that was formed by runaway nobles and households. Even if the church attempts to free the city, it won¡¯t happen. Many of the pigs inside the capital, have their income source from this city and they would never stand to see it return to it¡¯s past.¡± At hearing the words fall out of her mouth like a waterfall, the old man and teen paled. Juan had never seen someone so openly curse out at the church. Even Huksel and his crew looked regretful when they¡¯d mouthed off the church. ¡°Huh. Unafraid of anything, aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°My opinion is that people need to be more afraid of being stabbed rather than speak out freely, kid.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid of yourself being stabbed? The church will hang you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid, my reputation of being a friendly young woman at the capital is quite famous. I wonder if they¡¯d believe the words of a lying brat from outside the border or a respected noble from the capital.¡± Juan chuckled. Her attitude was far from pleasant but her demeanor was at least in the right direction. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re a good child. However, there¡¯s one thing you must answer before we continue. Why are you looking for the Hugin knights?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± The woman looked at him up and down with a wary expression. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to get their attention. If you are intending to catch their attention, then this conversation is over. There is too much risk if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go searching for a fight.¡± For now, he thought to himself. He was going to hear their reasoning as to why they betrayed him and make his decision then. Of course this was only possible if Lars was still alive. A dumbfounded expression was on her face. ¡°Well no shit. Who on earth would think you¡¯d fight them. They have the power to match up with Paladins. I only say this, as I thought you¡¯d be affiliated with a bigger group that would bring this city to a battle zone. I don¡¯t want to see the last free city in this empire crumble.¡± ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t like this place.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like it. But it has its uses. Plus I need to come here ever so often.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any other groups with me. The reason I¡¯m going to see the Hugin knights is to see someone I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll believe you Juan. My name is Heretia. I¡¯ll start my story then.¡± Heretia cleared her throat and closely approached Juan. Juan suddenly was a bit curious why this noble needed to come to this lawless city, even bringing along a guard. And more so about what his role would involve. Till now he¡¯d been asked to be a champion of the Colosseum, empire¡¯s genius knight, someone who would overturn this empire. And now¡­¡­ ¡°My plan requires a good looking black haired boy.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- [1] ¨C while the literal translation is teacher¡­¡­ master or instructor would fit as well. Might change it in the future if it needs changing. CH 41 Chapter 41 The Lawless city(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Negative Polyhedron. A strange name, but that was the name of the item Heretia wanted. An unbalanced shaped crystal coloured in dark purple, it was said even looking at it would give an unsettling and ominous vibe. It was even said the owners soon found themselves cursed having the item in their possession. ¡°The most famous owner of one of these crystals was Bishop Rieto. In the middle of retrieving the item, his mind was also affected and so it was handed down to the owner of Tantil¡¯s Colosseum. But he also found himself dead not long after it was given. Now the crystal has reportedly been passed on to Hiveden¡¯s Earl, Hannbon.¡± Heretia said in a whispering tone. ¡°It¡¯s even been said that the item¡¯s first owner was the emperor. That the emperor found it during the war with the northern faction, and that¡¯s why he never realized he was about to be stabbed from behind.¡± ¡°Interesting story.¡± It was the first time Juan had heard about this. If it was a precious artifact, there was no way he didn¡¯t know about it. Maybe its origin wasn¡¯t that historic. ¡°And why are you looking for this harmful artifact?¡± ¡°If it was an ordinary crystal, I wouldn¡¯t be interested. But it has a unusual ability.¡± ¡°Unusual?¡± ¡°Ability to absorb dark energy. Not something that you¡¯d find fascinating, nor an ordinary person. However, it¡¯s a coveted item among the emperor¡¯s fanatics. After the emperor basically became a corpse, the fanatics believe everything around them to be dangerous and that evil is alluring them towards the dark side. Well¡­¡­.between you and me, the way they think and act is a thousand times more evil¡­.. but anyways.¡± Like Heretia said, it wasn¡¯t an item Juan would be interested in. If the artifact contained power, maybe¡­..but if it only absorbed, there was no reason to tempt it. ¡°And why am I needed to get the crystal?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good looking blackhaired boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Okay, so why is that needed?¡± ¡°Because of who I mentioned before, the current Earl, Hannbon. It¡¯s not for any weird reason, so don¡¯t make a face. Earl Hannbon is an extravagant and dissolute person. Every week or so, he holds a banquet. And because I don¡¯t have any special ties with him, I can only hope to approach him through this banquet he holds, to avoid any suspicion.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And right now, good looking black haired boys are a hot commodity among nobles, these days.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Those who are so scarce, that they can only be found beyond the borders where the emperor¡¯s influence ends, where it has cultivated a black haired race, famous for their violence and pride, etc. Even finding trained lions and black panthers are easier. So I was intending to find any black haired boy and attend the banquet, but I was on the verge of giving up as I couldn¡¯t find anyone appropriate. I even thought of getting any average looking brat that looked the part and dye his hair black. It won¡¯t be dangerous anyway.¡± ¡°Not dangerous?¡± Heretia shoulders widened at hearing Juan¡¯s doubting tone. ¡°Even if a crazy noble wanted to have their blank panther fight you, I would just simply need to decline. Even if a fight had to be commenced, I don¡¯t think I need to worry after seeing your skills just before.¡± Basically, Heretia was asking him to attend the banquet as her pet. Juan replied while dumbstruck. ¡°Do I even need to consider this?¡± ¡°If you know how the empire keeps a tight leash on information about the Hugin knights, then it¡¯s not a bad deal¡­ Is it a pride thing? Aren¡¯t you putting your pride too high?¡± ¡°I make my own judgment of acts that I consider beneath me¡­. We¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Heretia quickly stopped him as Juan turned around to leave. ¡°If there¡¯s anything else you want, then say it. If money¡¯s the problem, I¡¯ll happily provide more.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just get an average brat and dye him black.¡± ¡°No. For some reason, I suddenly got this feeling that this won¡¯t work unless it¡¯s you. Now that I¡¯ve talked with you for a bit, I¡¯ve noticed. You¡¯re not from beyond the border but from the capital right?¡± Juan raised his eyes. Heretia nodded as if she got confirmation of something. ¡°It¡¯s not only you that can analyze people. Initially I thought, maybe your haughty tone was due to a lack of education but no. You¡¯re just arrogant down to your bones. You use language commonly heard in the capital and yet, you have no accent. The way you move tells me you¡¯ve been trained in swordsmanship as well. I¡¯m going to guess¡­..some great family from the capital. Maybe an illegitimate child of a noble?¡± Heretia pounded him with words then soon shook her head. ¡°Actually, don¡¯t even reply. The important thing is that I acknowledge you. Acknowledge you enough to admit that you¡¯re not an embarrassment next to me. I need your help. Help me and the Helwin family will owe you a debt.¡± ¡°Miss!¡± The old man tried to restrain her but Heretia placed her hand on the elder¡¯s mouth to shut him up. ¡°Helwin family?¡± Juan who¡¯d briefly contemplated, replied. ¡°I¡¯ll properly introduce myself. My name is Heretia Helwin. If we¡¯re going to join hands, you were bound to find out, sooner or later. If you agree to my plan, I¡¯ll promise you that our family will support as much as they can.¡± Juan stared at Heretia for a while. Heretia found it a little uncomfortable at how it felt like Juan was delving into every part of her face, but she found the strength to not avert her eyes. The old man and the teen watched Juan nervously. Juan noticed the old man was grasping his sword so tightly that his palms started to sweat. Wondering why he would be showing this much hostility, Juan realised he was also tightly grasping his dagger. And the fact a murderous spirit was emanating from him internally, ready to pounce on them. However looking on externally, Juan had his hands placed over his dagger, standing in a relaxing manner. It appeared, only the old man had read his murderous spirit. Kill him or not kill him. Juan continued to stare at Heretia for a bit more then finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Rude and stubborn. I see it runs in the family.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll join. I owe the Helwin family a favour anyways.¡± ***** Juan was invited to the inn that Heretia was staying at. It wasn¡¯t big, but unlike the city¡¯s atmosphere, it was clean and cozy. Heretia who¡¯d booked another room for him advised she¡¯ll cover all expenses and so she asked him preferably not to wander outside, and just stay inside the inn for now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you wander out for no good reason and be taken by someone else.¡± Heretia left him with those words. The room was just spacious enough to use alone. Juan, who¡¯d gotten used to sleeping on straws with fleas or a bare floor, felt a strange sensation upon lying down on a soft bed. ¡®Helwin family huh.¡¯ During his days as emperor, the person who was delegated to administer the empire¡¯s internal affairs was the regent Hamon, who was also from the Helwin family. More accurately, he was an illegitimate child of the Helwin family, who¡¯d been casted out to wander out in the countryside. Noticing his talent, Juan tasked him to administer the internal affairs. His eccentric personality and aggressive tone made him an unpopular figure amongst his cohorts. However, his ability to suppress powerful local family groups, set the foundation for marketing administration, and sort out arguments to bring about cooperation was second to none. Juan had praised him for having one of the most excellent talents among his subordinates. However, it was said he was one of the six apostates that had betrayed him. Juan still couldn¡¯t come to grasp with it. He couldn¡¯t believe that any one of the six would have betrayed him. Even though he personally saw Gared Ga-in stab him, it felt like a dream or an illusion. Juan had considered whether to kill Heretia or not. However, it was an undeniable fact that he was indebted to the Helwin¡¯s family. To Hamon, to be precise. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ Juan first decided to accept Heretia¡¯s offer. If he wanted to take revenge, it wouldn¡¯t simply end in a bloodbath. He was going to think about it while he stayed close to Heretia. This way, if he was lucky he could even get clues to why Hamon had betrayed him. And also answer his question as to why the Helwin family was able to survive when one of their family members had betrayed him. Lying down on the sofa, Juan examined his mana. Mana that he¡¯d gotten from the grey cloak and Taltere¡¯s mana were not fusing and were acting separately. When mana was separate, it allowed him to easily use each mana portion on its own, but it limited Juan¡¯s peak strength that he could muster. But on one hand, he thought it may be better to leave it as it was. They were all kind of in the right place. Taltere¡¯s mana had its flaws like when he¡¯d lost control of it before, but Juan had an inkling that it would come in handy in the coming battles. But nevertheless, Juan decided to put in some effort in trying to combine his mana all into one. He had plenty of time. Juan fully intended to enjoy the rest given to him by staying put for a couple of days. ***** Laus mountain¡¯s north central roadway. Sina was swinging her sword. Sweat appeared on her forehead before scattering onto the ground. It hadn¡¯t been long since she¡¯d begun swinging yet her breathing was rough and her movements rusty. Soon she found herself wobbling before planting her buttocks on the ground. ¡°¡­¡­..Amazing.¡± Sina turned her head at the voice from behind. White crow knight¡¯s commander Ethan Ethil watched as he stroked his chin. Sina quickly gave a salute. Strictly speaking, Ethan was not her superior, but it was a sign of respect to a sunbae[1] well versed in swordsmanship. ¡°Do you normally swing your sword with your left hand? Valte swordsmanship isn¡¯t a friendly technique for those left handed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m right handed.¡± Sina lifted her right arm. Right arm that had been left with scars after being sliced and stabbed wildly. Her right arm that was still broken was in a cast. Seeing the traces of cuts and stitches, Ethan realised that from now on, she would find it difficult to use her right arm. ¡°Forgive my carelessness. When did you start practising with your left hand?¡± ¡°¡­..Immediately after my right hand¡­..became this.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s not even been two weeks, is it not? Truly a commendable effort. Although it needs some work to be called Valte swordsmanship, you seem the best out of all the left handed people I know.¡± Sina nodded without replying. She already knew that her way of handling her sword was far from being called Valte swordsmanship which was the standard sword technique across the empire. For some reason, when she used her left hand to swing her sword, the irregular motions came naturally. Like the time when she¡¯d lost consciousness inside the fog, where she had swung her sword violently. ¡°It¡¯s foundation looks to be of Valte swordsmanship but it¡¯s more violent in nature. Similar to a mercenary¡¯s swordsmanship technique.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sina thought to just pass it on as lip service. Most likely he was only giving compliments after seeing the state of her right arm. Sina thought to herself, she would never get back to the level she had been in the past. ¡°Seeing as we¡¯re talking about it, why don¡¯t we test it out. Camille!¡± Camille who¡¯d been standing behind Ethan stepped forwards. ¡°May I ask you to lightly spar against Sina? I¡¯m wondering how her technique would face against real people.¡± At Ethan¡¯s words, Sina and Camille were both baffled. Camille protested. ¡°Commander. I don¡¯t wish to clash swords against a patient. If this is a joke, why don¡¯t we stop here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I¡¯m saying this because I¡¯m really curious. Hmm¡­. alright then, why don¡¯t we do this. Take off your armor and you¡¯ll both use wooden swords to spar. I can¡¯t do much about the ¡®grace¡¯ inside you, but I don¡¯t think that will matter in the grand scheme of things.¡± Even after listening to all that, Camille was hesitant to move. So Ethan walked up and physically placed wooden swords in both their hands. Only then, Camille and Sina realised Ethan was being serious. Camille took off her armor knowing she had no choice. In a shirt and short pants, she walked up to Sina and stood in front of her with an apologetic expression. Sina was flustered. ¡®Is this guy serious? Asking an injured person to fight a Paladin?¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C [1] ¨C You can call it ¨C ¡®Older Alumnus¡¯ (Literal translation) or ¡®Senpai¡¯ (Japanese). It¡¯s all the same thing. I¡¯ll just go with sunbae (Korean) CH 42 Chapter 42 Indeterminate polyhedron(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Sina was acting hesitant but decided in the end to hold up her sword. She wasn¡¯t someone who would run away from a fight if there was no hope in winning. Worst case scenario, she¡¯d come out of this with a broken left arm. Camille lifted her sword high and readied a stance ready to pierce. Her stance wasn¡¯t commonly seen these days, but it was used by those who relied on speed for attacking. Sina waited for her to attack first. With her sprained leg, she couldn¡¯t really begin the fight. After taking a long breath, Camille ran at Sina with lightning speed. For a moment, Sina¡¯s vision went blurry. Thud, Thudd! ¡°Stop!¡± Ethan shouted after a brief clash. Sina and Camille both had surprised looks. Camille¡¯s attacks were stopped by Sina¡¯s sword. Her attacks were quick and powerful. Sina dropped her sword after realizing that her wrists couldn¡¯t handle the strain. ¡°See, Camille. She can even stand your attacks.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­You were right.¡± ¡°Sina, Camille is famously known in our order for her speed. You have some skill, being able to stop her attacks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor sir.¡± Sina put on a smile as she replied. She knew that her skills had deteriorated since her injury. Camille¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t as fast as Ethan made it out to be. She was likely taking half a step back in consideration for her. And despite this, Sina had dropped her sword, unable to resist her non-committal attack. On the topic of fast attacks, Sina could think of nothing else but when Juan had rushed towards her face. ¡°For now, focus on getting healthy. But if you want to lift a sword again, come find me after you¡¯ve healed.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°We have a spot vacant in our order. Although we haven¡¯t retrieved his gear though.¡± While Sina wasn¡¯t able to understand Ethan¡¯s exact words, she understood that he was offering her to join his Paladin knight order as a new member. It was an excessive and ludacris offer that couldn¡¯t have just come from an act of kindness. Nor did it seem like a joke. ¡°Then we¡¯ll set off first. Till we meet again.¡± Sina waved her hands at them dumbfoundedly. She felt extremely tired as if she¡¯d just finished an act. Once they were alone, the mischievous expression on Ethan¡¯s face disappeared. His heavy expression and brisk pace suggested he was a little shocked. ¡°Camille, that last attack. You were serious right?¡± ¡°Sina¡¯s a knight that knows honor. There¡¯s no space for half-hearted attacks, if I wanted to hand her a defeat.¡± Ethan nodded his head slowly. Camille¡¯s attack at Sina just now, was at an alarming speed that even Ethan would have struggled to block it. However, Sina had easily defended against two of her strikes in quick succession. Even more surprising, Sina didn¡¯t seem surprised at having done so. For more, The nobles ceaselessly whispered amongst themselves while looking at Juan. Juan found their stares uncomfortable. He found the experience of getting washed and his nails cut a more enjoyable experience. Juan could see few others that were in a similar situation as him. Their hair was black but either a bit lighter or mixed with another colour. Difference was, no one seemed younger than him and none of them had black pupils. There were even glances of jealousy thrown his way, from the fact he¡¯d stolen everyone¡¯s attention. ¡®Are you serious.¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t find what to say after seeing their stares. Heretia had only asked him to behave well, and stay put until she¡¯d finished her business. That was it. For Juan, it wasn¡¯t his first banquet experience. Even through the glaring stares, Heretia gracefully went about her business. The party organiser did not wait long to bring himself to the party¡¯s newcomer that stole all the limelight. As if on queue, Earl Hannbon walked up to Heretia. ¡°Mrs Helwin! Thanks for coming to my banquet. You¡¯re very much welcome.¡± ¡°A splendid banquet, Earl Hannbon. It¡¯s more exuberant than the ones in the capital.¡± ¡°Naturally, as the capital¡¯s only full of old unfashionable pigs. I see you¡¯ve brought along a magnificent child. He certainly is of quality breed.¡± Juan¡¯s eyebrows slightly twitched. Calling him a quality breed. He got an understanding of how the upper echelons viewed the lower classes like demi humans, in the empire. ¡°I had some difficulty training him up, but deep inside he¡¯s got a kind heart.¡± ¡°I can see the Helwin family has got a good eye for quality. I can tell he¡¯s going to be talked about in my banquet for a while. If possible, I would like you to allow him to mate with one of mine. Of course I¡¯ll pay you much as you want for his seed as I really want one as well.¡± Heretia tightly squeezed Juan¡¯s hand in her palm. It seemed she¡¯d noticed Juan had placed his hand over the dagger she¡¯d hung on his belt. Earl Hannbon had yet to notice this. ¡°It would be an honor, but he¡¯s only a child yet. If the opportunity arises in the future, I¡¯ll make sure it happens.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until then I suppose. I hope you enjoy the banquet.¡± Saying his respects, Earl Hannbon was getting ready to depart. But then, Heretia placed her glass to the side of her mouth. Hannbon couldn¡¯t leave without receiving a reply from a lady, so he waited. He got the impression she had something else to talk to him about. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard Earl Hannbon has recently acquired a valuable object.¡± Earl Hannbon¡¯s eyes narrowed. CH 43 Chapter 43 Indeterminate polyhedron(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Again I¡¯m surprised at how fast the Helwin family gathers information. Considerable effort was put in to keep the information tight lipped¡­¡­Anyways, the equipment is not going to stay in my hands for long, as I¡¯m intending to give it to someone else.¡± ¡°What a lucky person. I don¡¯t want to make our Earl uncomfortable, but it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve heard some concerning words that you¡¯d want to hear.¡± Earl Hannbon, after briefly contemplating, sighed as he replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Helwin family to be interested in this item. Alright. My ears are yours. However, the banquet¡¯s not an appropriate place for this discussion. I¡¯ll arrange a room in the back for us to talk privately.¡± Heretia gave a curt nod. After Earl Hannbon left, Juan let out a deep sigh. Heretia tapped his shoulder. Suddenly feeling tired, Juan went and sat on a chair. Heretia whispered quietly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Give me your word that you won¡¯t interfere if I take his head after you¡¯ve finished your business with him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I hope you don¡¯t do anything rash. I was thinking of maintaining a good relationship not with Earl Hannbon but with you. Earl Hannbon is Hiveden¡¯s feudal lord and the one who manages all the gangs.¡± Juan didn¡¯t respond. His mind was already set. ¡°Can¡¯t you just walk up and say, let¡¯s talk and negotiate?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the way nobles do it. First you get on friendly terms at a social gathering, then speak out about the topic you want to discuss, then conduct business as if this wasn¡¯t your objective in the first place. After three or four interactions, you can then start to think about having real talks. This is normally how it goes, but seeing I¡¯m in a bit of a rush this time, I¡¯ll try to get it done in one.¡± ¡°I wish you would all die.¡± Juan was being serious. ¡°In the past, life was much more simple.¡± ¡°You sound like an old fart. The outer district shouldn¡¯t be that different compared to the capital. Or maybe you just didn¡¯t know.¡± Juan was about to deny this but then acknowledged that he couldn¡¯t be compared to normal standards. Kings and heads of states all rushed to bow in his presence. Back then, Juan¡¯s words were the law. Whatever that was said, however he wanted things to be. ¡®Maybe this behavioural conduct was gradually surfacing, hidden from my eyes.¡¯ Tradition was something that didn¡¯t change easily. Juan decided to respect Heretia¡¯s way of doing things. Then suddenly, they heard a disturbance from the main hall. Everyone¡¯s attention turned towards it. In the middle of a group of girls, a girl similar in size to Juan was looking at him with embarrassed eyes. ¡°That¡¯s Earl Hannbon¡¯s daughter.¡± The other girls whispered into her ear, as if they were encouraging her on about something. Juan had a bad feeling about this. And his intuition was spot on. The other girls basically pushed Hannbon¡¯s daughter towards Juan. Hannbon¡¯s daughter fidgeted for a bit then with her closed embarrassed eyes, she asked. ¡°Wou, would you like to dance with me?¡± Juan now understood why the girl was so embarrassed. Heretia was a little surprised but then smiled and whispered. ¡°See, didn¡¯t I tell you, that you¡¯d be popular with the girls.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Juan¡¯s standing in this banquet was not much different to a pet or a servant, so to dance with him, approval from his master was needed before anything else. But Hannbon¡¯s daughter¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t straying off Juan. Florid cheeks and hazy eyes, it told of a girl clearly in love. ¡°Do I need to accept this?¡± ¡°Preferably yes, but I don¡¯t mind if you decline. I¡¯m the one who needs to give the approval or decline anyways. But why don¡¯t we do it gently¡­¡­?¡± Before Heretia stopped talking, Juan had grabbed Hannbon¡¯s daughter¡¯s hand. The girl slightly flinched at Juan¡¯s sudden bold act and Juan made sure her hands didn¡¯t escape his. ¡°It would be my honor, young lady.¡± He took her hands and led her onto the middle of the dance floor. There were other servants like him, who had gotten approvals from their master to dance with their respective counterparts. Heretia looked on in astonishment, seeing Juan able to dance with etiquette. She didn¡¯t stay surprised for long. The banquet¡¯s attention was still aimed at Juan. Heretia felt a little bitter about the situation. She had never received this much attention, even on her birthdays. Currently, Heretia was dancing with Juan. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.When did you learn to dance?¡± ¡°Thought it would be useful to learn it. It wasn¡¯t all that different from swordsmanship.¡± Heretia recalled Juan¡¯s dance patterns. It seemed Juan wasn¡¯t versed with the current dancing trend but his traditional and elegant motions captured even the other dancing performers as well. They soon were dancing to the beat of Juan¡¯s dancing rhythm. By the time the second song had finished, the stage was Juan¡¯s solo performance. As each song finished, partners were changed but Hannbon¡¯s daughter wanted to continue dancing with Juan. However, being his master, Heretia used her authority and took the position of his dance partner again. ¡°Not bad. You continue to impress.¡± ¡°I recall you saying it before. Women are attracted when men show their unexpected side.¡± Heretia was about to scold him but then stopped herself, after realising she didn¡¯t know why she was annoyed about this. It was a waste of time, getting emotions involved with this child. But it didn¡¯t stop the fact that it kept happening. ¡°Are we continuing?¡± ¡°You can give me your orders, as I¡¯ll listen to you for today. Enjoy it while it last, today will be the last of it.¡± Heretia felt a bit disheartened but tried to not show as she whispered to him. ¡°There¡¯s still alot of young ladys waiting in line, so continue dancing for a bit more. You don¡¯t have to dance with the whole lot though. Get yourself out, when you think it¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll deal with the lot who misses out.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Finally the song ended. Juan and Heretia parted their hands and went to find their new partners. As if she was waiting, Hannbon¡¯s daughter quickly grabbed his hand. Wanting to show that she wouldn¡¯t relinquish his hand to anyone, she firmly held on to Juan¡¯s hand for all to see. As he placed his head over her shoulder, thinking ¡®it¡¯s going to be hard to change partners¡¯, he saw a familiar face. Anya. Unlike her usual comfortable leather outfit, she was wearing a dress like any other lady at the banquet. Like Juan, Anya had also noticed his existence and was staring at him with surprised eyes. The next song began. Even though Juan¡¯s body started to move instinctively, he never left his sight on Anya. He could feel that she was armed beneath her dress. Juan was only able to escape, after dancing three more songs with Hannbon¡¯s daughter. As soon as he was free, Juan made his way over to Anya. Anya with a panicked look tried to escape as Juan approached. Juan was about to run towards her then thought twice about it. He shouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. He had to comply with Heretia¡¯s orders. At least for today. Anya disappeared into the crowd. ¡°Where were you headed?¡± Heretia had chased after him. She expected Juan to come towards her after the dance had ended and yet, he had headed off in a completely different direction. Juan shook his head as he briefly glanced where Anya had disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Moments after, a man approached Heretia and Juan. He was a young man with cheeks bright red, looking already drunk. He glared furiously at Juan as their eyes met. ¡°What are you looking at, kid.¡± ¡°Kelmory kyung, can I help you?¡± Heretia quickly got between them before Juan had the chance to respond. Instead of replying, the young man called Kelmory looked at her then turned his head as he snorted. Juan¡¯s eyebrows twitched at his rude attitude. ¡°Earl Hannbon¡¯s daughter¡¯s fiance.¡± Heretia quickly whispered. Juan instantly could figure out what was going through his head. The organiser of this banquet was Earl Hannbon and it was right to say his daughter and her fiance were the protagonists of this banquet. And yet, Kelmory who was supposed to receive all the participants¡¯ interests, had it stolen by some kid who had rolled in from god knows where. And furthermore, his fiance¡¯s interest as well. And to top it all off, the kid¡¯s master was a noble of high standing that he couldn¡¯t look to compare himself to. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t just mindlessly let out his anger on him. ¡®A big pitiful blob with an inferiority complex.¡¯ That was the quick description Juan had got of him. ¡°Hmmpf! A barbaric child acting like he¡¯s all civilised¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kelmory kyung, if you have something to say to my servant, say it to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing my lady. I was just thinking, bringing along a barbaric child along to a banquet would degrade your name and the banquet.¡± ¡°Oh, I never thought of it that way. Thanks for your concern. I¡¯ll happily pass on your concerning words to Lady Elemoore and Lady Linde. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be pleased to know how their servant is being treated and perceived by Kelmory kyung.¡± Kelmory¡¯s face turned sour. He knew the names that Heretia had mentioned. Like Heretia, they both had black haired servants and their families had powerful influences over Earl Hannbon¡¯s family. If Heretia actually passed on the word, Kelmory would likely end up having to bow and apologise. Of course, Heretia had no intention of doing this. She didn¡¯t want to make things difficult on Earl Hannbon when she was planning to strike a deal with him later on. But Kelmory didn¡¯t know this. So he had to back off. As he pulled back, his ego didn¡¯t allow him to back off without saying anything back. ¡°Hiding underneath a Lady¡¯s skirt¡­..Tsk. Does he even fit inside the skirt? Seeing as you brought him to the banquet, I suppose he entertains you well from underneath the table?¡± As a skilled politician, Heretia¡¯s smile never left her face, even in the face of such disturbing remarks. Upon seeing that Heretia wasn¡¯t agitated by this at all, Kelmory grumbled as he turned around. ¡°Disgusting apostate family. Having only survived by licking the Pope¡¯s butt¡­..They should have eliminated every single one of you.¡± Juan moved first before Heretia¡¯s lips could part in reply. Juan kicked Kelmory¡¯s calves, who was backing off. Suddenly losing his balance, Kelmory split his wine over his face as he fell on the floor. Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the sound of the wine glass shattering out loud. Having received such unexpected attention, Kelmory¡¯s face reddened to the colour of his split wine. ¡°Wha, what¡­..¡± Kelmory looked at the small child standing in front of him. Juan was looking down at him with a cool expression. Juan pulled off his white glove that he was wearing and chucked it at Kelmory¡¯s face. Chul-suk! The glove was thrown so hard that Kelmory¡¯s face had almost turned the other way. Juan chucked the other remaining glove as well. ¡°Times have changed but you insolents bastards always stay the same, huh.¡± ¡°You, what¡­ Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Lets duel. Trash. No servant is going to stand and do nothing while their master¡¯s name is tarnished.¡± Kelmory looked at Juan, unable to comprehend what was happening. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation. While the entire banquet fell into a silence, Heretia quickly came over and whispered. ¡°Juan, it¡¯s been 40 years since we requested for duels that way. This bastard won¡¯t even know that was the tradition in the past. If you want to fight in an honorable duel, you need to file a claim suit to the church. A duel only happens once the church approves the claim suit and they send a priest to overlook the fight.¡± ¡°What? Then how on earth does a lady reclaim her tarnished honor?¡± ¡°For now, beating him half to death.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Juan understood very well. He swung his fist at Kelmory who was still looking on dazely at the situation. CH 44 Chapter 44 Indeterminate polyhedron(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°I thought things would have gotten simpler than in the past¡­..¡± Heretia was glaring at Juan. Juan was wiping the blood off his hand with Heretia¡¯s handkerchief. With his nose broken, Kelmory was spouting death threats at Juan. But no one was taking his threats seriously, when he was wrapped in a bandage, covered in blood. ¡°Don¡¯t suddenly act like you don¡¯t understand. I know you beat him half to death on purpose.¡± Juan avoided Heretia¡¯s gaze and acted innocent. While Heretia implied what¡¯s done is done, Juan acted like he knew what she was really getting at. ¡°At this rate, a duel would be unavoidable.¡± ¡°Thought you said no to a duel?¡± ¡°Legal duels yes. However, with the opponent¡¯s consent, you can still agree to a light duel. Only difference is when one person comes out critically injured or dead, you won¡¯t be protected by the law. It will be considered an assault or they¡¯ll brand you as a criminal.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a brawl.¡± ¡°Nowadays, you call that a duel¡­¡­ I really can¡¯t understand you. Somedays you seem like you¡¯re from the capital and yet other days, I feel like you¡¯re a dimwitted outsider that doesn¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s as if you¡¯ve come from the past when the empire was still ruled by the emperor.¡± Heretia grumbled. By now, they¡¯d finished patching up Kelmory. Cloth was wrapped around his face held on with bandages. It was an unsightly view. The cloth was stained in deep red. Still angry at what transpired previously, he ordered his servant to bring him his sword. ¡°He was humiliated by a servant in front of a crowd¡­his reaction is only natural. Actually I think this is for the best.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Juan looked at Heretia with a puzzled look. ¡°Go easy on him. Try to drag the fight on for as long as possible. Everyone¡¯s attention will be focused here so in the meantime, I¡¯ll go do my business with Earl Hannbon.¡± Heretia looked at Juan and asked. ¡°Kelmory is a well trained knight. You sure about this?¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know. Thought you said, there wasn¡¯t going to be any danger.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re most to blame for creating this situation in the first place, but if you don¡¯t want to fight, I¡¯ll try to negotiate.¡± ¡°It was a joke¡­. Don¡¯t negotiate.¡± ¡°Thought as much. Oh and by the way, don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Hmm. A difficult ask.¡± Kelmory was walking up to Juan with a fuming look. The sword in his hand was thin and elegantly decorated, but the blade looked razor sharp nevertheless. In comparison, Juan held up his blunt looking sword. It felt as if it would shatter the moment it clashed with another sword. ¡°Duel? Did you say duel? Alright, you little prick. Looks like you¡¯ve only fought beasts growing up in the barbaric lands, I¡¯ll show you what a duel looks like. Get your ass out here now!¡± Kelmory directed his bloodshot eyes to Heretia and also shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can convince him otherwise Mrs! Anyways, this will be less painful than if I accused his sin to the local priest!¡± Without waiting for Heretia¡¯s reply, Kelmory immediately stormed off to the garden. Juan simpered and followed behind. He could see Heretia waving her hand when he looked back. Then without a beat, she turned and headed off. ¡®Feels a little strange.¡¯ Juan noticed Hannbon¡¯s daughters face among the crowd that he was surrounded by. Heretia opened her eyes wide. A couple of Hugin knights entering and exiting the city wasn¡¯t a big deal. But Lars Raude was different. One of the six apostates that led the assasination of the emperor. Upon discovering his location, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say, all of the nearby soldiers would be deployed. More than anyone, Lars was stealthy in his movements. After his failed assansination attempt on Vares Valte, no one knew if he was still alive or dead. Seeing Heretia¡¯s expression, Hannbon laughed out loud and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just assumptions. The White crow knights aren¡¯t sure yet either. When are they never not suspicious of anything¡­. There¡¯re more places to hide outside than in this city, so if they were sure that Lars was here, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d ask for my permission before acting. They¡¯d simply attack, thinking that the innocent can take care of themselves and avoid danger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­..a relief.¡± ¡°If this city falls, there are too many people in the capital that would be in a conundrum.¡± Hannbon gave a naked laugh. Heretia thought this was enough side chatter, it was time to talk about her real business. ¡°Then should we get down to business? I prefer talking about business rather than staying on the topic of Paladins and apostates.¡± ¡°Agreed. To be honest I didn¡¯t know the Helwin family would be interested in business in Hiveden. I thought the Helwin family was more stubborn about their ways. However, I realised after seeing the child that you brought along. That the prominent people at the capital are starting to act. I¡¯ve noticed the effort that was put in.¡± ¡°Yeah. Slaves are basically worth bars of gold.¡± Heretia gave a wide smile. Hannon appeared to like the analogy Heretia used. ¡°Right. Gold that increases in value after leaving them to grow on their own. It¡¯s a shame that it¡¯s only limited to demi-humans, so instead I¡¯m planning to have my operations just in the south, then I can think about decreasing the constraints of the type of slaves I can have. Over here, slaves are a friendly existence but that might not be the case down south¡­.. That¡¯s why the acquired item is all the more important.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the indeterminate polyhedron right?¡± Heretia asked to confirm. While looking at her dazely, Earl Hannbon tapped the ashes off his pipe. ¡°Again, I¡¯m amazed at the Helwin family¡¯s information network. I don¡¯t know how you found out, but yes, you¡¯re correct. Me and my Hiveden colleagues were planning to deliver it to Bishop Rieto. If the Helwin family helps, the safety and delivery of the item will be even more secure. Ah, but don¡¯t go discussing this with anyone else. Some of my colleagues would oppose the share of profit being split even more.¡± ¡°Right. Certainly an honorable act.¡± Heretia gave him a big smile then relayed out her thoughts in her head. ¡°However, what I¡¯m offering you is something different. Why don¡¯t you hand the indeterminate polyhedron over to me.¡± The smile on Earl Hannbon¡¯s face disappeared. He nibbled on his pipe and silently stared at Heretia. Heretia was also not smiling anymore. Hannbon chewed on the end of this pipe. ¡°Mrs Helwin, as I¡¯ve explained, this item is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is going to Bishop Rieto, yeah.¡± ¡°Yes, who was not the previous owner of the item but the owner before the previous owner. I won¡¯t ask why you need this. But I assume, if you already know how much Bishop Rieto covet this item, then you already know I cannot accept Mrs Helwin¡¯s offer. Please don¡¯t tell me you want it, just because it¡¯s pretty right¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe~.¡± ¡°If Helwin¡¯s young family head was someone that was squandering her family¡¯s fortune on chasing after pretty crystals, then I wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to give it up for free. I¡¯ll give you a reasonable compensation.¡± ¡°Enough to warrant Bishop Rieto¡¯s wrath and lose out on expanding my slavery business? Even the Helwin family¡¯s entire fortune wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°But instead I can introduce you to a new business, that would at the very least sustain your current wealth. Naturally, you would be giving up on slavery business. By the way, I personally think your business ventures are very distasteful. The fact that you¡¯ll mobilize the empire¡¯s army to make it work¡­. If you don¡¯t accept my offer, I have a plan in mind so that you¡¯ll lose all your wealth that you¡¯ve accumulated.¡± Hannbon glared at Heretia. ¡°And you think the Illde family will just stand and let it happen?¡± ¡°You really think I care about those merchant swines? As I¡¯ve said, Simply, hand over the indeterminate polyhedron. This in an opportunity to clean your hands from illegal business trade and join a collaborative business venture with us. Doesn¡¯t it sound good? Or you can choose to go under with your current business partners.¡± ¡°What makes you think your family has the power to do this?¡± ¡°What makes you think we can¡¯t?¡± Heretia crossed her arms and smiled coldly. Hannbon felt a sweat dripping down his back. The Helwin family wasn¡¯t powerful as they once were back when the empire was founded. However, their royal status in their own region and the stake they earned by contributing to the empire¡¯s foundation was not something that was taken lightly. Furthermore, they had even somehow survived after expelling one of the six apostates in their family, Hamon Helwin. It crossed his mind that Heretia¡¯s words may not be a bluff. Especially if she really was this young family head that everyone claimed to be a reincarnation of Hamon. ¡°¡­¡­.Shit.¡± Seeing Hannbon curse out, Heretia knew it was only a matter of time till he agree to her proposal. Hannbon with a distorted face opened his mouth to say something. And at that moment, they suddenly heard a sound of glass shattering. ¡°Intruder!¡± It was towards the office. Hannbon¡¯s expression paled. Over where the glass was shattered, a slender shadow was running away while holding onto something tight. Size of a trophy, the item glowed purple being reflected in moonlight. Hannbon screamed in despair. ¡°The bastard has the indeterminate polyhedron! Chase after him!¡± Heretia¡¯s mind started to go dizzy seeing everything turn sour, when it had been going according to plan. Who in the midst of all this would steal the indeterminate polyhedron? The fact Hannbon had it, was information that even Heretia had just recently heard about. She rushed back towards the corridor after realizing that she couldn¡¯t just stand here dazely. In that instant, someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Hannbon¡¯s distorted face showed a clear sign of anger. Heretia couldn¡¯t understand his expression. ¡°What is the meaning of this!? Earl Hannbon?¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me that was a coincidence? A thief stole it, the moment you demanded the indeterminate polyhedron. I¡¯ll track the thief down. You on the other hand will need to prove your innocence.¡± CH 45 Chapter 45 Indeterminate polyhedron(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The fight seemed more difficult than anticipated. It wasn¡¯t because Kelmory was skilled, but rather Juan was having a difficult time, trying to make Kelmory¡¯s attacks look close to hitting. While Kelmory¡¯s sword could be described as for decoration purposes, it still looked as if it could kill if stabbed with authority. Juan¡¯s on the other hand was literally for ornament use. Of course these factors didn¡¯t matter in the grand scheme of the fight as Juan didn¡¯t even have to lift his sword. ¡°Ooooh! That was close!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t watch more of this.¡± Shrieks and gasps cried out every time Kelmory¡¯s sword scraped past Juan. In their eyes, it looked as if Juan was outmatched, focusing only on dodging. Kelmory was fuming to the top of his head. He wanted to grab the bastard and shed blood, but Juan kept running away like a scared mouse. ¡°Does this bastard know only how to dodge!¡± Juan stopped and bent his waist, ramming himself into Kelmory. Kelmory, who had been attacking this whole time, fell over at Juan¡¯s unexpected movement. A laughter erupted from the crowd, seeing Kelmory fall over in an amusing way. Their interpretation was that Juan had bent over in fear, and Kelmory had tripped over him unexpectedly. Kelmory¡¯s face turned red then almost white. His eyes noticed his fiance with her hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. He gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Long time had passed since he was thinking about repercussions. At worst, he would need to pay back a standard price of a slave, back to the owner. Juan sighed seeing Kelmory¡¯s agitated face. If he knew anything about fights, the first punch would have let him know, it was foolish to continue this fight. Considering he was a trained knight, his skills were disappointing. ¡®Lucky that there¡¯s no one in the crowd that knows anything about swordsmanship huh.¡¯ As he turned his head thinking this, Juan focused onto a particular individual. A large man wearing thick armor and a sword. He wasn¡¯t a guard. The man who¡¯d just come out from the building, looked towards the garden with a curious set of eyes. Juan felt a bit of his own mana in him. ¡®Paladin.¡¯ He saw a mark of a White crow. Then at that moment, Kelmory¡¯s sword grazed past Juan¡¯s face. With his attention fixated on the Paladin, Juan wasn¡¯t able to react on time. A few strands of Juan¡¯s hair was cut, and Kelmory smiled as if he¡¯d just beheaded him. ¡°Hah! Running out of steam, are we.¡± Juan felt sorry for Kelmory who appeared to be happy after cutting a few strands of Juan¡¯s hair. Juan whistepred. ¡°You should¡¯ve aimed for my throat.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juan didn¡¯t reply. Kelmory again swung his sword at Juan. Instantly, the relaxed expression on Juan¡¯s face disappeared and he rolled to the ground, dodging Kelmory¡¯s strike. For more, He would be lying on a bed at least for a couple of months. Juan hid himself into the crowd. Ethan tried looking for him but couldn¡¯t find him. Juan didn¡¯t want to make things complicated for Heretia by getting involved with a Paladin. Soon after, several knights smashed through the door and rushed in. The knights looked around with fierce looks. ¡°Where¡¯s that kid that was with Lady Helwin?¡± As soon as he heard this, Juan knew that things weren¡¯t going to plan. Hearing the knights, everyone looked around for Juan, but it was already long past since Juan had squeezed past the crowd and left the area. The moment he had no one around him, Juan used blink to get onto the second floor. ¡®Need to find Heretia.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any of the guards and servants, as they had made their way down to the first floor. Juan closed his eyes and concentrated his sense to cover a wider area. Finding Heretia was not easy, as there were alot of people with similar feel. But eventually he sensed two people inside the room across him. One of them was a woman. Juan quickly rushed over. Instead of going through the main door, he used the terrace. Beyond a glass window, he recognised two figures. Heretia and Hannbon. It looked like Heretia was still in talks, so instead of barging in, Juan decided to listen in to their conversation. ¡°Confining the Helwin family¡¯s head just because of your speculation. As I thought, you don¡¯t seem to be afraid of the consequences.¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know about that. Request for the indeterminate polyhedron through a deal but revert to extortion if talks don¡¯t go smoothly¡­.. Isn¡¯t this your plan? I¡¯ve just heard from a knight below that your cute servant is missing. Don¡¯t tell me this is all coincidence?¡± Heretia¡¯s eyes shook at hearing that Juan had disappeared. The silhouette of the thief that took the indeterminate polyhedron didn¡¯t seem liek Juan, but she wasn¡¯t certain as it was dark. Heretia showed no sign of agitation and looked squarely up at Hannbon. ¡°It¡¯s simply a coincidence. Instead of threatening a young lady, shouldn¡¯t you be threatening your servants who couldn¡¯t fulfill their duty? It would make more sense to send out more servants to search rather than use them for confinement.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand your situation here. I¡¯ve already sent out plenty of servants to search and the guards have been alerted as well. Soon, not a single bastard will be able to leave Hiveden.¡± If that is the case Heretia was about to ask, why are you doing this, but then realised. Hannbon wanted to have insurance. In the case where he wouldn¡¯t be able to retrieve his stolen Indeterminate polyhedron, then he would get Heretia to fulfill her end of the proposal. Basically forcing her to accept that the thief was her accomplice. For more, ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± Hannbon knees dropped to the floor at Juan¡¯s sudden appearance. He realised it¡¯s the same kid that he saw on the first floor, but his aura was completely different. Hannbon was distraught at his violent energy that compassed the room. Heretia pointed at Hannbon. ¡°He tried to knife me. Skin him.¡± ¡°Ah, no no no! HUK!¡± The moment Juan took out his dagger, Hannbon made a weird noise and toppled to the floor clutching his chest. For a brief moment, his body shuddered and then it stopped. Juan looked down at him, unable to comprehend what had happened. He murmured something. ¡°Heart Attack.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I did hear he had some heart problems.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t hide his dejected emotion. While he was intending to kill, he didn¡¯t expect that he would die in such absurd fashion. ¡°He wasn¡¯t even worth getting your knife dirtied. All is well.¡± ¡°Pity. I¡¯m not someone that¡¯s picky about who I use my dagger on. But¡­.there wouldn¡¯t be any point in cutting up a corpse¡­.. Anyways, how did you know that I was just outside?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Heretia shrugged her shoulders and replied. ¡°Even now, my heart is beating hard. Our family has a knack of being skilled in bluffing, lying and trickery.¡± ¡°Your ancestors would be really proud.¡± Heretia dragged the dead Hannbon out to the corridor. The mansion was silent as the guards had left to join the search. The banquet appeared to have ended. Heretia and Juan quickly fled the area before they could be seen. ¡°Did you get the item you wanted? I believe you called it, indeterminate polyhedron.¡± ¡°Someone else got to it before me.¡± ¡°Someone else?¡± Heretia glanced at Juan and replied in a spiteful manner. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but i think it¡¯s the Hugin knights. I¡¯ll have to look for their trace.¡± CH 46 Chapter 46 Indeterminate polyhedron(5) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae As the mood around the mansion turned sour, Ethan grabbed a passing guard and asked. ¡°Hey you, what¡¯s going on? Has something been stolen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about sir. I better get going¡­.¡± As the guard attempted to leave, Ethan grabbed his collar and threw him into the air. The guard smashed into a wall back first, leaving him gasping for breath. Surprised, the surrounding guards moved in, but after seeing the White crow mark on his cape, they stopped. The guard who was thrown into the wall, was late to realise Ethan¡¯s identity. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. What is going on?¡± Ethan calmly asked. The guard momentarily hesitated but then spoke. ¡°Han, Earl Hannbon¡¯s coveted item has been stolen. We were tracking the culprits movement, and its highly likely the culprit had help, so¡­..¡± ¡°The stolen item is?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know for sure. I heard it¡¯s some kind of crystal or jewel.¡± Crystal. Ethan made a face as he turned around. His vice officer, who¡¯d also joined in and was holding up a guard by the neck, dropped him and went to Ethan¡¯s side. ¡°What are you thinking of, Commander?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an item that Earl Hannbon was going to give to Bishop Rieto. I don¡¯t know the exact details but it¡¯s likely related to what¡¯s happened just now. Bishop Rieto isn¡¯t one to covet crystals¡­¡­.So I have an idea what it could be.¡± Indeterminate polyhedron. It was a crystal that made the holder of the item cursed, but was a coveted item nonetheless. The curse part wasn¡¯t something proven, but it was a known fact that the item was able to absorb dark power. ¡°This might put our plans on hold¡­. But, I think it¡¯s best we help the guards for now. If we¡¯re the ones to retrieve it, we can use it as leverage over Earl Hannbon.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll form a search team with the knights that have already entered the city. Are you going to lead the team, commander?¡± ¡°No. Better to split up. Move in groups of three. I¡¯ll search by myself.¡± The vice officer went out and relayed the command to the other knights, while Ethan decided to take a look around the mansion before getting on his horse. The possibility of them still close by was high. He thought about the fact, these small incidents could also be related with the Hugin knights considering the timing of these events. ¡®I¡¯m becoming what I¡¯ve always feared. Obsessed with catching them.¡¯ It was a bitter feeling but it was all the more reason for him to capture the Hugin knights. The White crow knights would never be free from their duty without their destruction. The area around the mansion was a lot quieter than he¡¯d expected. Everyone assumed the thief would have gotten far away and the search parameter was immediately set far and wide. The result was completely unexpected. He¡¯d managed to block Ethan¡¯s attack but his heavy strike flung Juan¡¯s body back into the air. Having been flung up, naturally Juan was put in a dangerous position for Ethan to attack. Ethan thrusted his sword at the falling Juan. Juan tried to make a defensive stance with his dagger but in an unstable situation, it was likely Juan wouldn¡¯t be able to block the attack. Right before the attack would land on his body, Juan suddenly disappeared. Ethan quickly swung his sword behind him to stop Juan¡¯s dagger. It was an instinctive reaction from Ethan. Sweat rolled down Ethan¡¯s back. It felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend again a second time. ¡°What the¡­.?¡± For more, After escaping from Ethan, Juan and Heretia were running along a waterfront. The bottom of Heretia¡¯s dress was already dirtied, but she didn¡¯t care one bit. Looking back over her shoulders once every while, she was more concerned that no one was chasing after them. ¡°Stop.¡± After running for a while, Juan stopped in front of a giant sewage entrance. An out of breath Heretia asked Juan. ¡°Ha-ah, ha-ah. Just now, was that an undead we just saw?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen one.¡± ¡°Why did it help us?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Juan answered as he drew out his dagger, staring towards the sewage entrance. ¡°Their hatred towards Paladins, overweighs any emotions towards us.¡± Chul-puk, chul-puk. Hearing a silhouette lightly step closer towards them, Heretia¡¯s expression turned pale. Draped in a black fog type cloak, rusted armor, shield and holding a big sword, a knight was approaching them. Inside its helmet, a pair of blue flames burned in its eye socket. ¡°An undead knight¡­¡­.¡± Heretia moaned a murmur. ¡°Ju, Juan. It¡¯s an undead knight. You know what that is!?¡± ¡°Yes I know. Why are you so afraid. This is unlike you. Are you scared of ghosts?¡± ¡°Something that you can¡¯t reason with should always be feared! Lies don¡¯t even work against it! Those bastards are so powerful they have the strength to go up against a Paladin one on one! I mean, at least Paladins will die if they¡¯re stabbed, undead knights won¡¯t even die until you find the summoner! Even one of them has the potential to endanger a city¡­..why would one be here¡­..¡± Whispering while she held onto Juan¡¯s arms, Heretia soon found herself unable to speak. Beyond the sewer, the number of flickering blue flames increased. One, two, the number stopped at 16 pairs of blue eyes. Heretia¡¯s teeth started to chatter. Sixteen undead knights would be enough to easily conqueror a small to medium sized city. Conquering Hiveden would be nothing short of a walk in the park. Heretia¡¯s mind recalled a group that currently had Hiveden in their palms. ¡°Juan, I¡¯m thinking they¡¯re¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. Hugin knights. A bit different to how I last remembered them though.¡± The undead knight¡¯s armor, although it was rusted and stained, it clearly showed a mark of a raven. CH 47 Chapter 47 Ravens(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Since when could the Hugin knights summon the undead?¡± Juan asked in his normal tone, while looking at an undead knight in front of his eyes. Only Heretia looked nervous as she continued biting her nails. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­. The rumours were true. But why now¡­¡­¡± ¡°Rumours?¡± ¡°Those undead knights were once part of their order. The Hugin knights are well known for retrieving the bodies of their fallen knights. Some ridiculed them and said they were acting like Ravens, their emblem. But others said the purpose behind it was to summon them back as the undead. If they¡¯d managed to bring all of them back as an undead knight then¡­¡­.¡± There was only a single undead knight that they could see for now, but they could feel the many presence in the darkness in front of them. Juan continued to stay dead still and stare across at the undead knight. From his memory, the Hugin knights was a group that acted secretive but never treacherous. Although their enemies would¡¯ve thought differently. And recalling the events surrounding Lars Laude, it was hard to imagine a world where he would join forces with those, he once condemned. Especially if it meant to be associated with summoning. ¡°Talented knights, even if they were dead are good subjects to bring back as the undead¡­.. Also considering the fact, they once fought alongside the emperor, you really can¡¯t find anyone better. Knights of the emperor that can fight through death¡­..¡± Heretia showed a scared expression. Seeing this, Juan made a step forward, putting himself in front. In response, the undead knight moved as well. It looked as if Heretia wanted to grab Juan and immediately get the hell out of here, but it felt like she was frozen in place due to the atmosphere around them being so tense. Juan stepped onto the sewage floor and moved forward. The undead knight matched him. The gap between them closed. The two stopped just before they were about to knock into each other. The dead knight looked down at him with empty, lifeless eyes. Juan could feel a chill emanating from it, that could freeze upon touch. ¡°Lars Laude was an offering to the god of death, Nigrato.¡± Juan whispered to the undead knight. ¡°He was buried alive and only survived by eating those that were buried with him. I was the one that discovered and helped him escape from his grave. And afterwards, I led a knight order to the desert in the southern lands and slaughtered Nigrato¡¯s fanatics and followers. I¡¯ve never seen an undead ever since.¡± The knight of death didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Where have you come from?¡± A dagger was brought out in lighting speed. The knight of death lifted its sword and parried Juan¡¯s attack. The knight of death was able to move on par with Juan. Faster than Juan had expected. As Juan backed off to create space between them, he checked if there were any other undead knights. He felt multiple presences beyond the dark, but wasn¡¯t sure. Juan clicked his tongue. The Hugin knights were very adept in concealment and it appeared this trait was kept when they¡¯d been brought back as the undead. The knight of death swung its sword as if it was testing Juan¡¯s abilities. Everytime it swung, a cold air swept over Juan, making him flinch. Crossing blades was enough to be tainted with the repulsive energy emanating from it. An average knight would quickly find themself losing their strength just from this. ¡°How mettlesome¡­.¡± Juan sent out some flames towards the repulsive energy that was trying to enter his body. Moments after, smoke came up from his body as if the flames burned through it. Juan saw the undead knight flinch at seeing this unfold. Juan made a light cut on his hand, spreading his blood onto Taltere¡¯s dagger. His dagger lit up in bright red and a flame was set ablaze. Instantly, a bright light enveloped the dark sewer. Seeing the flames, the knight of death opened its mouth and let out a strange scream. Juan lips twitched and murmured. ¡°You were able to escape death once but not again.¡± As Juan swung his dagger, the undead knight quickly used its sword to block the attack. But the moment the dagger clashed with the sword, the sword shattered into pieces. And the pieces started to burn as if it was doused in oil. Like fireworks, the flames dispersed. As Juan began to swing at the unarmed knight of death, once more it let out an eerie scream. A scream so sinister that it made a person insides squirm. Juan stood still, deciding not to move any closer. He then began to increase the heat running through his body. The undead knight couldn¡¯t but help move away from the sudden blast of heat. And then. ¡°Stop this!¡± A female voice was heard from deep inside the sewer. The undead knight hesitated then stopped. As the voice approached, the sound of footsteps splashing the shallow water could be heard. The undead knight sharply stopped the fight by slowly backing away. Its body was quickly consumed by the surrounding darkness. Juan could feel the owner of the voice approach close from beyond the dark where the undead knight disappeared. For more, ¡°Bringing in an outsider here, have you lost your mind! And also, summoning our sunbaes! Lars nim didn¡¯t give you that power for you to abuse it!¡± ¡°Dilmond kyung. The power to relieve and summon our sunbaes rests with me. And plus, no one objected.¡± ¡°And I have the responsibility to uphold our internal discipline and make sure everyone follows regulations! For three months you suddenly disappear from the order then you bring an outsider here? Isn¡¯t this a blatant violation of our disciplinary code?¡± ¡°This childs no ordinary child.¡± Anya replied with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯ll understand once I tell you what he¡¯s done. He destroyed the Golem inside the Gray tower and eliminated an entire knight order by himself. Bringing him in would definitely help us out¡­..¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! I did hear he can control something similar to the emperor¡¯s flames! Meaning he¡¯s something similar to those paladin dogs. If he¡¯s not the church¡¯s dog then, he¡¯s nothing but a thief that¡¯s somehow got hold of the emperor¡¯s power ¡­.¡± Dilmond pointed his finger and Juan and was about to shout at him. But then, he noticed the kid¡¯s hair colour. Dilmond¡¯s mouth sharply shut. After staring at Juan for a few moments, Dilmond asked one of the knights with a confused face. ¡°Hey you. Did you say the child is able to control fire?¡± ¡°Uh, yes. I saw his sword erupting in fire once it touched his blood. And when that sword clashed with a sunbae¡¯s sword, sunbae¡¯s sword broke and disintegrated in flames. Just like what happens with something is enveloped by the emperor¡¯s flame. Dilmon contemplated for a while then opened his mouth. ¡°A black haired child that is able to control the emperor¡¯s flame. I see an important guest has come from far away.¡± ¡°Dilmond?¡± Anya called out to Dilmond with suspicion in her voice as he showed an unexpected reaction. Dilmond shook his head as if he¡¯d shook off some thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He reminded me of someone. Anyways! I still can¡¯t overlook the fact that you violated our rules. At the very least you should have discussed with us before you set off and acted on your own. Even the newbies don¡¯t make these mistakes.¡± ¡°Dilmond Debussy.¡± Juan suddenly opened his mouth. Dilmond looked down at him with a surprised look. Juan smiled and continued talking. ¡°Wasn¡¯t a face that I saw too often, so it took some time to remember. If my memory is correct, at the time you were but a newbie that just entered the Hugin knight order¡­.I see that you¡¯ve climbed up enough to be shouting at commanders. Sunbaes must¡¯ve not taught you properly.¡± ¡°How does this kid know my surname¡­.¡± ¡°Who was it that was above you¡­¡­I think it was Farel, no? There is a saying that a student receives the traits of the commanding officer above. You must¡¯ve served underneath him for a long time. Even your beard looks similar to his. Although Farel¡¯s was black.¡± ¡°Uh, you, what, huh¡­..?¡± ¡°You on the same level as Farel? If you¡¯re half as skilled as Farel was, that would be an achievement. The way he swung his axe around on the battlefield was a sight to behold. Especially when he¡¯d swing his axe at the enemy while having one stuck on the end of it, his enemies would all run away in fear. He was simply the best to place in the forward lines. Although, it would have suited him more to be part of the Surtur knights than the Hugin knights.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Curious at what happened with him. It would be pleasant if I got to see him again.¡± Dilmond stayed silent and looked down at Juan for a long time. Juan returned his look and waited for a reply. Unable to stay silent any longer, Dilmond¡¯s lips slowly parted. ¡°Farel kyung¡­..passed away on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Expected. It looked as if he wasn¡¯t the type that would die of old age¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. He didn¡¯t take care of his body. In the Laus ranges, he fought against the church¡¯s dogs, and fell while dragging two of them with him. We looked for the body but never found it. Regrettably, one of the few sunbae¡¯s that we lost forever.¡± ¡°Sounds like he met his end just the way he wanted, that wild pig.¡± ¡°I think so too. He¡¯ll probably still be fighting in hell, not realising that he¡¯d died.¡± Dilmond looked down at Juan and then slowly backed off. Anya, Heretia and everyone else was looking at the two of them, listening in on their conversation as if they were bewitched. CH 48 Chapter 48 Ravens(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Dilmond spoke to Anya. ¡°Annabelle. Your reasoning for getting involved is this child?¡± Anya slightly hesitated then nodded her head. ¡°Considering Lars¡¯s nim current state and how the southern region is being carefully monitored by the church at the moment¡­¡­.in truth I was the one who went against your actions the most.¡± ¡°Dilmond kyung, I¡¯m¡­..¡± ¡°I still cannot wholly agree with your decision. But now, I can understand why you did it.¡± Anya was wearing mixed expressions. Both she and Juan chose to stay silent. Diamond stretched out his hand and motioned towards the path. ¡°Lars nim is currently sleeping. You won¡¯t get a chance to talk today so it would be best if you meet him tomorrow. We¡¯ll stay above and keep an eye out on the white crow knights.¡± Anya nodded her head then took Juan and Heretia to the hidden hideout down in the dungeon. Dilmond watched on until their backs disappeared. One of the knights beside him asked. ¡°That child, do you know him sir?¡± ¡°No. First time seeing him.¡± ¡°Then why¡­.?¡± ¡°Because for a second, he reminded me of the emperor. His majesty was also black haired and used a flaming sword. I thought I had forgotten with time, but the way the kid talked made me remember that the emperor talked just like him as well. He didn¡¯t care for formalities when he was with his brothers.¡° ¡°Sir? Isn¡¯t it well known that the emperor¡¯s hair is bright golden like the colour of the sun?¡± One of the knights asked in confusion. Dilmond made a face as he turned and looked at the knight. ¡°A misinterpretation of the majesty¡¯s description. It¡¯s one of the aftermath of the church trying to fabricate him as some divinity. Maybe it sounded better if his appearance was described that way. They also had to consider that every black haired folks had come from beyond the borders¡­¡­..But yes, the truth was he was black haired.¡± ¡°Then what could be that kid¡¯s identity¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Dilmond wore a complex expression. ¡°A new southerly breeze is about to blow through the empire. Whether that wind is going to bring hope or misfortune, no one knows.¡± ***** ¡°Hey, Juan?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can I ask what that conversation was about?¡± Anya trotted up beside him after contemplating. As he turned around, he saw Heretia was also looking at him with curiosity on her face. Juan, who considered answering truthfully, recalled Sina Solbein¡¯s face. Even though Juan showed her enough proof that he was the emperor, she¡¯d never admitted it till the end. Saying, his return as the emperor was crushing the hopes of many throughout the empire. Juan didn¡¯t want his light reply to create the same saga he had with Sina. ¡°I was just a little happy that I met someone I knew in the past.¡± To be honest, he¡¯d only met him once in the past, but he was still happy to see someone he¡¯d encountered before. Maybe he met him at a formal address or a consecration but Juan couldn¡¯t remember him from his memory. Juan made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to talk about this any further. Anya looked as if she had many more questions but didn¡¯t pry further. More than anyone else, he was a child that loved the feeling of sunlight. So it was hard to believe currently that child was staying in a place of darkness. ¡°Juan, meet Lars Raude nim.¡± Anya spoke from behind. Juan silently gazed on as the door in front began to open. Completely surrounded in darkness, a small ray of light from the ceiling was coming through. The morning ray of sunlight was thin and shallow like a string. The back of someone¡¯s hand stopped the light from reaching the floor. ¡°Lars.¡± The person squatting down, slowly lifted his head. He was wearing a thick auburn robe and a white mask. The sword strapped on his waist moved around making a clanging noise. A smell only found on sickly patients was radiating from him. Clutched In one of his hands was Indeterminate polyhedron. Juan turned and looked at Anya. ¡°Give us some privacy.¡± ¡°What? But¡­..¡± ¡°Please.¡± Anya made a surprised look at Juan¡¯s plea. She never thought of him to be a person who knew how to use the word ¡®please¡¯. Anya looked back and forths at Juan and Lars. Then once Lars started to slowly nod his head, she backed out. Now they were alone, Juan spoke up. ¡°I can still remember when I first met you.¡± A pair of lifeless eyes gazed back at Juan. The eyes beneath the mask didn¡¯t show any light, spirit but only darkness. ¡°It was at the god of death¡¯s temple, Nigrato. Nigrato had already suicided once to empower his strength. And his followers repeatedly offered children to him as sacrifice.¡± Taltere enjoyed madness while Nigrato enjoyed a slow death. Someone who indulged the skulls of the dead. This was natural as the desert was his home. ¡°You were brought as an offering. Then buried alive at Nigrato¡¯s dungeon altar. God knows what thoughts would have passed through your head while you were down that eternal darkness. But you fought back, choosing to live rather than become Nigrato¡¯s prey by eating the others and licking puddles of urine.¡± He saw Lars drop the Indeterminate polyhedron fall from his grasp. His white bony fingers were shaking. Juan continued his talk. ¡°I brought the temple down and dragged you out. But not once have I thought that I saved you. You saved yourself. Your heart was too strong for someone like Nigrato to engulf.¡± Lars had already half stood up. Between the ripped areas on his robe, white bones could be seen beneath. Seeing rotten spots on his bones, Juan¡¯s throat tightened. ¡°You were never the one to talk a lot. Compared with your siblings, you had a much smaller body and your eyes weren¡¯t good either. Likely because you¡¯d been in darkness for so long. The others liked to swing swords but you preferred books. The others made fun of you for your gloomy personality, but more than anyone else you liked that spot inside the library, where a ray of sunlight shined brightly.¡± Before he knew, Lars was already walking towards Juan. Lars¡¯s height was almost 2 metres, but his footsteps were extremely quiet. ¡°You were more knowledgeable than anyone else. Your understanding of magic was exceptional. I know you may think I didn¡¯t get to know you or the time we shared was too short for me to remember anything but¡­¡­there are some things that can¡¯t be forgotten. The concentration on your face everytime I taught you new magic, the expression you had when you figured out how to create light in darkness is something that I¡¯ll never forget. Lars.¡± Lars got on his knees. Even on his knees, Lars was a full head taller than Juan due to his tall stature. Lars bent further down as if to not allow even the slightest bit of him to be higher than Juan. His shoulders lightly shook. He slowly raised his hands and placed them on Juan¡¯s face. Juan decided to let him do what he wanted. Lars¡¯s hand was cold and hard. Juan slowly extended his hand and placed it on Lars¡¯s mask. ¡°Lars. My son.¡± Lars froze up. But he couldn¡¯t refuse Juan.. Juan slowly took the mask off. Behind the mask, a white human skull was revealed. His youngest son had become a dead man. [Father.] Lars buried his head at Juan¡¯s feet and began to sob. His face that had lost every bit of skin wasn¡¯t able to produce any tears. CH 49 Chapter 49 Ravens(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae [Why did you¡­¡­Why have you returned so late, your majesty.] His voice that was composed from magic, echoed in a low voice, that irritated the hearer. But listening to this voice, Juan felt right at home. Lars lifted his head and with his shaking hands felt around Juan¡¯s face. It appeared Juan¡¯s face didn¡¯t seem familiar to him. Lars soon realised the rudeness of his action as he quickly withdrew his hands. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Not once did you show an irresponsible side in the past. Do what you want.¡± Lars still hesitated aftering this, but slowly he stretched out his hand and gently placed his hand on Juan¡¯s face again. [It¡¯s a weird feeling, your majesty, knowing that you¡¯re smaller than me. Before, you were like the sky, out of reach.] ¡°Even I haven¡¯t yet got used to this face. Anyways. It seems you were able to recognise me from the start. The others wouldn¡¯t believe it even if I would tell them I¡¯m the emperor. Some even refused to, even in the face of overwhelming truth.¡± Lars had no reply. Realising that he couldn¡¯t see Lars¡¯s expression, Juan¡¯s feelings turned bitter. His radiant smile, sheepish grins¡­.. He could do nothing but only let Lars continue to touch his face. ¡°What exactly happened. I heard you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± A traitor. Juan didn¡¯t finish the sentence but thought Lars would likely know what he is talking about. Lars¡¯s hands stopped then shook. Juan felt some rage starting to boil from him. [That¡¯s not the truth, your majesty. The empire is being deceived by the general.] ¡°General? You mean Vares Valte?¡± [Yes. At the time, I sensed a suspicious atmosphere in the empire¡¯s inner circle. From somewhere within a disturbing aura was brewing, its target set on your majesty. I thought it was related to the fissure but¡­..] ¡°Fissure?¡± [1] One of his old enemies that he never got the chance to finish off. Juan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed at hearing the unexpected name. He didn¡¯t expect to hear this name now. Come to think of it, he would¡¯ve guessed that humanity would¡¯ve fallen to the fissure when he¡¯d died, but surprisingly the empire was doing a good job keeping them at bay. [Yes. However, I wasn¡¯t all too sure. When I passed on my troubling fears¡­¡­to my acquaintance, he was also quite concerned. So in the end, we joined forces to look into it more.] ¡°Acquaintance? Who?¡± [It was Dain Dormunt.] Juan¡¯s face suddenly distorted. High magician, Dain Dormunt. He was a teacher and a father to Juan. But then committed an unforgivable crime just after Juan had ascended to the throne. Dain endlessly apologised, but Juan simply couldn¡¯t forgive him with that. His fault wasn¡¯t something that could be reversed back. Anger rose on Juan¡¯s face before slowly subsiding. He understood why Lars had gone to him specifically. ¡°It doesn¡¯t surprise me that you chose to discuss with him. It would be hard to find someone that knew magic as well as he does. He would¡¯ve taught you magic that I refused to teach¡­¡­ Anyways. What did you guys find out?¡± [That Gared Ga-in, your eldest had plans to harm you.] Lars hesitated before replying, as he didn¡¯t even want to mention any of this to Juan. [After finding out, Dain immediately headed to the palace to inform you, while I took the Hugin knights and made my way towards the capital. However, as I was based in the south, it was likely that I would be too late to do anything. So I tried to let Hamon know at least. But¡­¡­..on the way, the capital¡¯s knights stopped us.¡± ¡°Knights from the capital?¡± [Yes. I didn¡¯t have any idea why the knights under the General were trying to stop us. So thinking that it may be a misunderstanding, I tried my best to persuade him. However, I wasn¡¯t able to meet Vares Valte that day. So not wanting to simply backoff, I could only draw my sword.] Then for a moment, Lars went into a silence. Juan had an idea what his silence represented. [For 4 days, night and day the battle commenced. I didn¡¯t like long fights, nor were my knights used to long drawn out battles. Despite that, we gave it our all. But, on the fourth day we received the word that¡­¡­..your majesty had already passed.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.I see.¡± [Later we heard that you didn¡¯t pass but was critically injured. But my knights had lost the will to fight. Additionally, we were branded as traitors. We had lost our emperor and lost the honor that we had fought for you. Unable to hold out, I decided to round up whatever force that remained and hid in the Laus ranges.] Finally, Juan started to understand the picture. He felt that Lars¡¯s words weren¡¯t a lie, but he couldn¡¯t afford to be naive. For more, Juan noticed Lars didn¡¯t mention the last of the six apostles that were rumoured to have caused his assasination, but let it slide. He didn¡¯t want to hear his lover¡¯s name at this moment. ¡°I too find it difficult. Before I came here, I wasn¡¯t sure if you had actually betrayed me or not.¡± [Then, has your majesty really returned? For the empire? To get revenge? Also I¡¯m curious to know how you manage to return. It¡¯s certainly conceivable that your majesty was able to beat death but, it¡¯s been so long¡­..] ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I really don¡¯t know how I managed to return.¡± Juan said truthfully. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure that I¡¯m really back. In many ways, I¡¯m not the same emperor that many have waited for so long. I¡¯ve lost my power and my mind isn¡¯t what it was. An emperor that claims himself as such but nobody acknowledges, is nothing but a blasphemous maniac.¡± [Isn¡¯t that what I am.] Lars replied in a joking tone. Juan put his hand on Lars¡¯s skull that had no traces of his older appearance. Like his outer appearance, Lars seemed different, his mind not like his old self. However, he was glad at least Lars wasn¡¯t one of those that betrayed him. ¡°So. What happened to you to look like this?¡± Lars was jiggling the Indeterminate polyhedron in his palm with his bony fingers. Juan saw the Indeterminate polyhedron absorb bits of the gloomy energy that was radiating from Lars. [¡­¡­¡­After we fled to the Laus ranges, our order held out the enemy while waiting for an opportunity to strike back. The empire was in a state of anger and loss from losing your majesty, and so were we. But even though we were demoralised and outnumbered we were able to fight back evenly. As you already know, our speciality was defensive warfare.] Juan smiled. Juan could imagine enemies pushing deep into Laus mountains, then slowly dying from no water, no food, drying up in virtually a desert like environment. [However it all changed with the introduction of these Paladins. It was as if¡­¡­..they had your majesty¡¯s essence in small doses. They called this ¡®grace¡¯.] To his adopted children and a few select, Juan did give share his power for them to use. That power didn¡¯t make them equal with Juan who had the strength to overcome gods, but it certainly made them transcend over human limits. It seemed this power endured even though he had died. [From then on, slowly we saw more defeats than victories. A lot of knights died. We had to find a way to be on equal grounds with these Paladins that was using your majesty¡¯s power. So¡­¡­that¡¯s when I sought my old connection.] ¡°Nigrato.¡± God of death, who had lost all of his followers and found himself unable to grasp an opportunity to revive. Lars nodded sturdily. [Yes. In the past, my body was used as an offering for him, so I was able to drag out his essence that still remained on his altar. Plus your majesty¡¯s power was with me so I was confident that I could contain him. And so, in the end I was able to absorb his strength and had become an incarnation of death.] Juan lightly sighed. Many made the same mistake Lars did and was made into an offering that fertilised evil. It appeared Lars also knew what he did was a mistake. [However, the more I used his strength, his presence inside me kept growing larger. Soon I found myself hearing Nigrato¡¯s voice more than your majesty¡¯s voice. At some point I lost the confidence to suppress him much longer¡­.. and this was when I decided on an assasination attempt on Vares Valte while I still had some form of consciousness left. I could saw with my own eyes that he was destroying the empire that your majesty had worked hard to establish.] ¡°Right. And then the attempt failed¡­¡­¡± [Yes. After that, I¡¯ve self confined myself to this room so that I wouldn¡¯t use any more power. Except when I¡¯d revive fallen fellow knights of course. You may have seen an undead knight on the way here. They said they would be ashamed to meet the emperor in death when they¡¯d been accused as traitors, so I couldn¡¯t stop myself as I had the same line of thought as them.] ¡°And that Indeterminate polyhedron¡­¡­..?¡± [It¡¯s to suppress Nigrato¡¯s power. Since Annabelle got it for me, Nigrato¡¯s voice has subsided. It¡¯s quite effective.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an item with its origins unknown, Lars. Be Careful not to be overly reliant on it.¡± [Yes of course. But right now, I don¡¯t have many options¡­.. If I was to lose control to him, then I would no longer be me and you¡¯ll be seeing someone entirely different. I¡¯m glad that I got the chance to meet you again while I still have control over myself. I still cannot believe that you¡¯ve returned and I¡¯m seeing this.] Lars went into his pocket and pulled something out. A small box wrapped around silk. If he¡¯d given this ring that held so much importance to none other than Lars, then it was very likely he had suspected something was about to happen. ¡°It¡¯s not an item he would have given so that you¡¯d be branded a traitor.¡± [Why do you think so, your majesty?] ¡°Hamon considered this ring like a smaller version of me. No, maybe in some ways he considered it more important than me. If he had ill intent, then he would¡¯ve hid it somewhere in his quarters. The fact that I died in the north and you were based in the south¡­..I think he was trying to seperate it as much as possible from danger.¡± [Danger?] Juan turned his head towards the north. ¡°The danger that not only the empire but also the imperial palace could fall into the enemy¡¯s hands. And it seems Hamon¡¯s concern was right on mark.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C [1] ¨C Yeah, I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about as well lol¡­¡­ So I had to read ahead. Apparently, there¡¯s a fissure on their northern border that has ¡®dangerous things?¡¯, crawling out¡­¡­I think. CH 50 Chapter 50 Eve of war(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°I see you still haven¡¯t left. Thought you would have run away scared by now.¡± ¡°I figured it¡¯d be best to stay put with all the chaos at the moment.¡± After Juan had met Lars, he went straight to Heretia. Hiveden was still a mess. Word had spread that an item of importance to the Earl had been stolen and he¡¯d died from shock hearing so. And that, in the chaos, the White crow knights were interrogating anyone that deemed suspicious. While this was going on, Heretia with a nonchalant attitude had been waiting at the inn that she had been staying at. Not entirely sure why she felt so confident about everything but her attitude didn¡¯t reflect the fact, she¡¯d encountered the commander of the White crow knights yesterday. ¡°So. Indeterminate polyhedron?¡± Heretia got straight to the point. Juan showed his empty hands. ¡°Can¡¯t give it to you. For now.¡± Before, he wasn¡¯t even sure about Lars¡¯s identity. But now that he knew Lars¡¯s hadn¡¯t betrayed him, he couldn¡¯t make him give up his lifeforce. Heretia bit her lip. ¡°You promised. I¡¯d get the Indeterminate polyhedron and you would get information about the Hugin knights.¡± ¡°But, the Hugin knights came looking for us first. I¡¯m thinking, whether at this point the terms of our promise means anything here¡­.How about if we look at it this way. With your determination, you managed to get the Indeterminate polyhedron and you gave me the information I needed. Then, the Hugin knights came and stole the Indeterminate polyhedron from you. Don¡¯t you think this would¡¯ve been a possibility?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Heretia bit her lips as if she had nothing to say to that. ¡°And plus, the Hugin knights really need the Indeterminate polyhedron at this very moment. Without it, it¡¯s almost certain they wouldn¡¯t be able to function. Nor do I want them to give it up, knowing their situation.¡± ¡°Bloody hell, for several years, the Indeterminate polyhedron had been passed through the hands of rich collectors with bad tastes. Why now of all times¡­..¡± ¡°It happens. What were you going to use it for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important. I need the Indeterminate polyhedron. Without it, everything that i¡¯ve planned won¡¯t work. I would have to delay my plans for at least 10 years.¡± Heretia put her hands on her temples as she sat on the sofa. She too of course knew that things were happening whether she liked it or not. She didn¡¯t want the Hugin knights to fall into danger, nor did she have the power to take the Indeterminate polyhedron from them. The only realistic option would be to give up. ¡°Are you trying to give it to someone as a present? Just like Earl Hannbon was going to? If so, how about this. God of madness, Taltere¡¯s ritual dagger.¡± Juan pulled out the dagger on his waist and placed it on the table. Heretia¡¯s eyes turned big and round. The dagger¡¯s hilt which was covered in silver came into her eyes. Realising, her hands were already involuntarily stretched towards it, she stopped. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Is it real?¡± ¡°Why would I carry around a fake.¡± ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter anyways. I know it¡¯s a valuable item but it¡¯s not what I need.¡± Heretia waived her hand with a regretful expression. A precious treasure was offered before her so she was naturally interested, but it wasn¡¯t what she needed. And it looked as if Juan didn¡¯t have any other weapon other than the dagger. She didn¡¯t want to take that away from him. ¡°Then what about this. Grunvalde¡¯s grey cloak. With mana you can control the fog and with a bit of time and practise, you¡¯ll be able to create fog creatures as well.¡± Juan took off the cape on his shoulders and flung it on the table. An item with a white fog-like feel gently floated down onto the table. Seeing something like this for the first time, the teen and the elderly man were even left surprised. ¡°How on earth did you manage to get something like this¡­..¡± Having realised the item¡¯s worth, Heretia looked stunned. The grey clock¡¯s worth was immeasurable compared to Taltere¡¯s dagger as the cloak was useful against an entire army while the other was only a weapon that aided personal combat. It was commonly accepted that one couldn¡¯t afford to be cheap when it came to war preparation. However, Heretia still shook her head. ¡°Uh, ummmm¡­¡­Juan. I¡¯m not refusing the items you¡¯re offering because I don¡¯t like it. In fact, deep down I know I don¡¯t have the right to receive anything that you¡¯re offering. If it¡¯s something that could help my situation then I would shamefully take it, but it¡¯s not.¡± The teen and the elderly beside Heretia were more sad about the refusal. ¡°I prefer to do things diplomatically, prefering to create the least amount of bloodshed. In that regard, those items wouldn¡¯t be of use.¡± ¡°So you avoid bloodshed completely?¡± ¡°Not completely, as some situations require it. Anyways, have you got any other items that would fit my situation?¡± After a slight hesitation, Juan pulled out another item. The item he had just received from Lars yesterday. Once Juan presented the little box, Heretia opened it with a confused look. A moment of silence followed. Then she kicked the table as she got up. ¡°Juan! This?!¡± ¡°Will that do?¡± ¡°This? You mean this? Do you even know what you just gave to me? This¡­¡­!¡± Before she could say the seal of the emperor, Juan quickly put his hand over her mouth. Wide eyed, Heretia blinked a couple of times in surprise. She realised she had been close to slipping her tongue. Even though currently, she was surrounded by trustworthy people, the item was enough for it to endanger her if word got out. Heretia squeezed it with both hands as a bead of sweat dripped down. Juan stretched out his hand and closed the box. His actions suggested that this item was indeed what she¡¯d thought it was. Action that confirmed its authenticity. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you know what it is. You¡¯ve been taught well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that I see everyday. Though of course, the ones that I see are all fake¡­..¡± Heretia mumbled as she swiped her sweaty forehead. For the first time, she was sweating from excitement rather than fear. ¡°Are, is it really alright to give this to me?¡± ¡°Yeah. As long as it¡¯s enough to help with your plan.¡± ¡°This, enough? With this, I could shorten my schedule down to 1 year, actually no half a year.¡± Heretia looked at Juan with a blissful expression then came back to reality. ¡°But why are you giving me such an item? Even if you didn¡¯t give me anything, I would have to accept that. Of course it¡¯s something that I could definitely use though¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right now, that item isn¡¯t of worth to me. Instead, the fact that I was able to meet my son was more important.¡± ¡°Son?¡± Juan smiled bitterly. It was a hard decision as Lars had done all he could to keep this ring safe for several decades. However, knowing that Hamon likely didn¡¯t betray him, he couldn¡¯t treat one of his descendants coldly. If he thought of it as a trade for Lars¡¯s life, it was worth it. And more, for now it was useless in his hands. The seal didn¡¯t prove that he was the emperor, and he didn¡¯t believe it would give him the authority that he¡¯d lost. Heretia instantly thought what she could do with this seal. She didn¡¯t think too deeply, and yet many options appeared in her head. Of course she couldn¡¯t pretend to be the emperor with the seal. But she could fully utilise its value in other ways. Calculating the ring¡¯s worth in her head, Heretia nodded her head in a serious manner. ¡°Juan, the more I think about it, this isn¡¯t fair.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was enough just then?¡± ¡°No, I mean it¡¯s not fair for you. It¡¯s incomparable. It¡¯s the same thing as buying the bakery because you wanted to eat a single piece of bread. Because we have to leave shortly I won¡¯t be able to help you this time, but if you ever need help from the Helwin family, we will assist you with everything we have in the future.¡± ***** Sina Solbein was trying her best to ignore the pain near her eyelid. However, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from flinching whenever she saw the needle in front of her eyes. The job eventually finished and only then Sina let out a sigh of relief. ¡°All done. It¡¯s a relief that no mistakes were made.¡± The area close to Sina¡¯s left eye, a black tattoo was engraved. The scar left from the arrow and the mark Juan had made was now hidden, covered up underneath the tattoo. Truthfully, Sina didn¡¯t mind whether the scar was left alone but she chose to engrave a tattoo over it after the vice commander Camille strongly recommended. ¡°Would you like to see it in a mirror?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­yes.¡± Having received a mirror, Sina looked into it. As Camille said, ¡®emperor¡¯s dog¡¯ mark was clearly engraved in black ink. Sina felt a little strange. She didn¡¯t know if it was a good thing Juan did by engraving the mark onto her. Amongst several paladins, some rumours started to spread about the mark. To them, they looked at it in a positive light. Even Bishop Rieto. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Sina Solbein.¡± Sina was surprised at suddenly seeing bishop Rieto out in the training ground. His expression was frowning and he turned his head spasmodically every so often as always, but his attitude wasn¡¯t as angry as it was during her doctrine trial. ¡°You seem surprised. I¡¯m on my way to Hiveden for some business. I stopped by to say something to Ethan Ethil, but it seems he¡¯s not around at the moment.¡± ¡°Bishop nim. I apologise for not being able to fulfill my duty.¡± ¡°Thats, that¡¯s alright. I heard the Blue rose knights paid a heavy price for it.¡± Sina¡¯s heart ached as she recalled the faces of her knights and Ausrey. ¡°It happened due to my lack of judgment sir. I¡¯ll take my due punishment.¡± Instead of replying, Bishop Rieto stretched out his hand towards the kneeling Sina. Sina flinched at seeing Bishop Rieto¡¯s hand move towards her left eye but steadied herself. Following along the scar above her left eye, a smile appeared on Bishop Rieto¡¯s lips. ¡°The scar left by your enemy is a mark that represents the highest sign of bravery. If the emperor has given such an ordeal, then I¡¯m sure it means that he¡¯ll use you as one of his pillars for his grand plan.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Sina didn¡¯t reply. In her ears, Juan¡¯s voice that proclaimed himself the emperor still lingered. She couldn¡¯t figure out the reason why Juan engraved the letters that said ¡®emperor¡¯s dog¡¯ on her face. ¡°I heard you were gravely injured from the fight. That it¡¯s difficult to wield a sword with your right arm.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll share some of the grace that I¡¯ve been given by the emperor with you. You¡¯ve earnt the right. I believe the reason for your survival after countless meetings with this agent of darkness is because it is the emperor¡¯s will for you to keep fighting him. So i¡¯ll give you the opportunity to continue doing so.¡± In surprise, Sina opened her eyes wide. ¡®Grace¡¯ given by a bishop was so powerful that it could fix a disabled to walk again instantly. However, there were very little instances of them sharing their ¡®grace¡¯. The emperor power was in turn the emperor¡¯s asset, so it was almost a crime to distribute carelessly. Sina thought Rieto was simply saying this in kindness. She didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually do it. That was until Rieto lifted Sina¡¯s right arm. From Rieto¡¯s hand a weak flame arose and slowly spread onto Sina¡¯s right arm. Sina was surprised but the flame wasn¡¯t as hot as she¡¯d feared. The weak flame covered her scar and drove deep into her skin. Sina¡¯s arm flinched at feeling a sudden burst of pain. She was bearing the pain when Rieto¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Scar will be shrouded in the new skin, broken bones will be molded together and damaged nerves will be revived. That¡¯s the pain you¡¯re feeling at the moment, so endure it.¡± It felt like a truck worth of pain had fallen onto her paralysied arm. For a long time, Sina gasped for breath until she was free from the pain that was close to making her pass out. Her body was covered in sweat. Sina looked at her right hand that was placed on the ground. Her senses hadn¡¯t fully come back, but her fingers were moving every so slightly. ¡°This is only the start. We¡¯ll have to do this another five times for you to be healed¡­¡­¡­¡± Even so, Sina was delighted. It was far different from having a lifeless limb hang from her body to having a working arm. But Bishop Rieto¡¯s expression was odd. ¡°Is there something wrong sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange. Sina, did someone heal you with ¡®grace¡¯ before me?¡± Sina shook her head. ¡°No sir.¡± Juan¡¯s brief patch up was technically healing if she had to nitpick but Rieto was talking about healing by ¡®grace¡¯. Rieto continued to tilt his head as if he was confused, then spoke. ¡°I felt the emperor¡¯s power within you already. While it¡¯s a slow procedure, the level of healing ¡®grace¡¯ that was performed on you will fully heal your injury in time. It¡¯s possible the emperor has seen your bravery and he has given you a reward.¡± CH 51 Chapter 51 Eve of war(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Ethan kicked upon entering the room. The people inside the dark room all stood up with a nervous expression. Soon after, guards followed him into the room with awkward expressions. The correct thing to do was to stop Ethan who was barging in, but there was no one who wanted to confront a Paladin. ¡°Ethan? This is the Hiveden¡¯s governing council. It¡¯s not a place where you can freely enter, especially after kicking the door open.¡± Ethan looked at the man who spoke. When he was at the capital, he was a noone, but upon coming to Hiveden, he became head of the Hiveden¡¯s loan industry. It was the same for the rest. Heads of prostitutes, swindlers, gangsters, gamblers and smugglers¡­ ¡°What? Then what¡¯s the point of having a security guards?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking such stupid question, but if you really want to know, its because it was deemed best for the city to focus the guards on protecting our citizens from potentially harming each other.¡± Everyone agreed that Hiveden didn¡¯t have the best public order in place. Although people would laugh, Hiveden did in fact have security guards. But they competence only extended to covering murder incidents and scuffles around the city. Having been hit with reality, every Hiveden¡¯s heads dropped their faces into their hands. Selpa mumbled a groan. ¡°So facing the White crow knights isn¡¯t a viable option then?¡± ¡°Even causing damage to their equipment would anger the church. They would come demanding recuperation. We need to make ourselves the victims here¡­¡­. We need to somehow provide proof that the Hugin knights aren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Well, we have our associates in the capital. We should make contact with them. Part of our cash is going to the Pope. What can the Paladins do if we have the Pope on our side.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him before? Ethan that crazy bastard explicitly said that he won¡¯t care about any of that.¡± ¡°Well if they can¡¯t get Ethan to obey orders, then they should send us an army! It¡¯s the least they can do after they¡¯ve been freely pocketing our cash till now!¡± As Yuldrick wildly shouted, the other heads looked at him as if they were looking at a maniac. Ardin sighed. ¡°You think the church and the capital knights will fight? The General isn¡¯t someone that can be bought with money and the Capital¡¯s pigs only care for themselves. They will not put themselves in danger for anyone else. No, this is something we¡¯re going to need to figure out on our own.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Well, at least we should send a message to the capital. One way or another, they¡¯ll make their stance known. And maybe it could be to our benefit. Ethan may just as well have been bluffing.¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s the case.¡± Ardin nodded. The heads whispered to their subordinates with worried expressions. It seemed in everyone¡¯s minds, their future was bleak. They¡¯d been through all sorts of hardships, but it was never a good thing to be involved in incidents with Paladins. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call this meeting to an end. Go back home and spend some time with your family¡­..¡± ¡°What about joining forces with the Hugin knights?¡± The one who¡¯d stayed silent till now but suddenly opened his mouth was Oppert, the head of the smuggling faction in Hiveden. He had established his influence by bringing in rare spices and products from outside the border, and selling them to nobles in the Capital. He could easily get his hands on products that were banned by the church, so he was sought by many nobles and even members of the Hiveden council. Until now, Ardin thought the man was quite clever, but hearing him now Ardin considered whether that perception needed changing. ¡°What do you mean joining forces with the Hugin knights?¡± ¡°Exactly as I¡¯ve said, join forces with the Hugin knights and bring down the White crow knights. If we¡¯re going by pure numbers, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re disadvantaged. Other than the guards, we have members of various organisations. Many are trained soldiers who are confident and skilled.¡± ¡°Are you stupid or just foolish? If we agree terms with the White crow Paladins and get the noble committee¡¯s help, we may survive through this. But if we join hands with the Hugin knights? Then we¡¯ll be branded as traitors by the entire empire for joining the enemy. Don¡¯t you know what will happen then?¡± The arrival of the imperial army. The General, Vares Valte will make his way here. Hiveden and all it¡¯s buildings will be crumbled and it¡¯s citizens reduced to ash. If they don¡¯t hide deep in the mountains like the Hugin knights did, they would vanish without a trace. After the emperor¡¯s assasination, there were already two cities that were made examples of this. And the workings of that severe purge, naturally sent the entire empire in fear. The relationship with the Hugin knights till now had lasted because it was under straps. Oppert was about to say something more, but Ardin ignored him. He had the least influence out of the heads. Disregarding his opinion, Arwin dismissed the meeting. ¡°Everyone return to¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ardin nim!¡± Arwin was about to blow up. It felt like everyone was out to stop him from ending the meeting. The man who had called out to him was a soldier. He was out of breath and his face pale. Seeing his expression, Ardin started to get worried. ¡°Sir, you need to see what¡¯s going on outside.¡± ¡°Outside?¡± Ardin and the heads in confusion looked out the window. Upon looking out the terrace window, there were many others who were looking up into the sky. Wondering if there¡¯s something going on, Ardin looked up and saw a golden light covering the entire city in a bubble. Ardin still didn¡¯t know what this was. Then someone grabbed his wrist. It was Yuldrick, head of the mercenary corps. Only moments ago, his face was full of vigor ready to fight back, yet now his expression was pale white. ¡°Ar, Ardin. I think we should just surrender.¡± ¡°What? Why do you say that. What is that?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯ve seen that ¡®grace¡¯ a few times in battle. At the time, I had been deployed alongside Paladins and they told me that¡¯s a wall made from the power of ¡®grace¡¯. Once inside, any sound, anything physical won¡¯t be able to escape. The Paladins call this ¡®grace¡¯ the emperor¡¯s ¡®foot¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wall?¡± Yuldrick quickly nodded his head. ¡°The important thing is, everytime this grace was used, they killed everyone inside that didn¡¯t surrender. Just like its name, they¡¯ll stamp and crush anyone that doesn¡¯t submit to the emperor¡¯s name. Ethan is saying he¡¯ll wipe us out if we don¡¯t concede our stance.¡± CH 52 Chapter 52 Eve of war(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°It appears Hiveden¡¯s guards have surrendered.¡± Hiveden¡¯s dungeon, Hugin knights hideout. Dilmond and Anya who were commanding the Hugin knights were talking about the events that transpired today¡¯s in the afternoon council meeting. Both Dilmond and Anya had no complaints about Juan being there with them. It was because none other than Lars, their leader had confirmed Juan¡¯s identity. Lars only mentioned Juan as ¡®someone that can be trusted¡¯ but to Hugin knights, that was all they needed to hear. ¡°The governing council will likely be influenced by this.¡± ¡°Well no one reasonable would likely want to be stamped to death. I hear the White crow knights are still getting ready for battle. I wonder to what extent they are going to take this.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say they¡¯ll give us until tomorrow?¡± ¡°They are telling us to make our decision before then. They¡¯re not exactly short on time.¡± The Hugin knights had a spy inside the council. One of the heads was a Hugin knight associate. They¡¯d already heard everything through this person. Including the fact that the council had changed their stance from opposing to surrendering. Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why besiege and get ready to attack an entire city to just find a few people? Aren¡¯t those Paladins also members of the imperial army?¡± ¡°They¡¯re more¡­¡­..private soldiers of the church. However, they¡¯re treated far better than imperial soldiers. They even have the authority to demand for conscriptions.¡± Anya answered in a pleasant manner. ¡°While it¡¯s a waste to lose what we¡¯ve grown, but the fact is, Lars nim is extremely unwell and we¡¯ve got Juan willing to help us. Looking at it from that perspective, I¡¯d happily hand over Hiveden for your cooperation.¡± ¡°Who on earth do you think I am?¡± Juan asked in an exasperated tone, hearing Anya say that she¡¯d throw away Hiveden for his cooperation. Her reply that she gave after a long pause wasn¡¯t that satisfactory. ¡°An incarnation of justice that has come to topple the empire?¡± ¡°Incarnation? Should a devoted follower of the emperor be believing in such things?¡¯ Dilmond looked at Anya with a pathetic expression on his face. Generations had passed through the Hugin knights order and Anya was one of the few that had the skills to surpass the older generations. However to Dilmond, her abrasive and arbitrary acts were something to be frequently annoyed by. Dilmond opened his mouth again to try steer the topic of discussion back about the White crow knights. ¡°Anyways. The White crow knights will eventually arrive, whether that¡¯s by battling through the council¡¯s defenses or being ushered in. Better to have an escape route than not¡­¡­but in looking out for the wellbeing of our knights, I am concerned about a few things. Like for instance, food.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Autumn. Wouldn¡¯t we find something to eat in the mountains?¡± ¡°To be exact, it¡¯s late Autumn. Meaning it¡¯s almost winter. On the basis that we don¡¯t scavenge the villagers in the mountains, it will be hard to accumulate enough to last the winter. We will have to make some preparations about this¡­..¡± [We won¡¯t be escaping.] Suddenly hearing a voice, Anya and Dilmond both stood up from their seats. The only one sitting relaxedly on the table was Juan. From the dark corridor came Lars, draped in a hood and his robe. His voice that was formed from magic echoed inside his skull. [We¡¯re not going to abandon Hiveden.] ¡°I don¡¯t know Lars.¡± Juan was twiddling his dagger in a circular motion while he sat on the table. ¡°The council bastards seemed desperate to hand you and the rest of your knights over to the enemy and you still want to protect them?¡± [Yes, because it¡¯s necessary.] ¡°I think you¡¯re confused Lars. Convincing these people won¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be saving them. All you¡¯ll really be doing is asking them to die for you. From their perspective, if they abandon you, they only need to face the Hugin knights, but if they join you, they¡¯ll be turning their backs on the entire empire.¡± Lars had no reply to that. He already knew all of this. ¡°So then, why are you being so stubborn?¡± [I¡¯ll bring a friend to explain it on my behalf.] Lars gestured his hand. Seeing the gesture, a knight knocked on the door to the room and entered wearing an eyepatch and with a gaunt appearance. ¡°His name is Oppert. This is our spy that we have in the council. Head of the smuggling business. We have our influence in most organisations but we have complete control over the smuggling faction.¡± Oppert greeted Anya and Dilmond but hesitated upon seeing Juan. However, seeing even Lars act with respect towards Juan, he assumed Juan was senior and greeted him as well. ¡°What¡¯s a smuggler doing here?¡± [It¡¯s an occupation that we had to force on him to hide his real identity. He¡¯s a vice master of the magic tower.] A criminal on the surface, a magician in truth. Juan showed his curiosity towards him. Before he became an excellent swordsman, Juan was an apex magician. It was only natural as his teacher was a magician. At a point in time, he had a friendly alliance set up with the magic tower¡¯s magicians but now it was even hard to meet one of them. Even if one was to be found, most were considered criminals. Of course this seemed to include Oppert as well. ¡°Why is a magician acting as a smuggler in Hiveden?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain.¡± Oppert began to talk. ***** Hiveden¡¯s governing council capitol building¡¯s back door. The atmosphere was still a mess even at dusk. Handymen were going in and out of the building, carrying expensive items and putting them into a carriage. When the carriage was full, they picked up the rest of the bags and started to head off somewhere. When the White crow knights arrive, they would no longer be able to do business like before, so they were moving their wealth elsewhere from danger. There was no declaration but those who had a good awareness picked up the scent of the imminent battle and had commenced their preparations to evacuate. ¡°Hurry up! We have to finish this before dawn!¡± ¡°Ardin nim, what about this?¡± A handyman showed him a statue of a goddess that less than five people in the empire would know about. It was made from expensive ivory that wasn¡¯t even found in the empire. It was sculpted so beautiful, no price could be put on it. Ardin¡¯s eyes were engulfed in conflict. Remembering the lengths he had gone to attain this item, he wanted to take it with him even by swallowing it. However, if such a heretical item was to be discovered in his baggage, forget his wealth, it would be hard to keep his life intact. ¡°Break it or burn it. Don¡¯t leave any evidence that it was in my possession.¡± ¡°Yeah, certainly¡­¡­.¡± The handyman replied with a regretful tone then sneakily put it away in his inner pocket. Although Ardin saw him doing this, he didn¡¯t say anything. It wouldn¡¯t be himself that¡¯s beheaded, if the handyman was to be caught with the item. Even if he were to be successful in escaping, Ardin would simply arrange somehow for it to be taken back. ¡°Any items that the White crow knights could accuse goes to the right! The rest, over to the left inside that carriage! Be careful when handling any pieces or art!¡± ¡°You seem busy.¡± Ardin turned his head at hearing the sudden voice. People that could talk like that to him should be busy packing their own luggage, so who on earth¡­¡­ For a moment Ardin¡¯s face froze. Anya tapped him on the shoulder and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s been a while Mr Ardin? I¡¯m with the Hugin knights. We would like to discuss something with the council.¡± ***** Each organisation head turned up for the meeting. Because they had been interrupted in the middle of packing their belongings, all wore annoyed expressions. However, the current situation didn¡¯t allow them to ignore the call. It was a time of uncertainty and if there was to be a meeting, they needed to be up to date with new information. But unlike the afternoon meeting, many armed guards were present at this meeting. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Ardin? You know that everyone is extremely busy right now.¡± ¡°I thought we agreed to follow the instructions of the White crow knights. Have you got a message from the knight commander to tell us?¡± Ardin stayed silent while sitting down. The heads noticed a female standing next to him wearing a black robe. An unfamiliar face. Upon observing her unusual mood, the heads were about to ask her identity when the doors opened. Two other people wearing the same black robe as the female with the hood entered. A white bearded elderly knight and a tall figure that was at least three heads taller than anyone else. One look at them told them that these people were anything but ordinary. And soon someone noticed a raven emblem on the shoulder of each robe. ¡°Raven¡­¡­¡± The muttered moan froze the air around the council room. The armed guards in the room all drew their weapons. The atmosphere suddenly turned fierce but the Hugin knights didn¡¯t seem to mind one bit. They walked forwards, the sound of their footsteps breaking the frozen atmosphere of the room. Once they came up to Ardin they stopped. One of the hooded males looked around the room. The hood was deeply draped over their heads so it was hard to see their faces. However, everyone could smell the unusual scent emanating from them. They were able to quickly figure out their identities. A smell far away from life. Smell of death. The female that was standing next to Ardin walked and stopped in the middle of the room. She opened her mouth with a pleasant manner. ¡°Thank you Ardin nim for creating this opportunity tonight to meet everyone here. Everyone, although we¡¯re associated with each other, I believe this is our first face to face meeting! Everyone will have heard of me, Anya, so I won¡¯t bother to introduce myself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± The organisation heads didn¡¯t reply. They simply glared at Ardin who¡¯d tricked them all. But it wasn¡¯t like Ardin had a choice. ¡°Please don¡¯t blame Ardin nim. If we had to come personally meet everyone one by one¡­¡­..we may have resorted to a more physical approach.¡± The heads could not help but be convinced at Anya¡¯s smiling words. There was not a single head that would want the Hugin knights to intrude into their personal quarters during the night. The head¡¯s guards lowered their tension after realising the meeting was largely called to discuss things. However, no one re-sheathed their weapon. ¡°Excellent. I think we¡¯re ready to talk. Henceforth, we¡¯ll begin Hiveden¡¯s governing council meeting to discuss the city¡¯s current situation.¡± CH 53 Chapter 53 Governing Council(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae At Anya¡¯s words, the heads all made confused expressions. Another governing council? A conclusion was already met yesterday evening. ¡°As one of the organisations responsible for Hiveden, we should have attended meetings, but due to some internal circumstances, unfortunately we had to always vacate our seat¡­.. However, seeing the current situation befall upon the city because of us, we could sit there and do nothing. So, we personally came despite the risks involved.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Right¡­..¡± Ardin lowered his head with a shaken expression as he accepted Anya¡¯s apology. There was the fact that he didn¡¯t expect Anya to be so well mannered but he also didn¡¯t really understand what she was saying. Always vacate their seat? Situation because of them? It was only natural. Of course over every other faction, the Hugin knights had the biggest influence in Hiveden¡¯s council. However, the Hugin knights never showed themselves in public and always moved in the shadow. Talking or threatening organizations in silence, this was only natural as they had to be discreet from the empire¡¯s eyes. Even Ardin had only met Anya a couple of times. So why were they apologizing¡­.. Ardin quickly realised. He understood their intentions. ¡°So, better late than never, the Hugin knights will attend meetings and act in accordance as one of Hiveden¡¯s counselors. We¡¯ll do our best to help.¡± They were planning to make the d council previous decision, null and void. Stating that, any decision made without them would be illegitimate. In all, this was them saying they¡¯ll make Hiveden part of their force as they take on the empire. ¡°Hmm, um, ah Anya kyung? No, nim? No, miss? Uh, do you have any preference in what you¡¯d like to be called?¡± ¡°Well I haven¡¯t been given any position or title, so call me as you wish.¡± ¡°Th, then we¡¯ll go with Miss Anya. Miss Anya, fortunately the council has already made their decision from the previous meeting. Maybe the decision isn¡¯t what the Hugin knights hoped for but please understand from our perspective we gave it a lot of thought before deci¡­..¡± Thung! An ear deafening sharp sound echoed through the room. Gazes all turned towards the elderly knight that was standing behind the tall hooded figure. Beside the knight¡¯s foot was a heavy hammer that was slammed into the ground. ¡°Apologies. It slipped.¡± ¡°Please be more careful.¡± Anya softly cautioned. It was head of the mercenaries, Yuldrick. Ardin looked back in delight. If it was that idiot, then he might lack the awareness to actually say the things that were on his mind. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just tell you that we¡¯ve made our decision already? And if the Hugin knights weren¡¯t here, things wouldn¡¯t have gone this bad in the first place. No actually, wouldn¡¯t Hiveden be safe if simply the Hugin knights left the city?¡± Ardin was amazed. He hoped Yuldrick would share what was on everyone¡¯s mind but he didn¡¯t expect him to be that direct. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve got ties with the capital. Even if the White crow knights do attack, we could easily escape. But to join you? That would be to cut off our hope of survival.¡± Selpa, the representative of the prostitute business concurred. Ardin hadn¡¯t expected this but accepted it. ¡°Agreed. Until now, we¡¯ve had no way to find you and were under the mercy of the White crow knights. So now that you¡¯ve revealed yourselves, I have a few things to say. Aren¡¯t they your enemy? Why make this peaceful city into a battleground?¡± It was Gino, head of smuggling. At this point Ardin was surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Gino, known to be quite bright, to have added on his sentiment. But then Ardin realised the delusion that these heads were under. Just because Lars acted well mannered, They thought this gentleman could be persuaded by them. However, Ardin was a noble and was well versed in history. And he recalled that Lars was no gentleman. As per history, Lars was a general, a commander of knights, a meticulous killer. [It¡¯s just like you said, Juan.] The hooded man who had till now left the talking to Anya mumbled. Everyone in the room flinched at hearing his voice composed of magic. Ardin felt an ominous feeling at seeing an unknown figure who¡¯d stayed silent till now open his mouth. This person was emanating an aura more ominous than the elderly knight and Anya, who¡¯d been giving a sinister smile since the start. Seeing the other heads take his side, Yuldrick was now suddenly overflowing with confidence and made his way over to Lars. ¡°That¡¯s right! Stop trying to interfere and make things more complicated! What, are you afraid to go out and fight? The rumours were all false then?¡± As Yuldrick approached closer, the elderly knight grasped his hammer and strided forward. Behind Yuldrick, the guards wildly drew their weapons. Over 50 spikes were suddenly pointing at three people inside the council chamber. The atmosphere was heated up at lightning speed. Yuldrick hadn¡¯t acted without thinking. He had somewhat thought things through even if it was against the Hugin knights. ¡®In any case, they came looking for our help. They wouldn¡¯t deplete their strength here, by fighting us. If we take an unafraid stance, they may promise to exempt us for the fight, which would be enough.¡¯ At first they had been intimidated by them, but upon closer inspection, they weren¡¯t that impressive. Yuldrick even had joined some Paladins once and fought against the Hugin knight¡¯s undead. And the armed guards in the meeting numbered over fifty, and outside there were ten times more guards ready. A number which three people couldn¡¯t hope to do anything about. ¡°So then, is it just you three thats opposing?¡± Anya asked in a cheerful tone. Yuldrick looked at Ardin with a scowl, then at Oppert, head of the smuggling faction. Ardin was known as a fence sitter but Yuldrick didn¡¯t expect Oppert to oppose them as well. ¡°Hmmph, unable to show where you stand just like a scared mouse. So what are you going to do, you traitors. Are you going to make this a decision by majority? It will be 3 to 2 then. Ah, don¡¯t tell me you guys think you¡¯ll count as a vote?¡± ¡°We know how to count, Mr Baldy. However, I think you¡¯ve got the wrong idea. We never decide things on majority votes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We follow our commander¡¯s orders.¡± At that moment, the tall figure slowly stood up. Taller than most even while stooped, when the man stood straight, his head was almost touching the ceiling. The people¡¯s faces inside the room turned pale at seeing the extraordinary height. A voice more darker than the black robe he was wearing could be heard very clearly. [This city¡¯s seed was sown by me. So i¡¯ll be the one reaping it if that¡¯s what it comes to.] ***** Juan didn¡¯t follow Lars and decided to remain in the dungeon. He was inside a room in Hiveden¡¯s dungeon, a room where the Hugin knights kept it secretive as Lars¡¯ room¡¯s location. Inside the not too spacious room, stood a water tank, and into it, cold water from a Laus mountain stream was flowing in. Inside the tank a soft light green was glowing. Juan was looking at the source of the green light. ¡®You did an absurd thing, Lars.¡¯ What Lars was doing in Hiveden¡¯s dungeon wasn¡¯t simply making it into a hideout for the Hugin knights. Lars was looking beyond into the future. The thing inside the water tank was ¡®god of mana¡¯ Mananen Maclir¡¯s heart. More precisely, it was a pyrolytic clone that wasn¡¯t finished yet. The real one had become a corpse a long time ago and was inside Juan. And Juan knew it was impossible to separate it. The last component that the emperor could make. Juan was born a real emperor because of that heart. Inside Hiveden¡¯s dungeon, Lars was slowly re-creating an inferior copy of it. Magicians of the magic tower were collecting cells from the buried Mananen Maclir outside the tower¡¯s dungeon, smuggling the necessary magical materials from beyond the border and making things inside Hiveden¡¯s underground. Taking into account the series of processes, Hiveden was the optimum location. ¡®It really is absurd.¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t but help click his tongue. He understood the situation Lars found himself to be in, for him to have reverted to this. But who could even use it. If this crude clone was even half as effective as the real thing, it could be considered a success. Of course even if it was successfully made, it was a problem. It was no different from trying to revive a god. There would be no one that could actually use it. Lars had his hands full with Nigrato¡¯s essence inside of him. If he decided to use it on himself, it would be like plunging a hot lump of iron into a cup of cold water. The lump of iron would break into pieces, the water would explode and the cup would break. But even considering all this, Lars seemed like he wasn¡¯t worried. ¡®¡­¡­..because of me.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a world where Lars didn¡¯t know of these problems. He probably had it as his final card. But in the midst of completing it, he¡¯d arrived before Lars. ¡®So that¡¯s why he¡¯s wanting to protect Hiveden at all costs.¡¯ Wanting to fill his empty heart. Juan¡¯s lip started to tremble. He could imagine the terrible future if he hadn¡¯t revived. Juan thought about the reason why he had revived. Till now, he had not given it much thought but thought of it as coincidence. Juan didn¡¯t know himself the exact extent of his power and skills. However, more and more he kept thinking if his resurrection was done with someone¡¯s intent. Juan put his hand into the water tank. The moment the cold water from the Laus mountains flowed into the tank, it became lukewarm from the heat of the heart clone making process. Juan had to acknowledge the willingness and hard work the Hugin knights put into making this. This had only been possible because this was Hiveden. With freedom of research, humans could strive for progress. Humanity would become more equal, gradually narrowing the gap. Limit the power of religion and slowly establish and expand the world on our own. That was the empire Juan had wanted to build. Something that would be impossible at least with the current empire. But from here, a seed was sown. Juan knew even from muddy water and soil, a seed could ripe. But there was no way to know if it was going to grow strong or not. ¡®Even though you¡¯ve died and in the process of dying, you admire life, Lars.¡¯ Juan could understand Lars¡¯s words that he¡¯d found what he was seeking for between the Swindlers, robbers, slave dealers, smugglers, prostitutes in this city. Why he couldn¡¯t give up this city. To him, this city was his seed. And this heart was the sprout. It would have taken a lot of time for the seed to have grown into a sprout. A lot of blood as well. It seemed Lars thought it was worth it. ¡°Alright then.¡± Juan stood up. He decided to trust Lars¡¯s judgement. ¡°Lets go and save this god forsaken city.¡± CH 54 Chapter 54 Governing Council(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The guards all wore a worried expression as the tall hooded figure stood up. Yuldrick gripped his axe as he made his way over to the tall man. ¡°Filthy traitors. Do you have any idea what we had to go through because of yous? Now you¡¯re¡­¡­.¡± The elderly knight got in his way. Yuldrick yelled and tried pushing him away but his legs suddenly froze. He who had endured all kinds of hardship was frozen to the spot by an overwhelming aura emanating from the white haired knight. His senses, well trained from years on the battlefield easily recognised the danger in front of him. ¡®If I take one more step, I¡¯ll die.¡¯ Then, Yuldrick noticed a hammer the size of a man¡¯s head in the knight¡¯s grasp. Only then he realised who he was facing against. For more, Even Ardin didn¡¯t have confidence in what he was saying. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if most of the five hundred ran away upon seeing the undead knights. They were mercenaries not loyal soldiers. ¡°Ardin kyung. I hope you¡¯re not thinking this is the Hugin knights entire force.¡± Anya smiled as she tapped Ardin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You see, our sunbae nims don¡¯t like tight spaces. You¡¯ll be able to meet more outside.¡± Ardin swept his sweat. It was lost. There were only two options left for him. The problem was choosing which. If he¡¯d go with the Hugin knights, he¡¯d be turning the empire as his enemy. He¡¯d eventually die. However, if he¡¯d decide to follow the White crow knights, he would die here instantly. The body of Yuldrick split in two came into his eyes. Ardin wasn¡¯t an idiot. ¡°Alright, wh, what do you want! You win! Hiveden will cooperate!¡± Head of gambling, Gino swayed his head, appalled. It was so easy to be branded as heretics the moment you publicly aligned yourself to the ever so traitorous Hugin knights. But before Gino even got the chance to sway his head once more, his blood squirted up. With a thud sound, Gino¡¯s head dropped onto the ground. ¡°He shook his head so fast, it looks like Cleo kyung was startled. Please refrain from making such dangerous movements.¡± Ardin looked dumbly at how Gino¡¯s head was easily chopped off from one swing by the undead knight with his axe. As if Gino only realised that he¡¯d been beheaded a few seconds later, his body took some time before it toppled to the ground. ¡°So, moving on. Ardin nim? What did you say about Hiveden?¡± Still looking at Gino¡¯s head, Ardin was still dumbfounded. He¡¯d always thought Gino would live the longest and yet he¡¯d just¡­¡­just died. Then something hot fell on him. He shrieked and upon looking up he saw Selpa¡¯s throat lifelessly hang with a long spear pierced in her throat. ¡°So rude, trying to leave when the meeting isn¡¯t finished yet.¡± Anya regrettably clicked her tongue. Ardin didn¡¯t know whether Selpa, who¡¯d been scared frozen till just now, really did try to escape. Her blood that was falling on top of his head was real. Instinctively, but in the most natural manner, Ardin nodded his head in agreement. ¡°The Hugin knights and Hiveden are old friends! Who¡¯d suspect otherwise!¡± ¡°Then I gather you¡¯ll be fully cooperating in our cause?¡± ¡°Exactly! If the empire makes an unreasonable request, shouldn¡¯t it be the people¡¯s right to resist!¡± ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± Anya brightly smiled as she placed her hand on Ardin¡¯s shoulder. She leaned in and whispered next to his ears which made Ardin tremble. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough that Ardin nim will do his best to contribute. A few among us wanted to simply kill everyone and make them part of our force by resurrecting them as undeads. Instead of having to worry if they¡¯ll betray us, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s easier to make everyone an undead?¡± Ardin¡¯s pale expression turned slightly blue. The stink of urine from somewhere in the room could be smelled. One of the guards had pissed himself. Ardin didn¡¯t blame him. He was about to as well. ¡°No, not at all! We¡¯ll for sure fight hard. You won¡¯t find a braver soul!¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll trust you.¡± Anya grinned. ¡°We can always turn everyone into an undead after the fight if they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look so good? Our sunbae nims were turned only after they died from fighting. Are you not happy with the way we do things?¡± ¡°No, it would be a great honour to fight alongside the Hugin knights! Ha, haha! Uh¡­ anyways, could we discuss more practical things! How do you want us to contribute in the fight? On the wall? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re already aware, but Hiveden isn¡¯t the most prepared city for a siege¡­..¡± As Ardin desperately changed the subject, Anya decided that was enough. She smiled as she gave him his instructions. ¡°It¡¯s not something so difficult.¡± Ardin bit his lip. Everytime he heard those words from someone above, it was never easy whether it would come from the church or his superior. But what he¡¯d heard from Anya was completely different from what he¡¯d expected. ¡°I¡¯d like Hiveden to join forces with the White crow knights.¡± CH 55 Chapter 55 Spears of the Emperor(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Juan¡±. Having noticed Juan, Anya approached him. Juan was standing in a corner looking towards the city square in front of the council building. Next to the building, in front of many Hiveden¡¯s organisations, Ardin was making a speech. Beside them was Yuldrick, Gino and Selpa¡¯s heads that had been cut off. ¡°Gruesome scenes do tend to shock crowds and get their attention. He knows how to incite one.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Ardin?¡± ¡°Yeah. Also the way he talks is amusing. He talks as if everyone has assumed that they¡¯re a pile of trash. But not going so extreme that he¡¯d instigate them.¡± ¡°He does his job well.¡± The speech entailed how three counselors had died after an ambush by the Hugin knights. Then he went on about how the White crow knights should be welcomed into the city to help avenge their deaths. For the most part the speech was as everyone had expected but for a few points. That the dutiful knights will be the ones to take revenge, weak residents shouldn¡¯t act carelessly and that Hiveden must show a united attitude. It was hard to find anyone with less honor than the people of Hiveden. Most subordinates underneath the dead counselors had already switched their allegiance to Ardin or Oppert. It was hard to see these folks as useless, but compared to Hugin and White crow knights, they weren¡¯t too far off. ¡°In short, battle will commence between the two knight orders, the people will largely just watch and the three counselors are dead because they opposed the majority¡¯s decision. The bright ones would¡¯ve understood most of it and the rest will figure it out sooner or later.¡± ¡°The brain works fast when the information is related to their own survival or benefits. Everything went rather smoothly. We were a little worried but since they¡¯ve stayed mild even after three of them were beheaded, it tells us they¡¯re fine with not being in control as long as they don¡¯t participate in the fight.¡± ¡°I wonder in what way Lars is wanting to change this city¡­¡­¡± ¡°After we kill the White crow knights, wouldn¡¯t he bring change to everything? We had been planning it for a while. Ardin was a slave trader in the past not to mention many other trash in the city.¡± ¡°Slave trader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Juan looked at the man still in the middle of his speech with his arms crossed. Just now, a reason for a man to keep living had disappeared. He didn¡¯t care that the Hugin knights had largely neglected slave trading. During his time as emperor, Juan hadn¡¯t been active in stopping unfair treatment towards half breeds. This was clearly just something personal. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we needed to do things this way.¡± It was Dilmond. He had his arms crossed as he looked at the heads of the three dead counselors. ¡°Why? If I didn¡¯t kill them, Dilmond kyung would¡¯ve beaten them instead. Ah, perhaps you¡¯re not happy about how cleanly their heads were chopped off?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m saying, if they need to follow what the White crow knights are going to tell them to do, was there a reason for our intervention in the first place? Of course we did gain some benefit during all this but not so much that it will be relevant in the grand scheme of things. Despite our cards being shown, was it worth it, is what I want to say.¡± Anya smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright to speak your mind truthfully. I gather you¡¯re saying, you weren¡¯t happy that Lars nim was revealed? Well, three points to explain why we did it. First, we needed to show that we¡¯re confident in winning. Second, if we don¡¯t use force, our spies that we¡¯ve infiltrated may get hurt. Third, Hiveden must appear as if they¡¯re being threatened rather than willing to help us.¡± ¡°Threaten?¡± ¡°The events that transpired today will spread 100%. Well, right now they¡¯re still in fear, so maybe not anytime soon, but eventually it will happen as there were alot of witnesses. In time, the empire will hold people responsible. And when they do, they can claim they had been threatened as an excuse. If the White crow knights are easily defeated without them, the empire will suspect that they would have cooperated with us. Dilmond nodded. ¡°Hmm. Although, you have me convinced, I¡¯m not sure if the church will be so understanding. I would think they¡¯ll do everything to get their way, aftering hearing Lars nim had been sighted here.¡± ¡°Yes. That sounds like the church bastards I know.¡± For more, He was an envoy from the Pope. If the word got out that Ethan had killed him, a heavy penalty would be unavoidable. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that an envoy had arrived.¡± ¡°He was hustling nearby the ¡®emperor¡¯s foot¡¯ boundary we set around Hiveden. He had just managed to get through inside when we luckily found him. If Hiveden bastards had found him first, I may have had to really consider flattening the entire city.¡± ¡°The emperor helped us.¡± ¡°Yeah well, not for this envoy. Ah, if anyone asks about the envoy¡¯s whereabouts, tell them he¡¯s been killed by the Hugin knights.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell everyone.¡± Both weren¡¯t too concerned that the secret would get out. Any member of the White crow knights had only one goal they pursued, and the rest was thought to be irrelevant. Since the White crow order was founded, everyone dedicated their lives for this cherished cause. The death of Lars Raude. The destruction of the Hugin knights. And to change the purpose of their existence from destroying the Hugin knights to serving the emperor. So it was understandable that they wouldn¡¯t care about catching a black haired boy, when they were so close to achieving their goal. The pope came into Ethan¡¯s mind, who¡¯s always claimed to be speaking on behalf of the emperor. While he admired the Pope, he felt a strange feeling when he imagined the Pope in the same picture with the emperor. For someone who spoke on behalf of the emperor, the Pope didn¡¯t feel like he was worthy. Those that walked alongside the emperor were legendary figures like, the General Vares Valte, the one who forced the dragons into submission Gared Ga-in, the one who eliminated the western giants Dismas Dilver, and the only high magician in the world Dane Dorment. During his absence, the fact that the person relaying his words was an old senile man was a bit weird. ¡°¡­¡­.Commander? Should we get ready to enter the city?¡± Camille whispered to Ethan seeing him stay silent. Ethan shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I was thinking about something profane. We¡¯re on the verge of completing our great task and yet I¡¯m filled with unnecessary thoughts. Tell the men, get ready to fight. We won¡¯t be entering the city as the Hugin knights will definitely be there. Ah also, get ready to charge.¡± ¡°Charge?¡± Camille asked once more as if she heard something wrong. Ethan smiled as he answered. ¡°Yes. Charge.¡± ***** The eastern sky started to light up in red. Hiveden¡¯s residents stood on the walls as they watched troubled White crow knights. Having heard of what the ¡®emperor¡¯s foot¡¯ boundary does, there was no one trying to escape. Those that wanted to hide, hid and those that had no choice came out to watch. The White crow knights were stationed close enough so that shouts could be heard. They were in reach of arrows but guards that were supposed to be fighting them were outside, unarmed and had Hiveden¡¯s weapons stacked ready to be handed over. They were supposed to be Hiveden¡¯s shield against enemies and seeing this spectacle made the residents sigh. However, no one was blaming them. ¡°Is everything ready?¡± Juan was amongst the people watching from top of the wall. Anya nodded. ¡°We managed to prepare just in time. Hopefully the White crow knights fall for the trap. If they don¡¯t, then¡­.. we¡¯ll be losing an advantage in giving up the city wall.¡± ¡°Wall? This ain¡¯t a wall. It¡¯s an oversized fence. The Paladins we met before would be able to jump over this.¡± ¡°Well, maybe. Hmm¡­.¡± Juan glimpsed Anya¡¯s face and asked. ¡°Your face tells me you¡¯re not too concerned¡­.¡± ¡°Well, it will be our first time fighting an all out war¡­¡­but I firmly believe, the Hugin knights are strong enough to comfortably win against the White crow knights. Even Lars nim is participating today. And also¡­..¡± ¡°Also?¡± ¡°Also, we have Juan! Hehe. If things go bad, Juan would easily kill them for us.¡± Anya sheepishly grinned as she floundered about. Juan shook his head at hearing her endless faith. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Lars was thinking when he named you as successor. You¡¯re nothing like a Hugin knight.¡± ¡°Hey, be as it may seem but I am the selected candidate after a long debate amongst sunbaes.¡± ¡°Maybe you plucked the heads of all the other competing candi¡­¡­.wait, someone¡¯s moving.¡± The White crow knights were getting on their horses, preparing to move out. Five hundred Laus mountain scouts were positioned at the rear, but it seemed they wouldn¡¯t be participating for now. Each and every Paladin was heavily armed. And among them, a mounted Paladin rode to the front. Juan could instantly recognize the long haired man. It was the Paladin that he¡¯d briefly fought during the night when Anya stole the indeterminate polyhydron. Juan could feel strength mustering in his hand. Could he win if they fought for a second time? Of course, this time he wouldn¡¯t be fighting alone but he couldn¡¯t but help but look forward to the encounter. Ethan had been surprisingly different to all the empire¡¯s knights that had disappointed him till now. Facing his knights, Ethan started a speech on top of his lungs. ¡°Brothers! Fists of the emperor, tip of the spear! For a long time, with our very blood and tears, we have served the emperor! We¡¯ve believed that every drop that we¡¯ve split is proof of our loyalty. The only thing that we can offer to the emperor who has sacrificed everything for humanity!¡± ¡°For the emperor!¡± Juan giggled. But as Ethan¡¯s speech continued his smile dissipated. ¡°However, everything was a lie! This entire time, we¡¯ve never once served the emperor!¡± It seemed even the White crow knights were surprised at Ethans outburst. So were the residents of Hiveden on the wall. Amongst the murmurs, Ethan carried on talking. ¡°We were never Paladins! We were simply butchers! Butchers created to slice up the meat dressed at Ravens! We were made to kill the Hugin knights, not served the emperor! We died for our cause but we¡¯ve never actually served the wishes of the emperor!¡± A fit of anger appeared on the faces of the Paladins. Serving the emperor was their ultimate goal and last assignment. If it was anyone else talked like this but Ethan, they would have their heads lopped off by now. ¡°However, we are not butchers! We dream of being the blade of a spear, to be thrusted at enemies of the emperor to kill!¡± ¡°For the emperor!¡± Every Paladin shook away any worries and shouted out loud. Here and there similar shouts rang out. Juan felt this atmosphere wasn¡¯t to be overlooked. It certainly wasn¡¯t a speech to be delivered before entering into a city that had surrendered. ¡°And there! Our enemies await inside Hiveden! Many people think those heretics are our final enemy, but I don¡¯t agree! Lars Raude is nothing but a stepping stone we¡¯ll need to cross. We will step across Lars Raude and be ever closer to the sky where the emperor is!¡± Ethan pointed his sword high into the sky then pointed at Hiveden. ¡°Today, we kill the apostate Lars Raude that tried to assassinate the emperor! His knights will be strung to the ends of our spears! And only then, will we be truly free of the cursed shackles binding us and become a spear for the emperor!¡± Ethan began to shoot towards Hiveden as he ended his speech. Soon after, his Paladins rode behind while shouting out cries. The White crow knights rode in formation and a white glare followed in their path. Their speed picked up gaining uncontrollable momentum. The guards stationed outside tried to escape but they were trampled across. Only then, several guards understood the situation and closed the city door. It helped that the door wasn¡¯t too big. The guards managed to shut and lock the door in time. ¡°We are spears of the emperor!¡± Along with Ethan¡¯s cry, the city door exploded back with a roaring sound. It was a sound that shocked the city. It appeared that not only the door was blasted back but part of the wall surrounding the door was no more. A broken city door, and the fragments of the walls and the residents that were on close to the door flew inwards into the city. Buildings that were baptised in these fragments were destroyed and screams of the casualties rang out. In the midst of the dust, Ethan rode out followed by a white glare. He was wearing a murderous expression. ¡°Leave none alive. The emperor will be the judge of this.¡± CH 56 Chapter 56 Spears of the Emperor(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae On top of the wall, Hiveden¡¯s residents screamed as they ran away. Only Juan and Anya were left after everyone had disappeared like low tide. Anya¡¯s expression was pale. ¡®They weren¡¯t intending to leave anyone alive from the start.¡¯ Ethan gave Hiveden time because he wanted them to voluntarily disarm themselves before he would massacre them. And the first victims were Hiveden¡¯s guards that had surrendered from the beginning. The guards still had their hands up in surrender as they were killed. Although Anya didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for them, the fact she hadn¡¯t anticipated this possibility pained her. She¡¯d lost the initiative. Anya looked at Juan with a nervous expression. She was expecting him to instantly scold or get angry at her. But Juan¡¯s face was completely different. He was wearing a cynical smile. ¡°Hasn¡¯t changed at all¡­. The things these fanatics do.¡± Fanatics didn¡¯t care how the capital viewed them or whether it had any political impact. These crazy bastards got things done, through whatever means possible. During the days of the gods, countries with these same principles were of plenty. With no laws or rules, if they would show loyalty towards gods, they were guaranteed power. Regardless if they weren¡¯t given power, everyone still conducted in the same way. They gave up their lives, desperately hoping to be granted power. Fanatical absurdity. It was one of the reasons why Juan tried to eradicate any faith and religions in the past. But the reality now was that the same thing was happening under his name. Juan coldly smiled as he turned to look at Anya. Anya flinched and took one step back. ¡°What are you doing? Anya, take command of the order. You are the leader.¡± ¡°What? Ah, yes.¡± Juan gave her shoulders a squeeze upon noticing that she¡¯d panicked from how events had transpired unexpectedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Hugin knights are plenty capable. Dilmond and Lars are here as well. They¡¯re likely busy dealing with the situation as we speak. Go and do what you need to do. And.¡± Juan ordered Anya in a sharp manner. ¡°Don¡¯t leave a single one alive.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anya replied and instantly jumped off the wall. Her chest was beating. When Juan had touched her shoulder, a strange sense of calmness swept over her. And also a sense of excitement. It was a heightened sense that came in the midst of a battle. ¡°Ardin!¡± ¡°Hee, hheeek!¡± Ardin was trembling underneath a house that had crumpled from the fragments of the wall. Most ordinary people didn¡¯t know that a Paladin¡¯s charge was as devastating as a natural disaster. Ardin was the same. Anya grabbed his collar and pulled him up. ¡°You saw what the White crow knights did! If you don¡¯t move now, everyone in Hiveden will be dead! Including you!¡± ¡°Bu, but to fight against those monsters¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You think the Hugin knights will lose?¡± Only then it seemed Ardin got a bit of his senses back. If he was to die, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to join hands with the devil. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re the only ones that can stop them, and you are the only one that can still help us! So get moving!¡± ¡°Ah, euh. Right, okay. So¡­so what do you want me to do¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Same plan, but this time, grab your weapons.¡± ***** Five hundred Laus mountain scouts made their way through the gap where the White crow knights had made. Their faces were heavy and uncomfortable but they had already committed heavy slaughters following White crow knight¡¯s orders till now. Only difference today was that it was on a whole different scale. ¡°Second squad go north, third squad commence south! Signal the instant you see any Hugin knights appear. Purging the city is important, but don¡¯t forget that our main goal is to stab Lars Raude and his knights to death!¡± Ethan commanded in a loud voice. Following Ethan¡¯s orders, groups of Laus mountain scouts formed out behind their respective Paladins. ¡°Kill every child, man, woman and elderly. Not a single one lives. There are no holes for them to escape. This city that¡¯s tainted with the influence of the Ravens can only be washed clean with blood.¡± It may have sounded blasphemous that he¡¯d wage war on a city with just thirty men, but Ethan had done similar things several times. He was being overly cautious this time only because their old enemies, the Hugin knights, were in the city. ¡°Was it wise to turn on the entire city, commander?¡± A concerned Camille asked. Ethan smiled. ¡°If you think that less of me, then I apologise for making you worried. Camille.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doubting your skills, commander nim. But¡­..¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this city¡¯s laughable defence. These people are nothing but sheeps. No matter how many sheeps there are, they will be killed by wolves. What we need to be concerned about is the shepherds that have fattened these sheeps well.¡± Ethan looked at Hiveden with madness in his eyes. ¡°Do you think the bastard will run upon seeing his sheeps slaughtered? I refuse to search inside the sewers for Lars. I¡¯ll make him come fight me. And I¡¯ll cut his white skull and stick it on the end of my stick.¡± Camiller nodded her head in acceptance. As a member of the White crow knights, she could relate to Ethan¡¯s views. She agreed it would be irritating to waste their time trying to search for the Hugin knights in the city. However, she looked at Ethan with worrying eyes. ¡°Unlike the previous commanders, soon I¡¯ll be free from the ghost that is Lars Raude, and become an actual Paladin that serves the emperor¡­¡­..¡± The murmuring Ethan¡¯s eyes were not different from the eyes of previous commanders that had died from their obsession over catching Lars. Ethan turned his head, seemingly noticed Camille¡¯s concerned gaze. ¡°Do you have any advice for me, vice commander?¡± ¡°No sir. Do you have any specific orders for me sir?¡± ¡°Complete the duties that we discussed earlier. I¡¯ll move forward towards the center with the first squad. Do your duty to your best from the rear, Vice commander.¡± ¡°Yes. And¡­.¡± Before she could say, take care of yourself, someone interrupted with a loud shout. ¡°Commander Ethan nim!¡± A voice filled with anger. It belonged to one of the rising stars that Ethan had high expectations for. Sina Solbein had made her way over the remains of the broken walls and was approaching fast. Her face was of pale white. ¡°Wh, what are you doing! How could you attack a city that has surrendered!¡± Camille tried to stop her. But Ethan stopped her instead and moved towards Sina. ¡°You came here without wearing any gear or any weapon. Sina Solbein. It¡¯s hard to say you¡¯re wearing the appropriate attire. Didn¡¯t I mention that you will be staying behind?¡± ¡°Whether I have a weapon or not, whether I have a hand or not, I am still a knight, Commander Ethan nim! I need to hear your reason sir! This, this isn¡¯t something that someone who serves the emperor would do! The emperor would have rather¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Protected the weak and showed compassion to the loser. That¡¯s what you were going to say right? Truly a model student. A specimen of a perfect knight. However your thinking is wrong. These people are the same people that have helped those who assassinated the emperor. Could you give the emperor¡¯s compassion to people such as them?¡± Ethan spoke softly but Sina¡¯s eyes were furious. Ethan who saw those burning eyes, realised that this was far as their relationship would go, and that this talented knight would never become part of his Paladin order. Ethan bitterly laughed. ¡°The emperor. Would have. Done so.¡± At each spoken word, Sina put her anger into it. ¡°It seems the teachings at the knight school were too much. Or maybe it was the opposite.¡± Sina and his relationship was now irreversible. Ethan understood why someone with so much talent had become an ordinary knight stationed in the outskirts of the empire instead of a Paladin. Ethan turned his horse. ¡°Camille. You will make sure Sina Solbein does not take part in the battle, and that this compassionate woman is well taken care of.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Wait, Ethan! Not only the emperor but even the capital would¡­¡­¡± As Sina ran at him, Camille grabbed her arm and flung her onto the ground. With a crunching sound, Sina¡¯s shoulders became dislocated. Trying to not show any pain, with clenched teeths Sina glared at Ethan. Ethan briefly looked down at her then made his way towards the city centre. The sound of hooves clattering against the city pavement and sounds of screams were echoing throughout the city. Sina¡¯s screams were still echoing inside Ethan¡¯s head. A long time ago, he had made the same screams as her. Of course there was no one that answered his screams at the time. His screams had died inside the headquarters at Laus mountains, echoing into the void and disappearing. And after that the only thoughts left inside him were about Lars Raude. Just as his voice had disappeared, he had full confidence that in time Sina¡¯s would eventually disappear as well. To stop her voices in his head, Ethan shouted out loud. ¡°Come out! If not, all of your plump sheeps are going to die!¡± Ethan and his Paladins raced across the central road and ran over the fleeing residents. The residents dispersed upon being trampled and pierced with spears. However, they were quickly turned into skewers by the scout force¡¯s arrows. Ethan who was about to roar into action once more, suddenly stopped. The other Paladins near him also came to a stop. There was someone that stood in their way towards the center. It wasn¡¯t who Ethan was looking for. ¡°What are you doing here. Thought Anya or Dilmond would come out.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a bit occupied you see.¡± Ethan squinted his eyes thinly and looked at the black haired boy standing in front of him. He who was roaring in excitement of the battle, felt annoyance rise within him. ¡°You¡¯re that black haired kid from earlier. I don¡¯t have time for you right now. Wait for your turn.¡± Ethan spat his words out and began to pass Juan. However, in an instant Juan disappeared from his sight. Ethan quickly brought his sword up and tried to meet Juan¡¯s trajectory but he¡¯d been too late. ¡°Kueek!¡± Juan smoothly squeezed through Ethan¡¯s horse and cut the insides of its legs. Unlike Paladins riding it, their horses were only equipped with ordinary iron plated armor. And Juan¡¯s dagger had been able to get through the armor. The horse squealed as it fell onto the ground. Ethan had no choice but to jump off his horse. ¡°This little bastard¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty.¡± Juan calmly stated in the faces of seven Paladin knights surrounding him. Fire sparks shot from Ethan¡¯s eyes. He was so close to attaining his long awaited goal, and yet some unknown obstacle had appeared before him. As this obstacle dragged him down, Ethan¡¯s temper erupted. ¡°Fine. Rather than ride my horse, I¡¯ll kick your head as a ball to my destination.¡± Ethan made eye signals to his fellow knights. The other Paladins hesitated before running forward, past Juan. It was a waste for seven Paladin knights to be occupied by a single boy. Juan didn¡¯t bother to stop them. ¡°Now then¡­¡­shall we dance?¡± CH 57 Chapter 57 Spears of the Emperor(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Actually, it¡¯s better for us that Ethan is being short-tempered. Now that their forces have been spread thin, we cannot let them group again. We¡¯ll have to spread our forces as well to meet them.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be safer to take them out in smaller groups?¡± ¡°Paladins are far more dangerous when they are in a group. As a group, they¡¯ll be able to use ¡®grace¡¯ on a different scale, and also their own individual ¡®grace¡¯ gets stronger. If they find out that we¡¯re moving as a group, they¡¯ll do so too. First, we¡¯ll need to look for our first target commander Ethan Ethil. His power is too formidable to be ignored.¡± Juan curiously turned towards Anya. ¡°Is he that dangerous?¡± ¡°Only the elites that are within the top 20 of the empire are picked as a Commander of a Paladin order. Factors like personality and their level of faith are taken into consideration, but after you¡¯re chosen, the amount of ¡®grace¡¯ you are given is astronomical. Only, if you are defeated, the consequences are that much severe.¡± Anya looked at Juan. ¡°That¡¯s why Juan¡¯s task is so important. Dilmond will cover the north, I¡¯ll cover the south, and Juan¡­..you did say you want to be positioned in the center¡­¡­but, are you sure you can handle Ethan in a face to face combat? I heard you had a hard time during your previous encounter with him¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It will be hard to win right now, but I think I can kill him.¡± Anya made a complicated expression as if she didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have it figured out. I stayed up all night preparing for this, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­¡­. Maybe Lars nim can help if it¡¯s too much¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Juan placed his hand on top of Anya¡¯s. Anya slowly nodded her head. They were very aware of what was most important. Lars wasn¡¯t just a focal point of the Hugin knights order, he was an emblem of the Hugin knights that shouldn¡¯t, no mustn¡¯t be defeated. Additionally, Lars¡¯ condition wasn¡¯t the best at the present time. ¡°Leave it to me. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± ¡°Right. Then¡­..good luck.¡± Anya nodded as she looked at Juan. ***** Ethan¡¯s sword cut a few strands of Juan¡¯s hair as it skimmed past. Juan tried to get up close, but was struck back as Ethan moved his elbows to knock him away. Juan barely managed to land on his feet but he wasn¡¯t given time to catch his breath. Instantly, a sword was brought down at him, and it breezed past his neck. Juan clutched his throat that had been nearly cut and took a few steps back. Ethan¡¯s expression was plenty annoyed. ¡°Picking a fight and yet you¡¯ve done nothing but run. Can you do anything else but conjure some smoke and run fast?¡± Juan caught his breath as he snapped his neck left and right. He could feel Taltere¡¯s essence slowly fade from within him. Also, his body was covered in cuts and bruises. It had been 10 minutes since they¡¯d started fighting and unlike Juan Ethan didn¡¯t have a single injury on him, despite Juan using Taltere¡¯s blood to empower himself. ¡°You should¡¯ve noticed that the previous cut you made was only a fluke, though I do want to praise you for even lasting this long. Outside Paladins, there aren¡¯t many as skilled as you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not bad either.¡± Ethan could not help but laugh at Juan¡¯s compliment. Anyone could see that Juan was losing the battle. Without the ability to control fog, use blink and the power coming from Taltere¡¯s blood, Juan¡¯s head would have dropped by now. ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught you but it seems you didn¡¯t learn how to accurately gage an opponent¡¯s strength. From the way you use Valte swordsmanship, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re a Hugin knight. Who¡¯s your teacher. Dilmond? Annabelle? Lars?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who taught Lars.¡± Ethan assumed Juan was joking. However, Juan¡¯s face was completely serious. Which made Ethan more annoyed. ¡°Well, in any case I don¡¯t have any reason to keep you alive. I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± Ethan readied his posture and pointed his sword at Juan. This turn, he was going to use his full strength and instantly end Juan¡¯s life. Reading the mood, Juan took a deep breath and took a strange pose. Ethan frowned upon seeing this. It was a strange stance that wasn¡¯t of Valte swordsmanship. ¡®Was it a derived pose?¡¯ It was common to see swordsmanship vary depending on the nature of the order that the knight belongs to. It was a long time since the Hugin knights had any connection with another knight order, so it wasn¡¯t strange to see unusual fighting stances. However, knowing the Hugin knights well, Ethan found himself a bit tense in seeing his opponent take a weird posture. ¡®He¡¯s not your ordinary Hugin knight.¡¯ His special technique in being able to move fast, looked alot similar to ¡®blink¡¯ which was one of the highest forms of ¡®grace¡¯. He wouldn¡¯t have been given ¡®grace¡¯ so it was possible that he was one of the few that received the emperor¡¯s essence, just like Lars. And it was possible that he was the heir chosen by Lars. If this was the case, that stance could be a secret form that hadn¡¯t yet been seen by the empire¡¯s forces. Ethan carefully waited for Juan to make a move. The moment Juan hit the floor running, with all his might, Ethan readied his defenses. However, instead of running at Ethan, Juan turned his body and ran in the opposite direction. ¡°What?¡± For a while, Ethan stood still and simply looked at Juan. Juan didn¡¯t even turn and look at Ethan as he ran away, leaving Ethan to his own. Only then, Ethan realised Juan was running away. ¡°This bastard!¡± With everything he had, Ethan gave chase. As he ran, anything that got in the way was destroyed by a flurry of wind. But even for someone that was showered in ¡®grace¡¯, it wasn¡¯t easy to catch Juan who was galloping away, using blink here and then. ¡°Get back here! You bastard!¡± Anger bursted out from Ethan as Juan disappeared. His eyes twinkling, Ethan looked at his surroundings. There was nothing but dust and an alleyway in ruins. Then he saw something at the end of his gaze. From beyond the dust, a group of soldiers was approaching him. It was the Paladins that he had sent through ahead. ¡°Commander! I could hear your shouting.¡± ¡°I lost the kid. Did you see him? He came through here.¡± The Paladins looked at each other with confused faces. ¡°The child? We didn¡¯t see anyone sir. Not even a single resident. We came back because the path ahead had been blocked.¡± ¡°Blocked?¡± Ethan questioned with suspicion in his eyes. Then finally, he noticed the city¡¯s bizarre landscape. Buildings were damaged and some even had collapsed but the sheer destruction covered so much area that it was hard to believe his Paladins had caused all this damage. Additionally, inside collapsed buildings and walls, he couldn¡¯t see a single corpse lying dead. Ethan felt a chill down his back. The collapsed walls were blocking alleyways in the city. ¡°Have you only noticed it now?¡± Juan voiced out from the end of the alleyway ahead of Ethan. The Paladins all drew their swords. Ethan wanted to immediately run and pummel Juan but something was telling him not to do it. Right now, Juan wasn¡¯t the problem. He needed to figure out what he had overlooked. At that moment, a disgusting scent of blood mixed in dust could be smelled. Ethan quickly shouted. ¡°Everyone, get out of this alleyway. Now!¡± The trained Paladins didn¡¯t question Ethan¡¯s orders. They all immediately kicked their horses to retreat out of the alley. Juan grinned. ¡°Too late.¡± Juan made a cut on his palm and sprayed it on the ground. Moment the red blood touched the ground, the entire alley blew up in flames. Juan had the entire alley covered in a mix of blood and oil. Flames rose from the area at once instantly. The first to be engulfed in flame was Ethan. Ethan had been covered in blood from fighting Juan earlier so he was instantly set on fire. The other Paladins followed suit. The whole alleyway was on fire. ¡°Aughh ahhhh!¡± One of the Paladins screamed as he rolled around on the ground like a ball of fire. But the more he moved, he caught more of the fire. The horses, surprised from the sudden fire and heat, went wild making the Paladins that were riding it fall to the ground. The horses that had gone crazy tried to escape from the fire but they were having a hard time even finding which direction to move. Juan didn¡¯t wait until they were all killed from the heat. He jumped into the fire and plunged his dagger into one of the Paladin¡¯s throats. The Paladin was too busy dealing with the fire, and didn¡¯t notice Juan till the end. ¡°Think of it as a tour of hell.¡± Juan rushed at other Paladins and started to carve them up as well. Only Juan was gliding through the fire unhurt while swinging his weapon. One by one, the Paladins that were the so called elites of the empire fell at Juan¡¯s strikes. He could¡¯ve left them to die in the fire but Juan¡¯s didn¡¯t hesitate to kill them. Juan¡¯s appearance could only be described as something close to the devil as he moved around the towering flames, swinging his dagger. The fire proceeded to spread onto the nearby buildings, collapsing the few that were barely managing to stand. This was what the Hugin knights had prepared all throughout the night. To be more precise, the plan was to get Ardin to lure them here, before attacking them once they panicked from the fire. They had prepared the same tactic at a few other places but Juan judged that they could take care of them all here. Juan busily slaughtered the Paladins. The dead corpses toppled to the ground and he stepped over it as he moved onto his next target. Then in the middle of the fire, he saw one man still standing. Commander Ethan Ethil. He was standing firm in the blazing fire. Juan¡¯s expression turned bitter as he looked at the smolten black Ethan. He wasn¡¯t someone to die so easily. However, Juan wasn¡¯t the honorable type that cared about fighting on equal grounds. He ran at Ethan. Juan cut Ethan¡¯s neck, face, liver, pancreas, lungs, everything that would diminish his survivability. At last, Ethan fell over when Juan pierced his heart. ¡°Huuuuk¡­¡­¡± Juan left the flames behind and moved out the alleyway. Killing the other Paladins was only a matter of time as Ethan was now dead. The fire had spread more than he¡¯d anticipated and he felt now it needed to be stopped. Make Ardin douse the fire and then¡­¡­¡± Then, he heard the sound of many hooves. He felt the presence of Paladins approaching. From the north, south, east and west. Juan felt something was wrong. The Hugin knights were supposed to be keeping the rest busy. Kwang! The remnants and debris that was blocking the alleyways was blown back with a loud sound. Sixteen Paladins intruded into the alleyway as both sides of the alley broke open. It was the same attack that he saw in the beginning when Hiveden¡¯s entrance was blown apart. The flames waned in the passing spirits. ¡°Commander nim!¡± The Paladins shouted as they looked into the flames. Juan felt more people were approaching. Anya, Dilmond and the Hugin knights. Juan surmised that the Hugin knights had briefly fought the Paladins, but could also see the panicked expressions on their faces. ¡®None of them are injured¡­¡­¡¯ A substantial number of Hugin knights had been injured. However the number of Paladins hadn¡¯t shrunk, nor did they have a single mark of injury on them. Then Juan heard Anya shout with a worrying face. ¡°Grace! There¡¯s a powerful ¡®grace¡¯ that¡¯s being bestowed on the city!¡± Juan¡¯s face hardened. He felt a weird presence from the engulfing flames. Juan acknowledged the fact that he failed to notice the presence till now. Even though his heart had been pierced, his throat cut, his body burnt in flames, Ethan¡¯s spirits had never dissipated. The seven Paladins that were molden slowly started to get up. With his neck still cut, Ethan eerily smiled. CH 58 Chapter 58 Voice(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Our emperor who came down in human form.¡± ¡°Our emperor who filled the glasses with the blood of our enemies and their flesh.¡± ¡°Our emperor who is our beacon of hope, even through death.¡± Amongst the screams and rising smoke, Rieto was on his knees, citing prayer after prayer without skipping a beat. It felt uncomfortable for those listening, to hear three similar voices come from a single mouth. Camille could feel an inscrutable itch inside her. However, unlike her inner feelings, her energy level was starting to feel better. ¡®So this is the emperor¡¯s grace¡­¡­¡­¡¯ It was different to the power of the ¡®grace¡¯ that was bestowed upon her during her Paladin ceremony. Common ¡®graces¡¯ like stronger physical and mental fortitude, and a few magical ¡®graces¡¯ were given upon being made a Paladin. For more, Dilmond moaned as a powerful shock hit his shield. Ethan tried to get through his shield with powerful strikes. Even though Dilmond had never been lazy in his training, he could not help but feel Ethan¡¯s powerful strength a bit frightening. Dilmond bitterly resented the strength and ¡®grace¡¯ that Ethan was blessed with. But still, he never thought that he would fail his assignment. He heard a voice from behind that he¡¯d waited for. ¡°Knights, forward!¡± With Anya¡¯s voice, the undead knights revealed themselves. They had been waiting for the Paladins that had been burning in the alleyway to move towards the back of the group. As the undead knights revealed themselves, a cold air swept through the area, while a burning heat existed behind the Paladins. Ethan looked at the undead knights and smiled. ¡°Although we were the ones that had killed them, it seems like they ate each other¡¯s eyes and flesh. No wonder you lot are called ravens.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll be happy to rip and eat that smile off your face.¡± With his undead knights, Dilmond charged forward. ***** ¡°Anya, can you tell me the current state of the fight?¡± Juan asked Anya what the situation was like. Having just slain a Paladin knight, she was wearing blood all over herself. Tiredness had engulfed her face as well. ¡°Someone of bishop class is raining down a blessing to the Paladins in the city. The only Bishops close by would be¡­..Bishop Karl and Rieto, but there¡¯s no way that pig Karl would put himself in danger, so it¡¯s most likely Rieto. There was talks of him coming to get something from Hiveden as well.¡± ¡°Yeah, he was coming to get the indeterminate polyhydron. So that¡¯s the bastard that¡¯s keeping these Paladins alive.¡± ¡°Yes. This couldn¡¯t be achieved with any ordinary ¡®grace¡¯. Especially as burns are normally hard to recover from but if its bishop level¡­¡­¡± [Anya, Juan.] They could suddenly hear a voice inside their heads. It was Lars. [I¡¯m sending you voices created in my head. I apologise if you¡¯ve found it unpleasant. I¡¯m heading there now.] ¡°Huh? What are you saying! No!¡± Anya shouted in panic. Lars replied as if he could hear what they were saying. [I¡¯ve got a grasp of what¡¯s happening. And the sun is up, so like me, the undead knights won¡¯t be at their full strength. I have to join in order to turn the situation around.] ¡°Stay still Lars. You¡¯ll only create more worry for the rest of us.¡± [Juan.] ¡°I said no.¡± [My knights, my friends are dying. I can¡¯t just stay put.] ¡°You¡¯re already plenty useful by summoning the undead knights. If you continue to argue, Anya will come and break your legs.¡± Juan replied with a crude feeling. Lars had already used too much of his negative energy. If he¡¯d use more strength in his current state, there was a high possibility that the indeterminate polyhydron wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep his sanity. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can summon and control the undead knights. Anya can only control the knights that are summoned. If you die here, the undead knights will disappear and the hugin knights will be no more. Is that what you want?¡± [¡­¡­¡­..] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got a plan.¡± Juan turned towards Anya. ¡°Anya, so let me be clear. If I can kill this bishop, then this godforsaken situation can be won, right?¡± ¡°Uh, yes. Of course. But there¡¯ll be paladins guarding this bishop, and he¡¯ll be blessing himself with the same ¡®grace¡¯ as well. It¡¯d be almost impossible to kill¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I still have to try. Meanwhile, stop Lars from joining the fight.¡± As Juan faced towards the Paladin camp outside the city, he turned around. Before he left, he stopped and looked at Anya. Anya¡¯s pupils were wet with anxiety. Juan said to Anya as if he was trying to calm her down. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± ***** Sina¡¯s face darkened seeing Bishop Rieto furiously continue his prayer. Asking for the emperor¡¯s power to kill the emperor¡¯s people. The Paladins were slaughtering civilians and destroying Hiveden. It was hard for Sina to stay still while she watched on, but she couldn¡¯t do much as her body had been restrained tight. ¡°Camille!¡± Sina shouted to Camille who was standing next to bishop Rieto, guarding him. Camille glanced towards her. Her expression faltered upon seeing Sina¡¯s fierce eyes. ¡°Is this what you want? To help instigate a slaughter? Do you think the emperor would have stood for this?¡± ¡°We are not the emperor.¡± Camille replied with a stern face. ¡°We are not great like him. We cannot think the same way as him. We are only but listening to his words, spreading his worth across the empire.¡± ¡°You¡¯re spreading his worth by killing unarmed civilians?¡± ¡°Eliminating his enemies is a part of it. We are the emperor¡¯s spear, so it can¡¯t be helped that we are viewed in that light.¡± ¡°Instead of pointing your weapon at the innocent weak, couldn¡¯t you stop other swords that need to be stopped? Wouldn¡¯t that be closer to what you are trying to achieve?¡± Camille declined to reply. Her lips were tightly squeezed and she avoided Sina¡¯s eyes. She of course knew full well that these actions were wrong and that Sina¡¯s words were completely right. However, having spent all those years as a member of the White crow knights, she felt like it was her duty to go against her feelings. Like Ethan said, maybe the only way to truly escape from their shackles as White crow knights was to kill Lars. At least for today, Camille decided to throw away any sentiments. And at that precise moment, Bishop Rieto¡¯s prayers suddenly stopped. Upon looking, Camille noticed a trembling Bishop Rieto as he looked somewhere towards the east. His face was distorted in anger and confusion. CH 59 Chapter 59 Voice(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Feeling a sense of danger, Camille drew her sword. From the far side of the ruins, the dust seem to be settling. Then, she barely had time to lift her sword before an attack suddenly fell upon her. The sound of swords clashing echoed. Camille¡¯s body reeled then slipped over. She clutched her shaking right hand and hurriedly looked up. With a dagger in his hand, a boy had landed in front of her with a look of displeasure. Sweat started to appear on Camille¡¯s forehead upon realising that she hadn¡¯t felt his presence nor his movement. If it wasn¡¯t for ¡®grace¡¯ and her prowess in quick draw, she wouldn¡¯t of been able to stop his attack. ¡°As expected. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be easy. They¡¯ve assigned a decent guard to him¡­¡­¡± Juan grumbled in annoyance. Camille was now certain that he had come to assassinate Bishop Rieto. She never expected a boy to have come, but she was now aware that he wasn¡¯t an opponent that she should underestimate. ¡°Who are you? A Hugin knight?¡± ¡°Is that important?¡± It wasn¡¯t important. The important thing was that whoever showed their sword to a Paladin was immediately sentenced to execution. On top of that, Bishop Rieto was behind Camille. Camille retook her stance. Juan lowered himself and surveyed the surrounding. He saw an unexpected face. Sina Solbein. She was looking at Juan with a panicked face. But seeing as she was detained, it looked like she wouldn¡¯t cause any harm or be of use to him. ¡®Alive, as expected.¡¯ Bishop Rieto was behind Camille. At the start, he had been glimpsing at Juan, but now his attention was focused elsewhere. For more, He tried to muster up some strength into his legs but his legs didn¡¯t listen. Instead of attacking, Camille looked on with a face of disbelief. ¡°What, on earth¡­..¡± ¡®Figures. Different from when I said it to only Sina alone.¡¯ This amount of strength had been required to invade the mind of Bishop Rieto who was out of his mind. Looking at Camille, it appeared to have worked to an extent. His voice had shocked everyone, especially Paladins and Priests. Juan looked at Rieto. He was sitting down on his bottom, looking at Juan with an unconscious like expression. His prayers had finished. His expression was content, as if he didn¡¯t need to pray anymore. Juan gathered himself before approaching Rieto. ¡°St, stop.¡± Camille regathered herself and stopped Juan in his tracks. But unlike previously, her sword was shaking. In that state, she would have a hard time even slicing a scarecrow, but the same applied for Juan¡¯s condition. Instead of pushing his body too far by drawing his sword, Juan decided to use a little more strength that remained. ¡°Knight. You are pointing your sword at the one who your soul belongs to.¡± It was a feeble voice compared to before, but it was enough to sway Camille who was already disturbed from what happened just before. Juan walked past Camille and approached Rieto. Camille, Rieto were both mindlessly looking at him. Juan stopped in front of Rieto. He could see a rosary with his own symbol on his foot. Juan threw down his dagger at it in one swift motion. As the rosary shattered and the ¡®emperor¡¯s foot¡¯ around the city vanished. Along with the disappearing ¡®emperors foot, Camille also felt the blessing that was protecting the White crow knights and herself disappear. Although she¡¯d realised she¡¯d failed her mission, there was nothing she could do. Nothing but only mindlessly stare into Juan¡¯s backside. CH 60 Chapter 60 Voice(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Ethan battered his sword against Dilmond¡¯s shield, once more. The moment Dilmond¡¯s shield tilted to the side, Ethan saw the opportunity to land a firm kick onto his stomach. Though Dilmond was wearing thick and heavy armor, the power of the kick briefly lifted him into the air. Blood spewed out of Dilmond¡¯s mouth, but not enough to make him go down. It felt as if few abs were broken. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself. Why don¡¯t you lie down and take a rest. You old crow.¡± ¡°Kid, my toes are sharper than your sword.¡± ¡°Well, look around. It seems like I don¡¯t need to use my sword.¡± Ethan dangled his sword in his hand and surveyed his surroundings. While the Paladins were fewer in numbers, they were outmatching the Hugin knights one sidedly. Every Hugin knight was trained and selected rigorously, but most of their founding knights except Dilmond had died a long time ago. The Hugin knights expression were full of tiredness and with each passing second, the number of knights lying on the ground was increasing. Meanwhile, the Paladins stayed the same. Ethan looked for Dilmond¡¯s throat and swung his sword. But his sword was met with a black giant sword. A rusted and toothless giant sword. It was even stained in blood. The undead knights crowded around Ethan and drove him back. Ethan backed off before showing a disgruntled face. An axe suddenly flew across at him. Ethan just managed to dodge it but it still hit the end of his helmet. Ethan couldn¡¯t help but clutch at his ringing head before backing off. Instead of going at Ethan, the undead knights regrouped with Dilmond back into formation. Ethan couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. ¡®They¡¯re knights more so than monsters. We¡¯re keeping them under control.¡¯ They were worthy of the respect they got as ¡®sunbaes¡¯. A lot of the credit was on Lars for keeping them under control so well. The Hugin knights were only able to hold their ground because of their undead knights. With their frightening strength, the undead knights could not only hurt the Paladins, but also slow down their healing speed by contaminating them with their corrupted power. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop them from getting healed, but they could slow down their recovery process. But still, it wasn¡¯t a favourable fight by all means. Two had already fallen to Ethan¡¯s sword. As long as Bishop Rieto¡¯s blessing continued to rain down on them, victory was assured for the White crow knights. Once again, Ethan rejuvenated his knights. ¡°Raise your swords knights! The emperor¡­¡­¡± Then, an ear deafening sound swept through Hiveden. ***** Ethan couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of strength leave his legs at the sound that made everyone¡¯s intestines squirm. Rather, Ethan was doing well in comparison to the other Paladins who¡¯d tumbled onto the ground. Ethan received a shock that left his head blank. Every Paladin¡¯s eyes were shaking at hearing the voice. ¡°I say this under my name, Juan Kalberk Kenosis!¡± Without question, the deep majesty voice that filled Hiveden belonged to their master. For Ethan, it was difficult to even still hold on to his sword. ¡®Emperor?¡± No one spoke out, but the thought had appeared in the minds of every Paladin. The Hugin knights were also panicking. However, they weren¡¯t so agitated like the Paladins but were whispering to themselves. Dilmond was staring towards the west, where the voice had come from. Even the undead knights had stopped moving. There were Paladins that had started to pray after falling to their knees. Before Ethan realised, he was also citing a prayer of his own. ¡°My emperor, give us your orders. We will follow whatever you command. Even to death.¡± Ethan desperately waited for an answer. However, no voice followed. It was the emperor¡¯s voice. A voice that he¡¯d never heard since his birth, nor expected or hoped to have heard till his death. Ethan felt as if an oasis had magically disappeared no sooner than he was able to glimpse it. The wait was making him crazy. Then, he heard a scream. One of the Hugin knights had stabbed a Paladin that was citing a prayer through the neck. The Paladin gagged out blood as he shook and fell. Everyone looked at the incident that had broken the sudden silence with disgust, but Ethan had his mind thinking about something more important. There was no one that was immediately moving after Ethan¡¯s shout. Ethan bit his lip. Dilmond realised he was losing a good opportunity and hurriedly ordered the fight to again continue. The Paladins half heartedly defended themselves from their attacks. Ethan bursted out in anger. ¡°Get your ass back up and raise your swords! Citing prayers in front of our enemies. This is not what we should be doing as Paladins! Pray through swords, give offerings through the enemy¡¯s blood! We can still listen to the emperor¡¯s voice while we fight!¡± At Ethan¡¯s howling, many Paladins started to actively clench their weapons again. However, compared to before, they were now one step behind. Ethan was worried. The regeneration blessing had stopped and it was difficult to continue the fight with their morale dropping. Maybe something had happened to Bishop Rieto. He needed something drastic to turn things around. ¡°Lars Raude!¡± Ethan growled as he ran at the nearest undead knight. The undead knight tried lifting his sword to block the attack, but a flame arose on the tip of Ethan¡¯s fingers. The fiery flame spread itself onto Ethan¡¯s sword, before he released it down onto the undead knight¡¯s sword. The sword shattered like ice. Ethan drove his sword through, splitting the undead knight in half. The undead knight roared in pain before breaking into pieces. Ethan didn¡¯t stop. He attacked the next undead knight with his fiery sword. The undead knights flustered before Ethan¡¯s sword and went on the defensive but to no avail. Ethan brought out his remaining strength and cleaved two more undead knights in half. The fire spread onto their remains and their bodies ignited and crumbled. ¡°Flame of the emperor¡­¡­¡± Dilmond muttered a moan. Flame of the emperor was especially effective against the undead like knights of death. However, it exhausted the user that much more and it was difficult to control. Having slain three undead knights with the flame of the emperor, sweat dripped down Ethan¡¯s forehead. He had been saving it for Lars, but if this was what it took to make him join the fighting he was satisfied. There was no one in the White crow knight¡¯s history that had eliminated undead knights so swiftly. But the price that he was paying was big. Ethan noticed the burn on his hand and how the sword had molded onto it. ¡®Good. This way I won¡¯t be dropping my sword anytime soon.¡¯ Ethan viewed it in a positive light. He felt a great amount of strength cycling through his body. The heat of the flame was painful but the excitement boiling in him subjugated any other feelings he had. A Paladin¡¯s equipment was powerful, but another use it had was that it helped keep them balanced. Their swords became more accurate, and so did their shields. THe Paladins coined this term ¡®the emperor¡¯s guidance¡¯. As if someone was guiding their hands for them. On top of that, Ethan¡¯s equipment had been blessed with far grander ¡®grace¡¯ than an average Paladin¡¯s equipment. ¡®The emperor is with me.¡¯ He lifted his sword up high and shouted once more. ¡°Lars Raude! Reveal yourself! Or else, I¡¯ll kill every single last of your skeletons! I hope a commander of a knight order isn¡¯t going to cowardly stay hidden behind his skeleton knights!¡± ¡°You dare!¡± Realising Ethan¡¯s intentions, Dilmond swung his hammer. Ethan lightly stepped back away from it, then proceeded to cut Dilmond¡¯s shoulder and back. Dilmond could only groan and fall back. He didn¡¯t break into pieces as he wasn¡¯t an undead, but he¡¯d just received a fatal wound. Ethan¡¯s heart beated without stopping. He felt like a candle, using his lifeforce to burn more fiercely. The heat of the flame made him faster, more stronger. But Ethan could feel his lifeforce slowly being eaten away. ¡®If this would be the light that brightens the darkness in this world, then I would gladly give up my life. My emperor, you have given up on us so we¡¯ll gladly burn to death!¡¯ Ethan shouted once more. ¡°Lars, Raude! Hugin knight¡¯s commander! Show yourself!¡± With madness in his eyes, Ethan looked around. His attention focused on Anya, positioned far in the back. Anya calmly drew her stiletto and summoned more undead. Due to the vacuum of her knights, she couldn¡¯t summon any undead knights but a vast number of undead rose from the ground. ¡°Are you trying to insult me with these!¡± With his fiery sword, Ethan sliced through like a hot knife through butter. THe emperor¡¯s flame disintegrated the undead that had been summoned. They didn¡¯t even buy her a moment. Ethan¡¯s sword was flying towards Anya¡¯s throat. Anya didn¡¯t move. And the moment she gave in on hope. Darkness rose from below. Ethan was sent flying back from the immense power. On top of the darkness, a white skull could be seen. Then, pieces of bone flew from here and there, forming a giant shape of a man. Seeing a two metre giant skeleton forming, it felt hard to accept that it felt like a man. In its hand made from bones, a white sword was clenched tightly. It was different from an undead knight or a Lich. Ethan could tell from one look. His previous commanders had thrown their lives, and died against this being. This being was the reason for the White crow order¡¯s establishment and the source of their shackles. A delighted Ethan cried out. ¡°Lars Raude!¡± [That is the cause of your death.] Lars¡¯s sword swiftly swung through and cut out Ethan¡¯s neck. ***** The moment darkness swept over him, everyone thought they watched Ethan¡¯s head being removed from his body. However, Ethan had already fallen back, out of harm¡¯s way. Everyone was surprised to see Ethan move more quicker than the speed in how darkness enveloped him. Only Lars seemed unsurprised. ¡®The emperor¡¯s flame¡­¡­.that¡¯s a problem.¡¯ By now, the emperor¡¯s flame was covering beyond Ethan¡¯s hands. All the way up his arms. The more parts of his body the flame enveloped, Ethan¡¯s equipment would become more heated and more powerful. It appeared Ethan was ready to fully embrace the flame to all parts of his body. He didn¡¯t seem to mind that it was cutting away at his life. ¡®Fool.¡¯ Left alone, Ethan would eventually die, but the damage he¡¯d do to the Hugin knights would be insurmountable. Lars had no choice but to intervene. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t swing any faster than that.¡± Ethan provoked Lars as he rushed towards him. Lars dodged the fiery sword. Being an undead, there was nothing good about going into contact with that flame. ¡®If I use magic, this would be easy¡­¡­.but.¡¯ Right now, he was tightly balancing the amount of power he was using. Lars was using most of his mana on suppressing his inner self from imploding out of control. But even so, Ethan¡¯s skills were excellent. Ignoring the fact that Lars¡¯s main attribute was in being a skilled magician, Lars considered Ethan¡¯s swordsmanship on par with himself, in his prime. Ethan¡¯s sword scraped through darkness, whizzing just past Lars. Once coming into contact with the flame, the darkness turned into dust before scattering. But that¡¯s as close as he got. By now, the flames enveloping over Ethan had spread and was now covering the right side of his face. Ethan¡¯s anger hit the sky as his long awaited duel with Lars was largely being avoided by him. ¡°You bastard! At least use your sword!¡± [Don¡¯t know why I should. You¡¯re going to die regardless of what I do.] ¡°And you call yourself a commander of a knight order¡­¡­¡­..¡± Ethan¡¯s words were ignored. His opponent was the Hugin knight¡¯s commander. Famous for strangling opponents to death, helplessly. If the opportunity was there and if the method would likely work, he didn¡¯t care about showing honor. For Ethan, it still wasn¡¯t too late for him to stop the emperor¡¯s flame from killing him, but by doing so he¡¯d be giving up on winning against Lars. Lars of course didn¡¯t want a skilled knight like Ethan to die in this fashion. Even if he was an enemy. However, he didn¡¯t want to make them worried. Dilmond and Anya who were sending concerned gazes, and Juan who¡¯d told him to stay put. He was going to do this the safest way possible. Ethan realised he wouldn¡¯t be able to attack Lars through his defense. He didn¡¯t have long left. The result may have been different if he was in a perfect state before fighting Lars, but he¡¯d used too much of his strength beforehand. Ethan muttered in despair. ¡°My lord, forgive me.¡± CH 61 Chapter 61 Behind the curtains(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The emperor¡¯s flame was burning brighter than ever. Knowing that time wasn¡¯t on his side, he was planning to do the most harm he could. Ethan¡¯s body expanded, as if the flame was engulfing his body. It looked as if Ethan was now controlling fire instead of a sword. By now, the emperor¡¯s flame was torching half his head. His hair had long gone due to the heat. Lars was certain Ethan would soon turn into a pile of dust. The flames crackled and brushed against his darkness. At that precise moment, Lars felt a strange presence. Before he could notice who it was, the darkness surrounding him expanded. He was shocked. ¡®Nigrato!¡¯ The emperor¡¯s flame was further harming the seal that Lars made to contain Nigrato. Nigrato¡¯s power that was released immediately engulfed Lars. Lars couldn¡¯t help but use every bit of power within him to stop Nigrato. From outside, Lars only briefly stumbled. But for someone like Ethan, he didn¡¯t miss the opportunity. ¡°Lars Raude!¡± Ethan¡¯s sword that had been molted in the boiling heat, did not show any mercy. His sword expertly pierced through Lars¡¯s central body. A breaking sound broke out, and the indeterminate polyhydron shattered into pieces. Anya screamed. ¡°Noooo!¡± The flames overwhelmed the darkness and burned brightly. ***** ¡°Lars Raude!¡± Lars turned his head. He was standing on the hillside of a dried white mountain. An old white haired man stood in front, looking at him with hatred and disgust. Noticing the hostility towards him by the man, Lars readied his sword to protect himself. The hand used to lift the sword was full of skin and flesh. ¡®? Ah. From back then.¡¯ He remembered. It was the first day when the Hugin knights had been ambushed by the White crow knights. In retreat, Lars divided his knights into two groups. Ten lifelong friends of his that had been appointed as knights personally by the emperor alongside him, died that day. Their sacrifices allowed the rest of the Hugin knights to run away intact. During the escape, there was one knight that chased him, right till the end. It was the founding commander of the White crow knights. He had been a member of the emperor¡¯s royal guard. After the emperor¡¯s assasination, the royal guard was humiliated to the point of misery. The commander of the royal guards was executed for conspiring with the assasination and except for a few, the rest of the royal guard members dispersed into the outer lands. The ones that survived chose every means possible to get their traitorous names lifted from dishonorment. They desperately searched for the remaining few like Hugin knights that were branded as traitors. Lars was their main target. They¡¯d turned deaf ears at Lars¡¯s attempt to explain, which Lars didn¡¯t blame. He¡¯d already forgotten their names. They were long dead. On that day, Lars killed him and avenged his friends. Even in his last moments, he stabbed a sword through Lars¡¯s chest and smiled till his final breath. Lars couldn¡¯t forget the white smile. ¡°Lars Raude!¡± He turned his head. A blade was fast approaching him. Lars just managed to deflect it away. His hand that held his sword was made of bones. The female knight stabbed him repeatedly. Lars could remember when this scene had happened. The injury that the founding commander of the White crow knights made, was eating away at his body. Right now, the Hugin knights were weaker than ever. For all his fellow dead knights that, Lars couldn¡¯t give up now. He absorbed the essence of Nigrato. A god of death that was basically his oldest enemy. And so, he became its embodiment. ¡°Did you finally give up on being human, Lars!¡± The female knight ferociously stabbed her spear at him. Lars dodges it with a hair¡¯s breadth. He soon remembered who his opponent was. A female knight that had been appointed about the same time he did. Lars attended classes with her, and received training together. He¡¯d been on the battlefield with their backs to each other as well. Her flaming red hair was replaced with hair ever so white. Seeing the faces of his old comrades, seeing her expression filled with hatred and betrayal, Lars thought that he¡¯d grown too old. He felt as if he¡¯d aged a 100 years. He couldn¡¯t remember her name. She was already dead. Lars beheaded the White crow knights second ever commander. Though her head was cut off, she was still glaring at Lars. Lars didn¡¯t avoid her gaze. Even if he¡¯d hated it, he watched her gaping mouth open and close till the end. Traitor. Her last word festered deep in his heart. It was more deadly than any other blade that had been swung at him. ¡°Lars Raude!¡± The third shout. Seeing the flaming sword wretched deep in him, he wondered from when this scene had occurred. Anya¡¯s screeching scream and Dilmond¡¯s groan. He realised that he¡¯d returned to the present. ¡°Get that bastard off!¡± While spewing blood, Dilmond shouted but there was no one that could get close to Lars or Ethan. The moment Lars¡¯s chest was stabbed with Ethan¡¯s sword, a tremendous gust of wind was blowing. It was hard to even keep one¡¯s eyes open. It felt as if everyone¡¯s bodies were being cut from the knife like sharp wind. Ethan, being the closest from the source, was being cut up from the wind. ¡°Laaarrrs!¡± Ethan didn¡¯t let go of his sword and inserted it more deeper into Lars¡¯s chest. Lars looked down at Ethan. Though a commander, he was a child in his eyes. This young knight hadn¡¯t even seen the emperor. Never received an order, nor fought alongside him. However, he didn¡¯t think that his belief and loyalty was in any way lesser than his. ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡¯ When did it start to go so wrong. Who was truly crazy in this world. His mind and his physical body had been broken for a long time. Before he would finally break, he gave it his last attempt at assassinating Vares Valte but had failed to do even that. For more, The undead knights calmly looked towards the voice then walked off. Where it was going, what it was thinking, none of it was of concern for now. Dilmond could only think of trying to save as many human lives as possible. ¡°Don¡¯t attack any Paladins! The undead aren¡¯t friendly anymore! Staying alive is the number one priority now!¡± It would have been easy to ask Ethan for help if he¡¯d been alive. But, along with Lars, Ethan had perished into the darkness. Dilmond judged that he wouldn¡¯t have survived. Then, the knight that had his skull split in two moved. Dilmond wasn¡¯t so daft to cling to hope that maybe he¡¯d survived. The knight stood up, spilling his brains through the gap in his skull and growling an unrecognizable sound. Dilmond raised his shield and hammer. It was heavy. He¡¯d lost too much blood. ¡®I wonder how long we can hold for¡­.¡¯ Dilmond bitterly smiled. Hold? What was the point? He was against a resurrected god. Before the emperor, all races were but insects to the gods. Now, the emperor was dead and his descendants scattered across the empire. Would anyone survive. In this burnt black shithole. CH 62 Chapter 62 Behind the curtains(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Dilmond smashed undeads apart again and again. With his own hands, he was cutting down those that he once called friends, those that he fought along side by side, those young knights that he¡¯d personally trained not only yesterday. Although he found undeads distasteful at first, in time he became accustomed to them. So much that he could comfortably go to sleep beside them. He never thought they¡¯d become his enemy so soon. ¡°Bring it, you bastards!¡± After being hit with Dilmond¡¯s hammer, a zombie¡¯s head disappeared. It was a half breed that had asked if he would become an honorary knight when Lars¡¯s name would eventually be restored with honor. Dilmond who was flying through the battlefield, felt his hammer become more heavier with each blood that it was stained with. He wanted to give up, lie on the ground and go to sleep. He¡¯d gone past him seeing as they served the same emperor from their memories. However, something told him that he was making a mistake. Then suddenly, something appeared from beyond the darkness. A familiar face. It was the knight with the hammer that he¡¯d failed to cut down earlier. Determined better late than never, Karl stepped forward towards him. As Karl approached, the enemies readied their swords. Karl quickly dispatched the nearest knight by smashing him and his sword in one stroke. Screams and roars erupted. The knight with the hammer ran at him. He unleashed a fierce swing but it lacked the strength behind it. As he was about to cut the knight down, some unknown urge stopped Karl from doing so. A woman was pouring her will onto him. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Compared to the power that Karl had been bestowed with, her will was about annoying as cobwebs to him. Karl was about to finish off the knight with the hammer when. Kwak! Something pierced his head. Flames roared from the dagger that had been inserted into his head and Karl¡¯s skull exploded into pieces. The flames from the bits of pieces moved towards the rest of the body, burning it. The remaining bits of his body were squashed into dust. ¡°So, you¡¯re still alive and kicking huh.¡± ¡°Juan!¡± Juan had returned. CH 63 Chapter 63 Behind the curtains(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°By the looks of things, I¡¯m guessing we don¡¯t have time to chat. I¡¯ll keep it short. Did they get Lars?¡± Anya nodded with a sad expression. Juan bit his lip. He shouldn¡¯t have left that child to his own. ¡®Ethan. Your loyalty, your devotion and belief has killed one of the emperor¡¯s children and brought the god of death onto this land.¡¯ A bitter taste was left in his mouth. Looking back, Juan had no choice but to leave to stop Bishop Rieto. Even if he¡¯d warned Lars more sternly, the result would have been the same. He didn¡¯t want to blame Lars. There was no time to do such thing. Wind containing the smell of death was blowing closer. Soon, Nigrato would arrive. If that happened, everything that Lars tried to protect would be killed and destroyed. Juan couldn¡¯t sit by and let that happen. ¡®¡­¡­¡­Is this even possible.¡¯ Even now, Nigrato was fast claiming his existence into this world. This was different to how he¡¯d met Taltere in Tantil. If Taltere was a seed wanting to bud into a sprout, Nigrato was a tree that was rapidly growing. To make matters worse, Juan had never fought Nigrato before. Nigrato had died, before Juan started to make a name for himself. Nigrato became stronger each time he died and revived, so at the time he killed himself hoping to gain more power. However, the southern necromancy clan had been exterminated before they could resurrect Nigrato. Therefore he¡¯d failed to come back to this world. That was until Lars, who had ended the necromancers, decided to consume Nigratos essence. Juan clutched his dagger and stood. Anya nodded. ¡°Planning to kill the god of death? I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever doubt my capabilities for once. Even just for formality sake, tell me that this is beyond me.¡± ¡°How could I ever doubt Juan. There¡¯s no one else to put my hope on but Juan.¡± Anya replied while smiling with a sad expression. Dilmond also approached Juan with his hammer in his hand. ¡°We were planning to head towards Nigrato. We¡¯ll tag along and do our best not to be a burden even if it costs our lives.¡± The Hugin knights all clutched their weapons with determined expressions. Juan looked at each face one by one. Persuasion wasn¡¯t going to make them back off. But even so, Juan shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Juan, we¡¯re¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say. You guys are the last remaining inheritance of what Lars left behind. If you all died, there wouldn¡¯t be anything of Lars remaining. I don¡¯t think Lars created the Hugin knight order so that he could kill everyone with his own hands.¡± Dilmond glared at Juan. He was annoyed that precious time was being wasted by having this unnecessary argument. The arrival of Nigrato would be formidable in that he nor Juan would likely survive. ¡°If Lars nim was alive, would you think he would have told us to run, or told us to stay with him and die while fighting? I find your description of us being his inheritance distasteful. We were his sword. We don¡¯t mind if we were to break along with our master in the midst of battle.¡± Juan quietly watched Dilmond before finally nodding his head. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Even if you resist till the end¡­¡­.wait, what?¡± ¡°I said fine. I¡¯m going to need some extra hands. However.¡± Juan nimbly went up to Anya and smacked her in the gut. Anya¡¯s eyes rolled over and lost consciousness. Juan carefully held her from falling and passed her to one of the nearby knights. ¡°Take this one and get her away from here. Necromancers are of no use against Nigrato. Rather she¡¯d lose control of herself to him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Alright.¡± It wasn¡¯t for that reason alone but it was enough to convince. The knight received detailed orders from Dilmond and headed towards the outskirts of Hiveden. Several knights followed to protect them. Juan watched as Anya drifted away into the darkness before turning his head. ¡°We¡¯re going to run from now on. I don¡¯t have time to wait for stragglers.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Juan took off running. ***** ¡°What on earth is that¡­¡­¡± Sina looked on at a vast cloud of darkness looming over Hiveden¡¯s center. The darkness that seemingly looked as if it wouldn¡¯t stop expanding, squirmed as it finally took on a shape. Unbelievably, a form of a man. From the area where the head would be, something bursted itself up. It was a giant skull of a human that was near unimaginable. Sina couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom what this ¡®thing¡¯ was. But she was sure of one thing. That it was an ominous and disgusting thing. She couldn¡¯t accept herself to watch this ¡®thing¡¯ emerge into the world. ¡°Kueek¡­¡­.!¡± The bonds around her hands and feet were tightened hard. It didn¡¯t look like it was going to loosen anytime soon. But determined not to sit by, she mustered strength into her wrists, calmly accepting the fact that her wrists could break. Finally, with the sound of a loud snap, she felt her hands become free. Looking at her wrists, her wrists were unexpectedly fine except for some cuts. But there was no time to be thinking about this. Sina ran towards Camille who was in a daze after losing her mind. ¡°Camille!¡± ¡°The darkness, death is rising. The winds from the nether world¡­¡­.¡± Sina whipped in a slap without hesitation. Thinking that she wouldn¡¯t come around with just one slap, Sina grabbed her collar and slapped her another one. As Sina was about to hand her a third, Camille grabbed Sina¡¯s wrist. ¡°¡­¡­.Thats enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for keeping my wrists restrained. So, what are you going to do. Aren¡¯t these the kinds of beings that are the true enemies of the Paladin order?¡± Camille¡¯s expression showed that she had no reply for that. Sina¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong but strictly, Paladins didn¡¯t have a single experience in fighting mythical beings. Primarily, Paladins were only created after the emperor had died. All of a sudden, Camille felt embarrassed to have proclaimed Paladins as the emperor¡¯s fist, sword, spear or anything else for that matter. In truth, they hadn¡¯t faced the real threats that the emperor had. ¡°Camille!¡± ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Know. What do you want me to do!? This thing appeared from where the Hugin knights and Paladins would have been. It¡¯s something that my fellow Paladins nor even commander Ethan could stop! Why are you asking me for a solution?¡± Camille replied as if this was unfair on her. ¡°If you¡¯re asking me to go fight and die, I¡¯ll gladly die. But if I do¡­¡­..I only see a death without purpose. If you would still tell me that¡¯s my duty then I¡¯d do it. However, if you¡¯re asking me for a solution against that, I have none.¡± ¡°Do you not even know what that ¡®thing¡¯ is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Most likely, it¡¯s Lars. I can¡¯t think of anyone else except Lars Raude that would be able to summon¡­¡­¡­ or transform himself into something like that. It¡¯s rumoured that he made a deal with the god of death in order to kill the emperor.¡± Sina observed the giant darkness once again. On its cloud-like body, a white skull was apparent and bits of white bones were branching out to form its limbs. Sina hadn¡¯t seen Lars once, but had heard the countless ominous stories about him. That he was the emperor¡¯s child. ¡®Juan.¡¯ After neutralizing Rieto, a pale Juan had run off after seeing that ¡®thing¡¯ emerge. Knowing Juan¡¯s personality, he could and would have finished off Rieto and Camille. So it was no secret that this ¡®thing¡¯ had deeply shocked him. If this was the case, Juan would be somewhere inside that darkness. Through the alleyways in the city, the shifting darkness slithered through as it expanded. And from the darkness, undeads started to walk out from it along with screaming residents trying to flee. Seeing this, Sina immediately grabbed Camille¡¯s sword on the ground and chucked it at her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to die while facing that monster, but how about saving those residents from death?¡± Camille hesitated at Sina¡¯s words. Her last assignment was to protect Bishop Rieto and slaughter any Hiveden residents that got out. Sina was asking her to ignore her orders. But upon seeing the resurrection of god of death, she felt if there was still any meaning in following her orders anymore. Camille drew out her sword and stepped forward. ¡°As you¡¯ve not fully recovered, stay here and protect Bishop Rieto, Sina kyung. Knowing that the undeads are our opponent, as a Paladin I¡¯ll do your share of fighting and more.¡± ***** ¡°It¡¯s getting darker as we get closer! Keep tight. Shoulders to shoulders and stay alert!¡± The Hugin knights glued themselves to each other after hearing Dilmond¡¯s strict warning. Juan wanted to move at a faster pace but the oncoming wind was too intense. Juan who was lightweighted was finding it more difficult dealing with the wind than facing a knight of death. Currently in front, Dilmond and his massive body looked ever so dependable in the wind. ¡°Enemies on the right!¡± ¡°There¡¯s multiple on the left too!¡± Juan was making sure he was being useful too. He¡¯d smeared his blood onto his dagger, creating a small flame. While small, it still helped keep the darkness away creating valuable time. When enemies appeared, the Hugin knights all attacked simultaneously in unison, immediately eliminating the threat. ¡°You guys seem quite skilled at this.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about undeads, we had to basically live with them till now. We know their weaknesses and aren¡¯t scared of them. Dilmond looked at Juan who was following behind while grabbing onto his belt.He continued talking. ¡°There are less of them than I had expected. And I suppose your fire is doing work as well. The emperor¡¯s flame is like poison to them.¡± ¡°I appreciate you telling me that but you don¡¯t have to be considerate towards me. I¡¯m ain¡¯t some brat you need to take care of or keep happy.¡± ¡°Quite assuring¡­¡­ Anyways, do you know where we need to go? The spot where Lars nim had been struck doesn¡¯t seem far away from here.¡± ¡°The direction of the wind. The concentration of ill intent. Where darkness is clumped up.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking in riddles.¡± ¡°It means keep going forward as we¡¯re going the right way. We¡¯re already inside the realm of the underworld. Where you¡¯re standing is half Hiveden and half the other world. It¡¯s going to get harder from here to get a sense of distance.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there at the end of this path?¡± ¡°Undeads, undeads and more undeads. And Nigrato¡¯s essence will likely be there too. If we manage to take care of his essence before he gets a physical form then we can keep him restrained while he¡¯s still incomplete.¡± ¡°Restrain him while he¡¯s incomplete? We¡¯re not going to kill him?¡± ¡°Well¡­.. I¡¯d like it if it was that simple but, beings that have claimed divinity don¡¯t die so easily. If he stays incomplete, then at least he can be killed later on. Anyways, I¡¯m saying we can¡¯t let him reach his complete form. If he does¡­¡­I don¡¯t know if even Vares Valte could take care of him.¡± ¡°That sounds interesting. The thought of making him fight against that bastard Vares Valte.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rephrase that. Vares Valte and maybe a third of the empire¡¯s population.¡± Juan suddenly stopped and pulled at Dilmond¡¯s belt. Dilmond looked back at him with a ¡®what¡¯ look. But then, he also realised why Juan had come to a stop. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­So¡­.. They weren¡¯t avoiding us due to the fire it seems.¡± ¡°They were moving to protect their master.¡± A frightening number of undeads were standing in front of them. Zombies, skeletons soldiers, undead knights and even unrecognisable monsters were swarming in one spot like a single organism. The ominous feeling tickling down their skin was emanating from where they were grouping. ¡°The good news is that we¡¯re going the right way. The bad news is that we don¡¯t have much time.¡± Dilmond snorted at Juan¡¯s words. ¡°Wrong! The real bad news is that we¡¯re going to continue going down this path!¡± Dilmond roared as he stormed forth. CH 64 Chapter 64 Behind the curtains(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The moment the Hugin knights slammed into the masses of undeads, the swarming herd flinched and shook. The Hugin knights mercilessly, tore into the army of undeads. Bones were shattered into fragments before scattering into the air. With this momentum, they continued to cut deeper into the army of undeads. But it didn¡¯t take long until their advancement slowed down. If their opponents were fellow normal beings then they may have fled from their frightening morale. But these were dead beings. One Hugin knight fell after a spear drove into one of his legs. Moments after splitting with the main group, the knight was torn into pieces. Their breathing started to get rough. Another knight disappeared. Then, someone¡¯s sword broke. Then, another knight. ¡°May the emperor¡¯s glory be with you.¡± A knight grasped the ankle of an undead knight to slow it down as he fell. As the undead knight eventually caught back up, they saw the remaining hand of their fallen comrade around its ankle. Then, another knight died. And again¡­¡­¡± Juan then noticed how his body was covered in blood. It wasn¡¯t his own. Dilmond¡¯s back was covered in blisters, scald and blood. Injuries he received from Ethan and the undead and burned from carrying Juan to safety. Any normal knight wouldn¡¯t have survived it. ¡°I told you to abandon anyone that falls behind¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that I did this out of good faith. I¡¯m simply saving you for later when I can throw you and your flames down Nigrato¡¯s throat. I found some new strength in me when I imagined the pain Nigrato would feel from that.¡± Juan grinned. ¡°A rational decision then.¡± ¡°My first offering to the god of death will be a brat. Hah!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gladly accept it. Though it¡¯ll only cause indigestion for him.¡± For more, Dilmond weakly spoke as he waved at Juan to go on. Juan stared at him for a moment before nodding. He strided forwards, leaving Dilmond behind. He wasn¡¯t sure how long Dilmond could last while alone in a space where even a healthy person would quickly find their skin decaying and throat drying up. After a few steps, Juan heard another voice. Not a voice amplified through magic but a scream. The scream that floated through in the wind carried sounds of despair and gruesome. Beyond the darkness, Juan soon came across something bright red. He could feel an evil aura from within the cumulus cloud in front of him. Juan immediately recognised what it was. ¡°Lars.¡± Lars was standing in the middle of darkness. A flaming sword was embedded in his chest. Around the hilt of the sword, a burnt black hand was hanging on. The scream appeared to be coming from somewhere inside Lars¡¯s body. And it sounded as if it was coming from several people. ¡°Dilmond, can you se¡­..¡± Juan who¡¯d turned around stopped speaking. He had barely taken a few steps, but Dilmond was now nowhere to be seen. Nothing noticeable but a black stain on the ground from his bleeding. Juan fell into silence as he looked at the empty spot. [You are.] A voice could be heard from behind his back. Lars stood still like a statue, and quietly observed Juan from afar. [The black haired boy.] Sound of creaking was heard as Lars moved his body. The flaming sword made sharp sounds as it cut through the wind. Everywhere Lars¡¯s feet touched, ash followed. [Where are the other Paladin knights? Why is it so dark? What am I¡­¡­.my hand? What happened to me?] Lars muttered in a confused voice. His shoulders were shaking. It appeared Ethan had been swallowed along with Lars. It was hard for Juan to gauge Lars¡¯s condition. If Ethan was still alive, Lars was too. But how much of him was still there and what actions and steps Nigrato took were a mystery. [Is this my sword¡­¡­.in my chest? How could thi¡­¡­] As if something hit his neck on the side, Lars stumbled sideways along with a creaking sound. His shivering head pointed and looked towards Juan. Nothing could be seen in his eye socket that was full of black smoke. [Juan, no I mean. Your majesty. No, father.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­Lars.¡± Although Juan muttered in a suffering tone, he knew it wasn¡¯t Lars that he was talking to. He figured Nigrato was going to return to this earth by absorbing the minds of those that were offered to him. Nigrato who¡¯d taken control over Lars¡¯s body slowly approached Juan and stretched out his hand. He embraced Juan¡¯s face in his arms before quietly mumbling. [No.¡­¡­¡­..you heretic.] Instantly, Nigrato began to squeeze Juan¡¯s body in his arms, crushing him. ***** In the midst of slaying countless undeads and rescuing fleeing residents of Hiveden, Sina noticed a flame rise from the darkness. Compared to the giant darkness, the flame was only a small spark, but to Sina it seemed dazzling bright. Now it was the second time. Sina, who looked at the flame rise, started to feel the burn covering her left eye, hurt. It felt as if the pain she received on that fateful day was returning. Camille hastily came over and supported her from falling. ¡°Sina, what¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you like this just before?¡± ¡°Its nothi, nothing¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Sina, your eye¡­¡­..¡± At Camille¡¯s word, Sina placed her hand on her left eye but quickly took her hand away due to it being extremely hot. Sina¡¯s burn on her left eye was shining in bright orange. Sina didn¡¯t know what was happening to her. But one thing was for sure. That the small fire that arose in the middle of the darkness was related to Juan. ¡°Kyung, if you¡¯re in discomfort, stay back and guard Bishop Rieto.¡± Right now, the usual energetic and mad Bishop was nowhere to be seen and instead a feeble weak old man was shivering in his place. Unable to abandon him, Camille had a few residents supporting his side, protecting him. Sina shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m alright now. Actually my body feels a whole lot lighter for some reason. We should quickly gather the re¡­¡­¡­¡± Sina¡¯s words stopped. Among the residents who were fleeing from the darkness, she saw a few that stood out. Sparks ignited from Camille¡¯s eyes upon seeing them. ¡°Hugin knights!¡± CH 65 Chapter 65 God of death(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Upon unexpectedly encountering Camille, the Hugin knights appeared to have panicked. Camille on the other hand immediately pulled out her sword at seeing her foes. Sina quickly grabbed hold of Camille who was about to pounce. ¡°Camille, please wait. It¡¯s not the time for us to be fighting each other.¡± ¡°Do you really mean that after everything you¡¯ve seen so far, Sina? This whole situation is clearly their doing. Look at the facts. They can command the undeads, and their connection to the god of death¡­..¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they wouldn¡¯t have any reason to run. Plus, you¡¯ve heard what the residents have been saying. The Hugin knights helped them. And please don¡¯t forget that it was the White crow knights that were planning to kill the residents in the city in the first place.¡± But even so, Camille couldn¡¯t drop her glare nor her suspicion. Then, in the corner of her eyes, she saw several Paladins being escorted out by Hugin knights. The severe injuries made it hard to recognise at brief but she had no doubt that they were Paladins of the White crow order. Upon seeing Camille, they gave pleasant smiles. ¡°Camille kyung! You¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°Everyone¡­¡­.what¡¯s going on? Did they help you get out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated but yes. When you have zombies and undeads all around you, they look quite friendly in comparison.¡± Camille had no choice but to lower her sword grumpily. Seeing this, the Hugin knights gradually lowered their guard. As her animosity subsided, one of the knights came up to Sina. ¡°Sorry that we¡¯ve had to meet in this situation. I would like to think that you¡¯re also agreeing that it¡¯s not the time to be fighting one another¡­. Your name is¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°Sina. Sina Solbein.¡± Camille snorted and didn¡¯t reply. Sina opened her mouth for her.¡± ¡°This is Camille Castorea. The vice commander of the White crow Paladin order. You are?¡± The knight seemed to have been surprised at hearing ¡®vice commander of the White crow knights¡¯, but also relieved at the same time. ¡°My name is Oppert. I¡¯m not a member of the Hugin knights, but rather an associate. Over here is the vice commander of the Hugin knights, Anna¡­¡­.I mean, Anya nim. She¡¯s temporarily taken charge of the order but her condition isn¡¯t too well.¡± In the direction where Oppert pointed, a woman stood while staring into the ground with lifeless eyes. Camille¡¯s eyes narrowed. Even amongst the White crow knights, Anya was well known. ¡°I know it wouldn¡¯t be at all unusual if we started to fight this very moment, but as commanders of both sides are currently missing, maybe it¡¯s for the best if we put aside our grudges temporarily. I would think the way you¡¯re going about this situation isn¡¯t too different to ours. Alleviating the situation and figuring out how to fix the problem¡­¡­.is the number one priority no?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Yeah.¡± Camille agreed to his words but it didn¡¯t mean she trusted him completely. She was sure the Hugin knights were somehow involved in putting the city under siege with undeads. Oppert seemed to have noticed this from looking at her eyes. ¡°Yes. I understand that you¡¯re still suspicious of us. I won¡¯t say that this situation is not connected to us, but please know that we did not anticipate, plan or wanted this to have happened.¡± ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t have a plan to fix this then.¡± Camille looked on with contempt. Oppert bitterly smiled and shook his head. ¡°Our knights are doing their best to solve this situation on their own. Our very best soldiers stayed inside the city to mend the affairs. They¡¯ll kill the God of death Nigrato before he completely returns back to this world.¡± Oppert turned his head and looked towards the inflated cloud of darkness. Sina again gazed towards the spot where the small fire had previously crackled in the darkness. Right now, there was no sign of anything there. Only darkness. ***** With his giant hand, Nigrato squeezed Juan like a rag. But after seeing no blood nor flesh spurt out, he was left confused. Upon looking into his hand, a red eyed Juan was keeping apart his fingers. Juan faintly smiled upon making eye contact. ¡°Nigrato.¡± Immediately, flames erupted from within Nigrato¡¯s hand. Nigrato stepped back at seeing his hand turn into white dust from the fire. Then, from the darkness, skeletons appeared with dangling sounds. The skeletons rushed towards where Nigrato¡¯s hand used to be, recreating another hand. [How dare you. A mere heretic trying to impersonate the emperor!] Nigrato screamed as if he really meant it. Juan didn¡¯t even feel the need to respond. A being that has the traits of Ethan, Lars, and many more deceased. It seemed complicated to think about it but actually, it was really simple. It was a god. And with just that notion, Juan¡¯s eyes calmed and coldly settled. The several emotions running through his body all seemed to calm upon meeting Nigrato. Only one emotion remained. A murderous intent. Nothing more to think, nothing more to measure. Only the intent to murder was left inside Juan. Juan lit Taltere¡¯s blood and ran at Nigrato. Nigrato swung his newly formed arm at Juan. But his movements were slow and dull. In a flash, Juan used Taltere¡¯s dagger to pierce the joints on its arms, then twisted it. The bones fell onto the floor shattering like pottery. But, before its arm even it the floor, new skeletons were appearing from the ground. Again, tens of skeletons flocked to the area where Nigrato¡¯s arm had been, creating an even bigger and deformed arm. [You dare show your knife against the emperor¡¯s spear?] Juan made several more attempts at attacking Nigrato, cutting away at his body but made no progress. Even worse, a skeleton multiple times bigger than before was what he was left with. Hundreds of skulls, thousands of rib cage bones all combining to join its limbs to its body. It looked like a giant building. The hundreds of skulls simultaneously shouted with its mouth wide open. [Blasphemous! Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be forgiven for your treacherous sins because you are a child!] ¡°I might go crazy if I listen to any more of this.¡± Being scolded by the world¡¯s most impious, most disturbing being. His head was aching, thinking about how to face this being that didn¡¯t seem to die even when he¡¯d cut him many times. There were arms reaching for him from the ground. If not for the emperor¡¯s flame, Juan would have not made it to this point. Juan went through the cards that he could play. Grunvalde¡¯s cloak was no use in this thick darkness. Taltere¡¯s blood was reaching its end. Physical attacks did not have any effect. The only thing going for him was that his flame seemed to somewhat work against him. ¡®But how long would it take for me to burn the entire thing down¡­¡­.¡¯ Juan tried to estimate the amount of undeads and skeletons that Nigrato may be able to summon and his mana pool. He was certain that his blood would run out before he could burn the entire thing to ash. The flame Juan used, consumed mana to sustain. He didn¡¯t have enough left. [Under the emperor¡¯s name, you will face judgement for iron and blood!] Then Nigrato started to move. Nigrato¡¯s right shoulder smashed into the ground and started to pull something out. The ground started to shake and buildings collapsed while this happened. What Nigrato pulled out was a giant weapon made from white bones that stretched tens of metres. Even though it was shaped like a sword, Juan didn¡¯t see it as such. [With this holy sword that was bestowed upon me by the voice and agent of the emperor, The Pope, I will cut off your head. I¡¯ll give you one last chance to repent in front of this glorious opportunity! Give up your head willingly!] ¡°He¡¯s gotten more idiotic after being devoured by the God of death¡­¡­.That or his mindset was like this from the start¡­..¡± As Nigrato unleashed a strike with his sword, Juan opened his eyes wide and did his best to avoid it. Nigrato¡¯s sword whiskered past where Juan¡¯s throat had just been. Juan couldn¡¯t but help admit it. Nigrato was moving exactly like Ethan. With that massive body and that giant weapon. [For the emperor!] He wasn¡¯t as fast as Ethan, but his size and the fact that he was greatly flexible due to the voidance of flesh, Juan was quickly put on the backfoot. Juan did his best to avoid his attacks but he didn¡¯t last long. Eventually, Nigrato¡¯s sword caught up with Juan. ¡°Kueek¡­¡­¡­.!¡± A heavy shock swept through Juan¡¯s body. Made from bones, while the sword wasn¡¯t sharp it still delivered such an impact that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange to see Juan explode into pieces. Before it collided, Juan managed to bring about his flames to mitigate as much of the power of the impact as possible. But even so, Juan¡¯s body lifelessly flew into the air, hurdling before rolling to a stop. From the ground, countless hands tried to grab onto his body. ¡°Get lost!¡± The hands around Juan all erupted in flames. Juan realised that his current self was much weaker than normal. It was down to the internal injuries he got from voicing the emperor¡¯s voice, and his excess mana usage that was now close to depleting. [That fire isn¡¯t there for someone like you to use. The pinnacle disrespect.] Nigrato lifted his empty left hand. His hand started to jitter before something dark fell down through the gaps in his hand made from hundreds of bones. From the dark mud like material, something was seemingly flowing out. Skin, flesh covered in blood. The recognisable flesh melted before slapping onto Nigrato¡¯s bones. It was truly, a revolting, disgusting sight that would have made anyone freeze to their spot. The remade flesh meshed together, covereing Nigrato¡¯s bones, similar to a glove being worn over a hand. Nigrato shortened the gap with Juan as if he was getting ready to go again. Juan didn¡¯t make it easy to approach him, but now Nigrato¡¯s body didn¡¯t turn to dust upon going into contact with Juan¡¯s flames. ¡®Able to resist against the flames¡­.¡¯ The things used to make Nigrato¡¯s hand were human parts. The corpses were pale and obviously had no life in them. Nigrato¡¯s hand suddenly came upon him. The heavy pieces of flesh were softer than bones but Juan wasn¡¯t intending to see if he could burn it all. He didn¡¯t have many choices left. Also, Juan needed to think about the possibility of needing to escape. But he couldn leave Lars like this. Juan mustered the last bit of Taltere¡¯s blood, revitalising himself. In a flash, Nigrato¡¯s hand came at him. Like a mousetrap, just as he was about to be crushed, Juan disappeared leaving behind a small mist of himself in his place. But after using blink, before he could even get a good foothold of the ground, Nigrato slammed his sword onto the spot. Juan again used blink. Although it may have looked as if Nigrato was wildly stabbing, his was being deadly precise. Something toxic was released into the air by the corpses, which hurt Juan¡¯s ability to freely breath. Sweat began to prop on his back. ¡®One more time.¡¯ Nigrato swung his sword again at Juan after following his whereabouts. From a distance, Juan finally realised the destination that he needed to go. He casted blink for the final time. Then, his sight suddenly turned white. Kwa-Jjjiick! Juan flinched at feeling something pass through his abdominals. Upon noticing the air around Juan change, realising the possible danger, sharp bones sprouted outwards from Nigrato¡¯s entire body. The speed in which blink allowed him to move, saved everywhere else but his stomach, thigh and left shoulder. ¡°However¡­..¡± Juan grinned. ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± Nigrato¡¯s body flinched. Now hanging on, Juan wasn¡¯t going to let go of Ethan¡¯s sword. Ethan¡¯s sword that was pierced right through Nigrato¡¯s chest. It was strange why Nigrato hadn¡¯t already pulled out the sword from his chest. While it was a possibility, Juan guessed that Nigrato had no choice but to leave it there. A non removable splinter stuck in his body. Then suddenly. [Juan. I mean, my emperor.] CH 66 Chapter 66 God of death(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan¡¯s face swiftly turned. Nigrato, no Lars was blankly staring down at Juan. [What are you doing there, your highness? Where are the other knights? I¡­¡­] ¡°Lars! Do not look anywhere else! Look only at me!¡± Lars was looking at his arms and legs, and the wreckage around him. Then finally, Lars turned to look at the knife that Juan had inserted into his chest. [I see, your highness.] ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself for this. Lars. You¡¯re¡­..¡± [Your highness has again killed everyone, as you¡¯ve always done.] Juan paused. For more, Anya stretched out her hand and placed it over the left side of Sina¡¯s face. Along with a sizzling sound, smoke rose from beneath Anya¡¯s hand. Sina freaked out and abruptly slapped Anya¡¯s hand away. ¡°What are you¡­¡­.Is your hand alright?¡± Without a change of expression, Anya looked into her palm. ¡°The emperor¡¯s dog.¡± Sina flinched. She was referring to the mark above her left eye. Anya continued her gaze before finally opening her mouth. ¡°If you¡¯re the emperor¡¯s dog, instead of jumping into the fire alongside the owner, shouldn¡¯t you be thinking what you can do to help?¡± Sina had an expression on her face as if she¡¯d been knocked in the head. What she can do to help¡­¡­ If she went into the darkness, she wouldn¡¯t be doing much but only increase the number of undeads by one. Not being a paladin, there really wasn¡¯t much that she could do. Just as she was resigning herself to her uselessness, one thought popped into her head. She could bark. Sina turned her body and immediately rushed towards Bishop Rieto. She grabbed and shook Bishop Rieto who was still lying down lifeless. ¡°Rieto! Bishop Rieto nim! Wake up!¡± ¡°¡­¡­..When the day comes, the emperor will return with the army of the earth¡­¡­.¡± Rieto was quietly mumbling a prayer. Seeing Sina¡¯s abrasive acts, Camille tried to stop her. But Sina grabbed Rieto up by his collar and shouted out loud. ¡°If a bastard like you is the emperor¡¯s servant, then you should know that right now isn¡¯t the time to be dazing off!¡± At this moment, a spark of flames bursted from Sina¡¯s left eye. The small spark of fire flickered on top of Rieto¡¯s face. Everyone in the area stood up as if they¡¯d been shocked. When Sina had shouted, the voice had belonged to a being beyond their realm. They¡¯d heard it once before so they were confident who it belonged to. It was the emperor¡¯s voice. Bishop Rieto¡¯s pupil refocused. With eyes wide, his face contained an expression of unbelief as he looked at Sina. Not realising what she¡¯d done, Sina went up to Bishop once more. ¡°I said wake up. Bishop Rieto!¡± ¡°The voice¡­¡­.just now¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Right now, the emperor¡¯s biggest enemy isn¡¯t humans but evil beings. They are trying to return. We need the power of the emperor, now more than ever! Rieto!¡± Unlike before, Bishop Rieto couldn¡¯t feel the emperor¡¯s presence in Sina¡¯s voice. However, his volition had more than been recognised. Rieto looked at Sina¡¯s left eye that was burning. He had twice heard the emperor¡¯s voice that he¡¯d not expected to hear in his lifetime. Bishop Rieto felt he was closer to the emperor now more than he¡¯d ever been in the past. ¡°Todays the day.¡± Rieto stood up from the spot. Camille tried to help him up, but Rieto brushed her hand away and powerfully strided forward. Rieto, who was now facing the darkness in front of him, looked towards the small ray of flames flickering inside like a lighthouse. Same colour as the colour burning from Sina¡¯s eye, but gradually fading. Rieto tried to grab his rosary but felt nothing. He remembered how previously, Juan had smashed it into pieces. However, he could still perform a miracle without it. ¡°Brighter than the sun, burning hotter than a smelting furnace, our emperor, Kenosis¡­¡­..¡± Rieto¡¯s prayer wasn¡¯t fast but it was overflowing with conviction. Right now, Rieto could feel for some reason that he wasn¡¯t off to his split mind. No, he was smartly praying in one single voice. And in this new unity he found, lights started to form into a group above the dark sky. ¡°Here lies a servant that needs your merciful power¡­¡­¡± Sweat began to appear on Rieto¡¯s forehead. The prayer he was reciting was far more burdensome and dangerous than the prayer he had tried to make to bring Mananen Maclir¡¯s beast. It went against the principles that he¡¯d lived by. But Rieto strangely felt he was acting like a Bishop more than he¡¯d ever had in his life. ¡°To your soldier, to your land, please grace us with your strength.¡± CH 67 Chapter 67 God of death(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae As Juan¡¯s consciousness faded, his flames also began to drastically fade. Juan¡¯s limbs had already disappeared into dust. With his arms and legs already gone, Juan¡¯s remaining head and body was also fast burning into dust. Nigrato had been surprised at Juan¡¯s counter attack, but now he was certain that he would be able to absorb him. Also, Juan had given him an unexpected gift. The flames burning on Ethan¡¯s sword had been put out. [Thanks for your generosity, emperor.] Nigrato looked at the weakened Juan, and whispered as if he was taunting him. With his long fingers, he lifted Juan¡¯s shirt where it hadn¡¯t yet been burnt. Virtually, most of Juan¡¯s skin had been burned, so Nigrato did what he could to heal Juan to the condition he wanted it upon absorbing. [I¡¯ll admit it. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t have to face you in your complete form. So in saying that, I promise that I won¡¯t let your body decay.] Nigrato looked over Juan¡¯s body and confirmed that his flame was still eating him up. This was a problem. [So¡­.How to stop this fire¡­¡­] First, to end Juan¡¯s life for good, Nigrato pointed his fingers towards Juan¡¯s heart. His knife like fingers landed on Juan¡¯s chest. In order to not create excess damage to Juan¡¯s body, Nigrato adjusted the amount of force he put into his fingers. The moment blood squirted out from Juan¡¯s white skin, Nigrato felt an unexpected change in his surrounding. Nigrato¡¯s looked towards the sky. A group of light was tearing through the darkness. Nigrato felt something unusual about the dancing lights. Nigrato decided to quickly act upon seeing this new variable. He pushed and squeezed Juan¡¯s corpse firmly. But right at that moment, Juan¡¯s eyes opened. And a light expanded. As the blinding light pierced through the darkness, Nigrato couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. He had tried to kill Juan but was left squeezing empty space. Nigrato only then realised that he no longer had arms and shoulders. Light was glistening from the spot where Juan was just at. Juan, completely covered in flames, was burning bright. His body was still falling apart. But unlike before, it was for a completely different reason. Juan¡¯s body wasn¡¯t able to handle the enormous power that was trying to enter his body. Juan gripped Ethan¡¯s sword with his fiery hand. The blackened sword suddenly emitted a glaring light. Death had always been a friendly term for Nigrato. But for once, he was afraid of the death in front of his eyes. Unlike the cold pale deaths that he was used to, a flaming heated death was in front of him. Nigrato swung his sword in fury. [You act as if you know what death is!] Nigrato¡¯s and Juan¡¯s sword clashed. For a brief moment a sun erupted. The light exploded throughout Hiveden. Juan blankly stared at the light. It was a light that he felt familiar with. Then he realised that his body had all but disappeared. Broke down into dust, his body was no more. Actually¡­..No. This light was Juan. It was Juan¡¯s volition. In the end, Juan had accepted the enormous amount of mana that was attempting to enter his body and this light was him explicitly expressing the new power that he¡¯d absorbed. Also he now knew the source of the mana. ¡®Mananen Maclir¡¯s heart.¡¯ A piece of body that was thought to be resting at the eternal throne. His mana from his heart was being directly linked to Juan. If a normal person tried to accept it, they would have instantly been lit on fire or turned to dust. While this was the same for Juan, his inner self was enduring. As of right now, Juan was the emperor. [Bullshit. This can¡¯t be¡­] From one side of the light, Juan heard Nigrato¡¯s voice. It looked as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Nigrato was just barely managing to hold onto his body from perishing in the light. Juan felt annoyed. With a ¡®ppukk¡¯ sound, Nigrato¡¯s body shattered into dust. A trifling end for the god of death who had almost brought about the end of the world. It wasn¡¯t just the people of Hiveden that felt this immense world altering power. For a brief moment, the continent plate shook. Most people overlooked it as a minor shake, but there were a few that knew the meaning behind it. The last remaining dragon lifted her head from her nest. It was the only dragon that survived the emperor¡¯s eldest, Gared Ga-in¡¯s slaughter. She flapped and opened her wings, having felt a divine presence that she hadn¡¯t felt for the last several decades. The gods that lived amongst people while hiding their divine presence, took off their rags. While it was believed by most that gods were either dead or had been banished, she who always kept to her own, in hiding, had survived with the help of a few faithfuls. A memory that she¡¯d almost forgotten, came to her mind. The sound of a war to come. Magicians that believed to have mastered all truth in this world, turned back their interest. Upon feeling this unworldly power, they shivered and dusted off their books that had been long stored away. They felt a flow that had been halted for a long time in this world, had been renewed. The successors of the emperor¡¯s essence, detected the appearance of this unknown figure. In the north. Commander of the Fenrir knights, the emperor¡¯s eldest daughter suspended the war that had waged on continuously since she¡¯d been five. In the west. Doctrine enforcers, bishops, fanatics, and commander of the Hammer knights holy Paladin Division, the emperor¡¯s third son aborted the doctrine trial. The saintress that was spewing out lies on top of the altar stopped her prophecy. Then saying that she no longer wanted to lie, she cut her out her tongue on her own. The Pope who was listening from the front row, felt a chill as the saintress¡¯s blood sprayed on to him. A monster living in the far corner of the world that had stayed in silence for decades, opened its mouth. It¡¯s voice stained with despair and betrayal, had malicious intent behind it. The monster, covered in moss, trembled as it slowly began to stand upright. The last of his kind, the sole survivor of his race looked to the south. Once upon a time, he had been an agent of the gods, but those same gods had wiped out his race. Vares Valte muttered as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. Those around him all said the same thing. ¡°Emperor.¡± The emperor had woken. The truth behind this unbelievable fact, rang inside their minds. Sina was shedding tears. It was an ecstatic light. A light that didn¡¯t harm anyone that it shone upon. There was no doubt in her mind that it belonged to the emperor. Because of this Sina couldn¡¯t stop her tears. ¡®Juan, you¡¯re¡­¡­¡¯ There was no reason to suspect whether Juan was the emperor. The disappointment and despair Juan had felt towards the people, and the loneliness solitude that came with it. Juan with a distorted expression on his face was someone that Sina didn¡¯t want to acknowledge as the emperor. ***** Lars¡¯s voice had completely faded. Juan felt the mana coursing into his body slowly diminish. He had already predicted this as it was a normal occurrence. Someone had forcedly linked his body with his original body in a spiritual way. He didn¡¯t know who did it, but it had certainly helped him escape from a dangerous situation. ¡®What¡¯s going to happen when this mana disappears.¡¯ It would be great if he could make this mana his own, but right now he didn¡¯t have the body capable of holding this amount of mana. He had also considered the fact if it would kill him, but this was highly unlikely. ¡®Well. I have no choice but to use it.¡¯ For more, Until now, it had been difficult for him to show his full potential due to his lightweightness and short arms and legs. ¡®Though it didn¡¯t fill up as much as I hoped for.¡¯ On top of using a lot of mana to fight, he had used vast amounts of it to recover. His body hadn¡¯t filled up to his satisfaction. But compared to when he¡¯d arrived in Hiveden, he had been able to attain an incomparably immense amount of mana. The sound of cheerful footsteps could be heard. ¡°Juan.¡± Before he¡¯d even turned, he was able to tell that the footsteps belonged to Anya. Jumping up and down with a blushing expression, an out of breath Anya was looking at Juan. For a moment, she looked puzzled but then gathered her breath and walked on over. Not sure what to say at first, she acted hesitant. But then, she quietly kneeled on one knee with her head down and spoke. ¡°Your majesty.¡± CH 68 Chapter 68 Omen Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Holy city of Torra, Vatican Cathedral. The sun hadn¡¯t even come up and yet Pope Helmut Helvine was busy washing his face. While he was known to not sleep very much, today it was for a different reason. His attitude wasn¡¯t normal. Helmut silently swore repeatedly as he scrubbed his face. His face was swollen red and his pale expression made one wonder how long he¡¯d been doing this. ¡°Shit, damn it¡­¡­¡­.¡± He looked at his face into the mirror on top of the sink. An old man¡¯s face with wrinkles and black spots. He¡¯d heard often that his face looked sly, but Helmut didn¡¯t have too many problems with how his face looked. Sneakily, he had made sure anyone whispering rude descriptions paid the price. However, this time it was different. ¡°Why. Why is the smell of blood not going away!¡± Helmut furiously cursed out in anger. A few days ago, a saintress was prohecising as usual on the altar. On that particular day, there were no messages from the oracle, therefore the saintress had been declaring made up prophecies that Helmut had instructed her to say. But then, after going into a seizure, the saintress suddenly cut out her tongue after professing that ¡®she no longer wanted to lie¡¯. Helmut who¡¯d been praying from the front row was on the receiving end of the blood that sprayed from her mouth. Freaking out, he had quickly moved away, but not before her blood had already sprayed onto his face. The tongue-less saintress giggled and convulsed in front of him. After arresting her, they¡¯d healed her condition back to normal, but a saintress without a tongue was of no more use to him. Then came the other problem. No matter how many times he washed the saintress¡¯s blood from his face, the smell and the stickiness didn¡¯t disappear. After vigorously washing his face a few more times, Helmut threw away the wash bucket. A female apprentice priest came running along after seeing the water spill onto the floor. She picked up the bucket. ¡°¡­¡­Bring me clean water.¡± The apprentice squirmed as she backed off. Helmut thought about how he¡¯d look in the eyes of the scared apprentice priest. Most likely a lunatic. He couldn¡¯t take it any longer. The Pope called out and stopped the female priest carrying the wash bucket. ¡°You, wait.¡± ¡°Yes, your holiness.¡± ¡°Come here and smell my face.¡± The female priest¡¯s face panicked. But knowing that the Pope didn¡¯t like to repeat things twice, she carefully approached him and smelled his face. ¡°What do you smell?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Nothing but the smell of soap, your holiness.¡± Helmut had been about to rage, but realised she had no reason to lie. Upon feeling a wave of tiredness sweep in, Helmut waved at the priest apprentice to leave. ¡°That¡¯s all. You don¡¯t bring me the water.¡± The female priest lowered her head in a sigh of relief and quickly left the room holding the wash bucket. Helmut thought about what had happened to him. Maybe he really did go mad. His mind wasn¡¯t so weak that he was shocked at seeing the saintress cut of her own tongue. Helmut had been a soldier since the days of the emperor, and after his eternal sleep, he had committed purges after purges. He had seen some indescribable things and would win against most knights in how much blood that was on his hand. ¡®Hmm¡­..Maybe, there was something else in the oracle¡¯s message.¡¯ The title of saintress was a mere formality. They took any virgin women or female priest and named them saintress before placing them on the altar. It was an act to calm the public and stay popular with people of the empire. Though it was strange to see a saintress be named this way, there were times when they unexpectedly professed a prophecy spontaneously. Having created the position of a saintress, Helmut didn¡¯t believe or have much thought in the position, but anytime an unprepared prophecy was revealed, he noticed that in nine out of ten times it became true. And recently, these incidents have been occuring more often. The prophecy about the black haired emperor, and the tongue cutting prophecy were the worst of the bunch. Helmut thought deeply whether he needed to abolish the position of the saintress. But in these times when the public was uneasy, it would be even harder to control the public sentiment without a popular saintress. ¡®I¡¯ll need to make sure the next saintress is the most bland, average woman that I can find.¡¯ As he thought about his next course of actions, he heard a knock on his door. The apprentice priest from before had come back with a rolled up black scroll. Helmut frowned. A black scroll meant it was an urgent report. It wasn¡¯t something that a mere apprentice priest should ever have in her hands. ¡°What. Who delivered it?¡± ¡°A priest in black clothing, your holiness¡­¡­¡± The female apprentice carefully handed the scroll to Helmut. Black clothed priests were doctrine enforcers. And those enforcers working at Holy city of Torra were those that were carrying out Helmut¡¯s secret assignments. Helmut¡¯s face hardened. He hastily opened up the scroll. Quickly scanning through the message, Helmut¡¯s face alternated from blue to red and then finally turned pale. The anger that filled his entire body up to his head strangely made him calm. [ Messenger sent by Pope missing. Holy Paladin knights, White crow order commenced attack on Hiveden. White crow knights annihilated. Only a fraction succeeded in fleeing. Many witnesses but knowing this matter is of grave importance and mysterious, will investigate more for now. Subsequent reports will be delivered. ] ¡°You want me to believe this?¡± Every detail inside the report was of terror. Helmut¡¯s hand shook and his breathing fastened as he clutched the scroll in his hand. Upon seeing his rage, the female apprentice quietly whispered. ¡°Please calm down, your holiness.¡± ¡°Calm down?¡± Helmut realised why his doctrine enforcers didn¡¯t deliver the message themselves, and handed it to the female priest. They knew that the Pope would be infuriated after reading the contents of the report. Helmut grabbed the wash bucket and slammed it down onto the apprentice¡¯s head. The female priest lightly screamed but Helmut didn¡¯t stop. Repeatedly, he slammed onto the female priest¡¯s head. The female priest tumbled to the ground as a strange sound echoed. But even so, Helmut¡¯s hand didn¡¯t stop swinging. Sound of blood gushing and bones breaking filled the Pope¡¯s personal chamber. Everytime Helmut swung down, the female priest¡¯s body convulsed. After a long time, Helmut threw away the wash bucket that had been dented out of shape. The room was covered with blood stains. Only a small portion of the female priest¡¯s head remained. Helmut breathed in and out deeply then slowly raised his index finger. What was left of the female priest¡¯s head instantly started to restore. Like a newly growing tree, starting from the spine, then nerves, arteries and veins, bones, flesh all instantly regenerated. The female priest¡¯s body shook for a while then she suddenly gasped for breath. ¡°Eeeeek¡­¡­..!¡± seeing the blood, bones and brains on the floor in front of her upon opening her eyes, she screamed. Then soon realised it was hers. In an instant her eyes filled with terror. Helmut gestured with his chin with a tired expression. ¡°Clean that up and bring me a new bucket of water.¡± ***** Roen basin near the holy city of Torra. After popular belief that an ancient god had crashed into the basin, it was famous for not growing anything but some light grass. Time to time, there were people that had travelled to this land in search of scenery to train. But after being selected as an exclusive training spot for the knights at the capital, general entry into the land was banned. However, the truth was that this was a lie. This was a piece of land that was difficult and even made someone like Commander of the Capital¡¯s knights, Pavan Peltere nervous. Hearing a heavy sound echoing across him, he slowly started walking over. Not long after, Pavan was able to find one person. An elderly white bearded man that had a body mass that was twice the size of Pavan¡¯s and full of scars from the countless battles he¡¯d participated in. Just approaching the old man made Pavan feel as if the air around him became more tense. In front of the old man, a 10 metre long golden cow stood. Currently, the old man had the cow by the horns and stuffed into the ground. Angrily spitting out saliva from its mouth, the cow was struggling against the old man¡¯s strength. The old man comfortably held the cow in place and didn¡¯t move an inch. Pavan looked for an opportunity to begin a conversation but found it difficult to know the right time. ¡°A beautiful creature, isn¡¯t it?¡± A deep, grand voice flowed out and entered Pavan¡¯s ear. ¡°Not a good time, Pavan. I¡¯m in the middle of a taming session.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite the¡­¡­..majestic beast sir.¡± ¡°Its a Shinsoo[1]. Contrary to popular belief, a few things that were left behind by the gods are beautiful, like this one. I¡¯m guessing it may be your first time seeing one.¡± A surprised Pavan nodded his head. A Shinsoo¡­¡­ Beasts that were once pets and agents of gods. Having heard that the majority had gone extinct during the emperor¡¯s era, it was his first time seeing one. Pavan couldn¡¯t even guess where this old man may have caught a Shinsoo. ¡°So, what is it?¡± Only then, Pavan returned to his senses. ¡°Urgent report from the Capital¡¯s intelligence. It¡¯s reported that the White crow knights sustained a heavy defeat.¡± Pavan quietly opened his mouth. But the old man didn¡¯t even seem interested. ¡°It¡¯s said that the White crow knights refused Pope¡¯s orders and unilaterally attacked the Hiveden in search of the Hugin knights. In response the Pope sent a messenger, but the messenger has gone missing and the White crow knights still commenced their attack. Its likely that the messenger was murdered.¡± ¡°What a mess.¡± ¡°Even Bishop Rieto joined the battle but still only a few White crow knights managed to flee intact and Commander Ethan is nowhere to be found. I heard that the Pope is trying to use this incident to tighten up internal control.¡± ¡°Lars Raude, I didn¡¯t expect much from that child. All the more so, considering that a Bishop participated. Thought it was the end for him when he¡¯d tried to assassinate me that time¡­.¡± Pavan took a deep breath. Here came the main part of discussion. ¡°It appears Lars Raude has died in battle.¡± The old man stayed silent for a moment. Then calmly spoke. ¡°Is that right. So¡­ just like that, another sun has set huh.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one another thing to report sir. This one is¡­¡­ It¡¯s hard to believe its credibility. I think it may be false information that the Hugin knights purposely spread or an exaggerated event that manifested from Hiveden. But¡­.I¡¯m not sure what Pope Helmut is going to do with this information so¡­..¡± ¡°Seeing you spout so many excuses like that, it really must be something ridiculous. Go on.¡± ¡°Apparently, Lars Raude had transformed into the God of death, Nigrato himself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Had?¡± ¡°Yes. And that the emperor came forth and subdued him from this world.¡± For the first time, there was a reaction from the elderly man. The old man slowly turned his head. Upon seeing the old man¡¯s face, Pavan became overwhelmed just from his gaze. The amount of pressure he exerted from his eyes made Pavan¡¯s neck stiff. Furthermore, the circular white horns on top that almost signified a crown was seemingly giving a vibe of royalty. Pavan quickly carried on. ¡°Again, this is only a rumour spread from the battle sir. Lars had always been intertwined with undeads so I can see how this baseless rumour spread. It would¡¯ve been the first time he¡¯d appeared in front of the public. And the rumour regarding the emperor¡­..I think the Pope may have been behind it sir. Trying to strengthen his control and influence internally¡­.. Instead of heeding to these blasphemous rumors, how about keeping a close eye on the Pope¡­¡­.¡± With a tthu dduk sound, the giant cow shaped Shinsoo¡¯s knees dropped to the ground. A shock shook the surrounding area as the giant meat fell onto its side. The old man, having twisted the Shinsoo¡¯s neck 180 degrees with one gesture, took the broken horn from the cow and chucked it away. ¡°Pavan.¡± Unknowingly, Pavan¡¯s mouth was closed and his head already bowed. He started to uncontrollably sweat everywhere on his body. Not of his own doing, Pavan¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but obey the will of the old man¡¯s voice. Pavan reaffirmed who he was speaking to. ¡°Go and bring me the ¡®right¡¯ information. The truth. Not rumours.¡± If this old man wanted the seat of the emperor, there was no one in the empire to stop him. But, he did not do this. He smirked at everyone as if he had no thoughts of being tied down to such a trifling position. However, there wasn¡¯t a single being that questioned his overwhelming strength that swayed the course of the wind in the empire. There were many proclaimed names of his. High regent of the empire, General of the empire¡¯s military, last survivor of the Honsluin tribe, empire¡¯s number one. Vares Valte. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C [1] ¨C I searched extensively for this¡­.Pretty sure it¡¯s a made up word. CH 69 Chapter 69 Rebuild(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The hospital ward was filled with the smell of death and agony. It was as expected consdiering the ward was located in a city that had just gone through a battle. Juan snuggly pulled up his mask over his nose then began his search for someone. Civilians, soldiers and knights were all groaning. It was the same everywhere else in Hiveden. Often coined ¡®the lawless city¡¯, while it was full of violent people, surprisingly there weren¡¯t many people looting and pillaging after the war had ended. Most bonded together to find the injured and help restore order in the city. The White crow knights were doing the same. Seen as slaughters, while there wasn¡¯t anyone that was sending good natured gazes at them as they passed, the people largely overlooked it. Both parties had gone through a traumatic experience that made such quarrels seem pointless. Amongst the elderies, there weren¡¯t many that had ever seen a god, even if it was an incarnation. While it was surprising to have seen a god of death incarnate, the fact there was a being that had the strength to eliminate it was even more surprising. People largely kept quiet, but everyone was whispering the same name between each other. That ¡®the emperor¡¯ had returned. That he came to fulfil the promise that he¡¯d do so when the empire was at risk. Amongst the soldiers, Juan finally found the person he had been looking for. Dilmond. Full of cuts everywhere on his body, Dilmond was lying face down due to the burns he¡¯d gotten on his back. Although it seemed that the bandage around his body was being frequently changed, the sheer number of patients in the ward made it seemingly difficult to get proper attention. ¡°Yes. Till his final moments, Lars tried to replicate something similar to Mananen Maclir¡¯s heart. And having some success doing so. So I think he did something similar to Nigrato¡¯s essence as well. Problem is that I¡¯m not sure how this works. It¡¯s not like Mananen Maclir¡¯s heart where you absorb it into your body.¡± ¡°If Lars nim left it behind, then surely it¡¯s for a good reason. By the way, how did commander nim die? I heard stories from people but didn¡¯t want to believe it.¡± ¡°Right at the end, Lars¡¯s consciousness came back. And he asked me to end it.¡± ¡°Is that all? What Anya told me was of complete disbelief.¡± Juan already guessed what Dilmond was about to say. He briefly considered avoiding answering but Juan knew from looking at Dilmond¡¯s stare that he wasn¡¯t going to let this go easily. Juan shrugged his shoulders. ¡°And what¡¯s your thought on it?¡± ¡°Half and half. I did already presume you were something related to the emperor, possibly an incarnation but I never thought that you¡¯d be the emperor himself. Because you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± ¡°Weak?¡± ¡°A brat.¡± Juan laughed out loud. Dilmond joined in before shaking his head. ¡°Anya doesn¡¯t have a single doubt that you¡¯re the emperor.¡± ¡°In all honesty, I¡¯m not sure either, Dilmond. Not a long while ago, I didn¡¯t know how or why I needed to prove and persuade everyone that I am the emperor. But as time went on, the more I realised that maybe it was me that didn¡¯t know much about who the emperor is. Everyday, the title ¡®emperor¡¯ becomes more distant and unfamiliar in my eyes.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just¡­¡­¡± ¡°A brat that¡¯s growing up. Anyways, now I know that I can¡¯t just be the emperor simply because I was the emperor in the past. Dilmond, for what reason do you think Lars tried to restore Mananen Maclir¡¯s heart?¡± It wasn¡¯t to attain power. He didn¡¯t want to become as strong as the emperor. What Lars wanted to make was not a source of overwhelming power. He wanted to make the emperor. He hoped for a being that could save, lead, and herd the people together. He wanted a back that he could rely on. ¡°Then suddenly, a person appeared in my mind. Someone that has made it clear that they¡¯ll never acknowledge me as the emperor.¡± Sina Solbein. Even after Juan had shown her his power, Sina hadn¡¯t come looking for him. But he knew that she was alive. Just as Sina was able to know what condition Juan was in. There was only one reason why Sina hadn¡¯t come looking for Juan. It mattered not whether Juan did or didn¡¯t have the emperor¡¯s power. Sina just simply found it difficult to acknowledge Juan as the emperor. Dilmond who was quietly looking at Juan, stretched out his hand. His rugged thick palm slid through Juan¡¯s hair. Showing off his teeth as he gave a wide smile, Dilmond spoke. ¡°Looking at you be concerned and thoughtful suggests maybe you aren¡¯t just a brat.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°If you ask me, I don¡¯t know. I only got to see the emperor a few times. But no matter how you looked or how you acted, Lars nim accepted and acknowledged you. I know that deep inside, I find you trustworthy. But above all that, I trust Lars nim¡¯s judgment.¡± Dilmond grinned as he whispered. ¡°And at the very least, someone who delves in such thoughts makes them seem like an emperor all the more so.¡± ***** The Hugin knights still based their operations in Hiveden¡¯s underground. Juan clicked his tongue at seeing the mossy walls and mold formed in the corners. This kind of setting where the Hugin knights operated under, contributed to the negative rumours surrounding their name. But Anya had no intention of moving their headquarters just yet. ¡°The mood in the city is neither good or bad.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it us that stopped the White crow knights from slaughtering and also halt Nigrato¡¯s rise?¡± ¡°While the first point stands true, it¡¯s not like we weren¡¯t involved with Nigrato¡¯s summoning. I know it¡¯s unfair but the fact there is extensive damage to the city caused by undeads hasn¡¯t made us popular considering its widely known that we¡¯re associated with undeads.¡± Anya sighed. When the darkness surrounded the city, there had been many people that had received aid from the Hugin knights. And also from the White crow knights. There were many people that remembered Sina and Vice commander Camille in particular. ¡°Anyways, there are a lot of complicated emotions going around. Some are resenting and some are thankful. But there¡¯s one thing in common. That everyone¡¯s more sympathetic having survived this battle. And that it was the emperor that saved them!¡± Anya stretched out her chest proudly as she pointed at Juan. Camille, who was silently listening on, flinched as she opened her eyes wide and looked at Juan. With a slightly irritated face, Juan¡¯s hand moved to his forehead. ¡°About that, I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d just continued calling me Juan.¡± ¡°Yes, Juan!¡± ¡°Are you not even going to ask why.¡± ¡°Being the emperor, I¡¯m sure the decision was made with your highness¡¯s thoughtful consideration.¡± Juan felt as if he was falling further into a deep pit. Anyways, because of Anya he was free from having to explain his reasoning, so all was good. Juan felt the short brief glances, coming from Camille. Having been a knight of the White crow order, the only reason why she¡¯d come to the headquarters of the Hugin knights was because she¡¯d given up her position as a Paladin. ¡°I believe your name is Camille. I heard there¡¯s other Paladins that are also wanting to relieve themselves of their position.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Camille was looking at Juan with a complicated expression. Camille had felt the emperor¡¯s presence when Nigrato was eradicated by a bright light. The other knights in the White crow order had felt it too. Although there were gossips, Juan¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t well known by anyone else except the Hugin knights. ¡®I knew there was someone behind it but really, that young kid?¡¯ Camille wore a skeptical look. Which was a perfectly normal reaction to have as Anya¡¯s take on this was uncommon. ¡°Can I ask why you decided to quit being a Paladin? I know that being a Paladin has grand merits like status and power.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..That day, when your highness brought out your power to sink the enemy, we all fell skeptic. That we had been fighting the wrong enemy till now. Although Lars was a servant of the god of death¡­.¡± Precisely at this moment, Anya gripped her stiletto tightly. Juan grabbed her hand. Anya blankly looked at Camille. At Juan¡¯s nod, Camille continued. ¡°The truth is that the Hugin knights did everything they could to defeat the god of death. There are no shortages of witnesses. And the emperor fought, aided not by Paladins nor priests but Hugin knights. Seeing this, many of us started to question and have doubts. I was no different.¡± ¡°Not a reason to stop being a Paladin is it.¡± ¡°The White crow knights will not be able to function as a Paladin order. Our numbers have drastically fallen and furthermore Ethan Ethil kyung¡­¡­.is missing. But the most important factor is belief without doubt. We have begun to doubt what it means to be a Paladin. There¡¯s not a single Paladin knight that would have doubted the moment they saw that flash of light.¡± A being that caught the attention of the people, made everyone look back at themselves and alter their futures. That was who appeared in front of Camille. Juan still felt complicated inside but one thing was for sure. ¡°Then, can I assume that you aren¡¯t and will not be our enemy?¡± ¡°That I can promise, your highness. However, if you¡¯re asking to join the Hugin knights¡­¡­I¡¯ll have to decline. Myself and the other knights still haven¡¯t made terms of the whole situation yet. Plus there are other things that require our attention.¡± ¡°Other things?¡± Camille whispered after glancing at her surroundings. ¡°We plan to help those that we mercilessly slaughtered in this city for the rest of our lives. I don¡¯t know how they will greet us but considering the number of times I¡¯ve tarnished your highness¡¯s name, this is just the start in our act to answer for our sins.¡± Juan was satisfied with that. It wasn¡¯t important where Camille and the White crow knights were intending to stay. While it would be a big help if they¡¯d joined the Hugin knights, several decades of resentment with the Hugin knights wasn¡¯t going to allow it. While this wasn¡¯t to be taken lightly, Juan was fine with them not getting in their way. Then, Anya spoke to Camille with a serious expression. ¡°Ms Camille, in that case can I ask a favour¡­¡­¡± ¡°Favour? What?¡± ¡°How about blaming this whole incident on Ethan?¡± CH 70 Chapter 70 Rebuild(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Camille was wearing a puzzled look. ¡°¡­¡­.What? What are you saying? If you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re going to frame this all on Ethan kyung¡­.¡± ¡°No. In fact it¡¯s the opposite. We¡¯ll make Ethan the one that dispatched Nigrato and saved Hiveden. Obviously, we can discuss before deciding on the specific details¡­¡­ah, and we can say that Bishop Rieto helped as well in making this possible. Makes it easy for us since both are dead.¡± Juan¡¯s eyes turned and stopped at Anya. ¡°Bishop Rieto is dead?¡± ¡°Juan didn¡¯t know? He was found dead after Nigrato was abolished.¡± ¡°How did he die?¡± Camille answered this part. For more, ¡°They¡¯ll be sung as the empire¡¯s new heroes. I don¡¯t mind, but what about the possible testimonies from the residents?¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be a more believable testimony than from the vice commander of the Paladin order. And plus, there isn¡¯t anyone that saw the events that actually transpired inside the darkness in detail.¡± ¡°Are the Hugin knights alright with this? Making the commander of the enemy a hero?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care.¡± The newly appointed commander of the Hugin knights, Anya replied delightfully. Juan grinned. ¡°Speaking from experience, having your name glorified and your grave plated in gold are the most meaningless things when you¡¯ve died. No one will care that Ethan is revered as a hero if the Hugin knights benefit from it.¡± Camille flinched at hearing Juan speak of having ¡®experience in dying¡¯. Everyone knew what Juan¡¯s words were implying. There were countless things that she wanted to ask and say to Juan, but in doing so she would be acknowledging him as the emperor. For now she kept silent as she was still unsure of anything. Instead she changed the topic. ¡°¡­¡­..Is there a need for that? Why shouldn¡¯t we say that you defeated Nigrato and is the hero that saved Hiveden?¡± And proclaim that the emperor that returned to this land¡­. Camille barely managed to swallow her next words. If Juan imposed such confident behaviour, Camille felt that she would no longer be able to fool herself from denying the truth. Her eyes down, Camille stood still after spitting out what was on her mind. But not hearing any reply of any sort, Camille lifted her head. Juan and Anya was looking at Camille. ¡°Camille, that story has long spread.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It already spread between the people before the Hugin knights could stop it. At an alarming rate that we can;t do anything about it now. Reason why I asked to put this on Ethan was to create some disturbance and we¡¯ll use that opportunity to think about our plans for the future.¡± For more, ¡°There¡¯s no reason for the General to come.¡± ¡°Right. I know it¡¯s Juan, but that was a bit unexpected.¡± Actually, it was Juan that felt odd. If it was him, he would have definitely sent a General to the site where the god of death died to trace the truth. ¡°The General is the empire¡¯s number one. He¡¯s a General but a Regent at the same time. Though he doesn¡¯t wear the crown, his authority rivals an emperor. So why would he bother coming here personally.¡± Makes sense. With this talk, Juan realised the difference in thought process between Sina, Camille and him. They didn¡¯t know how persistent these gods got in order to survive, and the dangers that followed it. Though they got to see the god of death, it had only been an incarnation. To add to that, it was successfully eliminated not long after its appearance. Meanwhile, Juan got to experience first hand the very limits of these gods and what they could really do. When fighting a god, you need to despise, you need to hate every piece of them, even if they have been cut into hundreds of pieces. But these people didn¡¯t know such fear or hate. It was only natural that they were caught up in thinking about ranks. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Maybe it¡¯s for their own good.¡± If they knew of such fear, it would be hard to live out their lives peacefully. Juan hoped for their sake that they¡¯d continue to not know for the rest of their lives. ¡°Juan?¡± ¡°Its nothing. I was thinking that if he¡¯s the Vares Valte I know, then he might personally come. But if it isn¡¯t himself, then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll send one of the powerful beings in his army. Do you have any idea who it could be?¡± ¡°Hmm, the strongest would be General Vares Valte but¡­¡­..¡± Juan also thought the same. Even when Juan oversaw these lands, Vares was powerful enough to be second most powerful. Plus, he was of the Honsluin tribe that didn¡¯t weaken with age, so it was possible that he¡¯d be even stronger now. ¡°How strong is Vares?¡± ¡°THe only time I got to see General Vares Valte was at a podium, so it¡¯s hard to say. There aren¡¯t many reasons for the church and the capital¡¯s army to encounter. In fact, wouldn¡¯t the Hugin knights know more about this?¡± Anya shook her head at Camille¡¯s question. ¡°Its hard for us to say as well. Lars nim and Hugin knights did try to assassinate him in the past but¡­¡­¡­even though we carefully drew up a plan, we couldn¡¯t even land a mark on him before fleeing. And that was against Vares alone. Because of this, Lars nim fell into despair.¡± Anya made a depressed look as she said her final words. It was likely that Lars had been strong before that incident. If Lars who¡¯d absorbed Nigrato¡¯s essence wasn¡¯t no match, then it was safe to assume that Vares Valte was stronger than as Juan knew of him in the past. ¡°So, who¡¯s coming after?¡± ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s General Nienna Nelborn of the Fenrir knights. Though she¡¯s not well known.¡± Anya¡¯s eyes drifted towards Juan. The emperor had four children in total. Gared Ga-in, Nienna Nelborn, Dismas Dilver and Lars Raude. Among them, Nienna was the second child. Juan had no qualms with Nienna being touted as the second most powerful being in the empire. Nienna had been strong even before he began teaching her. She had been five when he¡¯d taken her in as his own. ¡°Nienna won¡¯t come. I can¡¯t imagine a world where that child would leave the northern borders unattended.¡± Nienna had fought the fissure monsters since she¡¯d been able to wield a sword, and chose to remain in that cold land during Juan¡¯s campaign over the empire. It¡¯s been even said that the northern people are more loyal to Nienna than to the empire. And to add to that, Nienna wasn¡¯t on friendly terms with Vares. ¡°Third?¡± ¡°Commander of the Capital¡¯s knights, Pavan Peltere.¡± ¡°Renri Loen of the imperial guard.¡± For more, She was implying how White crow knights conscripted the Laus mountain scouts to fight alongside them. In doing this, it would create less collisions between each other. But even so, it was hard for the empire¡¯s army to publicly rebel against the church due to their power in the empire. So this only led to a gap between the empire¡¯s knights and the Paladin knights in times of war. ¡°What about this Renri Loen person?¡± Anya waived her hand at Juan¡¯s curiosity. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to even ask. The emperor¡¯s imperial guard dissolved and disappeared into pieces. The imperial guards today do nothing more than manage and clean the eternal throne. Sentenced to a tomb.¡± Camille nodded. ¡°I agree with Miss Anya¡¯s words to this point. While it¡¯s an honorable position, there¡¯s shame in being named the imperial guard when there isn¡¯t an emperor. After the emperor¡¯s assasination, the imperial guard all but became a mere title without status. A place for those without a future is sent to¡­.But do know that, this doesn¡¯t apply to Renri Loen.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Renri, after being appointed as a Paladin, quickly moved up to become one of the first commanders of a Paladin order. But for some reason, decided to indoctrinate as an imperial guard, waving goodbye to all success. There were talks of clashing with the Pope, and that Renri may have been forgiven if an apology was made, but in the end Renri chose the royal guard. Truly unfortunate as Renri is one of the few in the empire that has reached stage 4 of the Valte swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Valte swordsmanship stage?¡± Anya asked in a confused tone. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not an official term nor something to openly discuss. It simply quantifies four levels of Valte swordsmanship. The swordsmanship left behind by the emperor was deep and hard to fully grasp, so grasping it through each level unlocks new power.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard of it. That the more you train Valte swordsmanship, there¡¯s a magical effect that occurs. Casting, moving mana with the path of your sword, and that your sword strikes becomes magic. There were a few sunbaes from the Hugin knights that said this.¡± ¡°If the 1st stage is an average knight, then the 2nd stage would allow you to produce ki from your sword. Most Paladins would belong here. A female knight named Sina would find herself sitting at the beginning stages of stage 2. Stage 3, one would reach sword speed and power that is several times faster than a normal person. Commander Ethan Ethil would have been at around stage 3.¡± ¡°Interersting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been said that if you¡¯d reach even stage 3, you wouldn¡¯t be hard pressed to find anyone equal. Not much is known about stage 4. Rumours suggest it goes beyond the physical side and the effects can be seen with eyes. Basically, real magic. Renri Loen is at the very least on that level.¡± As a fellow Paladin, Calmiile had a proud expression on her face.l. Hearing Camille¡¯s story, Juan made a strange face. It was true that motions in Valte swordsmanship did create magical effects just from swinging and he¡¯d divided into stages. But, this didn¡¯t mean that the opponent was stronger because they were of a higher stage. If one learnt Valte swordsmanship, while the useful effects were split into different stages, Juan didn¡¯t think it was the deciding factor in determining who was victorious. He didn¡¯t see why a stage 4 representative was praised so highly. He assumed the general standard around here had fallen since his days. ¡®How many did I create again?¡¯ The upper limit was based on how far Juan had gotten. Right now, Juan¡¯s current strength was not much but just Valte swordsmanship. ¡®¡­¡­¡­.Hmm.¡¯ A number did pop into his head, but not wanting to get Camille too excited, he held himself from saying it out loud. Right now, Juan wasn¡¯t able to fully utilise swordsmanship due to his inadequate physicality. Eventually, when he would reach adulthood, things would be different. Anyways, there were too many things different compared to his golden days, so it was best for Juan to quickly get accustomed to his new size. The conversation redirected back to its original topic. ¡°Listening in, I heard Renri would not be the one.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. After the assasination the emperor¡¯s imperial guards became prohibited from leaving Holy city of Torra. Anyone that didn¡¯t obey this rule was executed personally by a fellow royal guard.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we discussing who from the capital might show up?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Ah, we were too.¡± Bloody sword wielders. ¡°Then I assume it will be Pavan from the Capital knights. He¡¯s a devoted follower of Vares.¡± Anya proclaimed confidently as if she won. Juan smirked as he supported his chin with his hand. As he listened to the two squabble, he remembered something from the past. ¡°Maybe we won¡¯t even need to wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When Nigrato perished, for a moment a link opened up to my original body, directing some of the strength into me. Though a very weak link, I felt a connection remain. Not enough to direct power into me, but enough to influence it.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means, it might be possible for me to get into contact with my old body. Why don¡¯t we pay them a visit before they do.¡± CH 71 Chapter 71 Beloved has appeared(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae This bar called ¡®The obnoxious pocket¡¯ was a place that housed many smugglers and fencers. Due to how messy things were at Hiveden, they were experiencing unexpected prosperity. Once they found out that most heads in Hiveden¡¯s had died, it didn¡¯t take long before they started to bring out their valuable items that they¡¯d hidden from the public. ¡°I thought traders using this opportunity to do business would find themselves unwelcome.¡± ¡°Well, no. This will be one of the ways to get Hiveden back on its feet.¡± Head of the smuggling business, Oppert replied calmly. ¡°Everyone is following the Hugin knight¡¯s instructions, including fencers and smugglers. Majority were quite obedient to our demands, while the few that weren¡¯t so submissive left on their own accord. Anyways, that¡¯s that. Didn¡¯t you say that you were looking for something?¡± Juan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m looking for an item to help me transfer my spirit.¡± ¡°Transfer spirit¡­.. Your spirit, your highness?¡± Oppert asked in an awkward expression. ¡°Yes. Currently, I might lack the ability to achieve what I¡¯m intending to do, so I¡¯m hoping this item will help.¡± As he spoke, Juan handed over a piece of parchment with the list of tools and materials he needed. Oppert took the parchment but the awkward expression on his face didn¡¯t subside. ¡°Am I asking for too much? Those items shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to find.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that. Umm¡­.¡± Considering the state Hiveden was in, as the head of the smuggling sector, Oppert had countless tasks that fell upon him. ¡°You¡¯ll experience death a second time if you don¡¯t do this properly.¡± Eve was on the verge of crying but pulled herself together and tightened her legs from falling. Then, just barely, she managed to stand on top of the altar. She looked to the large crowd in front of her eyes. Although the interior wasn¡¯t spacious, it was full of famous nobles, priests and other notable names. Two Paladins standing on each side of her were the commanders of the White Lotus and Black Cross Paladin order, famous for being the right and left hands of the church. ¡°Uekk¡­¡­¡­¡± Eve only now fully realised the position that she inherited. Although the position of Saintress was basically the Pope¡¯s puppet, the words that came out of her mouth had a big impact in the empire, as it disclosed the church¡¯s desire and intent. Seeing Eve short on breath, Helmut thought it was best to make the finish the ceremony as quick as possible. Eve didn¡¯t even know how the ceremony was made. She was moved here and there by a priest on her side and only spoke when she was asked to. Bored from the ceremony, a few nobles began to yawn and exchange conversations. The ceremony lasted for quite a while but for Eve, time flew on by. Gradually, she felt as if she was becoming someone far from who she was. For the last proceedings, Helmut poured some wine into a glass and made Eve drink it. Up to this point, Eve obediently followed. Once Eve emptied the glass, Helmut proclaimed. ¡°And with this, I hereby declare a new saintress has been born in this empire. Your majesty, please watch over and lead us.¡± ¡°Please watch over and lead us.¡± The hall reiterated the Pope¡¯s words and that concluded the ceremony. Though there were hiccups, for a rushed appointment, the saintress had done well for her part. ¡°Well done. Now just read this final prayer and you can go and rest.¡± Helmut whispered in her ear. But Eve¡¯s head hung low and didn¡¯t respond. Seeing the saintress stay still, the crowd started to buzz. Helmut started to sweat as he brashly tugged at Eve¡¯s arm. But Eve boldly shook off his hand. ¡°What are you¡­¡­.¡± Helmut¡¯s eyes met Eve¡¯s and froze. Gone were her usual green eyes, replaced by eyes coloured pitch black. So dark that he expected black ink to drip down from it any moment. Eve wasn¡¯t shaking at all. Unlike her previous self, there was no evidence of being scared. No, a more accurate description would be that her face was void of expression. She began walking back to the altar, passing Helmut as if he didn¡¯t exist. The Eve that returned to the altar had a completely different composure. The crowd were left stunned and confused upon seeing the frightened saintress act strangely. Juan simply ignored him. He wasn¡¯t worth his time. Juan skipped past him and stood on top of the altar. He decided to show these fools what it was like to truly hear ¡®the emperor¡¯s command¡¯. ¡°I, Juan Kalberk Kenosis send out this message through this body.¡± CH 72 Chapter 72 Beloved has appeared(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Upon finishing her prophecy, Eve collapsed to the ground looking drowsy. No one in the chamber helped her from falling over. Everyone was still stunned from the spectacle that just happened before. Helmut was frozen in his spot, unable to move. No one could understand what had exactly happened. The prophecy that the saintress had declared was short and concise. As it was about past events and not the future, it was hard to call this a prophecy. In short, the emperor proclaimed that ¡®he had personally repelled the evil forces that appeared in Hiveden¡¯. To this point, it was information that was already known by most, so it didn¡¯t matter. But the saintress declared a few more words at the Pope afterwards. ¡®I¡¯ll be watching¡¯. The emperor declared that he will be watching the Pope. This sparked confusion for all. After a hush of silence, a wave of whispering swept across the chamber. Then out of nowhere, a loud clap rang out. One of the nobles started clapping with a look of admiration on his face. The sound of clapping multiplied until it filled the hall. ¡°Saintress!¡± ¡°Glory to the emperor!¡± With a dumbfounded look, Helmut stared around the hall. He soon then understood what thoughts were likely running through their minds. They were thinking that this performance was just another part of the ceremony. A proclamation that the emperor personally repelled the evil god, and that he would be watching his agent¡¯s moves. Even if they were overreacting, the nobles had diffused the situation by clapping their hands, believing that this was part of the show. But not all nobles were clapping. Those that had actually received the emperor¡¯s power, thought differently. Exchanging shocked faces between his priests and commanders, Helmut knew that they also understood the truth of the matter. More than anyone else, this was an awakening for Helmut. The saintress had proclaimed a ¡®real message from the emperor¡¯. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the first time a ¡®real message¡¯ had been made by a saintress. But unlike the previous messages, where meanings were blurred underneath ambiguous words and sentences, for the first time the meaning behind the message was clear. Helmut¡¯s heart was beating uncontrollably. ¡®Is this really happening¡­¡­.Is the emperor really going to return?¡¯ Eve who had briefly fainted woke up from the sound of clapping. Seeing admiration and awe on the faces of those in front of her, she panicked. Everyone was congratulating the birth of a new saintress. Helmut could only bite his lip as he watched on. ***** As Juan cut the link connecting him to the saintress, he spurted out blood. Blood sprayed over the various items that he¡¯d gathered to help with the spiritual transfer. ¡°Juan!¡± Anya quickly supported him and helped him spit out the rest of the blood inside his mouth. It was discoloured in black. After taking his time resting, Juan finally stabilized. His complexion looked unwell, but his expression looked fine. ¡°Are you alright? Your condition didn¡¯t look good all throughout the ritual.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as I thought it was going to be.¡± He had only ventured into a saintress¡¯s body let alone his old self, but it still put him in this condition. Having grown almost to an adult¡¯s body, he¡¯d thought it would be enough but it seemed like he would need to wait until he got used to his new body. However, he did confirm that he could in fact connect spiritually with another being so it had been time well used. ¡°Anyways, we should be happy with this. I did get to proclaim through the saintress¡¯s mouth that it was the emperor that repelled the evil god at Hiveden.¡± For more, ¡®A person that¡¯s virtually the god of magic is needing my help?¡¯ Oppert quickly erased his concerns about Juan¡¯s power. So what if he used his power for the wrong reasons. This was an opportunity to help the empire restore the knowledge and power that was lost when the emperor had died. ¡°¡®I¡¯ll gladly help!¡± ¡°You seem so eager all of a sudden. Anyways, I tried transferring onto my old body but strangely I was connected to a saintress body instead. It was as if I was caught midway through. I¡¯ve never heard of this happening, what do you think?¡± ¡°Saintress you say¡­¡­.Hmm. Though I¡¯m not too familiar with spiritual transfer, I¡¯m going to guess that it¡¯s something to do with the church. The existence of the ¡®saintress¡¯ only came to be after the emperor¡¯s eternal sleep¡­¡­ If this is the Pope¡¯s doing, then it¡¯d be¡­¡­.¡± Oppert stopped moving. ¡°¡­¡­¡­something like a filter.¡± ¡°Filter?¡± For more, He still couldn¡¯t forget the saintress¡¯s voice that echoed through the hall that day. It wasn¡¯t a woman¡¯s voice. Though it sounded young, it had definitely been a male. ¡®But it didn¡¯t seem like the emperor¡¯s voice.¡¯ Helmut had personally met the emperor before. He could still remember the emperor¡¯s voice, his demeanor, his accent that rang deep on the battlefield. But he wasn¡¯t entirely sure. The voice that came out of Eve¡¯s mouth sounded like the emperor, but somehow it didn¡¯t at the same time. This made Helmut more irritated. ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Yes your highness.¡± A new female apprentice nervously straightened her back as she answered. ¡°Bring me the saintress.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..At this hour, your highness?¡± It was still dark, as the sun still hadn¡¯t risen. The saintress was likely still asleep as it was too early even for a morning prayer. Helmut didn¡¯t say things twice. He grabbed his wash sink and threw it right at the apprentice. The wash sink, barely missed, breaking into pieces from hitting the wall by her side. The apprentice quickly ran out of the room. Helmut bit on his nails as he waited for Eve to come. He didn¡¯t know what to do. Already, word was widely spreading about Eve in the holy city of Torra. To add on top of that, the nobles were taking a keen interest in her. A saintress that gave the occasion for them to hear the emperor¡¯s voice. Not to mention on her first day. Not everybody was believing it, but she was receiving too much attention for Helmut¡¯s liking. To further create headaches, this incident was spreading fast amongst the members of the church. Helmut tried to keep things under wrap but the priests and paladins were clearly agitated about the incident. Even the commander of the White Lotus Paladin order who always displayed an ignorant stance towards the previous saintresses showed the utmost respect since that day. ¡°Damn it¡­¡­¡± Helmut found himself in a situation where he couldn¡¯t do anything. A siantress that gained the attention and respect of the people simultaneously¡­..This wasn¡¯t what he had in mind for a doll he wanted to have full control over. Then came a knock on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± The door slightly opened and Eve carefully entered the room wearing a scared expression. She was wearing a gown suggesting that she had just been woken up before coming here. Helmut was about to go insane. The reaction the saintress was showing now, was exactly what he wanted from her. But that exact saintress suddenly turned into a dangerous bomb that could explode at him at any moment. Helmut waived at her to come closer. Noticing Helmut¡¯s furious eyes, Eve felt intimidated as she walked on over very slowly. Hlemut repressed the anger boiling inside him and stretched out his hand. ¡°¡­¡­..Sit, and relax. How are you feeling these days?¡± ¡°I¡¯, I¡¯m still adjusting, your highness.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. You¡¯re going through a big change. The position of the saintress is an honorable one. A position where normally someone like you shouldn¡¯t even imagine coveting.¡± At Helmut¡¯s forcefulness, Eve had no choice but to sit down on the sofa and listen. Eve reluctantly answered Helmut¡¯s never ending questions. ¡°I can definitely feel a change in attitude around me after becoming the saintress. Friends, fellow priests and even Paladins that I don¡¯t know are now bowing and showing respect. Feels a bit strange¡­¡­¡± Helmut gritted his teeth. Eve who didn¡¯t notice this kept on talking. ¡°Ah, and uh¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s getting more frequent¡­¡­¡­.blank memories, your highness. Just like what happened during the ceremony. I¡¯m curious if the previous saintress experienced the same thing?¡± CH 73 Chapter 73 Beloved has appeared(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Helmut¡¯s eyes widened. Eve quickly shut her lips, the moment she met Helmut¡¯s eyes. The muscles near Helmut¡¯s lips strained. She was dangerous. Just as he¡¯d expected. Her words just now confirmed that these occurrences will continue to happen. If he chose to let things be, she may involuntarily create an opposing faction. As Eve already showed an extraordinary side from the beginning, things would only get worse for him. Including what happened with the White crow knights, Helmut considered the fact that recently, more and more of his choices were leading the church to an unfavourable position. ¡®No, let¡¯s think things over again¡­..¡¯ Helmut considered whether he was wrongfully blaming every recent misfortune on the saintress. Water droplets flowed down a smooth white hand that was void of any wounds. ¡®Seems like she was in the middle of bathing.¡¯ He¡¯d once again spiritually transferred onto Eve¡¯s mind. Although this was the fourth time trying to get his own body, he still couldn¡¯t get past the saintress. The more he transferred, he noticed that it was getting easier to make natural movements. Like he¡¯d always done so, Juan was just about to cut the connection before his eyes drifted to the mirror that was next to the tub. Though a bit thin, she had clearly been selected to gain the public¡¯s support. The saintress had a beautiful face and a figure rarely seen in previous saintresses. But having said all this, her current look from head to toe was far from ideal. ¡®Her wounds¡­¡­¡¯ On her smooth skin were wounds here and there. As if she had been sobbing, her eyes were coloured deep red. There weren¡¯t any major wounds but there were several bruises on the side of her body and shoulder. The worst looking one was located on her neck. ¡®Looks like she was strangled. But, not an assasination attempt¡­..¡¯ Traces of strangling and beating was evident. Juan wondered what could have led to the saintress being beaten up like this. Juan guessed that it had been because of what he relayed from the saintress¡¯s mouth. ¡®Pope.¡¯ Juan made an eerie smile upon recalling that greedy bastard¡¯s face. In all honesty, Juan didn¡¯t really care for the saintess. More or less, she was nothing but another being that was living off his name. But he wouldn¡¯t allow her to be beaten up just for relaying his words. ¡®I¡¯ll need to take measures here.¡¯ Juan slowly turned his body. On his first transfer, Eve¡¯s body didn¡¯t respond well to his commands. Back then, all he could move was her feet and talk. Now he could do much more.. He wiped himself down with a towel and put on some clothes. Upon looking into a mirror, Juan noticed that the clothing wasn¡¯t put on properly but Juan didn¡¯t care. He was going to use the opportunity to see the extent he could freely move the connected being. After walking out of the bathroom, Juan noticed a silhouette sitting down on a chair in the middle of the dark room. A male that was wearing priest clothing in black. On first glance, Juan thought to himself that the man looked more like a crook than a priest. He wasn¡¯t here to assassinate. He guessed that he was here to threaten Eve. ¡°What.¡± ¡°Saintress. I had been waiti¡­¡­.. Um, I¡¯ll give you time to tidy up your clothing.¡± The black priest who had been relaxedly sitting by, turned his head upon seeing the saintress. Because the saintress¡¯s attire was vastly different from normal clothing, Juan didn¡¯t know how to properly wear it. Rather than wearing, Juan had more like tossed on some overalls in consideration for Eve. ¡°If you have something to say, then speak. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± It took a burden on Juan¡¯s body to continue the connection with Eve. Although he could fully recover with a day¡¯s rest, it wasn¡¯t particularly an experience Juan wanted to go through. The black priest cleared his throat as he stood up from the chair. ¡°Saintress, your behaviour and way of speaking is unacceptable. I had heard that you¡¯re gentle and honest.¡± ¡°If you want to talk about etiquette, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s proper for a man to enter a lady¡¯s room without permission.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re talking as if I¡¯m a bastard. Saintress, I¡¯m only here to deliver the Pope¡¯s message. He¡¯d appreciate it if you would think of today¡¯s incident as just a light warning.¡± ¡°Warning?¡± The black priest walked up to Juan. Standing an arms reach away, the black priest who was two heads taller than the saintress, gave off an intimidating sensation. Currently, it was deep into the night. Furthermore, the woman had just come out of the bath, defenceless. It would only be natural if the saintress found herself in fear. But unexpectedly, the black priest couldn¡¯t find any emotion coming from the saintress. ¡®¡­¡­¡­What?¡¯ He had conducted countless interrogations on traitors and heretics. Even had experience torturing and executing a few. Therefore, with this experience, the black priest was able to easily terrorise people and sense their fear. But, he could not feel an ounce of fear from this saintress. Nothing but annoyance, disgust and irritation. Emotions that he¡¯d never expected to find in such a situation. ¡°So what¡¯s the warning about? I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I wasn¡¯t planning to do anything directly for today..¡­..but you leave me with no choice.¡± Planting fear into people without physically hurting them was but a simple task. Or, maybe he needed to humiliate her. The black priest caught sight of the curves on her slim white figure beneath her thin robe. Maybe he could give her a bit of everything tonight. The black priest reached towards the saintress¡¯s slender neck. At that precise moment, the saintress¡¯s hand entangled with the black priest¡¯s hand. The black priest who didn¡¯t notice her hand till the last moment, tilted his head. Before he even had time to feel the smooth sensation of her hand, he screamed out upon feeling a shattering pain on his fingers. ¡°Keeuuu ahhh!¡± The black priest went to his knees while screaming, but his fingers couldn¡¯t escape the entanglement with the saintress¡¯s hand. His fingers had been bent right back and his white bone was visible. Everytime the saintress moved his fingers, his broken bones made a cracking sound. ¡°Consider visiting midday next time. Oh and you¡¯ll need my permission to enter of course.¡± ¡°Keuk, yes, of course! Pl, please¡­¡­!¡± Juan let go of the black priest¡¯s fingers. Free from the torture, the black priest quickly bolted towards the door, wanting to leave as soon as possible. But Juan called out to him. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Eeek, ye¡­.yes?¡± ¡°You can conduct healing magic right? Why don¡¯t you heal me before you leave.¡± Juan showed him his broken hand. As Juan had used a female¡¯s slender hand to shatter the fingers of a grown man, it was only natural that it wasn¡¯t left intact. But even so, there wasn¡¯t an ounce of pain that was evident on the saintress¡¯s face. ¡®Who, are you¡­..¡¯ The black priest needed to reevaluate his perception of the saintress. While enduring the aching pain in his hand, the black priest healed the saintress¡¯s fingers back into shape. CH 74 Chapter 74 Beloved has appeared(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan walked out of the cathedral while in possession of Eve¡¯s body. The cathedral didn¡¯t exist at the time when Juan had been alive, so it took him some time to find his way out of the building. Still deep into the night, he was worried about potential guards as the sun still hadn¡¯t risen, but he had a guide with him. ¡°Alright. He¡¯ll show you the way.¡± The black priest followed Juan with a distorted face. His hand had already been healed, but the feeling of pain etched into his brain was something would last. However, the most frightening part was the saintress¡¯s face, who didn¡¯t show any sign of emotion upon breaking his fingers. ¡°¡­¡­¡­It¡¯s been a long time. A lot¡¯s changed.¡± Juan muttered to himself as he marveled at the large square and buildings next to the cathedral. Outside of having the imperial palace, the capital didn¡¯t hold any special place in his heart. But having been so long since he¡¯d last seen the place, he felt a flutter inside even though he was seeing it through someone else¡¯s eyes. He recalled the countless incidents that he¡¯d gone through in this city. It was difficult to find anywhere that had stayed the same. ¡°Where¡¯s the palace?¡± ¡°Pa., palace? It¡¯s located northwest, not far from here.¡± The black priest stuttered. His behaviour gave the impression that he wanted to be relieved but Juan had no intention of letting him go just yet. Juan promptly headed for the palace. He couldn¡¯t sustain the connection for too long. The longer he did, it would have a greater strain on his body. But seeing as he could freely move, he wanted to check on something. ¡®What will happen if I find my old corpse.¡¯ Even if he couldn¡¯t transfer into his old body, if he could see it while connected to Eve, something could happen. And even if nothing happened, he would at least get to see the state of his body. From what he¡¯d heard, his body hadn¡¯t rotted, nor drained since the day he had been stabbed so if there was any clue to the questions he had, Juan felt like he find them there. ¡®Possibly even have a look at the traces that were left on the day I died.¡¯ He also needed to find a way to protect the saintress. While he couldn¡¯t feel his ¡®grace¡¯ from this saintress, most other priests were doused in it. The amount of mana she had available was slim to none. Although Juan could adequately control Eve¡¯s body for now, there was a limit to what he could do with Eve¡¯s weak body. ¡®With luck, I might find some magic.¡¯ There were many items and potions hidden inside the palace. But he wasn¡¯t sure if it still remained in place. All in all, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea for him to head over the palace. Just like the black priest had said, the palace didn¡¯t take long to get to. As he neared towards the palace, several buildings and land that were familiar to him appeared in his sight. The area around the palace wasn¡¯t too different from the past. It was dark, silent and solemn. Juan stopped in his track upon reaching the vast open square surrounding the palace. The buildings around him weren¡¯t tall, nor glamorous but they were impressive without a doubt. Twelve towers stood around a massive pyramid dome. There were no walls around the palace. The palace was secure enough by simply existing. Juan looked down at the rocks in the square that made up the floor with runes written into them. For more, Having got his act together, Juan only now noticed that his mana was fast depleting. Sweat formed on his forehead. Come. Lets become one. ¡®Its wanting to come back together as one again, huh.¡¯ Body and soul, the two were wanting to merge together. If Juan had mindlessly walked in, he would have been sucked inside. Even now it felt as if he was fighting a current that was sweeping him in. If he didn¡¯t cut his connection with Eve soon, he was unsure what would happen after being swept inside the door. In his current condition, he wouldn¡¯t be retrieving his lost body but rather help add on to the violent power that was circulating beyond that door. ¡°I asked who you were.¡± At hearing this repeated question, Juan turned and saw a man in ragged attire. In his hand was a bucket and wet cloth. His clothes were in tatters. ¡®A Janitor?¡¯ Juan tried to think who this man could be but it was getting difficult to hold the connection with Eve. Even now, his mana was getting sucked into the vortex beyond the iron door. If he stayed here any longer, he may not even have mana to sustain his current self. ¡°If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll assume that you¡¯re here with intent to harm the emperor¡¯s resting place.¡± The man asked again. Juan didn¡¯t have time for a long talk. He realised that the saintress would be questioned if he returned without saying anything. Although he¡¯d made the black priest bow in submission, he didn¡¯t know whether he could be trusted. Before he cut the connection, with his last bit of strength he squeezed out his last words. ¡°Protect¡­¡­this woman.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the emperor¡¯s voice come out from the saintress¡¯s mouth. Juan¡¯s connection had ended. CH 75 Chapter 75 Beloved has appeared(5) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Cathedral. Helmut was blankly staring into space while lying down on his sofa. In front of him, several priests in black clothing stood waiting. The room was distastefully overwhelmed with the scent of aroma, but it wasn¡¯t like the priests could say anything about it. All they could hope for is for the current storm to peacefully pass by. By Helmut¡¯s foot, one black priest was on the ground pleading. It was the black priest that he¡¯d sent to threaten the saintress. Ignoring the fact that he failed to do what he was told, the priest was now trying to persuade the Pope about something. ¡°Your highness, by any means I¡¯m not declining your demand. It¡¯s just¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If not declining what it is?¡± ¡°This saintress is no ordinary saintress, your highness.¡± The black priest said with conviction. The Pope turned to gaze at the other priests. Most were expressionless but a few had snide grins on their faces while looking down at their fellow pleading priest. As doctrine interrogators that have gone through and heard about all kinds of insidious acts, it was a natural reaction. In his wildest dreams, Helmut could not have imagined that a black priest would stand up to him. ¡°I saw it. Felt it. This saintress is different from the past dolls that we had control over. From her eyes and voice, I felt the emperor¡¯s will. While I did think for a second that maybe an evil spirit has possessed her, the thought absolutely disappeared upon seeing her open the veil of benevolence.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± ¡°Your highness, please consider withdrawing your request about the saintress. And hear what she has to say. I have no doubt she will be helpful for the chur¡­¡­¡­¡± The black priest didn¡¯t get to end his sentence. He clutched his throat as if he was being strangled. There was no sound of gagging. The other priests who were looking on already knew that his life was over. The black priest spastically wriggled on the ground and then a tumor popped up from his hand. Then, everywhere on his body, circular sores and tumors started to appear. Not before long, he was completely covered with giant lumps of sores and tumors. To the point where it was hard to even see that he was human. But still alive, he weakly wriggled about. ¡°Throw this traitor into the dungeon cell.¡± Helmut pointed with his chin as if he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to point. Being intoxicated in aroma allowed one to calm their mind and erase other smells, but it also made them lethargic. Without a word, a few priests began dragging their fellow comrade out who¡¯d been turned into a giant tumor. Helmut turned his gaze at the remaining priests. ¡°Anything else to add or ask?¡± ¡°Is it true that the veil of benevolence was opened?¡± For more, ¡°Euhhgegh¡­.Sorry?¡± ¡°Your tongue or your throat. I¡¯ll let you choose. If you cut your tongue the Pope will allow you to keep your life.¡± Eve wanted to scream. Tears fell from her eyes. What sin had she committed. She hadn¡¯t done anything to oppose him. She had done what he had asked and stayed still when he wanted to let out his frustration on her. So why? ¡°If you can¡¯t do it yourself, then choose. I¡¯ll help you do it.¡± Eve quickly scanned her surroundings. There was nobody to call out for help, nowhere for her to run. The twelve black priests had her completely surrounded. But then, she noticed someone that wasn¡¯t wearing black clothing. A man in shabby clothing, holding a bucket and a mop. No doubt a janitor that worked in the cathedral. Following the saintress¡¯s gaze, upon noticing the figure the priests all contorted their eyebrows. ¡°What? I told them to not let anyone else in.¡± ¡°Amateurs. Sloppy as always¡­¡­..Send him out before it¡¯s too late.¡± A black priest holding a staff walked over to the janitor. The janitor blankly stared at the black priests as if he couldn¡¯t understand what they had been trying to do. Even now, Eve desperately wanted to call out to him for help. The female priest moved her dagger onto Eve¡¯s throat, tickling it. ¡°Do anything stupid and I¡¯ll make sure you experience something worse than death.¡± Eve couldn¡¯t move. The black priest holding the staff tore into the janitor. ¡°Doctrine interrogation work here. Find somewhere else to clean!¡± But the janitor didn¡¯t move an inch. He stood by and continued to blankly stare at the black priests. The priest¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Using the end of his staff, he shoved the janitor¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you deaf? I told you to get going!¡± ¡°My priests, what could be a reason for you to conduct work while holding a knife inside the cathedral?¡± The janitor opened his mouth for the first time. The face of the priest holding the staff distorted. Looks were exchanged between the other priests. ¡°Your useless eyes and tongue have just cost you your life.¡± The priest swung his staff down at the janitor. His staff had been able to dent iron so it could comfortably smash a person¡¯s head open. Eve who looked on, clamped her hands over her mouth. But the staff didn¡¯t even reach the janitor. ¡°What?¡± The black priest was swinging with nothing in his hand. For some reason, the staff was tightly held in the janitor¡¯s hand. The janitor had whipped a rag around the staff and cooly snatched it into his hand. Then, the event that followed went by in a flash. The janitor again whipped his rag around the black priest¡¯s neck and face then pulled hard. The black priest¡¯s body spun into the air before smashing head first onto the ground. The priest fainted with his mouth still open. Realising that this janitor wasn¡¯t an ordinary opponent, the other priests all rushed in at once. It was over as soon as it started. Every black priest that had just been surrounding Eve was left moaning and rolling on the ground. Broken bones and disjointment, no one had been killed. As a last resort, the female priest who had been interrogating Eve tried to hold her hostage, but before she could do anything, a bucket came flying into her head, knocking her unconscious. ¡°What¡­, how is this¡­¡­¡± Wearing a dumbfounded expression, Eve looked at the janitor. In no less than 10 seconds, he had them all sprayed on the ground and yet he looked as relaxed as he could be. Then, with eyes filled with half curious half respect, he began staring at Eve. Having this unknown figure stare at her with those eyes, Eve felt a bit uncomfortable. After managing to calm her heart down, she carefully asked. ¡°Wh..who could you be?¡± ¡°Who? Wasn¡¯t it you that commanded me to protect you?¡± ¡°Co, commanded? Me!?¡± The janitor nodded. Then he pulled out his finger resting in his pocket. Eve¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing what was on it. A ring that was the symbol of the imperial guard. ¡°My name is Renri Loen, Captain of the imperial guard. The emperor has commanded me to protect you.¡± CH 76 Chapter 76 Stranger(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Juan!¡± Upon opening his eyes, he saw Anya¡¯s tearful eyes looking down at him. Before he could ask what was wrong, Anya pulled him in closer and embraced him. Wearing a face demanding answers he looked around his surroundings. Oppert was looking at him with a worried expression. Contrary to the room he was at when he began his spirit transfer, he was now inside a different room that was full of sunlight. It seemed that a lot of time had passed since he¡¯d ended his connection with Eve. ¡°How long was I out for?¡± ¡°You were unconscious for two days since your last spirit transfer. At the end of your connection, your hair was turning white so I contemplated whether to forcefully wake you but knowing that it¡¯s dangerous to forcefully stop the connection¡­..¡± Juan studied the current state of his hair. His hair had turned into a whitish gray colour. It was the result of mana depletion and spiritual shock. But Juan wasn¡¯t too worried. He would recover back to normal with enough rest. ¡°Good work. I didn¡¯t expect it would be this bad¡­¡­. The saintress was in danger so I needed to make sure she would be safe. Although I can¡¯t be too sure that she will be fine¡­¡­ Anyways, I got to enter the palace.¡± For more, At hearing Oppert¡¯s reply, Juan looked at his palm. Back at the palace, Juan had been a boat on a sea. The sea current was something that Juan had no hope in controlling. If he¡¯d spiritually connect once again, then he was sure that he¡¯d be absorbed by the immense power residing beyond the iron door. At this point, Juan was relieved that he was connecting to the saintress as she required him to end the connection faster. ¡®If I am to grab initiative, I¡¯ll need to at least amass enough power so that I won¡¯t be swept aside the moment I enter.¡¯ He needed to form a current inside him that¡¯s strong enough to withstand the emperor¡¯s power. And there was only one way of attaining such strength. Around the empire were traces of gods that he¡¯d left behind. Traces of god where he¡¯d either sealed or killed. They would become useful tools for him. But there was one thing he needed to do first. ¡°Oppert, can you get Anya off my body?¡± ***** Fighting a war with Paladins while outnumbered one to a hundred, having led the empire close to death, fighting a battle with a god and almost having his soul completely absorbed, what was the next step? There were many options, but right now Juan simply laid in bed. ¡°Juan! How¡¯s your body? Is it getting easier to move?¡± She of course wasn¡¯t his doctor. Anya was simply acting like one. ¡°My body has been fine for days now. Can you let this go?¡± Juan muttered at Anya who¡¯d bursted into the room. Anya, who¡¯d seen Juan¡¯s hair turn gray, made a fuss and strongly insisted that he¡¯d recuperate. Even right now, Juan wanted to find the remains of a god in order to recover his strength, but he wasn¡¯t given the choice. Anya examined Juan¡¯s hair. ¡°It still hasn¡¯t turned into that pretty black colour. There¡¯s too much gray.¡± ¡°The roots have already turned black. If the newly grown hair is black, it means I¡¯m fully well now. If I was still depleted of mana, I would still be growing gray hair.¡± ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t hear you~ . Anyways, you should rest more. You¡¯ve been constantly on the move till now. Isn¡¯t it fine to rest a bit more, and eat some things nice. Hmm?¡± Anya laid a plate of food beside his bed that she¡¯d brought over. Juan didn¡¯t have to consume food if he had access to adequate mana. But the smell of something nice, grabbed his attention. Juan for once showed a bit of curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°This? Ah, there¡¯s a festival going on outside so I thought of bringing you some. The line is a nightmare.¡± What Anya brought was a piece of chicken fried in oil then smeared in honey seasoning before being tucked between a soft white bread. The meat was top grade, but the smell radiating from it was the best. It was food that he hadn¡¯t seen before in his days as emperor. ¡°Festival?¡± Anya nodded while biting into the bread. ¡°Ah, is that why it¡¯s so noisy outside? I thought it was construction being started. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gone outside. But to hold a festival when the city has just gone through a war¡­..I would¡¯ve thought there wasn¡¯t any money to throw around.¡± Right after a war, conditions were so dear for some that rationing was needed for some to survive. But to hold a festival instead¡­¡­ ¡°It seems Juan isn¡¯t aware? Many people are flocking to Hiveden. And not just the poor, but many rich people with wealth and food as well.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± At Juan¡¯s puzzlement, Anya grinned. ¡°All because of the emperor¡¯s virtue.¡± According to Anya, from the capital, word had spread of ¡°The emperor¡¯s grace showering down upon Hiveden¡¯, and this resulted in pilgrims from around the empire to congregate into the city ever since. And Pilgrims looking for the holy land didn¡¯t come with empty hands. From those with carts filled with rice to those with only a single bag of rice, an endless number of people were arriving in the city. Due to this, the residents of Hiveden have long forgotten their title of being the ¡®lawless city¡¯ and are now proud of their newly given name of being the capital of holy ground. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly enjoyable listening to the stories coming out of their mouth. Mobs saying things like ¡®Having your sins purified in the emperor¡¯s light as it shined down upon you, while those evil were eradicated on the spot¡­.¡¯ or something along those lines. Everyone¡¯s saying the same story and yet as soon as someone begins talking, a crowd emerges out of nowhere¡­.¡± Juan could only bitterly smile. He had been attempting to get rid of the mythology and the divination aspect that surrounded his name but it seemed these stories were having the opposite effect. But if it was helping Anya then he decided to just let it be. ¡°And thanks to that, Opperts screaming out of joy. Already, enough donations have come through to rebuild the city. The city residents aren¡¯t complaining either. Having witnessed the sacred emperor¡¯s light, I¡¯d guess that they¡¯ll reconsider before committing any crime. Anyways, that¡¯s the mood of the city right now, so I guess they wanted to hold a festival in response.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just good, but dramatically unexpectedly good. I had never expected this to have happened even when Juan had successfully connected with the saintress.¡± Juan thought the same. Maybe he underestimated how much influence the saintress¡¯d word had at the capital. ¡°Okay, but this means the inflow of many outsiders. Is this alright? Followers of the emperor will be highly sensitive towards the Hugin knights.¡± ¡°Well, the Hugin knights aren¡¯t exactly showing themselves out in public, and Sunbaes who would be recognised on the spot are all but gone. Out of those remaining, it would only be Dilmond kyung¡¯s face that¡¯s well known, but Dilmond kyung is recuperating out of sight so¡­..¡± ¡°Still, if there are many outsiders suddenly flocking to Hiveden, sooner or later unpredictable incidents will occur. Make sure that the others also get the memo.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Anya sharply stared at Juan. The stare bothered Juan. ¡°What.¡± ¡°How can you be so worried about everything. Even things that haven¡¯t happened yet. Juan, the more I get to know you, I¡¯m positive that you¡¯ve never actually got to truly rest or play, right?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about now¡­..¡± Juan quickly snapped back, but thinking back, her words were the truth. During his reign he often held gatherings to consume alcohol with his children and subordinates. But since resurrecting, he had constantly been on edge. Nevermind festivals, he hadn¡¯t gotten a proper rest once. ¡°The emperor I know is a person that likes to fight but also enjoys smaller things. You¡¯ll quickly tire if you stay sensitive like this Juan. A sword that¡¯s sharp tends to break more easily. It¡¯s something that you said, right?¡± Juan didn¡¯t have a reply. It was true that he¡¯d said that to be underlings in his reign. ¡°Okay! Then how about this. We can go out right now and enjoy the festival. Commander Lars nim also said that one should eat plenty of meat and drink booze the following day after killing many people. He said you don¡¯t get depressed that way.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t imagine Lars saying such words but Anya didn¡¯t wait for his response. She snatched his hand into hers. ¡°Alright, lets go!¡± **** Sitting down on Hiveden¡¯s fallen wall, Juan sipped his beer glass. He couldn¡¯t remember what had happened after being dragged out by Anya. After eating some mysterious grilled skewers, they bought some strange smelling beer, before dancing along around a campfire. Juan was hesitant to have called it a dance. It was certainly different to the dance that he had with Heretia. Only when the beer in his hand had half emptied, he had been able to escape from Anya¡¯s clutches. The night had turned dusk, and yet people were still dancing and singing songs that he had no idea where it originated from. Anya was still dancing. He suspected that maybe she was mistaking the nine year old girl she was dancing with as him. All this felt like a dream. Juan wasn¡¯t drunk but he felt slightly numb. It didn¡¯t feel bad. ¡®I guess nights like this are a welcome once every often.¡¯ After dancing for a bit more, Anya finally returned. Her face was bright red and was covered in sweat. It seemed as if she had quite the enjoyable night. ¡°Juan! Why did you leave? I was looking for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t take you as a festival enjoyer.¡± In truth, to him Anya¡¯s image was of a silent killer. But if he considered her age, it was only right to think she¡¯d enjoy festivals. But still, it was still an unexpected surprise for Juan. ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t particularly like it. But today Juan was with me so¡­¡± ¡°And why does me being there change things?¡± ¡°I wanted to see Juan in an awkward situation and dance weirdly.¡± At this point, Juan didn¡¯t know what face he was wearing. But it seemed to have satisfied Anya. She laughed out cheerfully as she repeatedly smacked Juan¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t be so uptight. Ever since our first meeting, Juan felt like a tightly strung up bow. Not knowing whether the string would break first or the arrow would fire first. It really felt like Juan would either get to his destination or would snap in half before reaching.¡± Anya took the beer glass with only foam left and placed it on her lips. ¡°What I¡¯m getting at is, try to relax a bit from now on¡­.. Please? Don¡¯t act like you need to fight the world on your own. You aren¡¯t alone anymore.¡± From the campfire, a new song suddenly started playing. It was a song that had a much faster beat than the previous song. Upon hearing the song, Anya abruptly stood up. ¡°Ah, I know this song! One more dance Juan? I saw you dancing quite well that day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..At Hannbon¡¯s mansion, I uh¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you there!¡± Before hearing Juan¡¯s answer Anya skipped towards the fire. Juan shook his head. It felt as if she was acting more carefree around him than he¡¯d been when he had a child¡¯s body. Maybe the change of appearance had something to do with it. Upon getting up to see Anya¡¯s dancing closer, he discovered something strange. In the midst of the numerous outsiders that¡¯d entered the city, he sensed something or someone alien. Due to the crowd it was hard to pinpoint the culprit. Like a piece of sharp glass hiding on a sandy beach. While he felt untroubled before, the whole beach now felt dangerous after he discovered the threat. ¡®Come out.¡¯ Juan converged his attention to one spot that felt more sharper. There were still too many grains of sand. His target was small and silent. Juan went over each grain of sand and narrowed down the suspects. And then, he found someone pushing their head deeper into their hood and turning their back. It was the sharp piece of glass. Juan¡¯s body reflexively shot towards the target. CH 77 Chapter 77 Stranger(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°Ow, what¡­..Hey!¡± ¡°What are you doing!¡± The crowd dispersed as Juan propelled himself into the mass. Juan quickly scanned the area. It had only been a moment since the stranger left but he had already disappeared out of sight. Juan inctivetively realised that he was dealing with a skilled opponent. Definitely more skilled Ethan, and possibly on par with Nigrato in his non-incarnated form. But one thing was for certain. This stranger was the most skilled individual Juan had come across since his resurrection. Juan followed the stranger¡¯s faint trace that still remained. Every second, his target was getting further away. It wasn¡¯t easy to keep his concentration high and move in parallel with the stranger¡¯s trace. Wandering through alleyways, sometimes unsure where the tracks led, eventually Juan slowly but surely shortened the gap. ¡°Keuk¡­¡­..¡± But just as he thought he¡¯d caught up, the tracks vanished. It seemed his opponent was proficient in concealment as well. Juan didn¡¯t feel easy about a highly skilled stranger suspiciously loitering around the Hugin knights. After continuing to scan the nearby area, he jumped up onto a building that was still in the middle of construction. The half finished building was at perfect height to survey Hiveden¡¯s alleyways. After a deep breath, he materialized Grunvalde¡¯s fog and dispersed it in all directions. The fog began to spread from where he stood, covering all surrounding area. At first, the quickly spreading fog alarmed the people close by, but after confirming themselves that it was just a normal night fog, alarms turned to puzzlement. ¡°Where are you¡­¡­..¡± It wasn¡¯t far from where the stranger¡¯s presence was last felt. Juan was sure that he was hiding nearby. The fog entered every rat hole, every gap between bricks to find what he was looking for. Juan didn¡¯t have to wait long. For more, ¡°Lets see what you can do.¡± Juan grabbed hold of his dagger in reverse. During his time researching Valte swordsmanship, not once had Juan been lackadaisical in further developing his sword skill. Considering all of the empire¡¯s swordsmanship originally derived from Valte swordsmanship, it wasn¡¯t a stretch to say that Juan had mastered all existing swordsmanship and was looking to evolve it. The stranger was still standing by, simply observing what Juan was doing. But then Juan completely stopped moving just like his opponent. Considerable time went by in silence. Then the stranger hastily pulled back. Seeeuk. The stranger¡¯s hood was narrowly cut open. If the stranger had been a second late in pulling back, it would have been face instead. Out of nowhere, Juan¡¯s body moved like fog and tangled itself with the stranger¡¯s body. Smooth movement that allowed no retaliation. A blade life fog entangled around the stranger and restricted his freedom. For more, Although people were now saying Hiveden¡¯s nightlife wasn¡¯t dangerous at all, out of habit, Oppert was hiding himself as he walked. Hiding himself from the commander of the Hugin knights, Anya. While holding his breath, Oppert quickened his pace. Not far away, he caught sight of Hiveden¡¯s castle wall. He searched the nearby area to find the person who was waiting for him. In the corner, he saw the darkness wiggle. Oppert flinched in surprise but then let out a sigh after seeing the person¡¯s face. ¡°Juan nim.¡± Juan stood with a black cape draped over him, helping him melt into the night. Oppert knew that Juan¡¯s cape was darkness itself. Nigrato¡¯s essence. The source of impurity and something that Lars once wore as he commanded the countless undead. It was now functioning as Juan¡¯s overcoat. Grunvalde¡¯s cloak smoothly converged with Nigrato¡¯s essence as if they had been originally one. ¡°It seems like now it¡¯s fully yours.¡± ¡°Certainly does. It¡¯s similar attributes allow it to really fit well with the cloak. As if Grunvalde¡¯s cloak has been enhanced.¡± Its value was priceless to say the least as it now was the by product of two whole precious items converging. Oppert suppressed his inner despire as a scholar and handed Juan his luggage and his horse. ¡°I managed to slip away from Commander Anya, but I¡¯m not sure if she really fell for it. I¡¯ve gotten used to concealing my presence but certainly not at acting.¡± Juan, who briefly went silent, shook his head. ¡°Anya haven¡¯t followed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m guessing you just checked. That ability. I¡¯m amazed every time I see it. ¡°I have a keen sense, which is nothing to be amazed at. Anyways, don¡¯t you have something more to give?¡± ¡°Yes, I brought it. Although it took me a long time to find it¡­..¡± Oppert took out a small bag from his inner pocket. After slightly opening the bag, Juan saw the broken purple gem inside. The indeterminate polyhydron. [1] ¨C Yeah¡­.. it took me 10 mins to finally come up with this name. Yes, it¡¯s a name and it¡¯s one name Czatequzail. Maybe I should put a dash in between??? Hmm [X] ¨C The author hasn¡¯t mentioned if the stranger¡¯s a male or a female.. I¡¯ll go with ¡®he¡¯ for now, don¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s a she. CH 78 Chapter 78 Stranger(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Even though the indeterminate polyhydron was broken and it¡¯s original form ruined, it was still omitting an impure aura. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did Juan nim ask me to find that item? It took a herculean effort by several in order to find that broken gem underneath the ruin. I¡¯m curious as to if it was worth our time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of Rieto.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡­Bishop Rieto? What do you mean, didn¡¯t Bishop Rieto die?¡± Rieto had been found dead with his head shattered into pieces. Everyone had assumed he met his end due to mana exhaustion from citing a miracle beyond his capabilities, but Juan had thought differently. ¡°When I was fighting Rieto, for a brief moment I entered his mind¡­¡­.. His mind was in an utterly broken state that was beyond repair.¡± ¡°As expected. I had heard many stories about Bishop Rieto. They often mentioned how his mind had split from directly hearing the emperor¡¯s words¡­¡­well, I didn¡¯t think it was true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not true. His mind had traces of the fissure.¡± ¡°Did you say the fissure?¡± Oppert¡¯s eyes widened. In a world where for the most part gods didn¡¯t exist, the only realistic danger that posed the empire was the northern fissure. Even the emperor had been killed in a battle at the fissure, albeit with the help of traitors. For a long time, the northern tribes and General Nienna Nelborn had done well to contain them, but occasionally, monstros beast would escape the fissure and cause a great deal of damage to the empire. ¡°Looks like you have a hard time believing.¡± ¡°Apologies. I for one don¡¯t know much about the fissure. Only that it¡¯s so big that it carved up the northern region, and that there are unidentifiable monsters that crawl out from the deep. Many exaggerated stories have been said that they can pollute and corrupt one¡¯s mind by simply reciting names.¡± Juan smirked. ¡°Exaggerated? It doesn¡¯t even capture half, no a quarter of the terror.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Really?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen at the fissure¡­¡­.actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just think of it as a place where beings of other worlds crawl out from. Their existence, their shape and even their conception is something foreign. Forget about talking to them, they¡¯re an existence that cannot be understood. Compared to them, Nigrato would be considered reasonable¡­¡­ Anyways, the important thing is that I felt the presence of the fissure from inside Rieto. Not in the north, but in the south.¡± Juan lifted the bag that held the indeterminate polyhydron inside. ¡°Not long ago, I was attacked by someone. Someone that had the presence of the fissure on him. It was then I realised something for certain. I¡¯m not sure if this gem came from the fissure but it seemed like Rieto¡¯s mind had broke because of it. Maybe through Rieto¡¯s shattered world in his mind, somehow my power got through, and that¡¯s why¡­¡­¡± Juan had been about to say something but then closed his lips and made an awkward smile. Oppert filled in the gaps himself. When Juan had activated his power, Rieto¡¯s broken mind had been unable to take it. ¡°If Rieto had been alive, I considered checking out the route that the indeterminate polyhydron was acquired from¡­¡­ but he¡¯s dead. So I¡¯ve decided to investigate separately whether the fissure¡¯s somehow related to how it was created.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You see, General Nienna Nelborn is keeping the danger contained up north. And the Fenrir knights are preventing the spread of their influence in the empire. And yet Juan nim would abandon Anya, the Hugin knights, and us¡­..all for a broken piece of gem?¡± Juan silently looked at Oppert. Oppert felt his throat dry up. ¡°Personally, I¡¯ve never had ties with the knight orders or the emperor. But what you showed us that day, that light, that power has changed the lives of everyone who bore witness. At long last, I¡¯ve finally understood what the people had been yearning for all this time. Now more than ever, we need you.¡± Oppert uttered the words that he¡¯d long refrained from speaking. Although he knew better than to say this to Juan, it was difficult to stay silent. ¡°Your majesty.¡± ¡°Majesty huh.¡± Juan smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding something here, Oppert. It¡¯s me who¡¯s bringing danger for you and everyone else. Wherever I go, there¡¯ll be those that are trying to kill me. And I am not ready to take responsibility. ¡°What do you mean, not ready to take responsibility?¡± ¡°Meaning I don¡¯t want to become the emperor. Don¡¯t be surprised. I know what it means to carry around the name ¡®emperor¡¯ in this empire. You cannot simply claim yourself as the emperor just because those around him say so. There are still things for me to learn and some unfinished business for me to take care of. Until then, I hope everyone can forgive me for acting selfish¡­¡­ But know this. If it¡¯s assistance you require, I¡¯ll always come help.¡± ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Until that day comes, I¡¯d like it if you¡¯d call me Juan. Same goes for everyone else.¡± With a stern expression, Oppert slowly nodded. Juan hopped onto his horse. One benefit he found since he¡¯d attained his mature body was that he could now easily mount a horse. ¡°So, where are you off to?¡± ¡°East. It¡¯s where the fissure has infiltrated the most in the empire.¡± The eastern territory. Land where the sun rose from its beaches and dragons used to roam the skies. Land that Gared Ga-in and his knights had most cherished and loved. Gared¡¯s eastern territory was famous for being eroded by the fissure. By no means was this a coincidence. He needed to check if everything that happened was somehow linked with the fissure. ¡°Your majesty, if that¡¯s so, head for Drugal.¡± ¡°Drugal? Is it the name of a place?¡± It was his first time hearing of it. Oppert nodded then explained. ¡°I heard that it was where the indeterminate polyhydron was first found. I¡¯m not sure where it is exactly, only that it¡¯s a city in the east. Maybe you can find some clues there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep in mind, thanks. Ah, then perhaps¡­¡­does the name Czatequzail, mean anything to you?¡± ¡°Czatequzail, was it? Sounds like a name from a different world. Its my first time hearing it.¡± ¡°Hmm. Alright then.¡­¡­¡± Juan suddenly felt as if he¡¯d been hit in the head. ¡®Name? A name? Why did I think it¡¯s a name?¡¯ For more, ¡°Your¡­your highness.¡± ¡°Why would that bastard Renri Loen be protecting the saintress¡­..¡± Renri Loen was someone that Helmut already knew very well. He had been once a rising candidate as a Paladin knight order commander. Things didn¡¯t get much worse than this. Renri was unbelievably powerful. Often, he found himself clashing with the church. An incorruptible follower of the emperor, a doctrine ideologist. It was the reason why he couldn¡¯t associate himself with the church. When Renri renounced himself as a Paladin and asked to join the imperial guard, Helmut felt relief. Rather than join the capital knights where confrontations against him will be inevitable, choosing neutral by going to the imperial guards was what Helmut had desired. But why was he suddenly protecting the saintress? An unexpected situation. Under law, no one was to lay their hands on the imperial guards. Till now, Helmut had encouraged Paladins to join the imperial guard, but only those that seemed incorruptible or weak. He didn¡¯t expect this to have come bite him later. ¡°¡­¡­..What about the saintress?¡± ¡°Resting inside her quarters but Renri is stubbornly refusing to move away from her door. We¡¯ve even tried giving him orders under the Pope¡¯s name but still refuses saying that ¡®the emperor¡¯s command takes priority over all else¡¯¡­¡­.¡± Helmut grinded his teeth. No doubt the saintress had declared another message. Helmut didn¡¯t fully understand what was really going on, but if he didn¡¯t sort things out now, it would soon be too late. This had all started from the stories that came from the south. The prophecy about the black haired emperor, Tantil¡¯s demon, annihilation of the White crow knights, the new messages that¡¯s been coming through the saintress¡¯s mouth¡­¡­..it felt as if everything was intertwined. It was time to end things one way or another. Helmut ordered his black priests. ¡°Call for the commander of the Paladin Debarment order, Valkyrie to cease all current activities and track down the demon of Tantil. And declare a ten thousand leaf bounty on the demon¡¯s head.¡± CH 79 Chapter 79 Red wasteland(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae There was a point in time where the land in the east were touted as the most beautiful land. The long eastern coastline had been one of the empire¡¯s famous scenery where you could find dragons flying about. It¡¯s name once held value from its beautiful natural landscapes. This was until Gared Ga-in, the ruler of the eastern land stabbed a knife into the emperor¡¯s back. After the emperor¡¯s assasination, Gared Ga-in and his dragon knight order were mostly beheaded or went into hiding. Having lost their leader and produced the culprit that harmed the emperor, the empire began to ostracize the eastern land. And amidst the turmoil, forces from inside the northern fissure managed to slip past and infiltrate the eastern land, turning most of it into a wasteland. Although Earl Henna, a native from the east somehow began holding them back with some help, by then it was too late. Most of the land in the east had been destroyed. A gust of wind carried a handful of red dust into the air, spraying it over a tent. A messenger just arriving from the holy city of Torra was surprised to see how bad things truly were in the east. For the young messenger, it was hard to believe that this land had once been a popular vacation spot in the empire. Right now, the person he was waiting for was who solely ruled over this wasteland. The curtains opened and a slim elder with a cape draped over her head covered in red dust walked in. The messenger instinctively stood up and greeted the elder. When most nobles chose to leave the east a long time ago. one sole noble reamined. Earl Hela Henna walked in. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was out patrolling. So, I heard Pavan sent you?¡± ¡°Yes. Ceovil Soar of the capital knights.¡± Ceovil held out the letter. Hela frowned as she took off her robe before receiving the letter. The face with only a left eye belonging to an old woman came into his view. Also her right sleeve hung loose in the air, as if she¡¯d lost her right arm as well. But surprisingly, using only her left hand, Hela skillfully opened up the letter. After reading it, Hela scrunched it up. ¡°You little shit. What are you scheming?¡± In a blink, Hela was holding Ceovil up by his collar. Ceovil lifted both hands in the air, showing that he had no intent to resist. ¡°This shows how much Pavan is taking this case seriously. I¡¯ll promise that you can use the troops in any way you¡¯d like. As I¡¯ve said, commander Pavan has always felt that he owed you a debt, so it would be appreciated if you can think of this as him repaying you back.¡± This couldn¡¯t be true. Pavan was someone that Hela had personally taught until he fell into Vares¡¯s hands. She of course, knew his character very well. Signs of concern were showing on Hela¡¯s face but when she thought about what she could accomplish with additional 7000 troops, it wasn¡¯t a hard decision to make. ¡°A criminal that¡¯s worth sending 7000 troops? Who is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the exact details later on. But I think even Earl Henna nim wouldn¡¯t be happy hearing about a dangerous individual crawling into her territory.¡± That was true. Hela didn¡¯t want any other variables entering her domain. So that left whatever plot Pavan was scheming. ¡°¡­¡­..Be honest. Up to how much were you given permission?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you are talking about.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t have her doubts, but she chose the pragmatic option. Hela pushed a pen and paper in front of Ceovil and demanded. ¡°I want it in writing now. 10,000 troops. Each fitted with their own supplies. And no haggling, you know how poor we are.¡± ¡°Why suddenly increase by 3000¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Shut up and just write.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Ceovil began writing a certification as proof. With a few drops of ink, 10,000 troops were guaranteed as writing. Suddenly, Hela felt as if everything felt a little pathetic as she always found it difficult getting 1,000 or even 500 troops for aid in the past. After receiving the certificate, Hela glared at Ceovil with a grumpy expression. ¡°As I said, we¡¯re in the middle of a war so I won¡¯t be able to take out much of my own forces.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure you¡¯ll get it done properly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I have someone in mind.¡± Puzzled by Hela¡¯s words, Ceovil tilted his head. ¡°How many are you intending to send?¡± ¡°Just one. But for these kinds of scenarios, better to send this ¡®one¡¯ than a hundred.¡± ***** The sword flashed in the moonlight. The attacker¡¯s hand instantly split in two as Juan brought down his dagger. Juan¡¯s dagger cut three, four, five, no seven times before the attacker could even scream. Like a breaking vase, blood squirted out from all places, and only then the attacker let out a scream. Juan didn¡¯t let him scream for long. A dagger pierced his heart. This all happened in a flash when the first attacker had rushed in. The remaining attackers began backing away in a frightened expression. Juan sprayed the blood smeared on his dagger onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware.¡± Juan approached the attackers. Inside every attacker¡¯s mind, were regrets in getting involved and a voice telling them to run. Though they were at an open wasteland, the attackers all felt as if they were being tightened in a prison cell, slowly being suffocated. A prison cell that was no bigger than 3 footsteps in all directions. ¡°That I could have killed you all at once.¡± 2 weeks had passed since Juan had arrived east and this was now the 5th attack. Up till now, he¡¯d killed every single attacker without question, but as time went, he started to feel that something was weird. Their skills were laughable and they were definitely here for him, but strangely he felt that his position was being discovered too easily by those that were after him. The attackers swallowed a big gulp. Before he¡¯d attacked, Juan had been sitting still. But in a flash, Juan neutralized and demonstrated a brutal murder as if to set an example for what was to come. What appeared to the leader of the attackers hesitated before opening his lips. ¡°Wai, wait. It¡¯s a misunderstanding. We¡¯re not exactly here for you specifically.¡± Juan tilted his head. ¡°Not here for me?¡± ¡°The church has declared a 10,000 gold leaf bounty for a black haired boy. So as you can imagine, everyone¡¯s out to catch any black haired people they come across regardless of age. Th¡­that¡¯s why attacked. We¡¯re aren¡¯t the only ones doing it.¡± Juan went silent. Sweat started to appear on the attackers¡¯ foreheads. ¡°Hey look, I¡¯m sorry if you took offense but it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve caused you any harm. Meanwhile we¡¯ve lost one. We¡¯ll take our leave here so why don¡¯t we just all walk away without seeing more blood?¡± ¡°I like not seeing blood.¡± ¡°Th, then¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Drugal?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said where¡¯s Drugal. Answer me and I¡¯ll let one of you live.¡± After hearing about Drugal from Oppert, Juan had actively been searching for it. But it was difficult to find the exact location as no one seemed to have heard of the place. ¡°Why are you looking for Drugal?¡± The one who replied was the man furthest back towards the center. With a skinny body, the man was faintly smiling as he looked at Juan. The attackers realised that they¡¯d been tricked, seeing the man¡¯s smile. ¡°You bastard! That¡¯s right! You¡¯re the one who alerted and convinced us to capture this black haired m¡­¡­¡± The final words never came. Something had sprang out from the skinny man¡¯s hand and cleanly beheaded him. Everyone noticed a long bizzare tentacle connecting his hand to the other man¡¯s throat. The attackers screamed before fleeing in all directions. The corner of Juan¡¯s lips rose. His opponent had come for him. [1] ¨C So I had a knight order named ¡®Debarment order¡¯ in the . I¡¯m changing it to ¡®Abhorrent¡¯ order. .will be updated. CH 80 Chapter 80 Red wasteland(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°@#$##!%.¡± The attackers all stopped in place right as the short man whispered something into the air . Purple tentacles squirmed out from the bodies of the attackers. Having torn through bones, the texture and shape of the tentacles danced in the moonlight. With tentacles sticking out from everywhere on their bodies, the attackers looked as if they were dead corpses stuck in a thorn bush. They were looking at Juan with eyes void of life. ¡®Not a good look.¡¯ Holding his dagger loosely by his side, Juan looked at the small man haphazardly. The small man began to walk towards Juan. Only when it was close enough that Juan could recognise his face, the man slowly took off his bandana. A tentacle was sticking out from his left eye. His other eye was lifeless just like the other attackers. Like the rest, he too was already a piece of corpse. The man¡¯s tongue flicked out as he began talking. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. Why are you looking for Drugal?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d come. I thought you guys prefered waiting.¡± ¡°Arrogant, are we.¡± The man flicked out his tongue as he laughed. ¡°Finding out where Drugal is shouldn¡¯t be difficult. But before that, I couldn¡¯t help but notice a few ¡®things¡¯ about you. Black hair. You¡¯re the¡­.. ¡®black emperor¡¯ that the church has put out a bounty for, right?¡± Black emperor. The first time Juan was hearing it. Instead of replying, Juan whipped his dagger at the man¡¯s throat, cleanly lopping off his head. Juan stuck his dagger into the man¡¯s head that was rolling away and lifted it. Seeing Juan upside down, the man grinned sarcastically. ¡°Too short tempered, your highness.¡± Juan knew of only one group that had the skills to do something like this. ¡°I should have ended yous for good when I was still alive.¡± Juan flicked his dagger and the man¡¯s head dropped to the floor. With his foot, Juan crushed it flat. Purple fluids splattered everywhere. A strange sound was emitted as the tentacles wiggled away. ¡°My god, this is¡­..¡± With tentacles sticking out, one of the attackers spoke. Juan made a ghastly expression. The attacker got on his knees and crawled his way over. ¡°This is a surprise¡­¡­..I can feel the emperor¡¯s energy. Maybe you really are the emperor. But in any case, why are you trying to find us, your highness? Isn¡¯t your highness¡¯s body at the capital? I thought your stance against the church was hostile?¡± ¡°Thats none of your business.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess you¡¯re right, black emperor. However, if your highness is insisting on finding us¡­..I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s got something to do with Gared Ga-in, isn¡¯t that right?¡± The attacker laughed towards Juan in a snidely tone. Juan¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but stiffen. A being that was clearly associated with the fissure was referring to Gared¡¯s name without care. Juan felt an intent desire to kill. ¡°We¡¯re not here to stop you, your highness. Rather, we have been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Really¡­..¡± ¡°I assure you, we¡¯ll do our best to welcome you. Please consider visiting the Thorn tree priesthood. Come and show us your light.¡± One of the attackers whispered at him while grabbing onto the foot of his pants. Juan simply shoved his dagger between his eyes. However, all the other attackers began to speak the same words, with the same voice at Juan. ¡°Please help us relieve us of our long awaited thirst.¡± Juan grabbed his cheek. The attacker¡¯s cheek turned bright red. A fire suddenly rose and swept through the area. Juan gestured his flaming hand and their burning bodies dismembered into pieces. It was still dark as pieces of burnt skin flew off into the red wasteland. Not a single mouth survived. Juan mumbled while looking down at their corpses. ¡°Thorn tree priesthood.¡± The barren red wasteland slightly brightened from the burning corpses. It was still a long way to go till sunrise. ***** ¡°It matches the description of bodies found at Hiveden.¡± A group wearing snake shaped helmets were examining some bodies in the middle of the wilderness. Their white armored suit indicated their Paladin allegiance. Completely burnt, unidentifiable corpses were lying over the ground in pieces. A Paladin holding a green flag bent down and picked something up. What looked to be remains of dried up purple tentacle. ¡°Thats¡­¡­¡± ¡°Remains of the Thorn tree priesthood. Not surprised to hear they¡¯re somehow involved in this.¡± ¡°Are you saying the devil from Tantil is related to the Thorn tree priesthood? Aren¡¯t they of completely opposite directions?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to understand the ways of the fissure, brother. If you do, they¡¯ll try to enter your mind.¡± Having been warned, the Paladin knight drew the emperor¡¯s cross over his heart and whispered a short prayer. The knight holding the green flag, further examined the corpse then continued talking. ¡°Looks like they didn¡¯t get along. It seems different than how those bastards from the Thorn tree priesthood normally kill. It¡¯s too efficient and clean. It may even be possible that it¡¯s not the work of a single individual.¡± ¡°Meaning that the Hugin knights were involved as well?¡± ¡°The likelihood is there.¡± The Paladin holding the green flag slammed the end of the pole against the ground. ¡°In any case, brothers, our investigation is bearing fruit. We¡¯re closing in on the bastard.¡± ***** Crime was everywhere in the east. In the east, powerful militia groups were preferred over high ranking public officials. Powerful people that wouldn¡¯t betray and keep them safe as long as they were paid. Because of this, more than anywhere else in the empire, mercenaries had a large presence in the east. Among them, the mercenary guild ¡®Dragon¡¯s slumber¡¯ was the biggest and had the most influence in the entire eastern region. While their members consisted of vetern elites that could usually handle just about anything, recently talk of a new bounty had taken the guild by storm. A man covered with wounds on his face walked into the guild. Red blood dripped in a line from a black cloth that he was holding. Sensing something serious, the other mercenaries murmured and made way. There weren¡¯t too many things that were big, circular and dripped blood. The man walked up and dropped the cloth over the counter, making a heavy thud sound. ¡°Take a look.¡± The female attending the counter scowled but then carefully untangled the cloth, not wanting to get blood on her hands. Once the knot untied, a black haired man¡¯s head with his mouth gaping open was revealed for all to see. A revolting smell spread all throughout the room. The man covered in wounds grinned as he leaned against the counter. ¡°10,000 gold leaf bounty. Looks the part doesn¡¯t it?¡± The female attendant who¡¯d glimpsed at the man, shoved the head away as if she had better things to do. The man¡¯s face distorted. ¡°Again? Where did you find this poor man, this time? Mr Harankal, it¡¯s clearly written on the bounty that the target is 12 to 14 years old. You¡¯re not given gold for any black haired person. Find and bring the suspect. Suspect only.¡± ¡°Ah, fuck. Those from outside the empire all look the same to me. Why don¡¯t you send it to the church anyways. Not everyone has a good eye like you. Couldn¡¯t they be fooled?¡± ¡°Stop with your nonsense and go bury the poor fellow. I know there¡¯s no punishment for killing those from beyond the border but still¡­..you shouldn¡¯t be killing people recklessly¡­..You have a reputation to consider.¡± ¡°My reputation isn¡¯t going to feed me.¡± ¡°While it may not feed you, it could land you a knife in the back. Though you¡¯re silver class, if you continue to act this carelessly, you could drop¡­¡­¡± The female attendant stopped talking. Upon following her gaze, Harankal¡¯s eyes widened. A black haired male had just walked into the guild. It hadn¡¯t been long since black haired people were rarely seen out in the east. When the church put up a large reward, they disappeared in hiding for their safety. Harankal took a good look at the black haired male that had just walked in. Though he looked young, he definitely looked over 18 years old. He had a clean good looking appearance that shouted nobility. Not the age he was looking for and clearly not the face of a wanted criminal on the run. Harankal guessed he was most likely one of those toy dogs that nobles kept around. Harankal clicked his tongue. He couldn¡¯t go at another innocent person when he¡¯d just returned from killing one so recently. Ignoring Harankal, the black haired man walked over to the counter. The female attendant was blankly staring at him. Noticing her cheeks blush red, Harankal shook his head. Bloody women¡­.. ¡°Wel, welcome.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a place called Drugal.¡± Drrrrkk. A simultaneous sound of chairs scraping the floor. The sound of every mercenary getting up upon hearing Drugal. The female attendant¡¯s cheeks turned from red to pale. ¡°Drugal? Why ar¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I heard they¡¯re recruiting mercenaries. And because of its remote location, I heard it¡¯s best to find its exact whereabouts from the mercenary guild.¡± ¡°Hey, you.¡± Harankal placed his hand on the black haired man¡¯s shoulder from behind. ¡°Are you a mercenary? Not one of those nobility¡¯s slaves? Actually¡­¡­no. You can¡¯t be a mercenary. Only the most desperate that have no other choice head over to Drugal. You on the other hand, could pretty much make a living off that pretty face.¡± The black haired male dusted Harankal¡¯s hand off his shoulder and again spoke to the female attendant. ¡°So how does one get to Drugal?¡± ¡°Uh, that, Drugal¡­¡­. You see, we¡¯ve put a restriction on information about Drugal, as most never return after going there. You¡¯d have to be at least silver rank before¡­..¡± For more, The black haired man noticed a silver brooch that hung on his left shoulder. ¡°So this guy is a silver rank or whatever you¡¯ve been talking about.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. However¡­¡­¡± Before the female attendant could finish talking, the black haired man stretched out his hand and grabbed Harankal¡¯s cheeks. Even though he was much bigger than the black haired man, Harankal dropped to his knees the moment his face had been seized. Sound of something breaking out of place was heard The sound of Harankal¡¯s chin being crushed. With only one hand, the black haired man was crushing Harankal¡¯s teeth one by one. Unable to scream due to his mouth being grabbed, Harankal could only let out an eerie muffled sound while his shoulders shuddered. Having broken Harankal¡¯s mandible, the black haired man tossed him away. Then proceeded to take the silver ornament off his shoulder. ¡°That should prove my skill.¡± But the female attendant shook her head. ¡°Apologies, but not in that manner. And plus, fighting is prohibited inside the guild.¡± CH 81 Chapter 81 Ten thousand leaves(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan was kicked out of the guild building by the female attendant. A guild rank was not something that could be attained by beating down someone else with that particular rank. Only through a combination of reputation, credibility and skill could it be earned. Attaining a silver rank seemed out of the picture since Juan¡¯s name wasn¡¯t exactly a name with a credible reputation among mercenaries nor did he have time to accomplish some deeds to boost his fame. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Much pickier than how I remembered them.¡± Mercenaries in Juan¡¯s memory were simple beings that were crazy for only money, women and booze. Back then, it was a frequent sight, seeing ex mercenaries enlist in Juan¡¯s army. They had been a naive systemless bunch, but it seemed many things had changed. ¡®Anyways that¡¯s that. How do I get to Drugal.¡¯ The only thing Juan found out about Drugal was that it was a countryside town hiding somewhere in the Manas mountains. An infamous rumor followed the town¡¯s name. In the past, a group that had been preparing to revolt against the empire were butchered after falling into a trap. But soon following came a piece of news, that the remnants had a sizable treasure stashed somewhere underground. This story had mercenaries eagerly searching for the location of the treasure. Considering that the indeterminate polyhydron was believed to have been found there, rumours of the treasure seemed credible. The rumours ended there. For Juan, Drugal was a place he¡¯d never heard of. He presumed that it was a land that didn¡¯t exist during his reign or it had been so insignificant that he¡¯d never heard of it. Time was of the essence and he couldn¡¯t waste it on finding a village deep in the mountains. ¡°Hey you, black haired young master.¡± He heard a voice from over his head. From the second story of the guild building, a slender looking silver haired woman with a bobbed cut was smiling down at him from above. On her back was a giant crossbow that seemed to be made from the horns of something. ¡°Why are you looking for Drugal?¡± ¡°You know where it is?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re looking to go there for fame or fortune then forget it. There¡¯s nothing like that there.¡± ¡°Sounds like you know the place well.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The woman lifted her hair. Underneath her hair was what looked to be what was left of her ear which had been severed. The women giggled then continued talking. ¡°I got more that¡¯s worse underneath my clothes, but I won¡¯t show you that in the middle of the day. I was lucky that the bastard who sneaked up on me was an asshole with an ear obsession.¡± ¡°You got those wounds from Drugal?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m one of the few that have returned from there not long ago.¡± ¡°Certainly looks like a dangerous place.¡± ¡°Dangerous? Hehe. You really don¡¯t know much, do you. The one who took my ear was someone that I was confident in putting my back against.¡± ¡°What? Then why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I also want to know. All I can say is that land is cursed. From the several that departed with me, I was the only one who managed to return alive. I can¡¯t help but feel that I don¡¯t want to go back to that place. I couldn¡¯t care less about some treasure when your life¡¯s on the line. I¡¯d say less than 1 out of 20 come back with some gold and riches upon going there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly more than I¡¯d expected.¡± ¡°And about four out of five that return with gold, find themselves lured back to that place. All in all, only around 1 out of 100 truly free themselves from the clutches of Drugal. There¡¯s a reason why the guild has put a silver rank restriction for Drugal travel.¡± The woman jumped down from the terrace. Seeing her swift movements and quiet landing, Juan then noticed that he was talking to an elf. Because she was dressed in human attire and her ears cut, he¡¯d been slow to realise. The fact Juan had been slow to see through the cover up made him think that it was enough to fool most people. The elf woman circled around Juan and grinned. ¡°So? Why are you trying to get there?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°Depending on your answer, I¡¯ll guide you there. Personally.¡± Juan¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He didn¡¯t really like the fact that he¡¯d have to explain everything to her but something about a ¡®crazy elf woman¡¯ occupied a soft place in his heart. And plus it was going to be difficult trying to navigate his way to a hidden countryside village on a mountain range. ¡°I¡¯m trying to kill someone there.¡± For more, The mana that had been depleted during his spiritual transfers had largely recovered. ¡®Problem now is that my mana aura has changed.¡¯ The convergence of these varying powers and his original mana had made his aura vastly different from how it was. For example, Juan could now no longer use Taltere¡¯s blood. That blood had been completely fused. But if he wanted to, it was still possible to overdrive into the power albeit in a somewhat weaker state than before. This was the same for Grunvalde¡¯s grey cloak as well as Nigrato¡¯s power. It was fundamentally different to magic. And though limited, he now had access to those god¡¯s unique domains. But it was a different direction to the power he had as the emperor. Juan didn¡¯t know whether this was a good thing or not. And of course Juan wasn¡¯t going to let himself lose initiative either. These were beings that had lost their identity. What Juan felt was simply a mi-nute concern. That if his mana continued to converge with different powers, then it would eventually change into something different to his original state. ¡®And to add to that, I¡¯m not sure what side effects it may bring.¡¯ As the nature of his mana had changed, Juan didn¡¯t know whether this would cause reaction down the line when he¡¯d eventually reclaim his corpse Thinking that it¡¯d be better to just keep monitoring his body for the time being, Juan kept a tight lid on his mana in order to handle it more proficiently. ***** Two days had passed since their journey began to Drugal. The carriage was overflowing with boredom as the surrounding scenery consisted only of dust and red wasteland. The mercenaries earnestly waited for the carriage to stop so they may stretch their tired bodies. Whenever the horses needed rest, everyone inside the carriage hurriedly made their way out for a breath and stretch. But excluding Juan. ¡°Um, Miss Swallen.¡± While everyone was loosening their cramped muscles, one of the mercenaries called out to Swallen. ¡°Huh, what?¡¯ ¡°So uh. Who exactly is that fellow traveller?¡± ¡°Why? Is he getting on your nerves? I thought he¡¯d been rather quiet till now.¡± ¡°No I mean, he¡¯s been quiet¡­¡­but isn¡¯t he too disturbingly quiet? He¡¯s been sitting still with his eyes closed for two whole days. Except when he¡¯d drink some water.¡± Swallen flashed a grin. ¡°And the fact his hair is black?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I can¡¯t say that hasn¡¯t caught my eye. Yes. The others are also feeling a bit uneasy at seeing how he¡¯s been acting.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t cause harm so just ignore him.¡± The mercenary turned around with a dissatisfied look. Swallen turned her head and looked at Juan who was still calmly sitting inside the carriage. Though his expression looked peaceful, she couldn¡¯t grasp what on earth was going through his head. It was only natural to think that others would feel discomfort. Unless you went up close to him, it was hard to even tell whether he was breathing or not. Swallen continued to stare at Juan¡¯s face and then stretched her hand out towards his nose. Her finger tips had been about touch when Juan suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Someone¡¯s approaching.¡± CH 82 Chapter 82 Ten thousand leaves(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Swallen got on top of the carriage and looked around. Far in the horizon towards the west, a red dust cloud could be seen. Juan didn¡¯t even turn his head. While he had been concentrating on controlling his mana, his senses had been dialled to high. Thirty or so people. All were on horses and armed. Juan felt a familiar scent among them. ¡°They¡¯re Paladins.¡± Swallen looked towards Juan with a surprised face. They were still far in the distance, barely showing their silhouette. Juan was curious to see how Swallen would handle the Paladins. There was a chance that Swallen could reveal Juan¡¯s identity and aim to take the 10,000 gold leaves as her reward. He wondered what he¡¯d do then. Well, in all honesty, it didn¡¯t matter. When he¡¯d killed the entire blue rose knights, he had made the decision to not bother hiding his identity nor his trace. And until now he¡¯d made true to his own decision. For more, But then, Swallen put her hand on his dagger. Still wearing her smile, she shook her head. The door opened, and the mercenaries one by one stepped out. Juan and Swallen walked out last. The Paladin claiming himself to be Beltre, immediately looked at Juan. Without moving an inch, Juan returned his stare. Beltre stretched out his arm to remove the scarf covering Juan¡¯s head revealing his black hair. Seeing the hair colour, the other Paladins approached closer with their swords drawn. Beltre held up his hand, signalling them to stay back. Without saying much, he put the headscarf back on Juan¡¯s head. ¡°I know right now¡¯s a hard time for you people from outside the border. But do understand. We¡¯re on edge due to the ruckus that one of your people made in the south. Have you by any chance seen a kid aged around 10? He has the same black coloured hair as you.¡± ¡°I have not.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. But for some reason, Juan thought about telling him the truth but he was finding it too amusing how they were still looking for a kid. ¡°If you do, I¡¯d like it if you¡¯d report it to the nearest church or military base. The sooner this chase is over, the sooner your guys¡¯ lives will be back to normal.¡± When Beltre let go of Juan, the other Paladins shared a dissatisfied look with another. But as soon as Beltre turned his head, their heads all dropped down like a frog in front of a snake. Inside a Paladin order, the commander¡¯s authority was absolute. ¡°I¡¯ll mention it to the other mercenaries as well. Nearby, we found traces of the traitorous Thorntree priesthood¡¯s activity. Six corpses belonging to the traitors were found in which traces left were similar to that which was left by the demon of Tantil. If there¡¯s anything suspicious, make sure to report without hesitation!¡± Though none of the mercenaries in particular seemed to have any desire in their eyes, Beltre finished his one-sided words and turned his back. Then as if he remembered something, he whispered to Juan. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that those from outside the empire don¡¯t know about the emperor¡¯s ways. You¡¯ll do well to be careful of every action you take. I¡¯ll be remembering your face.¡± Beltre gave his warning and signaled at his knights. ¡°Lets go.¡± As Beltre and his Paladin order disappeared towards south, a sigh of relief escaped from everyone¡¯s mouth. The mercenaries spouted several words at Paladins and the church while they got back into the carriage. ***** Beltre was silently staring ahead as his horse galloped along. Knowing that Beltre wasn¡¯t in the best mood, the other knights refrained from talking. He wasn¡¯t enjoying the red wasteland scenic view. The barren wilderness that stretched over the horizon brought up a distant memory. Empire¡¯s eastern land. It was where Beltre had been born and raised. Beltre, who was born after the beginning of eternal rule, the east was a violent and dreadful place. Unable to witness the east¡¯s beauty that once existed, he had lost his family in the flames that purged the land. The barren soil spread and turned the grounds red, and Beltre at the time kept himself alive by eating discarded food in garbage cans. ¡°Beltre nim.¡± Someone came up to him. His pupil that stood narrow like a snake, shined frighteningly underneath his visor. It was Marco, his Vice commander. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to take him just in case? It was obvious at first glance that he was anything but ordinary.¡± ¡°Leave it. The suspect that his highness has described is a black haired boy that¡¯s aged around 13 years old. If he wasn¡¯t ordinary just like you said, there¡¯s no reason to go and waste our strength where it¡¯s not needed.¡± ¡°But, that bastards a heretic that¡¯s not been graced by our emperor.¡± ¡°Brother Marco.¡± With irritated eyes, Beltre glared at his Vice commander of the Abhorrent knights. ¡°Keep in mind that the White Crow knights met their doom by not following our highness¡¯s orders and using their strength on other efforts. And we¡¯re currently cleaning after their mess. Are we to delay things even further by wasting our time on other efforts, just like them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­My apologies for my careless thinking.¡± Marco bitterly admitted. Beltre recalled the orders of Pope Helmut once again. Don¡¯t waste time on other things and focus only on hunting down the black haired boy. The twelfth Paladin order was specialised in pursuit and assasination. Beltre¡¯s job was to move around the empire and execute secret orders that the Pope gave him. Often, the order split up and operated in smaller teams working on different cases. A case rarely required the efforts of the entire order. For most given orders, it was easily performed to a tee with the power of ¡®snake¡¯ that was bestowed to the knights of Abhorrent order. And while this time, they were to carry out an important task, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were Paladin knights. Even if it was unrelated to their task in hand, naturally they felt a rising feeling of hate towards those deemed ¡®enemies of the church¡¯. But Beltre was different. What fueled him was not faith, but his desire to survive and to be successful. ¡®Black haired boy you say¡­¡­¡¯ From a noble¡¯s newborn baby to an elderly that had but a few days to live, Beltre was not fussy about who his target was. However, this time it was a bit unusual. From the ongoing rumours, it was hard to guess the identity of his target. ¡®Black emperor, Tantil¡¯s demon, Blue rose knight slaughterer, and even¡­¡­.¡¯ She grabbed the collar of the nearest mercenary that was sleeping and threw him out. The mercenary screamed as he tumbled onto the red wasteland. ¡°Swa, Miss Swallen, what are you doing!¡± Despite protests, Swallen grabbed her next target and threw him out as well. The mercenary hit his head onto the ground and rolled to a stop, now unconscious. The last mercenary threw himself out voluntarily after receiving a look from Swallen. It looked as if none of them had been critically hurt as the carriage had been moving slowly. ¡°Coachman. You as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need an explanation for this, Miss Swallen!¡± The coachman begrudgingly handed Swallen the reins. The carriage suddenly picked up speed having seen its horseman change. But it was not enough to out pace the Paladins in pursuit. Meanwhile, Beltre glanced at the fallen mercenaries on the side but skimmed past knowing better than to waste time on them. But the vice commander Marco thought differently. Upon raising his finger to signal his knights, 5 of them moved out of the pack. Spears were shot through the chests of the mercenaries who were now just dazely getting up. Swallen¡¯s face grimaced at hearing the screams, but she bit her lips and refrained from looking back. CH 83 Chapter 83 Ten thousand leaves(3) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Juan could no longer sit by and leave the situation to Swallen. When he had asked her to guide him to his destination, he didn¡¯t take into account that the situation would turn this bad. ¡°Get off.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I can protect you while I¡¯m fighting. So, get off.¡± Swallen thought about refuting but Juan didn¡¯t wait idly. Just like what Swallen did to the mercenaries, Juan threw her out of the carriage. As expected of an elf, Swallen comfortably landed with both feet on the ground. Juan took the reign and sharply turned the direction. The Paladin¡¯s followed suit, turning sharply to match the trajectory of the carriage. The Paladins decided to ignore Swallen, unlike the mercenaries for she was too far away from the path they were giving chase. She soon disappeared into the red dust. ¡°Traitor!¡± Beltre shouted loudly. He took out the green flag that was strapped onto his back. The Paladins morphed into a convex shape as they approached the carriage. Beltre swung his flag. Immediately, spears emitting a white light began to form in the hands of his knights and were used to rain down upon the carriage. With a roar, the carriage was turned into tatters. ¡°Surround and stand by!¡± The Paladins surrounded the carriage in a circular shape as the green flag was swung once more. Then they waited for the red dust to die down. ¡®Idiot.¡¯ Marco went about cutting Juan¡¯s body while ridiculing him. He was going to shed his skin for his arrogance and let him bleed and gradually die while being skinless. Seeing the sunlight bouncing from the blade, to the people looking on, it looked like Juan had moved deeper into a giant grinder. It was a foregone conclusion that his body would be sliced up like a dry fish. However Marco was feeling something different. That his swings weren¡¯t connecting. ¡®What?¡¯ He was sure that his blade was cutting, stabbing, slicing Juan¡¯s body. He was going to let him die due to blood loss but Juan¡¯s silhouette was continually blurring past him. As if he was cutting through a fog. ¡°Pointless tricks!¡± Marco¡¯s swings became faster. His eyes in full concentration, Juan ventured towards him. Marco didn¡¯t like what he saw in Juan¡¯s eyes. Juan was still not using blink. However, sweat was starting to form on Marco¡¯s forehead. On the other hand, not a single drop of blood was on Juan. He wasn¡¯t even sweating. Like a ghost, like a fog, Juan was still dodging Marco¡¯s attacks. And then, with a loud clang!, Marco¡¯s sword vibrated. Marco regathered himself after briefly flinching. While irritated, Marco was confident that this brat couldn¡¯t dodge forever. He on the other hand had the power of grace and the snake to keep using blink. Not sure whether Juan knew this or not, he was continuing to clash his dagger against his sword. In a blink of an eye, several swings clashed into each other. Sparks arose from two metal clanging against. More and more, Marco was starting to feel nervous and frustrated. He briefly surveyed what he was seeing. ¡®¡­¡­¡­¡­what? He¡¯s getting even faster?¡¯ A swing that had the power of blink behind it was lethal enough just due to the sheer speed. But without even using blink, Juan was reading every trajectory and landing counter swings every so often. His physicality, his equipment and to add to that, his grace. Marco was superior in every department. And yet, Juan was putting Marco back against a wall. Stabbing, slicing, striking, cutting. Juan¡¯s disorderly pattern of attacks had a rhythm behind it. This pattern of attack which was hard to call this as swordsmanship, was getting faster. Eventually Maro was on the defensive. The sweat on his forehead was starting to form into droplets. There was no sign of him taking this easy anymore. He was struggling to even stop Juan¡¯s attacks. For a moment, Marco thought as if he was fighting an eighth armed monster in Juan. The fact that Marco who was using blink thought this, confirmed the fact that everyone else was also thinking the same thing or worse. It was hard to see who was attacking and who was defending with a normal pair of eyes. ¡°Bloody¡­¡­.tricks!¡± Marco knew that he couldn¡¯t hold on if things sped up any faster. He was beginning to doubt the reality of the situation. Does this bastard even tire? Marco was an established Paladin knight that had grasped the power of blink. He gave his life in overpowering with speed. It was hard to acknowledge the fact that his speed was lacking. ¡°Die!¡± Biting his lips, Marco thrusted his sword vigorously. A desperate strike that had put his life on the line. Juan¡¯s eyes briefly flashed. And as if he¡¯d waited for this moment, he drove the tip of his dagger at Marco¡¯s sword. Clang! Clink! A sound hard to believe echoed throughout. CH 84 Chapter 84 Ten thousand leaves(4) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae Marco blankly stared as his holy sword bestowed with grace broke in front of his eyes. As it broke, a piece scraped past and cut one of his eyes but he still couldn¡¯t take his eyes away from what had happened. A holy sword never broke. It had never happened, since the eternal rule. Not even once. Marco finally then realised during the fierce battle, Juan had been concentrating his attacks on one area on his sword. His out of context messy attacks had in fact a purpose behind it. Like droplets piercing through a rock. The moment Marco lost his balance in shock, Juan swung his dagger to end him. But at that moment, Beltre unleashed his sword. Juan, who¡¯d been focused on his battle with Marco, failed to avoid it which resulted in his cape being cut. Upon missing the opportunity to wound Juan, Beltre frowned at seeing a black substance flow out from above Juan¡¯s shoulder. It was no ordinary cape. It was radiating a creepy, filthy aura. Meanwhile, Juan tumbled his body away to get out of reach of the Paladin knights. ¡°Brother Marco, you alright?¡± Beltre didn¡¯t particularly like the disobedient Marco but still, he was a valuable asset of his order. Marco was still silently looking down at his broken sword as if it shocked him more than he¡¯d expected. Beltre was surprised at how easily Marco had been beaten. ¡°I did have my suspicions. And all is well, now they¡¯ve been confirmed.¡± He was definitely the demon that the Pope had instructed him to exterminate. Beltre who was initially lifeless from accepting this dishonorable mission, now found a new will burn inside him. Upon signaling with his green flag, the other Paladins promptly surrounded Juan. Though Juan looked very tired, it looked as though he had plenty left to continue fighting. ¡°Are we going at it again?¡± ¡°Excellent skills I¡¯ll admit. Though I didn¡¯t get to see it properly¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m going to guess that it¡¯s Valte swordsmanship? 4th stage?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s my first time stretching it this far. Hard to say which stage that was at. Lets just say I gave it a quick swing.¡± Though he¡¯d already used stage 4 ability ¡®Sea of fog¡¯, he didn¡¯t need to elaborate on that point. And plus, the swordsmanship he¡¯d just shown focused the importance on use the most minimum movements required. Which was a product of just stage 3 Valte swordsmanship. In the first place, Marco¡¯s speed was his only trait to be aware of, as his swordsmanship was disappointing to say the least. There wasn¡¯t a need for Juan to pull out all of his tricks. However, Juan simply wanted to rub their arrogant noses into the ground. While Beltre wasn¡¯t sure, his feet and the way he handled his sword made him judge that Juan was for certain a master of Valte swordsmanship. Able to use the high rank grace ability ¡®blink¡¯ and well versed in Valte swordsmanship¡­¡­¡­ Beltre understood why the Pope was so eager to kill his person. ¡®A traitor¡¯s child or their disciple¡­¡­. Anyways he¡¯s evil whichever way you look at it.¡¯ ¡°Keeeuuk¡­¡­.. You, you little shit¡­¡­..¡± After coming back from his shock, Marco gritted his teeth and stood back up. Beltre frowned at Marco¡¯s attitude, as he had his eyes firmly on Juan and largely ignoring him. ¡°Back off, brother Marco. He¡¯s not your match. This bastard has been well trained.¡± ¡°Brother Beltre nim! For 10 years I¡¯ve trained, breaking bones and shedding skin while doing so. 10 years! If we¡¯re talking about how long I¡¯ve trained my swordsmanship, it¡¯s over 20 years. And you still think I¡¯m beneath this brat?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Beltre answered sternly. ¡°You think he can reach that speed because he can simply swing his sword fast? No. Human joints, acceleration, air resistance¡­..there are multitude of factors that one must consider.. Every last cell inside this person is imprinted and set to move at high speed. That¡¯s why he¡¯s able to reach speeds that can match blink.¡± It could be said that this could be another trick of Valte swordsmanship. While Valte swordsmanship was considered as the core swordsmanship in the empire, there was only a handful who mastered its limits. And it seemed, this teenager hadn¡¯t just brainlessly trained, but was well versed in practical skills and how to respond. At once, Beltre knew he was dealing with someone more than what he was seeing with his eyes.. ¡°Bullshit. Hey! Someone lend me their sword! Once more and I¡¯ll¡­¡­¡± Marco wasn¡¯t easily convinced. Beltre sighed. Did Marco truly not understand the meaning of being able to strike a sword at the same spot with a mere dagger. On par, no, if this person had half the physical strength of Marco, he would¡¯ve already had Marco¡¯s head in his hand. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°Please give me a chance to redee¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I ordered you to calm down.¡± The green flag slightly shook. Marco¡¯s green snake like eyes suddenly turned back into a normal human¡¯s eyes. Marco realised what had happened to his body. ¡°Thi, this is¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I¡¯ve judged that you¡¯re no longer useful anymore Marco. By the authority given to me, I now relieve you of your ¡®snake¡¯. You will need to earn it back if you want to retrieve it.¡± ¡°Brother Beltre nim!¡± Marco cried out in despair but Beltre turned a blind eye. Beltre¡¯s eyes fixed themselves back onto Juan. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anything like this. Who are you really. Am I really dealing with a demon or something?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe even if I told you.¡± Beltre stood his spear of wrath straight upon noticing how his knights were a moment from charging in. Juan wore a sneer on his face as he continued the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m curious to what sort of guesses you have in your head. One of the 4 knight orders from the days of the emperor? A hidden emperor¡¯s child? Or one of the apostates turned young after making a deal with the devil? Imagining one of these?¡± A few Paladins made an agitated look upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. It appeared as if some were actually imagining this. Juan flashed a grin as he looked up at Beltre. ¡°Or better yet, are you aware? Of a certain rumour? That I could be the emperor himself?¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Beltre lifted his green flag as if he was going to slam it down. As Juan was about to jump towards Beltre, inside his visor, a set of pupils turned green and ripped vertically. An aura far more menacing than Marco was emitting from Beltre. But then, an air cutting sound whizzed between Beltre and Juan. Beltre quickly swung his flag pole and hit the arrow away. The iron flagpole was still vibrating from the shock left from stopping the arrow. Green pupils flashed and turned around. Swallen already had her second arrow aimed at him. ¡°You dare!¡± ¡°Step away. Mr Paladin knight.¡± Beltre who saw Swallen¡¯s smiling eyes felt as if he¡¯d already been pierced between his eyes by her arrow. The Paladins made their way and surrounded Swallen. Swallen didn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°Don¡¯t put your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, mercenary! You should know what it means to aim your weapon at a Paladin!¡± For more, But to find the concentration to aim a bow, focus and shoot¡­.. The Paladins were shaking their heads, but the arrow had already left. And before Beltre could notice, the arrow landed inside the gap on his visor. Beltre toppled onto his back. ¡°I shot so that your armor wouldn¡¯t break so don¡¯t get too mad!¡± Swallen waved her hands as she gradually disappeared. The Paladins were unsure whether to follow them or look after Beltre. It was the first time the commander and the vice commander both fell in battle. Then, Beltre wiggled up. ¡°Don¡¯t need to give chase.¡± ¡°Brother Beltre nim! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not a big wound.¡± Beltre ripped out the arrow from his eye. His eyeball was destroyed but the arrow wasn¡¯t pierced deep due it hitting his visor before on the way through. With a bit of healing ¡®grace¡¯, he would fully recover before long. Beltre didn¡¯t care about his eye being destroyed. What angered him was that he¡¯d let the traitor get away due to him showing mercy. He snapped the arrow shaft that he held in his hand. ¡°One of the ¡®snakes¡¯ is on them. It¡¯s only a matter of time before we catch them.¡± ***** ¡°Seems like they¡¯re not pursuing.¡± Juan looked back but there wasn¡¯t a dust cloud in his view. If they¡¯d ignored their leader and simply chased, it may have been tricky to get away. A horse putting up with two people wasn¡¯t going to be the quickest and Juan would have had his hands full to protect Swallen. But for some reason, there was no pursuit. The wind was chilly for the sun had already set. Night inside the red wasteland was cold and cruel. Juan prepared the encampment for the night. While he didn¡¯t need to rest, Swallen and their horse were fatigued from spending the whole day riding. Juan looked at Swallen who had her head on his back and arms tightly around his waist and mumbled. ¡°Carriage is ruined.¡± ¡°I know the way so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Swollen answered in a worn out tone. ¡°Okay then. Get ready to rest.¡± As if she was used to spending the night in the red wasteland, Swollen didn¡¯t take long to get ready. Concerned for the potential chase, they decided against the warmth of a fire. Swallen tucked herself into a small ditch they¡¯d dug. Juan sat on the side and looked down at her. ¡°Back then, why did you not hand me over to them?¡± CH 85 Chapter 85 Ten thousand leaves(5) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae ¡°It¡¯s too early in the night to be sleep-talking, 10,000 leaves?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Back then, you could have handed me over and received the 10,000 leaves that you¡¯ve been prattling about over and over. So why take the dangerous path instead?¡± ¡°Well, I can see here Mr 10,000 leaf don¡¯t believe in good faith and professionalism huh. Are you saying that you¡¯re suspicious of me because I didn¡¯t hand you over and decided to protect you instead?¡± ¡°I like my back the way it is. You can never be too cautious.¡± Swallen tried to smile but her lips didn¡¯t go up. She realised that the force coming out from Juan was making her feel timid. For the young black haired teen who was looking at her while sitting relaxedly on the side of the ditch, it wouldn¡¯t take much effort to kill her. While she didn¡¯t feel any murderous intent, the sudden weight of the air around her made it hard to breath causing her to wipe away some sweat. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not going to let this go are you.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, I won¡¯t kill you at the very least. I still need you to guide me to Drugal.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll admit it then. I had been intending to take you to Drugal before I met you.¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯d have to face off against Paladins?¡± ¡°For quite some time, the eastern people have been disregarded by the capital. Are you aware that there aren¡¯t any bishops, or Paladins in the east? The Abhorrent knights are an exception. They¡¯re only here because of the wanted arrest of a 10,000 leaf bounty individual. The moment Mr 10,000 leaf is caught, they¡¯ll be out of here.¡± ¡°Okay, so I understand that Paladins aren¡¯t your concern. But if gold wasn¡¯t what you¡¯re looking for, why are you taking me to Drugal?¡± Swallen made a ¡®found out because of those bloody Paladins¡¯, expression on her face. In all honesty, it didn¡¯t really matter whether Swallen gave him an answer or not. He needed a guide right now. Whether Swallen would betray him or not, for now all Juan wanted was for her to get him to Drugal. To lop off her head or not would be a decision to make later. However, Juan was admittedly a bit curious as to how Swallen would answer. Right now, people wanting to help and willing to turn against the empire from him were a rarity. ¡°Hmm.¡± After a slight pause, Swallen opened her lips. ¡°In truth, it might be for the same reason as Mr 10,000 leaf.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as I said. Didn¡¯t you say that you were looking to kill someone at Drugal? Me too. But the thing is¡­¡­ I simply couldn¡¯t see a way to make this possible by myself. But then, I heard of the rumours about you. That a person at Hiveden is causing a real headache for the higher ups. Then I found out that you were looking for Drugal, so I figured not to miss the opportunity.¡± ¡°Who are you trying to kill?¡± ¡°Heeey come on, I didn¡¯t ask any private matters so Mr 10,000 leaf should consider doing the same.¡± Juan looked at Swallen with a bemused look but understood where she was coming from. Did it matter what she said? The excuses could go on without end but Beltre surmised it in one word. Carelessness. Maybe it was only natural that they were careless because a whole knight order had been mobilized for the task. If they wanted to, a knight order had the capability to besiege a city. But now that his identity had been blown, he needed to approach with far more cautious and secrecy. He¡¯d already paid an eye for his lack of carelessness. ¡°Brother Beltre nim.¡± Someone from behind begun to conversate. A female with long silver hair, which looked like a mirage as her semi transparent hair moved limply in the air. Her green pupils were cut vertically. ¡°Sister Nora.¡± There hadn¡¯t been an official sighting of Gared Ga-in since his aassasination on the emperor. The fact he hadn¡¯t been confirmed dead meant Gared Ga-in was the highest ranked on the empire¡¯s list of enemies. If he was captured then executed, there would be no greater honor as the church would be praised for carrying out justice. Beltre¡¯s chest swelled up upon thinking about the possibility of catching a fish bigger than he could have imagined. But immediately shook his head. He needed to focus on his target. The black hair was his target given to him by the Pope. Take too large of a step, and his leg would be ripped apart. ¡°Keep watch on the black hair for now. There¡¯ll be more and more insects taking notice of him sooner than later. Also, find out what you can about that female wielding the bow. Her skill with the bow is beyond what an average mercenary is capable of doing.¡± ***** Sina Solbein looked devastated as he stared at her horse dying in front of her. Losing a horse in the middle of a wasteland was basically a death sentence. But, lucky or not, the black being which was munching on her horse seemed to have no interest in her. Everytime the black beast opened its mouth, a part of her horse disappeared. She estimated that her horse would be gobbled up in about 10 mouthfuls. The thought of her being next did pop into her mind, as her eyes wouldn¡¯t look anywhere else but the beast. ¡°Apologies.¡± She turned around upon hearing a voice from behind. A man who looked to be about thirty was looking down at her. Wearing the empire¡¯s military uniform, he held a lengthy spear on his shoulder. Sina blankly stared at him before turning her head back at the black beast. ¡°That¡­¡­..is that what I think it is?¡± ¡°Dragon.¡± Black scales and a white horn stretch like a mane, ability to devour a horse in several mouthfuls and its giant mass. It had the same characteristics as a dragon from the stories that she¡¯d heard many times. As a knight, Sina of course had an interest towards stories about dragons. But believed to be extinct, what would one think upon seeing one land from the skies before chewing up their horse. ¡®In all honesty, it doesn¡¯t concern me.¡¯ She was sad that her horse had died but she¡¯d never considered the thought of seeing a dragon that was alive. On closer inspection, on its back were a saddle and equipment designed to keep it under control. ¡°I heard that they¡¯d gone extinct after the Lindworm knight order disbanded¡­¡­.¡± ¡°One survived.¡± The man gave a short answer but upon realising his words needed a further explanation, he added on. ¡°Occasionally, I¡¯d let him wander if I see no one over the wasteland. I didn¡¯t expect anyone to be so nearby. I¡¯ll of course compensate you for your horse. Double in fact. And if your alright with it, I¡¯ll take you to the nearest village.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t mind¡­¡­..but uh, are you perhaps a member of the imperial army?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The male stretched out his hand at Sina. ¡°Horschel Helmer, 4th division Centurion. Currently carrying out Earl Henna¡¯s orders. Am I speaking to a knight?¡± CH 86 Chapter 86 Drugal(1) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae On the final skirts of the red wasteland, mountains coloured in the same colour came into their view. Juan had kept an eye out on the pursuers but for the most part they didn¡¯t make any moves. In fact, two decided to drift further back, so far that their presence could no longer be sensed. Only three were now giving chase. In an attempt to lose them, Juan increased the pace of their march but it seemed like they were highly skilled in tracking as he could still sense that they were following. Instead of their pursuers, it was Swallen that was dying from Juan¡¯s hectic pace. All of their belongings were left in the carriage which meant for the past two days, Swallen had not properly slept or eaten as all sources of water and food in the red wasteland were contaminated. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Finally. Something to look up to.¡± Swallen mumbled as she looked towards the red mountains. She weakly lifted her fingers and pointed to a spot between the mountains that looked like a path into a valley. At the valley entrance, a few tents and people could be seen. ¡°Go that way, 10,000 leaves. They¡¯re people trying to pass through the Manas mountains.¡± ¡°Is it a village?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a village. More like a spot for mercenaries from different areas to gather. Drugal¡¯s Lord works hard to invite many mercenaries over. And you¡¯d be out of your mind to go to Drugal on your own.¡± Juan recalled any past information he had about the Manas ranges. He remembered how he¡¯d killed a god by ripping him apart, somewhere in that area. Back then, a long time had passed since he¡¯d obtained his power and the incident passed by without much of an impression on him. He didn¡¯t recall that this mountain had been particularly dangerous. ¡°Is it really that dangerous?¡± ¡°Maybe not for Mr 10,000 leaves¡­¡­.. It¡¯s said that you won¡¯t get attacked as long as you move in a group.¡± Upon reaching the tents, Juan saw merchants selling water, bandages, arrows and other equipment necessary for mercenaries. Immediately after arriving, Swallen began gulping water down her throat. Before the merchant could complain she threw some coins out from her pocket. The merchant did not seem interested in handing back her change, even though she¡¯d given him silver. ¡°Has a group already left? I expected more.¡± Her words were correct in that there were only two mercenaries in the area. The two were complaining about the ridiculously high prices as they looked to stock up on items that they were going to need. Silver badges were worn on their shoulders. ¡°There aren¡¯t many goods at Drugal?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s provided for free by their Lord. But still, the road getting there is more dangerous than you think.¡± Once they gave up on haggling the merchant, the mercenaries approached Juan and Swallen. It was a bald man with an axe over his back and another man holding a spear covered in scars. Of the two, the scarred man opened his mouth. ¡°You two, are you also heading for Drugal? Where¡¯s the rest of your party?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just us two. Are you the same?¡± ¡°We initially left as a five on a shared carriage but three decided to turn back. A mercenary came out of the red forest covered in wounds. It was gruesome. Almost enough to convince myself to leave too. All the other mercenaries also fled after seeing that. Our two companions left with them. If you join us, we can leave as a five.¡± The scarred man gestured towards his empty carriage with his chin. A coachman gave a brief wave. ¡°It looks¡­¡­like you ran into some circumstances too. You guys look miserable.¡± Swallen opened her lips at the mercenary¡¯s words. ¡°The others went back after we ran into an accident. The carriage was destroyed.¡± Swallen casually lied in a nonchalant tone. The mercenary looked as if he was persuaded. ¡°My name¡¯s Jeden. Jeden Jorua. This is Orell. Are you okay if we accompany you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Swallen. And over here¡­¡­is 10,000 leaves.¡± ¡°10,000 leaves?¡± Jeden made a puzzled look then started laughing upon seeing Swallen grin. ¡°Ah, the bounty that the church put out for a black haired boy huh. I can already imagine how difficult it would have been for you after coming here. It¡¯s got everyone¡¯s attention over in the east. Too many boneheaded mercenaries is all I¡¯m going to say about that. Anyways, you look quite young. Can you handle a sword alright?¡± ¡°Well enough to get by.¡± Juan answered with his arms crossed. Jeden eyes narrowed before flashing a grin. ¡°Misconceived as a criminal after coming here at a young age. Nervous times for people like you. I understand your stance. Are you fine if we accompany you?¡± Swallen appeared to have approved Jeden, who looked like a vertern mercenary with plenty of experience. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a day on a carriage. So¡­.?¡± Juan signalled with his chin, saying whatever. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go then.¡± ***** The road inside the valley of the red mountains was well defined as if had been used by many people throughout the years. After leaving the valley, a thriving disordered looking forest appeared in autumn colours. Normally, it was a colour that signalled warmth but combined with the forest¡¯s gloomy and damp atmosphere, it felt somehow dismal. ¡°Drugal is located at the basin inside the Manas ranges. Surrounded by mountains, the red forest is always filled with humidity. If only half of this humidity could be released to the red wasteland, the land would turn fertile.¡± A talkative type, Jeden went on and on, explaining things that weren¡¯t even asked. Acting as if hearing it for the first time, Swallen agreed enthusiastically before asking questions. It looked as if mercenaries were the type to put importance on creating close bonds. Juan found no interest in such talks. His attention was solely on the energy surrounding the entire forest. ¡®Strange.¡¯ Feeling a sense of sacredness. The forest was filled with a strange energy. Power of gods were divided into two categories. Divinity and impurity. Divinity didn¡¯t necessarily mean good and impurity didn¡¯t also mean it was evil. Only that it was two conflicting sources. Then from the two, it was further divided into different sources. As an emperor, Juan¡¯s power was in the realm of divinity. To be more exact the source of his power was fire, but now that he¡¯d absorbed other sources of power, it was difficult to determine it as one particular source. Just like what he was feeling from this forest. ¡®Its similar to the state of my mana.¡¯ Somewhere inside this forest, a source of divine power existed, but a formidable source of impure power also existed. Each constantly dispersing their mana into the forest. ¡®Hard to describe this simply as mana¡­¡­¡­..but more like the stench of a rotting corpse.¡¯ As a corpse decomposes, maggots would form and all kinds of matter would ooze out. Although a terrible impuric scene, at the same time, it was a process that brought about new life. Likewise, Taltere and Nigrato¡¯s properties didn¡¯t match. The arrangement of mana was entirely disorganised. Inside the forest, mana was flowing in an entangled form. He couldn¡¯t begin to imagine what kind of circumstances lifeforms in this forest would have had to endure. Juan glimpsed at Swallen. He was starting to get curious about her past. Meanwhile, Swallen was still busy talking with Jeden. ¡°Hey, 10,000 leaf young man. No need to get scared. There won¡¯t be anyone approaching the carriage. At worst, bandits may try to cut down trees to stop us but usually they aren¡¯t that willing.¡± Seeing Juan go into a deep silence, Jeden tried being talkative thinking Juan had become nervous. ¡°What¡¯s exactly inside that forest that makes everyone be on guard?¡± Jeden¡¯s face turned stern at hearing Juan¡¯s question. A smiling Swallen shrugged when Jeden¡¯s gaze drifted towards her. ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to explain? It is the first time I¡¯m asking anything.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­I guess there¡¯s no harm in knowing. There are no wild beasts, nor monsters inside that forest.¡± Then, Jeden lowered himself to Juan¡¯s height and whispered. ¡°But instead there are mercenaries.¡± ¡°Mercenaries?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mercenaries that have fled from Drugal after going crazy. Those who¡¯ve completely lost their minds and wander inside the forest unable to leave. Usually, those who go in by themselves or move slowly are caught and eaten.¡± Swallen¡¯s hair flew about from a cool breeze blowing into the carriage. Her carved ears showed themselves for everyone to see. His eyes suddenly met with Swallen¡¯s but she was still smiling. Then, Orell cleared his throat. ¡°Seems like our companion¡¯s feeling a bit cold.¡± Jeden laughed before closing the window. ¡°Drugal¡¯s lord puts up a reward for catching those mercenaries that have fled after losing their minds. You never know what those crazy bastards might do. All their life they¡¯ve only learnt to kill and with a weapon in their hand, they¡¯re dangerous no doubt about it. Especially Jull. The most wicked one out of them all.¡± ¡°Jull?¡± Swallen repeated the name with a grimace on her face. ¡°That bastard¡¯s still alive? I first heard that name around 6 years ago.¡± ¡°Ah, sounds like you¡¯re familiar with everything . You¡¯re right. Paladin knight Jull. In search of a heretic he came looking for Drugal, but then fled into the forest after going crazy. I heard he went in naked after taking all of his equipment off. And although he doesn¡¯t have his equipment, he still has the power of the ¡®grace¡¯ which allows him to overpower most mercenaries. It¡¯s been said he still roams inside the forest and eats mercenaries that unfortunately come into his path.¡± ¡°And why are the Paladins ignoring all this?¡± ¡°They retrieved their equipment so I guess it¡¯s not of their concern. The church has for a long time ignored the east willingly. Anyways, it¡¯s good to capture a few of them if possible, but the reward for the danger is less than the dungeon Drugal¡¯s lord asks to explore so there aren¡¯t many who greed in the forest.¡± Juan¡¯s ear perked at hearing a word that caught his attention. ¡°Dungeon?¡± ¡°What? You came here not even knowing that? What exactly did you come here for then¡­¡­ To answer your question, yes. There¡¯s an enormous dungeon below Drugal lord¡¯s mansion. There are even stories that it was made by an ancient heathen¡­¡­ Anyways, it¡¯s been said there¡¯s endless treasure inside and it¡¯s used to pay for the mercenaries that are employed.¡± ¡°Why would they go that far to search the dungeon?¡± ¡°Well, the dungeon spits out endless treasure, so you can imagine what sort of final prize may await at the very end. Of course there are those who die and go crazy but still, for a mercenary it¡¯s a way to earn income. Treasure found here tends to be valued more higher than elsewhere so there¡¯s that too. And one other thing.¡± Jeden came closer as if he was about to tell Juan a priceless secret. ¡°It¡¯s been said that Gared Ga-in¡¯s relic is inside there. A relic belonging to the emperor¡¯s eldest? It will surely be a treasure beyond measure and many say that¡¯s what Drugal¡¯s lord is looking for.¡± Juan wasn¡¯t Gared. He didn¡¯t have interest in items that Gared once possessed. Rather, Juan was monitoring Orell who was sitting next to Jeden. Strangely, Orell¡¯s expression had been showing discomfort since moments ago. It didn¡¯t seem as if he was simply a quiet type. He was overly sweating and squeezing his palm every few seconds. ¡°Is your friend alright? He doesn¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably nervous after seeing the wounded man come out of the red forest. Hey, you¡¯re fine right?¡± Jeden smiled as he patted Orell by his shoulder. Orell forced a smile as he nodded his head. ¡°More importantly, I wanted to ask why Mr 10,000 leaf was looking to head to Drugal. It didn¡¯t sound like you knew about the treasure¡­¡­ Do you know someone at Drugal maybe?¡± ¡°About that treasure.¡± Juan ignored Jeden¡¯s question and opened his mouth. Then, he took something out from inside his pocket. Upon dropping what was inside his hand, a broken purple gem showed itself. The pieces of indeterminate polyhydron. ¡°You referring to this?¡± Jeden¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Thi, this is! Where did you get¡­.?¡± ¡°Thats none of your concern.¡± The moment Juan recollected it back into his pocket, he felt a thinnest murderous intent directed at him. Simultaneously, as he turned his body, a spear pierced through Jeden¡¯s stomach. CH 87 Chapter 87 Drugal(2) Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae The spear had been accurately aimed at Juan¡¯s chest, but Juan had managed to cut the spear in half with a swing of his dagger. With wide eyes, Jeden looked at the spear that was protruding out from his chest while making no sound. ¡°What the fu¡­.¡± Jeden¡¯s hand dawdled in the air, attempting to grasp at the spear. Jeden turned his head to look at the front of the carriage. Nobody was there. ¡°Don¡¯t let him pull out the spear!¡± As Swallen began shouting, the spear disappeared as it was pulled out from the back. From the hole left in his chest, blood sprayed out like a fountain, drenching everything inside the carriage The carriage shook. Frightened, the horses began to gallop forward taking the carriage with them. Juan shouted. ¡°Get out!¡± The two horses diverted left and right leaving the carriage to collide straight into a tree. A loud sound of wreckage echoed in the forest. The carriage was broken into pieces. Jeden¡¯s corpse slammed into the tree before crumbling onto the ground. Juan meanwhile, barely managed to get out in time. He prepared his body for the next attack but there were no more enemies left. Beside the destroyed carriage, Orell squirmed on the ground while coughing out blood. Seeing Juan draw out his dagger and approach, he pointed at Jeden¡¯s corpse and let out a whimper. ¡°That¡­¡­bastard¡­..and the horseman¡­¡­¡­killed¡­¡­..my friends¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying they were in disguise right?¡± Juan knew from the state of his wound that there was no hope left for him. He cut Orell¡¯s neck in a swift motion to end his misery. After confirming Orell¡¯s silence, he checked his surroundings. The coachman was nowhere to be seen. Swallen was on top of the tree that the carriage crashed into. Like an elf, she¡¯d nimbly got out of harm¡¯s way, but her face was pale. ¡°When did you notice that they were evil?¡± ¡°Before we¡¯d even arrived here. One of the presences I¡¯ve been keeping track moved fast ahead of us. He likely killed all of the baldy¡¯s companions and was waiting for us to arrive.¡± ¡°Leaving two left to¡­¡­.. You¡¯re right. It would seem natural to wait if there was a shortage in numbers. But if you already knew, why get on the carriage?¡± ¡°I was going to kill one, and leave the other for information, but he disappeared unnoticeably. Next time, I won¡¯t be showing any mercy. Anyways, back then why did you tell me not to pull out the spear?¡± Swallen was still up on the tree, looking down at Juan. She spoke. ¡°Because, the bastards in the forest are sensitive to the smell of blood.¡± Juan turned his head. From all around him, he heard the sound of movement. The first thing he felt was a sense of oddness. While he could hear the sounds of beings closing in from the forest, he could not sense their presence. It was because the energy inside them was similar to the mana that flowed through the forest. But not to the extent that it was exactly the same. Narrowing down his focus, Juan could sense the minor differences. Krrrrrrr¡­¡­. Making an inhumane sound, a group of mercenaries showed themselves. Impoverished with shaggy beards, the whole lot gave off a dirty impression. Juan saw purple light coming from their deeply darkened eyes. ¡°It looks as if that coachman was intending to leave us to them from the start.¡± The coachman¡¯s presence was hard to find, due to the arrival of the mercenaries. They numbered well over 50, and all seemed to be silver ranked, with one or so gold. Comparing them to a soldier, they were somewhere between an expertly trained soldier and a centurion. One decided to run at Juan while swinging his giant axe. Juan slipped back before kicking a stone at his opponent¡¯s face. The mercenary just moved out of the way from getting struck. Juan was left amused by this. ¡®Hmm¡­.they¡¯re different from an undead.¡¯ While their minds were lost and their sense of violence heighted, their survival instinct and training were still there. If he¡¯d treat them the same as an undead, he was going to get embarrassed. ¡°The more I cut down, the scent of blood will attract more of them here, 10,000 leaves. Let just leave before we are greeted by beings beyond what I¡¯d call human.¡± Swallen readied an arrow on her bow but it didn¡¯t look as if she was going to let it loose anytime soon. Acting more cautiously, as more zombies would flock if further blood was split. But Juan didn¡¯t move from the spot. ¡°What are you doing? Get ready to flee¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Go ahead without me. I need to catch that coachman.¡± The moment Juan stopped talking, he flew off. Where Juan whizzed past, two mercenaries¡¯ necks were left gushing out blood. Swallen¡¯s face turned white after seeing blood scatter everywhere. ¡°What¡­.what have you done¡­¡­..!¡± Aroused from the blood, the zombie mercenaries closed in with excitement. Dozens of weapons were swung directly at Juan but none managed to hit the mark. In fact, swings were landing on each other and a couple were falling to the ground from it. The blood spilling increased which made them aroused even more. ¡°OOOOooohhhh!¡± The mercenaries let out an eerie shriek as they swung their weapons more violently. All pandemonium broke loose. Swallen couldn¡¯t help but stiffen up in the face of the amount of blood that was being split on the ground. Juan was expertly evading all attacks but the amount of mercenaries were increasing by the minute. It was hard to believe the amount of mercenaries that were appearing from the forest. ¡®This¡­¡­ this is beyond what I expected. Even taking into account that it¡¯s near the main road¡­¡­.¡¯ Only then Swallen realised something. That the coachman had planned this ahead. After killing Orell and his friends, he had spilled blood nearby. Using the mercenaries from the red forest, he was planning to kill Juan. ¡°10,000 leaves! It¡¯s a trap!¡± It was already too late. Swallen fired an arrow from her bow at a mercenary that was running at Juan from behind. Juan grinned as he replied. ¡°I know.¡± Then, from amongst the mercenaries, someone that was hiding in the shadows revealed himself and suddenly pierced Juan in the back. It happened all so fast that there was no time to evade. ¡°Finally showing yourself.¡± The assassin noticed something late. That Juan was looking back at him with a grin. The assassin realised Juan¡¯s cape hadn¡¯t been pierced but instead swallowed his dagger like liquid before enveloping itself over the blade. Startled, the assassin tried to let go of his dagger, but the cape, no the darkness had already swallowed up to his hand. ¡°I had been waiting.¡± The assassin¡¯s arm was severed from his body as something moved swiftly across him. His arm disappeared into the darkness of Juan¡¯s black cape. The assassin attempted to flee away but Juan quickly kicked at his legs. Having lost his arm, the assassin lost balance and fell like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Same patterns of attack. Sneaking up in surprise or attacking from behind. You¡¯re not worthy enough for me to even use my knife. Death by Nigrato¡¯s shadow is more fitting for someone like you.¡± The mercenary rushed at Juan. ¡°I no longer have any need of you.¡± As Juan flapped his cape wide, the darkness instantly spreaded over the surroundings. It was a new skill he¡¯d gotten from the fusion of Nigrato¡¯s essence and Grunvalde¡¯s cape. At suddenly being enveloped in darkness, the mercenaries flinched and stopped moving. Juan nodded at seeing this response. As he¡¯d expected. ¡®Their alive so they react to a change of senses.¡¯ If they were undeads, darkness would have not mattered. However, these beings were alive so they were dependent on the ability to see and hear. A few attempted to lit flame torches but this made them sitting ducks for Swallen. ¡°Take them out.¡± Juan said as he looked up at Swallen. Though she grumbled in response, her bow was already grabbed from her back. ***** After a minute, Juan recollected the darkness. Only thing left on the ground was corpses. After cleaning up around him, Juan approached the man that had tried to assassinate him. Just as he thought, it was the coachman that had driven the carriage for him and Swallen. His arms cut, the coachman¡¯s face was pale from losing too much blood. Juan placed his hand over his wound. The area sizzled and the smell of burning flesh rose as the coachman¡¯s body recoiled. ¡°So, what are you? And where are you from?¡± Juan began his questing after burning his arms to stop the bleeding. The coachman only could only flinch from the pain that beheld on him. Juan seized his chin and lifted it up. ¡°I do not torture people. If you aren¡¯t going to speak, I will end your life. My curiosity isn¡¯t strong enough for me to show you any mercy.¡± The coachman turned to look up at Juan then smirked. Then at Juan, he opened his mouth as if he was mocking him. There was nothing. His tongue had already been cut. He made sure he wouldn¡¯t reveal anything. ¡°Thanks for your answer.¡± Juan replied curtly and squeezed his hand hard. With a breaking sound, his neck was crushed. Juan flung the lifeless corpse aside. Swallen, who had been looking on, spoke up. ¡°Look underneath his chin.¡± Juan lifted his chin. There lied a narrow scar. ¡°Looks like a member of the assassin faction.¡± ¡°Assassin faction?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no formal name. They¡¯re just called that. The biggest group in the empire, known for their services through contracts. I¡¯ve heard members change their appearance by inserting a particular medicine into that scar on their chin. They don¡¯t usually get involved in those with a bounty but I guess 10,000 is too much to turn down. You don¡¯t get bounties with rewards that big.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll be seeing more of these kinds then I guess¡­¡­¡± ¡°10,000 leaves is a large sum. Anyways you¡¯ll need to be wary. The Assassin faction doesn¡¯t stop doing everything in their power to kill those with names on their list. Congratulations, you now know who 1 of the 5, that are chasing you.¡± Though he found out unexpectedly, he had now one less to find out about. It was hard to locate presences from inside the forest because of its complex mana flow. Plus, if they were willing to sacrifice their own companions to use as bait, then they weren¡¯t going to be easy getting rid of. ¡®But at least I can¡¯t be killed instantly from a surprise attack.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t been watching the coachman from the start, he may have had to begin fighting with a scar. Additionally, he had to be wary of Paladins as well. Juan¡¯s head was in conflict. He was more than happy to take on those who were challenging him head on but he found it annoying that they were dragging him down. ¡®I need a chance to get rid of them at once.¡¯ Juan stood up and looked up at the tree that Swallen was at. ¡°What, you not going? I thought we¡¯d get there in the evening even if we start our walk now.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. Lets go.¡± Juan felt a slight change in the tone of her voice. A bit of timidness told him that she¡¯d felt a newfound something from watching him take out the mercenaries all at once. ¡°So you still think you can take my head after getting to Drugal?¡± She was unsure whether he was asking if she had anything she was hiding from him at Drugal. Swallen forced a laugh. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t feel too confident. It seems like a losing battle.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s heads you want, there¡¯s plenty here.¡± Juan lightly kicked the nearby head of a mercenary rolling on the ground. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Drugal¡¯s lord buys corpses of mercenaries found in the forest?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t give out much. It¡¯s just a side mission. Clearing out more mercenaries in the woods does make it safer for other mercenaries to arrive in Drugal. But if you¡¯re looking for a proper reward for your troubles, then¡­¡­¡­.¡± Thump. Juan heard the sound of a branch snapping and mass leaves fall from its trees. Swallen blankly lifted her head. Something appeared in their sights that was tall enough to look at Swallen from the same height. A giant naked man with eyes in purple light. In his mouth was the bottom half of a mercenary that looked to have been long dead. ¡°Then¡­¡­..you¡¯d need to catch someone like Jull, at least.¡± Swallen¡¯s words finished its sentence lifelessly. Rather than look down at the two, Jull dropped the mercenary body from its mouth. His chest swelled up. A sound of a deafening roar shook the entire forest. CH 88 ¡®The red swamp¡¯ was the old name that used to refer to the land around the territory of Durgal, while the name before that was unknown. When the emperor had torn down an unknown god at the top of the Manas Mountains, the dead body of the god rolled down the basin. The blood that seeped out of the god¡¯s body colored the entire area red. The altars and buildings that used to enshrine the god were submerged under the blood, and all the followers of the god were forced to turn their backs on their hometown. Over time, the god¡¯s blood had permeated the ground. The trees that soaked this blood to grow up grew out red leaves, and the land had been nicknamed the ¡®red forest¡¯ instead of ¡®red swamp,¡¯ and came to be called Durgal ever since. Mark Moore, the Lord of the territory of Durgal, was secretly proud of the fact that his territory had such a creepy history. The nasty and rotten smell caused by the red forest¡¯s bloody leaves and humidity, as well as the red fungus that grew tangled in every corner of the territory were all marks of the achievement left behind by His Majesty. Mark liked the fact that he lived in this famous mythical land. But on the other hand, he was depressed that there were no heroes, great knights, or historical monsters living in the same era as him. There were only crooks, lunatics, and armed rascals. ¡°It seems like none of the mercenaries that came this time are useful either,¡± Mark muttered as he looked down at the mercenaries from the second floor of the pub. The violent and smelly mercenaries that were on the first floor were either criminals or crooks. Mark had been employing mercenaries at high rates for a long time, but the number of mercenaries coming to Durgal had gradually decreased as the vicious rumors about the mercenaries that went insane or were killed started spreading. The mercenaries that still visited the territory of Durgal were either on the edge of life or on the run. ¡°How many mercenaries are gold grades this time?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Only two, my lord. The other seven of the new arrivals are all silver grades, and there are a few that are either bronze grade or have no grade at all,¡± the butler replied as he rummaged through the list of the mercenaries. The bronze grades were those who had less than a year of experience as a mercenary, and those without grades were people that came to Durgal recklessly without even being registered as a mercenary. None of them were worth using as a force. Mark clicked his tongue. Ten years ago, not only gold, even platinum grade mercenaries used to come. Of course, that was a long time ago and even the excavation work now was very difficult. ¡°It¡¯s already been two years since we found the deep area, but we still haven¡¯t been able to search through it properly and we¡¯ve been putting off the work. Are there really no gold grade mercenaries that are willing to come to Durgal?¡± ¡°Rampage, the centurion of the fourth division, and a few of his men were dishonorably discharged a few months ago. So I have been trying to find out what they are up to¡­¡± ¡°A centurion? That¡¯s a reliable position. Were you able to get a hold of them?¡± ¡°Apparently no one has heard from them ever since they went down to the south. There¡¯s a rumor saying that he died after being caught up in a disturbance at a certain colosseum, and there¡¯s another rumor saying that he was accused of heresy and burned at the stake. I¡¯m not exactly sure what they are up to.¡± ¡°There is not a single man who would be a good help¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ it''s like there are no heroic figures in this era.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we send those without a grade and bronze grades to the middle area and get them to search the area again, my lord.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Ah¡­ how lamentable it is to see only rascals roaming around the land where His Majesty once heroically slayed a god¡­¡± ¡°It truly is, my lord. Shouldn¡¯t we at least make those useless mercenaries pay for the meals we feed them? I¡¯ll send the wrecked ones out the back door as usual.¡± Usually, the Lord said whatever he wanted while the butler took care of the territory without paying proper attention to what he said. Despite the excavation of numerous treasures and relics in the dungeon, the territory of the Durgal remained poor. This was entirely because the lord of Durgal, Mark, spared no money and poured all his fortune into the excavation process of the dungeon. However, the ominous rumors about the mercenaries going insane or being killed had spread as the years passed, which made it difficult to hire mercenaries to search the dungeon. Mark had to change his strategies¡ªwhether the mercenaries were powerful enough to survive or not, send all of them into the dungeon anyway. The weak ones would naturally be eliminated, while the survivors would grow in their own ways and become stronger. Quite a few of the remaining mercenaries had improved their skills that way. But, their mental state had become quite precarious as a result. The ominous rumors had only worsened as a result, but the rapid destruction of the entire system was prevented thanks to the mercenaries who visited the territory of Durgal for money. The sun began to set, and there were only a few carriages running through the forest after sunset. Mark decided to go back without waiting any longer for more mercenaries to arrive. Mark let out a long sigh. He had heard that his father was a knight who had fought alongside His Majesty on the battlefield. Compared to the previous generations of his family, Mark felt infinitely small. His father¡¯s armor that had been handed down to him did not fit his body, and the weapon his father left behind was too heavy for him to lift. ¡®Is growing old as a noble in the rural area really the suitable ending for me?¡¯ Mark was suffering from a mid-life crisis. ¡°Ugh¨C Ahhhhhhhh!¡± At that moment, a sudden scream broke out from the entrance to the village which made Mark frown. There were quite a few incidents where a lunatic wandering around the forest crawled into the village, as mercenaries frequently gathered in the area. Before Mark could give any commands, the mercenaries had already gathered to find out about the source of the scream. ¡°Should I go and find out what¡¯s going on, my lord?¡± asked the butler. However, Mark shook his head and headed to the entrance of the village himself. There was no fighting nor screams anymore¡ªthere was only a murmur of admiration and fear. Mark approached the crowd while feeling curious. ¡°Oh my goodness, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s Jules, right?¡± ¡°He matches the description given by the guy who returned last time with his lower body completely destroyed. I mean, who else could be Jules other than someone that looks like that guy over there?¡± ¡®Jules?¡¯ Mark heard a familiar name. It was the name of a Templar¡ªthe Templar with whom he curried favor and gave a lot of gifts as bribes, even saying that ¡®his achievements are on the same level as His Majesty,¡¯ all to bring him to Durgal. Although he was helpful in the beginning, he ended up being a pain in the ass. ¡®He has come back?¡¯ Soon, Mark¡¯s eyes widened when he saw those who had entered the village. A black-haired young man and a woman who looked utterly tired and covered in blood were walking into the village. The head of a man with messy hair was being dragged by the black-haired young man, while the muddy ground was turning red with blood. Mark was the only person who knew what Jules looked like among everyone here, and so Mark was certain that the head belonged to Jules. Jules¡¯ head rolled toward Mark when the black-haired young man threw it, mildly irritated. ¡°Where the hell is the guy who¡¯s supposed to pay me for this head?¡± the black-haired man asked. The mercenaries who had been eyeing each other with perplexed looks all turned their gaze toward one direction. Meanwhile, Mark couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of the black-haired young man. ¡®His Majesty is finally helping me.¡¯ *** ¡°It¡¯s very impressive that you managed to catch Jules. The number of people he has killed should at least be in triple digits. I owe you a great deal.¡± Juan and Swallan were currently in the mansion of the Lord of Durgal as he had invited them. The mansion built on the hill overlooking the village had an appearance akin to a small castle. However, it was hard to tell which era the construction belonged to; it looked like the original building had been expanded and altered. In particular, the black stone pavement filled with red mosses gave an extremely unpleasant impression. ¡°How much is the reward for Jules¡¯ head? As far as I remember, it is pretty big,¡± Swallan asked. ¡°Ah-um. I had promised one hundred gold pieces. To be honest, I thought no one would ever be able to catch him, so I had put out a ridiculously large reward¡­ but you guys certainly have the qualities of the legendary heroes, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll pay you a hundred and fifty gold pieces!¡± Swallan didn¡¯t look very satisfied, but she didn¡¯t ask for more since one hundred fifty gold pieces was quite a big amount of money. Juan should be the person to receive the reward since he was the one who caught Jules, but Juan wasn¡¯t interested in such things. Juan only felt that the reward was much better than he had expected. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, can you tell me how you managed to capture Jules? Traps never worked on him, not to mention the fact that his wounds would be completely healed in just a day if we somehow managed to inflict any injuries on him. I had started to feel that it was literally impossible to catch him. Templars can be such a hassle. I could¡¯ve asked the Church to take care of him if he had gone insane while still wearing his equipment, but the Templars returned after only retrieving his equipment.¡± ¡°Why was a Templar in Durgal?¡± Juan opened his mouth for the first time after arriving at the mansion. Mark had been anxious upon seeing Juan maintain silence the entire time; Mark had instinctively noticed that Juan was the real powerhouse among them. The way Juan talked to Mark was rather insolent considering that he was a noble and Juan wasn¡¯t, but Mark respected the worthy and the strong as much as he could. To Mark, Juan was the closest to the ¡®real¡¯ powerful man that he imagined. ¡°Because of an old legend here. There is an unknown dungeon here in the territory of Durgal. Odd incidents often occur inside the dungeon, perhaps due to the blood that soaked the entire dungeon¡ªthe blood of the god who was slayed by His Majesty back in the day. Jules had heard a rumor that there was a heretic in the dungeon, and came to fulfill his duties as a Templar. Well, I can¡¯t deny that some amount of money was also involved in motivating him, but still.¡± ¡°Did he successfully fulfill his duty?¡± ¡°He was a great force for us since he was a Templar. We had only been able to enter the middle level of the dungeon before he came, but he found a way to the deeper area. But that was it. I have no idea what he saw inside the deeper area, but he went completely insane¡­¡± After that, Jules probably turned into what Juan had seen in the forest. ¡°Anyway, we made a few more attempts to get into the deeper area in the dungeon, but it was hard to even navigate past the middle area. Moreover, the number of mercenaries who are willing to help out has significantly decreased these days, perhaps due to the prolonged civil war. Haha.¡± In fact, the reason why the numbers of mercenaries had decreased was due to the ominous rumors spreading everywhere¡ªbut Mark deliberately hid this fact. It would be for the best if they hadn¡¯t heard of the rumors, but even if they had, there was no need for Mark to remind them. Upon realizing that Juan had no signs of being a mercenary, Mark thought of the possibility that he might not be a mercenary. ¡®A mysterious expert from beyond the border.¡¯ Mark felt pretty good about Juan¡¯s title, as the chances of trouble were lesser even if things ended up going wrong. And the woman who came with Juan not only carried an unusual-looking horn bow, but also wore a gold badge on her shoulder. For Mark who had been hungry for experts, they were precious talents that Mark wanted to greet with his arms wide open. ¡°Now, I want to get down to business¡­¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll get down to business first.¡± Juan cut Mark¡¯s words off and held out a pouch in front of Mark. Mark felt a bit irritated, but looked at Juan as if he was curious about what Juan was about to say. Upon opening the pouch, fragments of Indeterminate Polyhedron poured out, causing Mark to open his eyes wide. ¡°Do you know anything about this gem?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Huh, this is¡­? This is a gem that you can only find here. It must have been a pretty big gem based on these fragments. Why is such a precious gem in such a state?¡± ¡°This is a mineral only found from the Crack.¡± Mark flinched for a moment, but soon shook his head in denial. ¡°The Crack? No¡ªthis is a gem I named ¡®god¡¯s blood.¡¯¡± ¡°God''s blood?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe this purple gem is the result of the hardening of the blood of the god that His Majesty slayed. There are only a few of them that can be found in the dungeon, but it¡¯s really popular among the enthusiasts.¡± Juan frowned upon hearing Mark¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t care what Mark had named the gem, but he did care about Mark mentioning its amount. ¡°This is popular? Do you have any more of it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ finding something as rare as the ¡®Indeterminate Polyhedron¡¯ owned by Bishop Rietto would be difficult. That was the best of all the gems that my father had found when he was alive. I¡¯m sure that most rich nobles own some quantity of this type of gem. This type of gem is like a lofty beauty that gets on people¡¯s nerves, but at the same time possesses them with its charms.¡± Juan pondered Mark¡¯s words. It was true that he had killed a god around this area, but he had never heard a story of the god¡¯s blood hardening and becoming a mineral. Juan hadn¡¯t sensed the traces of the Crack from the god he had killed, thus the two were likely to be completely different items. However, this Lord named Mark didn¡¯t seem to know anything about the Crack. ¡°But¡­¡± Mark hesitated and opened his mouth cautiously. ¡°Well, um. To be honest, I can¡¯t say that Durgal has nothing to do with the Crack. Although it is not as bad as it is in the north, I''ll admit that this place has been affected by the Crack to a certain extent. But I can swear that I¡¯ve never even seen the Thornbush Priest Organization before. But there is something that concerns me.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The Order of Lindwurm had once been secretly hiding here.¡± CH 89 The Order of Lindwurm was a knight order belonging to the eastern territory; it was led by Gerard Gain. Juan had also heard of the rumor saying that the Order of Lindwurm was in Durgal. ¡°You know about Gerard Gain who assassinated His Majesty, right? He was chased by the Regent Barth Baltic and eventually escaped. Back then, the eastern territory was known to have been eroded by the Crack. This fact played a huge part in creating the rumor that the reason behind Gerard Gain suddenly going insane and becoming an apostate was because of the Crack. Don¡¯t you think that his knight order would also have been affected?¡± Mark explained. ¡°So?¡± ¡°The Order of Lindwurm obviously couldn''t escape punishment when their captain had committed such a crime. They were devastated and almost disbanded; however, some of them fled and gathered here and built this castle. They probably thought that they would be able to hide just like the Order of Huginn, since Durgal is in the middle of the mountains. But this place ended up being their last hiding place¡­¡± ¡°Last?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I have heard that there was an internal conflict and that a huge fight broke out within the knight order, one where the knights even killed each other. It is understandable though¡ªtheir captain had disappeared, and they were branded as traitors who were involved in the assassination of His Majesty. Back then, everyone thought it was a divine punishment. A few among them swore about Gerard Gain¡¯s innocence until the end, but who would believe that?¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°...Are there any survivors?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But based on the stories that have been floating around ever since, it is said that even if there are survivors, they wouldn¡¯t be sane; it is said that they were covered by body fragments and intestines everywhere. People say that the reason behind there being so many lunatics around this area is the curse of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm that died at that time,¡± Mark chuckled as he spoke, as if he didn¡¯t believe in these curses at all. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t believe in the curse, huh?¡± ¡°I believe in magic or Grace, but when it comes to a curse in a traditional sense¡­ well, I¡¯ve been living in this territory longer than anyone, but I haven¡¯t gone insane, as you can see.¡± Juan agreed with Mark. If something had to be believed, it would be better to believe that the Order of Lindwurm went insane due to the influence of the Crack. The traces of the Crack could clearly be observed in the forest. Juan thought that it was very strange that Mark was not aware of such a fact¡ªunless Mark had also gone insane, in a completely different way. ¡°It seems that you know the story quite well,¡± Swallan said with sarcasm. However, Mark didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. Rather, he replied while feeling proud. ¡°Of course I do. The first person to find the scene at that time was my father. He was not only one of the nobles who had been sent to subjugate the apostates, but he was also one of the knights who had once fought beside His Majesty! He had said that he expected a fierce battle when he walked in. But he only witnessed the terrible scene of fighting and killing in this very room we are standing in¡ªthe conference room,¡± Mark said in a loud voice as if he was excited. The story he had heard from his father was the beginning of the Moore family, and it was what connected Mark with His Majesty¡¯s era¡ªit was only natural for Mark to get excited when talking about such a topic. Meanwhile, Swallan silently smiled without answering him. The flames from the fireplace flickered, and its light shone on the red moss and dirt hiding in the gap between the floor and the wall. Juan lowered his eyes at the unpleasant traces. The Order of Lindwurm had been one of the knight orders that had served him for the longest time. Juan never would have thought that they would meet their fate in such a cold and humid place. Upon seeing Swallan and Juan¡¯s reaction, Mark laughed out loud, shaking his head. ¡°Oh my, are you surprised? But what kind of land has never had any dead bodies on it, am I right? Don¡¯t worry¡ªthe red traces in the gap aren''t left behind by blood. It¡¯s just been stained since the soil here is originally red. It¡¯s a lovely color once you get used to it.¡± Mark spoke as if he was joking, but Juan couldn¡¯t easily laugh it off as a joke. Juan could already sense a strong connection between this castle, the Order of Lindwurm, and the Crack. This castle basically had the same style of trendy architecture from the time when Juan used to go on conquests beyond the border as the emperor. After that, the structure became a little more complicated as the Moore family expanded it. Juan could tell that the basic framework of the castle was still following the ancient style, as if the Order of Lindwurm had thoroughly thought about where to build the castle¡ªthey had built a castle on top of a building that had existed even before humanity had settled in the area. ¡®Gerard.¡¯ Juan inadvertently muttered his eldest son¡¯s name and recalled a serious but friendly face. Gerard was more like a knight than any other knight Juan had known, and he had been such a sweet child that Juan couldn¡¯t believe Gerard¡¯s betrayal even in the moment when Gerard had stabbed his back. ¡®Was he really corrupted by the Crack?¡¯ When Juan remained silent for a long time, Mark cleared his throat, feeling regretful about getting overly excited when talking about the story. ¡°Um, your name was... Juan, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good name. If you don¡¯t have any more questions, let¡¯s get to the point. I am sure you¡¯re not here to just listen to old stories, so would you be interested in the dungeon expedition we talked about earlier? I can guarantee good profits. Ms. Swallan, if you decide to join as well, I¡¯ll pay you the price for four people, and a bonus on top of that. I¡¯m sure you guys will be able to go deeper than Jules. Perhaps you¡¯ll be able to find many more precious treasures there.¡± ¡°A bonus?¡± Swallan asked curiously while rejoicing at the sweet word that tickled her ears. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a generous man when it comes to supporting the mercenaries. Why don¡¯t I give you thirty percent of whatever you find inside the dungeon, and also cover the basic cost of exploration¡­¡± ¡°Make that fifty.¡± Mark¡¯s face stiffened at Swallan¡¯s words. ¡°Fifty percent is too much. Even Jules only asked for thirty percent¡­¡± ¡°And we are the ones who brought back Jules¡¯ head. Besides, it¡¯s us that are risking our lives to enter the dungeon. Aren¡¯t you the one who would be in trouble without us, my lord? I don¡¯t want to make it hard on you, so fifty.¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯m not interested in money anyway¡ªall I care about are the relics excavated from the dungeon. I have to get everything I want, you know. Then let¡¯s do this: both Juan and Swallan must participate, and I¡¯ll be the first one to pick out the items I want. Deal?¡± Swallan grinned and looked back at Juan. Juan had absolutely no intention of being hired by someone, but he figured that it would be for the best to stick around and find out about the information Mark had as well as get knowledge about the dungeon. ¡°As you please,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Perfect! Then I¡¯ll call you as soon as I come up with an expedition group. Until then, enjoy yourself in the village while you wait. Alcohol, meat, women, men¡ªif you put any of them on credit, I¡¯ll deduct it from your share. So don¡¯t feel pressured to ask for anything you want and enjoy yourselves.¡± *** Mark offered to provide them a room in the mansion, but Juan refused and left the mansion. He didn¡¯t want to stay in this mansion for even a second longer¡ªit was an unpleasant place, that was even filled with the smell of damp mold and the smell of blood. ¡°Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces, where are you going?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go and take a look around the village.¡± Juan knew that the Lord of Durgal had lied to them¡ªJuan instinctively felt that Mark was already well aware of the Thornbush Priest Organization. Thus there were two possibilities; he either knew about the Crack but neglected it, or he had already been affected by the Crack. Although the lord didn¡¯t appear to be crazy, mental illness could take on many forms. If the lord was related to the Crack in any way, it was clear that there would be traces of it somewhere in the village. Juan went off to search for the traces of the Crack and the Order of Lindwurm. The village wasn¡¯t very big, but quite a few people were wandering around even though it was late; mercenaries often walked in and out of the village. The most prosperous place in the village was a pub located in the center of the village. After getting drunk, all the mercenaries in the pub went somewhere¡ªa temple. ¡°A temple has been built even over here¡­¡± Upon seeing the temple with his symbol engraved on it, Juan wondered if the Church had even managed to extend their reach all the way out to Durgal. However, he soon got rid of such thoughts upon seeing the women who came out of the temple. A half-naked woman welcomed a drunken mercenary and pulled him into the temple. The mercenary grabbed at the woman¡¯s breast while muttering nonsense as he crawled in. It looked like there were Priests in the temple, but they appeared to be intoxicated due to the use of a suspicious incense and had two women next to them. Juan wasn¡¯t surprised that the temple was being used as a pub and a brothel. In fact, Juan had no positive impressions of either the Church that served him nor the brothel. Beside the temple were countless tombstones. There were so many of them firmly stuck to the ground that they formed an abnormal pattern and extended out to the road. The last tombstone seemed to have been placed quite a long time ago. Upon looking at the tombstones, Juan gave up his last remaining hopes for any survivors. Jules¡¯ head was stuck on a stick at the entrance, and people didn¡¯t seem to care about the fact that he used to be a Templar. ¡°Is there something that you¡¯re looking for?¡± Juan looked back¡ªit was the old butler he saw at Mark¡¯s mansion. ¡°I was ordered by my master to guide you; he was concerned that you were wandering around at such a late time. If you¡¯re looking for anything, I¡¯ll lead the way,¡± the butler said. Juan knew that this wasn¡¯t true. It was clear that Mark was worried that Juan might run away after seeing the atmosphere of the village. Mark¡¯s intention for sending his butler to Juan was very obvious, but Juan didn¡¯t care. Then Juan paused when he saw the butler¡¯s eye; it was an exquisitely made prosthetic eye. ¡°Is it still possible for you to lead the way when you can¡¯t even see properly?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re the first person to recognize it at just a glance. There¡¯s no need to worry. I¡¯ve lived in this village the longest¡ªI worked for the predecessor of the Moore family as well. I dare say, I even know the rats that run around the village.¡± The old butler looked quite healthy and didn¡¯t even have a cane to support him despite his old age. Juan wasn¡¯t particularly suspicious of him; he didn¡¯t feel anything strange when he first saw the butler at the mansion. Juan especially liked the fact that he had lived in this village for a long time. ¡°Are there any places where the traces of the Order of Lindwurm still remain?¡± The butler remained silent for a while, then carefully opened his mouth. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, may I ask you the reason you are looking for such places? I think this is quite an impious topic to discuss in front of a temple.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that ¡®temple¡¯ looks like in your memory, but the emperor wouldn¡¯t be angry, no matter what you say in front of it. He would have to beat too many people to their deaths if he were to get angry at this.¡± It was clear to Juan which side he should be angrier with out of those who were acting promiscuously in a place that symbolized him and those who simply talked about traitors. The butler smirked as if he understood what Juan meant. ¡°I guess that is true. The Order of Lindwurm, huh¡­ it¡¯s rare to find people who are curious about those old stories now, but there are few places that are relevant to the story. Even the temple in front of us was a place whose foundation was laid by the Order of Lindwurm. I heard some of them worshiped His Majesty, but I¡¯m not sure if they were genuine in their faith or not. Oh, and that place over there,¡± the butler spoke as he pointed toward a place that was barely visible; it was hidden in the darkness. ¡°There is one building without any windows¡ªa concentration camp. There were a few among the members of the Order of Lindwurm that went on a rampage due to extreme stress. The rest of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm couldn¡¯t bear to kill their comrades, so they built the camp to lock them up. I guess that aspect hasn¡¯t changed much. After all, we keep mercenaries that aren¡¯t in good condition over there.¡± ¡°...Is there a chance that anyone from that time is still alive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I have heard that everyone died when the internal conflict broke out, including those in the concentration camp. Maybe it was the victor of the internal conflict who killed them all. Oh, but¡ª¡± the butler said as he fiddled with his prosthetic eye. ¡°¡ªthere is a rumor about the knights that survived the internal conflict. Apparently, some of the survivors are still in Durgal, desperately waiting for the return of Gerard Gain. It is said that they are hiding among the mercenaries, hoping that Gerard Gain will come back one day,¡± the butler said while staring at Juan. Juan clicked his tongue. He had already heard quite a few legends similar to the story the butler just told him. Many of these kinds of legends were even related to Juan himself. The matter of whether or not there were any Lindwurm knights still in Durgal wasn¡¯t really important unless Gerard Gain returned. ¡°There¡¯s no documents left?¡± Juan asked. ¡°It was less than three years after His Majesty¡¯s assassination that the Order of Lindwurm was completely destroyed¡ªa short time to leave any records behind. The previous lord also searched everywhere for their traces, but he didn¡¯t find anything related to the incident.¡± Although he had already expected that there would be nothing left, Juan was still disappointed. As time went by, more and more things were pointing toward Gerard Gain having really betrayed Juan. But Juan was aware that this was the only place other than the northern territory where he could strongly sense the power of the Crack. It was hard to believe that the Order of Lindwurm specifically choosing this place as their hiding place was simply a coincidence. ¡®Why?¡¯ Juan recalled the faces of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm one by one; Deputy Vekelt, who smiled brightly with his light-colored eyes even as he cut down his enemies, Horhell, who jumped into the enemy¡¯s territory by himself to back the enemy captain¡¯s head, the rest of the knights who said that they wouldn¡¯t mind dying the next day after all the enemies of mankind were dead, as well as their captain, Gerard Gain. Juan couldn¡¯t tell why they held hands with the crack, that was clearly an enemy of mankind. ¡®Or maybe, I was doing something wrong.¡¯ Juan bit his lips. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one thing that you might be interested in¡­¡± the butler said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something like a scribble that one of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm left behind. But it¡¯s getting cold out here, don¡¯t you think? The weather¡¯s quite cold for an old man to be walking around during nighttime.¡± Juan immediately understood that the butler was suggesting that they should wrap up the talk and go inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. What does the scribble say?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration. You should see what it says yourself.¡± The butler took Juan and began to walk in the direction he had pointed earlier. After walking for a while, the butler raised up his torch. Under the bright light, the wall on the concentration camp revealed a red silhouette. The concentration camp was silent, but a whispering sound was constantly coming out of the wall. The whispers sounded like human language, but also sounded like the growl of the beasts¡ªit was as if the wall itself was making a voice. ¡°In the middle of the wall over there¡­ Do you see it? I have no idea how they wrote it there when there¡¯s not even a window. The previous lord tried his best to erase it, but he said that it reappeared whenever it rained,¡± the butler explained. Juan stared at the writing in the middle of the wall. The writing was short and simple. Although it was unclear as to who left the writing, he was certainly full of conviction. [His Majesty will return.] Juan couldn¡¯t figure out if the intention of the writing was a sign of madness or a sign of desperation caused by despair. CH 90 The expedition party was gathered earlier than expected. Mark wore a pleasant expression as he looked at the people gathered for the expedition; it had only been two days, but quite a few more talented people had gathered to join the group. Mark had a feeling that these people might be talented enough to finally get to the deeper area of the dungeon this time. ¡°Each one of you are like legendary heroes! I have high expectations this time,¡± Mark proclaimed. However, there was a strange tension among the mercenaries; one could see that there were quite a few of them with unusual expressions. ¡°Uh, my lord. Is this black-haired punk going with us too? I heard hanging around black-haired guys in the dark brings bad luck. What if I end up making a mistake and blowing his head off in the dark?¡± a man with the crossed scar on his face asked Mark. Beside the man were two huge hounds tall enough to reach his waist. They were crouched next to him. ¡°He sure is. His name is Juan, and uses a short sword as his weapon. He¡¯s the one who brought back Jules¡¯ head. Remember how I left it to you for a year?¡± ¡°Wait, he¡¯s the one who caught Jules? Well, it¡¯s not my fault that I couldn¡¯t manage to catch him¡ªfor some reason, my hounds couldn¡¯t sniff him out properly in the mountains. I tried my best but I couldn¡¯t find him in the forest. Must you really blame me for that?¡± ¡°Whatever the reason is, you have to acknowledge his achievement. Now, everyone. This hound trainer is called Menneth. He¡¯s one of the best hunters in the eastern territory, and is a gold grade mercenary. He¡¯s not very good in the forest, but he¡¯ll be very helpful to find the way in the dungeon.¡± Mark introduced as he looked around the other mercenaries. ¡°Then shall we all briefly introduce ourselves? You are all about to enter a dungeon so dark that you won¡¯t even be able to see each other¡¯s faces. Don¡¯t you think you should know each other¡¯s names?¡± The mercenaries remained silent and no one bothered opening their mouths. In fact, half of the people that were about to enter the dungeon were new faces in Durgal and they didn¡¯t know of it at all. Then, someone opened their mouth to break the silence. ¡°My name is Nora, and I used to be a knight.¡± She was a sickly woman with long, straight silver hair. She was so skinny that one would even doubt whether she could hold a sword or not; however, Mark didn¡¯t seem to have any concerns. ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubt Ms.Nora¡¯s skills; I¡¯ve checked it myself,¡± Mark said. Mark was already aware of the fact that Nora was a Templar, but he was keeping this fact a secret at her request. ¡°I¡¯m Swallan and I use a horn bow.¡± ¡°Do you know how narrow it is inside the dungeon? Using a horn bow in there¡­ how ridiculous.¡± Menneth openly derided Swallan. However, the smile on his face disappeared as soon as he saw an arrow aimed at his eye. The arrowhead was close enough to cover his field of vision and shook as if it was about to tickle his eyeball. ¡°It¡¯s better if it¡¯s narrow. That just means there¡¯s nowhere to hide from me.¡± Swallan recollected her bow and arrow while smirking at Menneth. With a rotten look, Menneth turned his gaze toward the next person. It was a man who gave off an extremely odd and strange feeling among the new faces. He was wearing a ragged black robe and a white mask without any patterns on his face. He was not holding a weapon, but the chains wrapped around his waist grabbed everyone¡¯s attention¡ªhe seemed more dangerous than most monsters. [My name is Rem. I can be considered to have dabbled in magic.] Surprisingly, the sharp voice of a young man came out of him. But anyone could easily tell that it was a voice synthesized by magic which only made him seem even more like a monster. However, no one was complaining; most mages working as a mercenary were illegal mages who hadn¡¯t been certified by the Church. It was only natural for them to hide their face and voice. Although it was a little unpleasant, the quality of expeditions which had mages was much higher when compared to the ones without them. The real danger was elsewhere. ¡°Come to think of it, who will be the overall commander of this expedition? I feel like I¡¯m the most suitable person, since I¡¯ll be guiding the way, and I¡¯ve been working for the longest, so¡­¡± ¡°And my name is Mark Moore. I will be the overall commander of this expedition.¡± Lord Mark suddenly declared as he cut off Menneth¡¯s words. Everyone suddenly went silent. Although no one had realized it until now, Mark was wearing armor and had even brought an iron mace with him. His armor was shaking loosely at his waist; it didn¡¯t fit him tightly. The mercenaries got ready to laugh as they thought Mark was joking, but Mark¡¯s expression was serious. The silence continued, and an atmosphere of urgency descended upon the mercenaries. The mercenaries exchanged gazes as if they were telling each other to deal with the situation, but no one was willing to protest against the lord. At that moment, Juan felt a hand gently pushing his back¡ªit was Swallan. Swallan opened her mouth and mouthed ¡®do something¡¯ to Juan. Juan replied by mouthing ¡®why the hell should I,¡¯ but it seemed like Juan was the only person who could speak out in front of Mark. After all, he was not interested in money. ¡°Are you coming with us?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Of course I am. How could I possibly miss out on it when this expedition might actually be the one where we might be able to break through the deeper area? There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I know I look quite weak, but I¡¯m a descendant of the noble who was once sent to defeat the traitors. I am capable of using weapons.¡± ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s not the problem.¡± He was different from young officers who ran out to the frontline without knowing they weren''t skilled enough. If the overall commander was stupid, the army would be in a dangerous position. If the overall commander wasn¡¯t well respected, the entire army would break down. Mark was someone who satisfied both conditions. Juan made a gesture of rubbing his hands against each other to the mercenaries without Mark knowing. Swallan pulled Juan back and whispered. ¡°I was telling you to stop him from joining, not kill him.¡± ¡°Same thing. We don¡¯t necessarily have to kill him. We can just knock him out for a while.¡± ¡°Then the lord will freak out once we come back¡­ugh, this is driving me crazy.¡± In the end, Menneth opened his mouth with difficulty. ¡°My lord. Is it okay if we cut you into pieces and feed you to the dogs if you die in a ridiculous way?¡± ¡°What!? How rude!¡± Mark yelled as he burst out in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me dying! How many years do you think I¡¯ve lived here? I¡¯m a descendant of a mighty knight.¡± ¡°My lord, this isn¡¯t a war, and¡­¡± ¡°This expedition might be the last opportunity for me. I¡¯ve lived a wealthy life with the property handed down by my father, but I made no accomplishments. When else would I get such an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my father and get some heroic achievements?¡± Menneth frowned and turned his head upon hearing Mark¡¯s words. The other mercenaries sighed and gave up on convincing Mark; they understood that Mark really meant his words. ¡°Wait, seriously? You¡¯re all going to take this clueless lord with us?¡± Swallan said as she dumbfoundedly looked at the mercenaries around her. ¡°What can we do? He wants to die inside the dungeon.¡± Mark smiled triumphantly among the mercenaries looking away. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ve been training steadily, so I won¡¯t hold you all back.¡± *** ¡°Ahhhhh! Your Majesty!¡± Menneth cursed and grabbed Mark by the back of his neck and threw him to the ground. A club narrowly passed by the spot where Mark¡¯s head was. Mark, whose head narrowly avoided being smashed, continued lying on the ground and repeatedly shouted His Majesty¡¯s name. Mark wasn¡¯t a man with a small figure¡ªthe mercenaries who had to fight fiercely in the narrow hallway kept getting tripped over his body. ¡°You¡¯re getting in my way!¡± Swallan yelled. She climbed on top of Mark¡¯s back and pulled the bowstring. Everytime an arrow ripped through the air, the skulls of the skeleton soldiers were smashed and scattered into pieces. What was revealed from their smashed skulls were purple tentacles. One of the tentacles grabbed the nearest mercenary and stuck to his face. The mercenary freaked out and struggled to resist the tentacles that were trying to enter his mouth, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to get rid of the tentacles. At that moment, the tentacles fell to the ground with a sharp sound. Holding a shield as big as her body, Nora expertly handled her sword with only one hand. ¡°Keep pushing! We will all be done if we get pushed back!¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to say!¡± The moment Menneth blew his whistle, two hounds moved fast like the wind. The hounds weren¡¯t easily noticeable due to their low stature, but they were very helpful within the narrow hallways. The tentacles that had been controlling the skeleton soldiers from inside the armor were helplessly pulled out when the hounds bit on them and pulled. The tentacles were easily destroyed by simply stomping on them once they came out of the skeletons. ¡°Rem! Do you still need more time?¡± Rem, the mask-wearing mage, was constantly mumbling magic spells. Rem had requested the other mercenaries to buy him some time to cast a spell, but the short time needed to cast a spell felt infinitely long in a situation where enemies were endlessly charging at them. Rem quickly recited and made a hissing sound to cast a spell, then raised his hand at one point. [Cover your eyes.] While it was extremely dangerous to cover your eyes in a battle, no one refused the mage¡¯s words. In just a moment, the skeleton soldiers that filled the hallway were illuminated by a bright light and scattered to the ground. When the tentacle monsters that had been hiding inside fell to the ground, the mercenaries ran and furiously stomped on them as if they were venting their anger. ¡°These fucking starfish bastards!¡± The tentacles resisted until the end by grabbing the mercenaries¡¯ legs, but they were soon chopped into pieces. Finally, there were no more tentacles left in the hallway. The mercenaries breathed heavily and were relieved that the battle was over. ¡°Ugh¡­my eyes¡­¡± One of the mercenaries who hadn¡¯t been able to cover his eyes in time sat on his knees and groaned. Menneth took a closer look at his eyes. ¡°His eyes are gray like they are rotting. Hey, Mage, is this guy gonna be okay?¡± Menneth asked. [He¡¯ll be fine soon if he only saw the light from his peripheral vision. But if he saw it directly from the front, he¡¯s going to lose his vision. Anyway, our losses are great even though we are still in the upper area.] It had only been a short battle, but two of the mercenaries were already dead. Although their role was only that of a porter rather than fighting, their loss was still quite harmful. The mercenaries¡¯ gaze turned toward Mark who was still lying on the ground. He was still repeatedly muttering ¡®His Majesty, His Majesty,¡¯ with his ears covered. ¡°Hey, you damn pig! Get up at once!¡± Menneth shouted angrily, kicking Mark on the waist. Mark rolled on the ground, and belatedly realized that the battle was over. ¡°Is¡ªis everything over now?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Are you kidding me? Fucking damn it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve gone on an expedition only once or twice, but this is insane¡ªwe are still only in the upper area! Have you done something to mess this dungeon up?¡± Menneth growled. ¡°M-mess up? No. I had thought that there wouldn¡¯t be many monsters in the upper area since it was already subjugated enough. I also can¡¯t believe that so many of them poured out all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ enough! If the dungeon is messed up to this extent, I can¡¯t go any deeper. I don¡¯t want to die in a ridiculous way.¡± ¡°No.¡± It was Swallan who answered instead of Mark. ¡°The expedition will continue. We were able to hold out earlier, weren¡¯t we? Just because we are in a dungeon doesn¡¯t mean the monsters will constantly appear. I¡¯m sure it was just the monsters from the lower level that crawled up earlier. That means that there will be less monsters as you go lower.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? I can see that you lack one of your ears, but are you also missing a part of your brain?¡± ¡°I might be lacking an ear, but you are the one who lacks two balls.¡± Manneth was about to jump at Swallan in a fit of rage, but Nora blocked him. Menneth had no choice but to stop; he had seen Nora¡¯s extraordinary skills in the battle earlier¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for her blocking the enemies from the front, the damage would have been much greater. ¡°I agree with continuing the expedition,¡± Nora said. [I am fine with it as well. It¡¯s worth a try.] Rem agreed. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Menneth had a distorted expression on his face upon hearing their answers. ¡°Why, you¡­ Fuck!¡± ¡°Enough, Menneth. I know that you¡¯re trying to rip off more commission fees from the lord, but doing so when you can¡¯t even play your role properly will only undermine your grade level,¡± Swallan said. Swallan was already aware of Menneth¡¯s intentions. Menneth muttered a curse, and turned his head toward the lord. ¡°Hey, my lord. Are you gonna continue coming with us? Now is your last chance to go back.¡± Mark was trembling in fear, but he nodded his head. The mercenaries muttered a curse in unison. Even if they didn¡¯t acknowledge the lord¡¯s strength, they had to praise his guts¡ªeven if they didn¡¯t want to. Meanwhile, Nora looked around with a tired expression. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the young man called Juan?¡± Nora asked. ¡°Come to think of it, where is this bastard?¡± Juan had disappeared among the enemies shortly after the battle began. No one could pay attention to him during the battle as it was an urgent situation, but the fact that he still hadn¡¯t returned could only mean that he was dead. Nora¡¯s expression was stiff. ¡°Mr. Menneth, maybe we should release your hounds to go find him¡­¡± ¡°Oh,? It¡¯s over already?¡± Suddenly, Juan¡¯s voice was heard from the other side of the hallway. Juan was slowly walking toward the mercenaries under the dim light. Upon seeing Juan¡¯s relaxed manner, Menneth shouted furiously. ¡°You fucking bastard! Where were you when we were all busy fighting¡­ against the¡­¡± Menneth stopped the words he was about to say. Juan was not empty-handed. ¡°There is a place to rest at the end of that hallway. Why don¡¯t we go and rest there?¡± Juan said. What was being dragged by Juan¡¯s hand was a part of a monster¡¯s body¡ªone whose original form couldn¡¯t be guessed at all. The body part that was covered with countless nerves and wriggling tentacles reminded everyone of a heart. Mercenaries couldn¡¯t help but to naturally think of one question. ¡®How big does the monster¡¯s size have to be for it to have such a huge heart?¡¯ CH 91 Upon arriving at the end of the hallway, the mercenaries were left speechless when they saw the body of a huge monster resting against the wall. The monster was huge enough to reach the ceiling, had black eyes, ferocious fangs and was covered with tentacles all over. While the figure of the creature looked like a gigantic humanoid, and even looked like it had nerves, tendons and other body parts; it was similar to a large slime. The monster wasn¡¯t moving as Juan had pulled out his heart. The round wound from the cut made the mercenaries feel nauseous. [A shy¡¯gus.] Rem muttered as he looked at the monster¡¯s dead body. The mercenaries looked back at him as if they were curious about what he said. [The tentacle monsters we saw earlier would look like this once they grow up fully.] ¡°What? This?¡± [It¡¯s a type of monster. This one must have grown this big by eating the bodies of the mercenaries. This type of monster spawns tens of thousands of larvae, those tentacle monsters we saw earlier, at once whenever it feels like it¡¯s in danger. So it¡¯s a good thing that we took care of those larvae quickly. Even those who are used to dealing with the Crack are likely to miss the timing if they don¡¯t hurry. I think I can guess where those skeleton soldiers came from. Anyway, I thought these monsters could only be found in the crack. I have managed to get a valuable specimen.] Rem approached the monster and cut off a bunch of tentacles and put them in a bottle. The mercenaries frowned at his ominous act. ¡°Wait, so where did this monster come from? I¡¯ve never seen one like it before,¡± Menneth asked Rem. [He probably came from the lower area.] ¡°From the lower area? If it¡¯s this big, it must have eaten a lot to grow up, right? So if it grew up by feeding on mercenaries, that should mean that there won¡¯t be more of this type of monster in the dungeon, right?¡± [Maybe.] Rem laughed in a strange manner while wearing his mask. [But don¡¯t be relieved just yet. It probably climbed up after being chased by something. Shy¡¯gus¡¯ usually live secretly in hidden places, so it¡¯s rare for them to change their habitat.] ¡°What do you mean, it could have been chased?¡± [A monster like it is as fragile as a flea in the Crack. He must run whenever a predator appears.] The mercenaries started to become agitated at Rem¡¯s words, and Rem seemed to be taking pleasure in their horror. ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Juan said to Swallan, who was sitting next to him. ¡°It is true that this kind of monster is as common as a flea in the Crack, but the only areas of the Crack that could produce monsters stronger than this guy are the ones in the north. The energy of the Crack I can feel from here is about average for this level of these tentacle monsters. It was only able to become a shy¡¯gus because it grew after coming out of the Crack.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°Yes. If what he said was true, then Durgal would have already been destroyed.¡± Juan was firm. If a monster stronger than a shy¡¯gus appeared, it wouldn¡¯t just end with the devastation of the territory¡ªit would be a disaster where the military would have to be mobilized. However, Mark had quietly managed the territory so far and even conquered the dungeon to some extent. This proved that there were no other monsters stronger than a shy¡¯gus within this territory. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Is the reason why you went inside instead of fighting with us because of that monster?¡± Swallan asked as she stared at Juan. ¡°There¡¯s that, too¡ª¡± Juan glanced around at the mercenaries. The mercenaries seemed rather reluctant to rest with a dead monster right in front of their eyes, but no one refused to take a break before moving on. ¡°¡ªbut there¡¯s someone among them who is after me.¡± ¡°...After you? Who?¡± ¡°Some of the five that have been following me from back in the wasteland. I¡¯m not entirely sure yet¡­ but I recognized one of them.¡± Juan glanced at one of the mercenaries. Nora blinked and made a gesture as if she was grateful when her eyes met Juan. Juan grinned. ¡°She¡¯s a Templar,¡± Juan said. ¡°What? How did you know?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°Let me just say that I have my ways. It seems like she thought that she wouldn¡¯t get caught as long as she didn¡¯t use her Grace and took off her equipment, but she already messed up by showing herself in front of me. Can¡¯t blame her though, since she doesn¡¯t know who I am.¡± Nora was using the power of the emperor as she was a Templar, and Juan could accurately detect her mana. It was only natural for Nora to get caught since she was using Juan¡¯s own mana. There was no way that Nora could guess that Juan was the emperor himself. ¡°She must be one of the Templars from the Order of the Evil Snake. The other ones are hard to tell. There could be more of them or not. But I can say with confidence that the most trustworthy one out of this group is the lord,¡± Juan explained. Mark was vomiting in a corner of the hallway due to the anxiety from the battle. ¡°How trustworthy of him,¡± Swallan grumbled. Juan wiped the dust off his clothes and stood up. ¡°Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say that there was someone in Durgal who might be able to take my head?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Swallan said as she looked around with slightly anxious eyes. ¡°He¡¯s still here, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you tell me the reason or not, but I gotta admit that I¡¯m curious. What grudge do you have that you are willing to risk it all and come back all this way to Durgal?¡± Swallan made a complicated expression. ¡°A grudge, you say¡­ To be honest, I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a grudge or not, although he did cut off my ear. What happened back then was¡­ a little exceptional. I don¡¯t hate him too much, but I must kill him.¡± The situation seemed as complicated as the look on Swallan¡¯s face, but Juan could understand her. Juan also had such a strange relationship with someone. ¡°My comrades and I were wiped out during our expedition in Durgal, and I ran away with my ear cut off. I¡¯ve been suffering from hallucinations and illusions ever since¡ªI¡¯ve been affected by Durgal¡¯s madness. It took me a long time to come back to my senses. It¡¯s not as bad as it used to be, but I still hear a crunching sound in my sleep sometimes.¡± Juan didn¡¯t ask Swallan what the sound was; Swallan was clutching her ear which was no longer there. ¡°Some would say that I¡¯m still crazy. But I just know it¡ªI can only truly leave this dungeon when I finish that expedition that I started. Either I die, or I completely destroy this dungeon.¡± *** Nora was exhausted from the battle that had been harder than she had expected. Of course, the monsters weren¡¯t a difficult opponent to her. However, the fact that she had to use a weapon she was unfamiliar with in order to hide her identity, move without the use of equipment blessed with His Majesty¡¯s Grace, and had to hide most of her skills to avoid getting caught was what made her exhausted rather than hunting those monsters. It would be quite frustrating if Juan were already aware of her identity, but Nora felt that she had completely deceived Juan. The Order of the Evil Snake was hiding in ambush around Durgal already, and they might have even followed the expedition group into the dungeon. Considering that the inside of the dungeon was filled with traces of heresy, Nora thought that it wouldn¡¯t matter if the Order of the Evil Snake captured the mercenaries together with Juan. ¡®But¡­ I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad. It would have been better to capture the target outside the dungeon and bury him.¡¯ Velkre was a cautious man. In a situation where neither Juan¡¯s intentions nor his skills had been accurately confirmed, he didn¡¯t wish to engage in a territorial invasion. Unlike the Order of the White Crow, the Order of the Evil Snake preferred to secretly carry out their mission and neatly kill their target once it was caught. This applied all the more due to their encounter with Juan in the wasteland. The order Velkre had given Nora was simple: Stay with Juan, and kill him if an opportunity arose. If not, keep an eye on him and deliver the information. Since Nora couldn¡¯t maintain the power of ¡®snake¡¯ for a long time when she was far away from Velkre, there wasn¡¯t much that she could do. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Nora had tried to take advantage of the battle to seek a chance to kill Juan, but Juan hadn¡¯t fought alongside the rest of the group. Nora wasn¡¯t sure if she could kill him without using the power of the ¡®snake¡¯ even if she had a chance to kill him, considering the agility he showed. Nora decided to patiently wait and keep her eyes on him. Nora believed that she would get her chance sooner or later since the dungeon expedition was much harder than she had expected. *** Menneth scratched his chin. For some reason, his old scar felt quite itchy today. Menneth could sense the murderous intent that the expedition members held toward each other, and all this murderous intent was targeting Juan, the young, black-haired punk. Juan looked like the type who would be a toy for the noble ladies no matter how much Menneth looked at him. But he had to acknowledge Juan¡¯s skills. Juan was certainly skilled enough to make others understand why his head was worth ten thousand gold pieces. ¡®Ten thousand gold pieces, huh.¡¯ Ten thousand gold pieces was enough money to buy a noble position and build a mansion on the outskirts of the capital. Rumor had already been secretly spread among the mercenaries that Juan¡¯s head was worth enough money to change one¡¯s fate. In fact, it was Menneth who had spread the rumor. ¡®Good thing those bastards from the assassination organization died in the forest.¡¯ Menneth was one of the assassins that had surrounded Juan in the forest earlier. Menneth would normally act like an ordinary mercenary when he had no mission, but he would find his target and turn them into dog food once he was given a mission. In that sense, his mission this time was rather unusual. He had never been given such a mission¡ªto hide and assassinate the target once they came to him. As a result, Menneth had to lie dormant in the rural territory for a year. But he was satisfied, since the commission fee was big enough and made him a good amount of money. Juan, who had come to Durgal in the middle of his mission, was a target attractive enough to forget about his mission¡ªten thousand gold pieces already exceeded the commission fee. However, he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be as easy as one would imagine. Menneth was well aware of the skills and ruthless methods of his fellow assassins from the assassination organization. If such powerful people were defeated and killed by Juan, Menneth had to be extra careful. Menneth secretly spread the rumors that the black-haired young man who caught Templar Jules was the black-haired boy the Church was offering a reward for. Considering the fact that the rumors about him were already well-known, the mercenaries were easily tempted. All Menneth had to do was to bring about as much confusion as possible and use it cut off Juan¡¯s head. Menneth quietly waited for the opportunity. ¡®Once I catch him, I can easily pay off all the debts I owe to the assassination organization.¡¯ *** Rem couldn¡¯t bear the situation he was in. Juan¡¯s appearance in the territory of Durgal was both a coincidence and a blessing. Rem had been researching the Crack for a long time without being corrupted by it and was able to satisfy his curiosity. It was very easy to be eroded by the Crack and become a slave to its creatures just by daring to look closely into it, but Rem had been avoiding the consequences by all types of means. In the process of researching the Crack, Rem ended up losing his face and voice. Although he had been thinking that he needed to be more cautious, Juan was an interesting subject of study that made him forget his wariness. ¡®That appearance as well as that incredible prowess in the Baltic Sword. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s him.¡¯ Rem was certain. Many people forgot or misunderstood due to the Church distorting many facts, but Rem was a scholar and a mage who only pursued wisdom. He was confident that he could easily find out Juan¡¯s identity. The fact that the black-haired young man was using ¡®Juan¡¯ as his name seemed to prove that he had no intention of hiding his noble birth. Rem looked forward to the moment when this haphazardly organized expedition group collapsed to leave only him and Juan alone; he thought that he and Juan were the only people capable of surviving. Rem was certain that he could get the best results out of the research that he had been working on for decades. *** The lord of Durgal, Mark Moore, managed to completely empty out his stomach. Looking at the vomit that had poured out of his own mouth, Mark thought that he would never be able to eat food made with rabbit meat ever again. The battle had been much harder than he expected, and he had grown to respect his father even more. Upon inadvertently looking around at the mercenaries, Mark felt a subtle tension in the air around the group. Feeling the odd atmosphere, he realized that it was lunchtime. ¡®Everyone seems to be contemplating about the lunch menu.¡¯ Come to think of it, Mark too was hungry after throwing up everything in his stomach. As the chief commander of the expedition, he decided to pick out a lunch menu for everyone. CH 92 The expedition party continued deeper into the dungeon. The tentacle monsters used the bones and armor of the soldiers that had died a long time ago as shells to attack the expedition group. There were even tentacle monsters that had completely fused with the corpses of mercenaries and were wriggling around on the ground. Some tentacle monsters that had fused with humans stuck themselves to the walls and continuously whispered something, and tried to bite the foot of anyone who tried to pass through the hallways. The monsters had bizarre forms that made people¡¯s heads dizzy by just looking at them, but fortunately, these battles weren¡¯t as fierce as the fight that happened in the upper area. Rather, the battle was so much easier that ironically, the mercenaries grew more nervous. The mercenaries were overly anxious due to the fear that stronger enemies might appear at any time. However, the mercenaries continued to cut and slice the monsters¡ªthat alone was keeping the mercenaries from breaking down and losing their sanity. ¡°Finally¡­ we are in the deeper area,¡± Menneth barely managed to speak. A huge door made of distorted tentacles shaped like an arch appeared in front of the mercenaries¡¯ eyes. Everyone was surprised at the enormous size of the door. ¡°Why is the door closed? The guys that had been here with Jules said they had left it open.¡± ¡°Maybe they closed it without realizing it. Who knows what¡¯s behind the door? What are we gonna do when they crawl out, huh?¡± Menneth grumbled and rebuked Mark. Although his way of talking was rude, no one seemed to care; they all agreed with Menneth¡¯s words¡ªeven Mark shut his mouth as if he imagined something terrible crawling out of the door. The mercenaries who were just approaching the door to the deeper area all looked utterly exhausted. Ordinary battles wouldn¡¯t wear them out to this extent, but a battle in a dark and enclosed structure made one particularly tired¡ªespecially if they are in a dungeon with an unusual and unfamiliar atmosphere. ¡°I can see why so many come out as lunatics¡­¡± Even Nora muttered to herself. The mercenaries agreed with Nora in silence, and slowly approached the huge door that led to the deeper area. The size of the door, which glowed with faint purple light, couldn¡¯t be estimated; it was easily seen even inside the pitch-dark dungeon. ¡°How big is this door¡­¡± ¡°Wait. There¡¯s someone there.¡± All the people in the party stopped upon hearing Menneth. Just like he said, there was someone sitting alone in front of the door; it was a woman who was fiddling with something among mushrooms that glowed in the dark. The song she was humming in a low-pitched voice oddly caught everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Be careful,¡± someone said. Of course, there wasn¡¯t anyone who wasn¡¯t being careful. Upon encountering a woman humming a song this deep into the dungeon, no one thought that she had lost her way or accidentally entered the wrong place. Juan saw Swallan clutching her horn bow so tightly that her fist was shaking. Menneth looked back at Swallan and signaled her to shoot an arrow at the woman. Swallan bit her lips, then pulled her bow and shot an arrow. However, the arrow that flew toward the woman twisted at a strange angle and struck a completely different place. When the mercenaries looked at the woman with a perplexed look, she slowly looked back. The woman had no face¡ªonly a haze creeping around her head. *** The mercenaries all fell silent. The first one to move was Lord Mark. After blankly staring at the woman¡¯s haze-covered face, Mark raised his sword to strike the nearest mercenary¡¯s head. None of the mercenaries shouted or screamed at the sight; all of them looked down at the corpse with their eyes out of focus, after which they turned their heads to look at each other. The mercenaries then began to whisper something and simultaneously swung their weapons at each other¡ªthe words coming out of their mouths were the names of their father, mother or someone else that was close to them. When Juan realized that the woman with the hazy face had done something to the expedition party, he raised the power of flames residing in his body. The surroundings became sweltering in an instant, making it suffocating. ¡°Celine, I¡­¡± At that moment, Juan noticed Swallan whispering something while holding an arrow, ready to stab her own neck. He quickly bent her arm and knocked her down, but Swallan didn¡¯t move, and continued whispering despite the shock from falling on the ground. ¡®The hallucination is stronger than I thought.¡¯ However, the hallucination wasn¡¯t strong enough to control Juan¡¯s mind. There were two different types of hallucinations; one was the type of hallucination that affected the nervous system and disrupted the neural structure of the body, while the second type was the hallucination of the mental system, one that directly penetrated the mind to cause confusion. No matter how powerful it was, the hallucination of the mental system couldn¡¯t affect Juan in any way. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan twisted and dislocated the joints of Swallan¡¯s arm to prevent her from hurting herself, then turned to the woman with the hazy face. She was still sitting on the same spot and quietly staring at Juan. Smash! Juan attacked using Blink and crossed the air in an instant. As soon as Juan¡¯s fist touched the wall, the wall split like a spider web with a loud roar. At the same time, the woman¡¯s hazy face had returned to an ordinary face with eyes, nose and mouth before anyone knew it. Juan could immediately recognize that she was an elf at just a glance. The woman rubbed her bleeding cheek with her hand while staring at Juan with perplexed eyes. ¡°...Huh, this is fascinating. I didn¡¯t think that anyone could even break the mirage of this Crack yet, but not only did you break the mirage, you even managed to come in contact with my body.¡± Juan ignored the woman¡¯s words and swung his fist at her again. The woman¡¯s face was pierced by his fist in an instant¡ªat least it should have been. Unlike what Juan expected, she just scattered through the haze, while still having a surprised look on her face. ¡°All your comrades are dying right now. Are you going to waste your time trying to hurt me when you can¡¯t even touch me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if they die.¡± At that moment, Juan drew his short sword from his waist. Juan had figured out that the woman was tricking him about how far she was by pawing the air just now. Juan struck the woman¡¯s head with his short sword without the slightest hesitation¡ªhe didn¡¯t miss this time. With a dull sensation in Juan¡¯s hand, blood splashed out of the woman¡¯s head. When Juan retracted his short sword, the woman trembled and collapsed on the ground. At the same time the woman collapsed, the strange hallucinations which had been disturbing his sense of direction quickly subsided. Upon confirming that the woman was no longer moving, Juan approached Swallan who was blankly staring at him. ¡°Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces, this is¡­¡± ¡°A hallucination, yes. The other guys were all trying to kill each other, but you were only trying to hurt yourself for some reason.¡± Juan set Swallan¡¯s arm that he had dislocated back to the right place once again. Swallan frowned due to the pain, but was soon able to move her arm again. The other mercenaries had also stopped stabbing at each other after the woman¡¯s death. However, the number of mercenaries had been reduced by more than half in that single moment. Among the many dead bodies lying on the floor was Mark, the lord of Durgal. Most of the mercenaries who had managed to survive were severely injured, and only a few were able to move their bodies properly. Swallan was also suffering from her dislocated joints. Juan looked around to find Nora, but she was nowhere to be found. She couldn¡¯t be found among the survivors, and neither could her corpse be found among the pile of dead mercenaries. However, Juan couldn¡¯t pay more attention to Nora due to the familiar voice that was heard again. ¡°What a violent man you are. I thought you would give me more time to have a conversation with you.¡± The woman who clearly died earlier by getting her head struck by Juan¡¯s short sword was once again standing up to speak to Juan. It wasn¡¯t that Juan missed¡ªsmall tentacles were knotting themselves together and connected the wounds on her head. The root-like tentacles were connected and continued all the way to under her feet. Juan recalled seeing something similar to this scene before. ¡°Are you a priest from the Thornbush Priest Organization?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Now I can tell who you are¡ªthe young man who was chasing the traces of Gerard Gain in the wasteland, right? I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Juan tightened his grip on his short sword. He didn¡¯t know what this priest of the Thornbush Priest Organization knew about Gerard Gain, but he was going to force her to spit out everything she knew by any means necessary. What he was worried about was the woman dying before he could even ask proper questions. Fortunately, his concerns didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal upon seeing her healing her head that had been split in half. ¡°Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces.¡± At that moment, Swallan staggered to her feet. ¡°That woman¡­ is my comrade¡ªthe one who cut off my ears.¡± Juan looked at the spots where Swallan¡¯s missing ears would be. Swallan was telling Juan that the woman was the comrade who cut off her ears, planted the seed of madness in her, and rooted hallucinations in her. Just like Swallan, the woman was also an elf. However, the woman still had both her sharp and pointy ears, unlike Swallan. The woman stared at Swallan for a while, then tilted her head to ask a question. ¡°Is that Swallan standing next to you?¡± ¡°...Celine.¡± Swallan limped forward. The elf woman called Celine smiled and continued speaking. ¡°Long time no see. I guess I didn¡¯t scare you enough by cutting off your ears back then, huh? How ironic. It was because of the mirage of this Crack that our group was completely destroyed at that time. And here we are. You and I, the only survivors of the group, meet again at the same spot.¡± ¡°I still think about that time,¡± Swallan forced a smile. ¡°When you were hallucinating and cut off my ears, I was thinking that I deserved such punishment; after all, I was the one who was blinded by money and dragged everyone to this dungeon. I thought that I could revive our forest as long as we had money. However, there was one thing I could never figure out. What you were thinking at that time. Why my ears? Why didn¡¯t you just kill me instead of just cutting my ears?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Celine made a strange face. ¡°Maybe it''s because I hated those ears and I couldn¡¯t stand them. In the empire that was ruled by the emperor, those ears were subjected to such persecution and contempt¡ªthis was true for both you and me. In the end, you eventually found a place to stay due to you losing your ears, and I found a place where I could stay even if I had my ears.¡± Celine opened her arms and pointed toward the deeper area of the dungeon of Durgal. ¡°The Crack accepted me, who was nothing more than a lunatic. Then the Crack gave me a glorious name and granted me the crown of thorns. That shabby elf from back then has now become a priest of the Thornbush Priest Organization, Swallan. I am connected with everyone.¡± Celine smiled and beckoned to the ground. ¡°Your comrades are still here in this dungeon, Swallan. Would you like to say hi?¡± As soon as Celine finished speaking, the stones and dust on the ground furiously moved up and down. A group of people began to slowly raise their bodies from the ground. CH 93 Swallan held her breath upon seeing those figures slowly standing up from the ground. Just like Swallan, all of them had their ears cut off. Furthermore, their nose, lips, and eyes had also been cut out¡ªhowever, she could recognize them at a glance. They were Swallan¡¯s elf comrades who had traveled with and helped her for a long time. They were also those that Swallan and Celine had once taught as well as received help from. Although a long time had passed, their bodies seemed to have not rotted at all. ¡°...Undead?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t compare them to such crude things. They are still alive, you know.¡± Celine smiled and moved her fingers to gesture. One of the elves groaned and slowly turned his head at Celine¡¯s hand gesture. His mouth gaped open, but his empty mouth couldn¡¯t spit out a proper word. Swallan covered her mouth with her hand; she was speechless at the miserable sight of her old comrade. Celine hummed a strange tune and wandered around her comrades. ¡°The elves that were born after the emperor killed Iolin, who used to protect the forest and the lake, couldn''t enjoy a long life like their ancestors. They lost their harmony with the spirits and ended up growing old, just like ordinary humans. Just like you and I, Swallan. Our parents didn¡¯t even consider or treat us like elves,¡± Celine said as she reached out her hand to poke her finger into the empty eyes of the elf. ¡°However, that didn¡¯t mean that humans treated us like humans, even though we were no different from ordinary human beings after losing our God''s blessing. But look, my comrades and I built a nest here in this dungeon, and we are stronger than ever.¡± ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t mean¡­ you got stronger¡­¡± Swallan muttered. ¡°Of course, we had to pay a price. It seems that you believe that I have a monopoly on this power. But you¡¯re wrong. All the priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization are equal, and so are they.¡± When Celine put her two fingers on her tongue, a wet and muddy sound was heard. After a while, Celine opened her mouth to hide her tongue still wriggling with tentacles. ¡°Swallan.¡± It was the voice of a man that came out of Celine¡¯s mouth. Swallan was completely frozen upon hearing the voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time, Swallan.¡± Swallan quickly pulled out an arrow and shot it in an instant, but Celine just slightly turned her head and dodged the arrow. ¡°...Did you really think that such a trick would work on me, Celine? Did you think I¡¯d be agitated if you just imitated Ergel¡¯s voice? You really thought that I came here without any resolution?¡± Swallan said. But ¡®Celine¡¯ continued to speak. ¡°I remember the night when the star of Elpell crossed with the tip of the Sagittarius, Swallan.¡± Swallan was completely rigid. Her hand which was holding the bow began to tremble. The story Celine was talking about was something that was not known by anyone other than Swallan and the other person involved. ¡®Celine¡¯ continued to speak in a relaxed manner. ¡°You said that you wanted to learn how to use the bow. Even though we told you many times that we could no longer shoot arrows that would lead us to the destination due to no longer being blessed by the wind spirit, you insisted that you still want to learn. You said the Order of Lindwurm shooting arrows from atop the dragon looked cool, but¡­¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Swallan gritted her teeth. ¡®Celine¡¯ snorted at Swallan¡¯s mutter. ¡°But you didn¡¯t know back then¡ªthat the Order of Lindwurm helped kill our god, Iolin.¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± Swallan fired an arrow again. This time, the arrow flew in a completely different direction, let alone the face. ¡®Celine¡¯ continued her words while looking at the arrow that missed her. ¡°I also remember you breaking your bow after you found out about this fact. None of us was as good at archery as you. Thus I gave you the bow made using the horns of a dragon that was passed down as a treasure within our forest¡ªso that it would never break.¡± Swallan was biting her lips so hard that she was bleeding. She was tightly clutching her bow as if she was ready to fire another arrow at any time, but the bow seemed like it might break before that. ¡®Celine¡¯ lifted up her finger as if she was playing with a doll. ¡°But look, Swallan. Celine did not flee to this dark, humid dungeon for nothing. She took a huge gamble where she was betting our lives. And look at what she got as her price.¡± A new group of people began to rise up from the ground once again; they were wearing old, rusty armor that had a symbol of a white dragon engraved on the chest. ¡°Celine managed to get the Order of Lindwurm in her hand.¡± Celine¡¯s tongue wriggled, and her voice returned to her original voice. ¡°I am now able to control and command those who used to be the emperor¡¯s men, Swallan. Don¡¯t you think this would be much more meaningful than rebuilding our destroyed forest? We can¡¯t kill the emperor who¡¯s dead already, but don¡¯t you think it would be just as fun to destroy the empire he founded?¡± At that moment, Juan¡¯s body shot out like an arrow with the sound of the stone pavement he was stepping on cracking. *** The armor engraved with a white dragon was the symbol of the Order of Lindwurm. From the moment Juan saw the symbol on the armor, his eyes had been blazing. Juan neglected Celine and Swallan¡¯s conversation in the hope that Swallan would get over her trauma. However, Juan could no longer sit still after seeing the Order of Lindwurm rising from the ground. As soon as his short sword struck the back of her neck, Celine fell to the ground with her neck almost chopped off halfway through. At the same time, Swallan¡¯s comrades and the Order of Lindwurm surrounded Juan in haste. While dodging the huge swords being swung at him, Juan cut the knights¡¯ hamstrings. The knights fell to their knees and a short sword stabbed them in their necks right after. ¡°I know one strike isn¡¯t enough to kill you. Get up.¡± Upon hearing Juan¡¯s words, Celine slowly raised herself up. Before anyone knew it, the back of her neck that had been cut wide open was being joined back by the tentacles. Instead of attacking Juan again, the knights from the Order of Lindwurm surrounded Celine as if they were protecting her. ¡°Right, I forgot the boy was still here. You said you were chasing Gerad Gain, so you might have had a history with the Order of Lindwurm. Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Gerard¡¯s Order of Lindwurm was a group of brave knights who had devoted themselves to protecting the eastern territory from dragons and sea monsters. However, their current base was in this humid and dark underground where not a single ray of sunlight shone. The object that they were currently loyal to seemed to be a gruesome tentacle monster rather than the flag of the empire proudly flying on the battlefield. ¡°Let me be honest with you. The priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization have been watching you ever since you first showed up in Tantil. We were planning for a very elaborate revival of Talter over there. Due to what you did there, we considered you our enemy.¡± Juan frowned upon hearing that there was a hand behind the scenes planning Talter¡¯s revival just as he had expected. However, the gods were not on good terms with the Crack, even though the empire and the Crack were hostile to each other. Juan had a feeling that the priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization pushing ahead with such a plan could only mean one thing. ¡°Were you trying to shake up the empire?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s that. But I don¡¯t feel the need to go into details with you. After that, you antagonized and destroyed the Order of the Blue Rose as well as the Order of the White Crow. Thanks to that, we fell into confusion. I even thought that you might be on our side at one point, since what you had done had more ripple effects than the revival of Talter ever would have.¡± Juan clutched his short sword. He felt that there was no reason to keep listening to such a trivial story. ¡°We wanted to know more about you, and you finally came all the way here. However, seeing you now makes me think of another possibility,¡± Celine said. Juan¡¯s body disappeared for a second, then reappeared from a blind spot on the right side of Celine. Looking at the empty space where Juan was no longer standing, Celine quietly muttered to herself. ¡°The possibility that you¡¯re just some random idiot who appeared out of nowhere.¡± Even though the spot where Juan was attacking from was clearly Celine¡¯s blind spot, the Order of Lindwurm simultaneously struck their weapons toward Juan as if they were sharing their senses with her. Juan narrowly dodged the attack. Despite the fact that they were being controlled by the tentacles, the knights of the Order of Lindwurm could still be considered to be the best knights of the entire empire. One could say that their proficiency in Baltic Sword exceeded that of most Templars. ¡°You¡¯re much too dangerous as an idiot who can¡¯t be controlled. Maybe it¡¯s for the best that you just die here.¡± Celine beckoned to the knights of the Order of Lindwurm without sparing Juan another glance. When Celine ¡®saw¡¯ Juan through the agents in the wasteland, she could immediately tell that he was a powerful opponent. However, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to deal with the entirety of the Order of Lindwurm. Besides, the Order of Linwurm¡¯s skills wasn¡¯t rusty at all compared to when they were active. Celine¡¯s interest was directed toward Swallan rather than Juan¡ªuntil one of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm was mutilated and scattered in an instant. ¡°Huh?¡± Celine was connected to all of them by the nerves made out of tentacles. It was even possible for her to feel their emotions and see their judgments to control them in detail. But a feeling that she had never felt from them in the past years was delivered to her just now: fear. They shuddered. Celine couldn¡¯t understand. Every one of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm had a massive advantage over Juan in terms of their weapons, size, environment, location, and anything else. Almost as if such things had no effect on him at all, Juan fought against the Order of Lindwurm with a single short sword. Flames flared up in Juan¡¯s eyes. The fourth stage of Baltic Swords: Fog Solution. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan slipped into the gaps between the knights of the Order of Lindwurm like a fog. Being perplexed by the sudden unexpected movement, the knights from the Order of Lindwurm failed to swing their weapons properly and ran into each other. In that short moment, Juan¡¯s fog instantly turned into a blade. Another knight was cut down in the blink of an eye again. Their armor failed to protect them from Juan¡¯s short sword and they were cut like a piece of paper. Juan kicked the knight¡¯s head that had been cut off and sent it flying away as if he refused to give the knight a chance to recover. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Celine couldn¡¯t help but grow frustrated upon seeing the Order of Lindwurm being destroyed. The knights¡¯ necks were burnt black, making it difficult for the tentacles to grow on them. Celine was already aware of the fact that Juan used the power of flames from when she observed him over the wasteland, but didn¡¯t think the heat would be strong enough to prevent the tentacles from regenerating. Then, an arrow narrowly passed by her cheek. The arrow struck the back of the neck of one of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm who tried to back off from Juan¡¯s short sword. The moment the knight¡¯s neck was bent back, Juan was able to slash his throat. ¡°Swallan!¡± Celine shouted as she glared at Swallan who was fiddling with her bow once again. Without a change in her expression, Swallan was preparing to shoot another arrow. It seemed obvious that she had no intention of cooperating with Celine again. Juan was stronger than Celine thought, and Swallan kept her in check with her sneak attacks. Both of these things were causing her concentration to break. Celine hastily ordered the knights to pull back, but four of them had been killed. Juan didn¡¯t give Celine a break. Juan¡¯s body turned into a blurry afterimage and chased the knights from the Order of Lindwurm as if he was weaving through them, and then cut their bodies one by one. Celine was beside herself with anger when she saw the Order of Lindwurm helplessly getting annihilated. ¡°How come all of you so-called emperor¡¯s knights are this pathetic¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how you run the knight order,¡± Juan said as if he thought Celine was pathetic, while stabbing a short sword into the neck of another knight. Celine glared at Juan. ¡°It¡¯s all meaningless no matter how skilled the knights are; after all their commander is a newbie. The Order of Lindwurm had the best teamwork and cooperation among its members compared to any other knight orders. You¡¯re the textbook example of an incompetent commander since you¡¯re making them charge recklessly without taking advantage of their merits.¡± ¡°Yes, I bet their teamwork was so good that they were destroyed by internal conflict, right?¡± Celine shot back without flinching. Juan was a stronger opponent than she had expected. Celine couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed. The Order of Lindwurm wasn¡¯t pushed back to this extent even in the past when a Templar called Jules paid a visit. Not only did hallucinations fail to work on the Templars, but their power called the ¡®Grace¡¯ was also very annoying. But that was all. Even though the Templars were difficult and annoying opponents, not a single knight from the Order of Lindwurm had been killed. That could only mean that Juan¡¯s skills far exceeded those of the Templars. CH 94 Juan spun the short sword in his hand, then clashed with the knights of the Order of Lindwurm again as if he refused to give Celine the time to come up with an alternative plan. Another knight was slashed in an instant in the wake of Juan¡¯s short sword. No hesitation could be seen from Juan when he moved his hand to swing his short sword. Inadvertently, Celine realized the fact that Juan was closely looking at the faces of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm while attacking them. For a moment, it occurred to Celine that Juan might have a personal history with the knights. Celine wondered how such a young man even knew the knights of the Order of Lindwurm that had been active many years ago, but soon considered that he might not be human¡ªit was indeed a possibility. ¡®Then I know exactly what to do.¡¯ Celine touched the ground with her hand. Meanwhile, Juan was stabbing the throat of the knight in front of him and twisting his short sword. The burning heat from the red-hot short sword scorched the wound to paralyze the knight. Being unable to move his limbs, the knight¡¯s body squeaked and toppled to the ground. It was a much easier way to kill the knights rather than simply cutting them. Juan breathed out a long sigh. He was fortunate that Celine didn¡¯t know how to properly move and command the Order of Lindwurm. If Gerard Gain was the one leading them, it would have been difficult for Juan to deal with them in his current condition. Furthermore, looking closely at his opponents¡¯ faces before cutting them was making the movement of his short sword slow down. Juan remembered the face of every single knight from the Order of Lindwurm. The knight he had just cut was called Conrad. Even though Juan knew that it couldn¡¯t be, he was constantly searching for someone. ¡®What if Gerard is in here.¡¯ As the Order of Lindwurm was Gerard Gain¡¯s knight order, it wouldn¡¯t be so strange if he was in the dungeon along with the other knights of the Order of Lindwurm. Juan didn¡¯t want to look for Gerard Gain among the beheaded heads of the knights¡ªhe wanted to at least look Gerard in his eyes and listen to his excuses before he decided what to do with Gerard. Juan could feel someone approaching him from behind. When he was just about to swing his short sword to cut a wound on the back of the opponent¡¯s neck, Juan froze in his tracks. The knight who approached Juan from behind opened his mouth and whispered. ¡°Father.¡± The one behind Juan was Gerard Gain. Gerard still had his bright and radiant blond hair along with a face that looked quite similar to Juan. All of Juan¡¯s children were adopted, since Juan didn¡¯t want to have a biological child. Although they weren¡¯t blood-related, all of Juan¡¯s adopted children had tight bonds and were as close as blood relatives. However, Gerard Gain had been different¡ªeveryone had been suspicious that he might actually be the biological child of Juan and there had been constant rumors surrounding him. Gerard Gain was publicly known to be an adopted child as well, but he looked unnaturally similar to Juan¡ªthe only difference was that he had blonde hair instead of black. It was hard for people to believe that he wasn¡¯t Juan¡¯s biological child. Everyone was convinced that he was Juan¡¯s biological child, but no one had the guts to ask Juan about it upfront. Unlike ¡®that night,¡¯ Gerard Gain didn¡¯t appear to be frightened or in pain. He looked just like he used to look during his brightest and bravest of times that Juan remembered. ¡°Father,¡± Gerard whispered once again. Juan stared at him in silence. ¡°Why did you abandon them, father? Weren¡¯t they also your people?¡± This was the first time Gerard Gain had questioned him about his actions. Until today, Gerard had never questioned anything about Juan. When Gerad questioned him, Juan felt a tiny crack in the bond between him and Gerard¡ªthe bond he had believed to be unbreakable. Gerard Gain drew out his sword and slowly approached Juan. As he got closer, Juan could see his eyes filled with sorrow and his face which was full of resentment toward Juan. Juan reached his hand out toward Gerad¡¯s face. Even in the moments just before Gerard¡¯s sword pierced Juan¡¯s stomach back then, Juan was stroking Gerard¡¯s cheek. ¡°I just can¡¯t forgive you,¡± Juan said. Juan shoved his hand into Gerard¡¯s mouth and grabbed Gerard¡¯s lower jaw before twisting his arm. With a grotesque sound, Gerard¡¯s head was smashed against the ground and scattered into pieces. Gerard¡¯s face disappeared along with a horrible sound¡ªthe only thing left of him was some blood-soaked blonde hair. Juan turned his head away without even sparing a glance at the body. Celine looked at Juan with perplexed eyes while holding a mushroom that glowed in the dark. ¡°What¡­ but how¡­?¡± Celine had just tried to use some spores from the Crack on Juan. Small invisible spores from the Crack entered one¡¯s head through their ears and nose, and then directly took root in their brain and planted hallucinations of the most painful moments of their lives. No matter how strong one¡¯s mental strength was, they couldn¡¯t withstand the hallucination which directly manipulated their nerves¡ªthat was the limit of a living being after all. Juan approached Celine step by step in a calm manner. Celine felt a burning heat as well as a sudden chill as if she had been trapped in the middle of the glacier. All the tentacles at the places that Juan stepped on were burned by the heat. ¡°You showed me something that you should never have,¡± Juan said. Just one thought crossed Celine¡¯s mind. ¡®I screwed with the wrong person!¡¯ Celine didn¡¯t know what Juan saw or felt, but she could clearly see that she had touched a nerve of some sort¡ªa nerve that had been buried deep in his mind. ¡°E-everyone, s-stop him! Now!¡± Celine commanded the Order of Lindwurm, scattering her power through the tentacles at the same time. Although it was true that Juan was powerful, Celine still believed that he wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to withstand the entire Order of Lindwurm. The Order of Lindwurm was the strongest in the eastern territory, and they were the knights who fought alongside someone who killed Gods. Celine despised the Order of Lindwurm, but being able to control them after she became a priest of the Thornbush Priest Organization was the best gift she ever got. However, her belief and faith were being shaken now. Paradoxically, the moment Celine gave up on controlling the Order of Lindwurm for a short second, the knights of the Order of Lindwurm¡¯s simultaneous attack on Juan shook the entire dungeon. The elaborate joint attack executed by the knights of the Order of Lindwurm was a powerful blow which Celine had never seen before. Celine had a premonition of victory. The joint attack of the Order of Lindwurm was so powerful that even Swallan, who had been watching the whole scene, turned pale. At that moment, a grotesque sound of something being broken was heard by everyone. Upon hearing the sound, Celine¡¯s face stiffened. The knights of the Order of Lindwurm slowly began to be pushed back little by little. Crack! Crack! The sound of the stone pavement breaking echoed throughout the dungeon. The knights from the Order of Lindwurm moved as if they were being dragged by someone¡¯s hand. WIth a sharp sound, the knights¡¯ weapons broke into pieces. A man in ink-colored armor walked out amidst the rain of broken weapon pieces. A flame was burning from underneath the visor, but the ink colored armor didn¡¯t reflect any light whatsoever and looked extremely bizarre. On top of that, the armor shook and dropped the pieces of the broken weapons embedded on its body to the ground, almost as if it was alive. The texture of the armor looked extremely familiar to Celine¡ªit was the cloak that Juan had been wearing and was transformed into the shape of an armor. Celine felt overwhelmed with fear just by looking at Juan silently approaching her with the dark armor on. ¡®I¡¯m feeling fear? Me, who serves the Crack and controls the emperor¡¯s knights?¡¯ The things she had witnessed inside the Crack was much more bizarre and overwhelming. Celine recalled feeling a frantic fear in a feast of incongruity and asymmetry. However, Juan¡¯s appearance instilled a different kind of fear than the one she felt from the Crack¡ªit was none other than awe. ¡°G-go away!¡± Celine desperately mobilized the entire Order of Lindwurm and all the tentacles to cling to Juan. The weight of the armor worn by the knights of the Order of Lindwurm alone must be a few tons. Along with that, tentacles even thicker than Juan¡¯s arms surrounded his body like the tree vines. However, Juan¡¯s speed didn¡¯t slow down at all. The tentacles were torn off with a rustling sound, while the knights¡¯ hands that grabbed at Juan¡¯s armor were burnt red. The spikes on Juan¡¯s boots stuck into the ground and slowly pushed his body forward. Celine had a feeling that she needed to escape immediately. However, her feet refused to move¡ªit was absolutely meaningless to find a place to escape when the sky was collapsing. Juan slowly reached out his hand to grab Celine¡¯s head. He heard Swallan shouting something at him, but Juan didn¡¯t hesitate even for a second. In a blink of an eye, Juan smashed Celine¡¯s head like an egg. *** Juan stared at Celine¡¯s smashed head as well as the brain fluid flowing down his hand for a long time. Soon after, cursed out loud even without realizing it. ¡°Fuck!¡± Juan thought that Celine¡¯s death was too fast and easy. ¡®I shouldn''t have given the bitch who showed such a sight to me such an easy way out.¡¯ Juan¡¯s breath underneath the visor was getting hotter and hotter as his head was burning up. The moment he saw Gerard Gain¡¯s face, Juan felt something snap within himself; however, it was unknown whether it was because he saw Gerard¡¯s face, or because Celine dared to use Gerard¡¯s face to try and deceive Juan. Whatever the reason was, Juan couldn¡¯t hold himself back from killing Celine as soon as he saw Gerard¡¯s face. Juan looked down at Celine¡¯s body for a while, then turned around. Insulting a corpse was not Juan¡¯s cup of tea¡ªhe preferred insulting one as much as possible while they were still alive. The ink-colored armor surrounding his body slowly melted away and returned to its original form as a cloak. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Before anyone knew it, Swallan approached him. She was looking at Juan with a surprised face. ¡°That was amazing, Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces¡­ What the heck is that armor? I¡¯ve never seen such a thing before.¡± Juan hadn¡¯t been hiding the existence of the armor in particular. He had attempted to mold his mana into the form of an armor in the past as a test, but he had to quit due to the heavy consumption of mana. However, the situation he was in just now was one that he couldn¡¯t withstand without using his mana. If he fully used his mana without sparing it, Juan was confident enough to say that no one was a match for him unless it was either a god or Barth Baltic. Of course, Juan had not met an enemy strong enough for him to use his mana without constraints ever since fighting against Nigrato. After finishing his first experiment, Juan had wanted to give a name to the armor. He didn¡¯t think that simply calling it ¡®the essence of Nigrato¡¯ was right, especially after Ras had created it at the cost of his life. There was one adequate name which Juan had thought of¡ªUmbra. Juan decided to call his ink-colored armor Umbra. After naming the armor in his head, Juan looked toward Celine in a disgusted manner. Swallan followed Juan¡¯s gaze, and her expression soon turned complicated. ¡°Is she finally dead for good?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°I wish she could come back to life.¡± Swallan looked at Juan as if his words were unexpected. But Juan didn¡¯t have any good intentions with his words. In fact, it was the other way around. ¡°There¡¯s still so much I wanted to ask her about¡­¡± Swallan muttered. ¡°I agree,¡± Juan nodded at Swallan¡¯s words. Juan vowed that no matter how angry he got in the future, he would never give his enemies an easy and comfortable death. Juan also had a lot of questions left for Celine: how Celine came to control the Order of Lindwurm, if she knew anything about Gerard Gain¡¯s whereabouts, and what this space was made for. But now, all these questions would remain a mystery. Furthermore, there was one thing that bothered Juan the most. Juan looked around at the knights from the Order of Lindwurm standing blankly as well as the bodies that were scattered on the ground. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°The knights of the Order of Lindwurm. The numbers don¡¯t add up. If they were wiped out by internal conflict and their dead bodies were used by the Crack as a force, just like Lord Mark had said, then all of them should be here. But it looks like not even half of them are here.¡± Juan had an unpleasant feeling. At that moment, the knights from the Order of Lindwurm as well as the elves connected to the tentacles rattled and made a movement. Swallan stared at the elves with a pale expression. Everyone connected to the tentacles convulsed as if they were having a seizure, and they simultaneously looked toward Juan at one point. All of them spoke in unison as if they had one mouth. ¡°The emperor.¡± CH 95 Celine¡¯s head had been completely destroyed, but she didn¡¯t mind it too much¡ªher physical body was meaningless from the moment she had decided to devote it to the Crack anyway. Celine had connected herself to dozens of bodies using the nerves, which any of the priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization could do. However, the fear that took hold of her body for a short moment couldn¡¯t be easily shaken off. Fear and shock kept Celine frozen while she hid under the surface for a while to prevent her from doing anything to attract Juan¡¯s attention. Celine recalled Juan¡¯s burning eyes and the hand which reached out for her while covered in an ink-colored armor. She had thought that Juan was nothing compared to those from the Crack. However, Juan was about to break Celine¡¯s world into tiny pieces. ¡®Who the heck is he?¡¯ Juan was not some random fool who simply wandered into the wasteland. Celine could now see why the Thornbush Priest Organization had told her to keep a close eye on him. Then, Celine inadvertently remembered how the Order of Lindwurm also instinctively felt fear toward Juan. She figured that they might know something about that bastard¡¯s identity. Celine searched through the minds and memories of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm to get any and all information they had on Juan. Surprisingly, there was a memory in their minds which caused the emotions felt by the knights from the Order of Lindwurm and Celine to overlap. It was a memory about something that Celine had never even thought was possible¡ªit was the memory of the emperor. ¡°The emperor.¡± Celine blurted out before she even realized. To be precise, everyone that was connected to her blurted it out. Celine was extremely shocked by the information she had found from the memories of the knights. Celine looked at Juan while trying her best to deny it. ¡°Did you just find out now? You lack imagination,¡± Juan said with a relaxed face. ¡®It¡¯s impossible. The emperor is dead already.¡¯ ¡°But, Gerard Gain¡ªI¡¯m certain that he stabbed the emperor with Elkiehl.¡± ¡°Elkiehl?¡± Juan frowned upon hearing the unfamiliar name. But he soon noticed that what Celine had just mentioned was the black blade that was split like a branch¡ªthe blade which Gerard Gain had used to stab him. Juan figured that the black blade¡¯s name must be Elkiehl. ¡°But there¡¯s no way the emperor can still be alive after getting stabbed by Elkiehl¡­ no, then what the heck is that presence¡­ wait, so Gerard Gain didn¡¯t take the crown with him? Then why did he run away? Where is the crown¡­¡± Juan looked at Celine who was spouting gibberish, and then let out a long sigh as he approached her. Juan was relieved; it seemed like Gerard Gain was still alive. This meant that it no longer mattered whether Juan killed the woman in front of him or not. Juan decided that he will kill every single one of those bodies connected to Celine while leaving only one alive to save his energy. Juan¡¯s hand grabbed Celine by the neck. She blankly stared at Juan and asked. ¡°Where is Gerard Gain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly the question I want to ask of you.¡± Juan bent the elf¡¯s neck backward. There was no way that she would die by simply cracking her neck bone as her wounds were constantly regenerated with the help of the tentacles. However, Juan wanted to try some things he had in his mind. Celine didn¡¯t budge at all and just continued to speak using dozens of mouths all at once. ¡°I¡¯m sure Gerard Gain killed him. I heard that the emperor was sitting on the throne as a corpse, so how¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. However, it¡¯s also true that I¡¯m unfortunately still alive. On top of that, what you showed me earlier was also similar to what actually happened. If you knew what that was, you would regret not being able to die when I smashed your head earlier. You should just kill yourself if you don¡¯t want to suffer,¡± Juan said. Then, Celine raised her face as if she had realized something. ¡°The crown!¡± Celine shouted. Juan felt unpleasant upon seeing Celine continuously talking about strange things that he couldn¡¯t understand. And when Juan felt unpleasant, he usually didn¡¯t just stop at frowning¡ªespecially if his opponent was worthy of being killed. Juan thrust his fist into the face of the elf standing in front of his eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re going to speak, make it logical and polite.¡± ¡°Where is the crown!? The fact that you¡¯re still alive means that Gerard Gain failed to get the crown! Then it means you still have the crown with you!¡± Celine desperately shouted despite her squashed face. ¡°Do you not feel pain? What do I need to do to make you come to your senses, huh? Even if I wanted to torture you, I need to be able to communicate with you first,¡± Juan clicked his tongue. ¡°Lies! There¡¯s no point in trying to hide it! The fact that you¡¯re still alive is clear evidence itself!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never once lied ever since I came here, you monster. What would I need to hide from a monster like you? I¡¯d rather ask you a question. What the hell is that crown that you¡¯re so obsessed about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the crown you stole, you fake emperor!¡± Suddenly, pillar-like tentacles rose from the ground and charged toward Juan. Juan managed to dodge the attack by a narrow margin, but one of the nearest knights from the Order of Lindwurm standing next to Juan couldn¡¯t. The knight was directly crushed by the weight of the tentacles. ¡°Gerard Gain promised to bring back the usurped crown to us from you! But he broke his promise!¡± ¡®The usurped crown?¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t figure out what Celine was talking about. There was no emperor that existed before himself, and no existence who dared to call himself the ruler of humankind had existed either¡ªJuan was the only emperor in history. ¡°Until now, we had believed that Gerard was running away from us because of his greed for the crown. But it seems like that¡¯s not the case! Where is Gerard? Did you kill him?¡± Celine asked. Juan¡¯s lips twitched. A huge tentacle rushed toward Juan as if it was trying to crush Juan for good this time. However, Juan didn¡¯t move an inch to dodge the attack¡ªhe only watched the tentacle coming at him without an expression. The moment the tentacle was about to hit him, Juan swung his arm. The tentacle split in half along the trajectory of Juan¡¯s movement. A tar-like fluid splashed on Juan¡¯s head, but the fluid evaporated in the face of the rising heat before it could even stain Juan. Although there was no fire, Juan was suddenly covered in a haze. On the other hand, Celine ironically felt an intense heat from Juan¡¯s cold expression. Faced with the heat that felt unapproachable, Celine recalled the power of the emperor. ¡°It seems that you are quite curious about Gerard, you monster. But what can I do?¡± Juan grabbed his short sword inversely. ¡°I don¡¯t hold a conversation with monsters, gods, ghosts, or demons by nature. If I must speak with them, I only torture or interrogate them. I will kill you in the most painful way I can, even if you intend to willingly answer all my questions.¡± Celine shouted an unintelligible roar and swung her tentacles. A few of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm were swept away and crushed by the sudden movement of the tentacles. At that moment, the door leading to the deeper area of the dungeon began to gradually open with a cracking sound. The cracking sound spread in all directions with a loud roar that shook the entire dungeon. As Juan sensed a strong energy belonging to the Crack from beyond the door leading to the deeper area, he realized that something from beyond the door was about to squeeze itself out. It didn¡¯t take too long for Juan to notice that the door was a pathway leading to the Crack. The pathways leading to the Crack were usually only opened for very short amounts of time, and the northern territory of the empire was the only place where the pathway to the Crack was permanently open. It seemed that the dungeon in Durgal had been built in order to permanently connect to the Crack. Juan thought that such a goal would be quite difficult to fulfill¡ªalthough the door to the deeper area was huge, it was still too small for the beings of the Crack to appear through it. Even now, black bloody fluid was running down the tentacles stuck in the door as they tried to charge through but were torn apart. Meanwhile, Celine crawled toward the door as if she didn¡¯t care even if her entire body got dismembered. As the door of the deeper area began to open, the remaining mercenaries and Swallan turned their gazes toward it all at once. Although many of them had a lot of experience in dealing with the dungeon in Durgal and had heard quite a few rumors about the deeper area, no one had seen its true nature¡ªexcept for the lunatics and the dead. Something purple in color flowed through the gap in the door. The moment everyone¡¯s eyes turned to it, something suddenly escaped from the door and pulled the nearest mercenary. People couldn''t properly see what it was that pulled the mercenary and only looked up when a scream broke out. The thing holding the mercenary above everyone¡¯s head was a tentacle as thick as a giant tree. The purple tentacle had a bizarre texture and crushed the mercenary¡¯s body almost instantly, and then greedily absorbed his bloody remains with its acetabulum. The mercenaries all burst into screams upon seeing the tentacle crush the mercenary and then try to suck out all his body fluids out of him without leaving a single drop. Almost as if that had just been the beginning, more tentacles began to squeeze themselves out of the door. The tentacles crawled out of the huge door like water bursting out of the dam, and they were different from anything that the mercenaries had ever dealt with. The Shy¡¯gus defeated by Juan felt like a cute puppy when compared to the gruesome tentacles in front of their eyes. ¡°W-we need to r-run¡­¡± The mercenaries muttered in devastation, but no one could move a muscle Those who were capable of escaping were already long gone, and the only ones left were those who were either injured or had gone mad. The mercenaries were looking at the dark eye through the gap in the tentacles. Those who looked into the eye went mad, while those who didn¡¯t dare to look at the eye lowered their heads. Swallan also avoided looking at the eye. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The purple tentacles tickled the mercenaries¡¯ cheeks, taunting them, and the mercenaries either laughed or cried, muttering unintelligible words. Juan was the only one among the mercenaries looking directly at the eye. ¡°We prepared for hundreds of years to get the crown back! But you still dared to deceive us!¡± Celine shouted an inscrutable scream. Upon hearing Celine mention ¡®hundreds of years,¡¯ Juan figured out that it was not her who was shouting. Juan believed that something behind Celine was shouting through her mouth. With a loud roar that made the entire dungeon tremble, all the tentacles stretched out simultaneously and wriggled toward Juan at a close distance. The skin-like texture tickled Juan¡¯s cheeks with murderous intention. After Celine persistently hit the door despite wounding herself, a huge body finally came out of the door with a loud roar. Celine¡¯s gigantic figure ran wildly toward Juan. Her body was extremely large and groups of tentacles were still connected to her from beyond the door of the deeper area. Juan intuitively realized that he would not be able to win against this tentacle monster in a direct confrontation. This tentacle monster was the beast living deep in the real Crack. Things might have been different if Juan had his power as the emperor, but defeating such a monster with his current body was impossible. Juan hastily splattered some of his blood in order to start a fire around him. The tentacles flinched in the face of the burning heat, but Celine disregarded the burning of her body to continue pressuring Juan. Before anyone knew it, the knights from the Order of Lindwurm who had almost been completely absorbed by the tentacles surrounded Juan. The sight of the knights¡¯ entire bodies being connected to the tentacles by the nerves to support them in holding their swords upright looked ridiculous, almost as if the tentacles were a puppeteer playing with puppets. Despite their armor glowing red due to the flames released by Juan, the knights narrowed the distance between them and Juan while firmly holding their weapons. ¡°How arrogant of a bastard whose birth was even a lie!¡± the knights all roared in Celine¡¯s voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you are lying or not, fake emperor! But if you still have the crown with you, it will be me, not Gerard Gain, who will get it back!¡± The knights from the Order of Lindwurm surrounding Juan all began to whisper something in unison¡ªit was a queer song that sounded like a prayer and a spell at the same time. Feeling ominous upon hearing the song, Juan tried to wrap himself up with Umbra once again. At that moment, an unexpected force seized him. ¡°I, the vagrant elf who used to be an abandoned child, will inherit the crown!¡± A cry mixed with joy, remorse, fear, and desperation broke out of Celine. Then, a burning heat Juan had never experienced before in his life rose from the middle of his forehead. Juan had never felt such heat before, even in a boiling volcano or inside a burning flame. However, for the first time in his life, he was screaming in pain from the heat that seemed intent on burning his entire brain. Along with Juan¡¯s scream, a crown that burned with brilliant flames appeared. CH 96 ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± The light that burst out from the Flame Crown enlightened the entirety of the dungeon. The light was so strong that it penetrated everyone¡¯s eyelids even if they closed them tight. Juan broke out into a scream due to the pain of his head boiling due to the burning heat. Regardless, the Flame Crown continued to burn with tremendous energy and came out of the middle of Juan¡¯s forehead. Juan couldn¡¯t maintain a stable mental state due to the pain, but he could still feel that a huge and powerful force was being released from his forehead. The force was so powerful that it almost distorted the surrounding space. Juan couldn¡¯t help but be confused. This power was definitely much greater than what he was capable of in his current body. In fact, it felt on par with the power Juan used to have during his time as the emperor. Juan had no idea that he had such power within him. Meanwhile, Celine added a few more strange words to the song as those connected to Celine were shouting. The flames which had colored everything white began to settle down soon after, despite the blazing power of the flame still remaining. As the light faded, the appearance of the crown became clearer in Celine¡¯s eyes. ¡°The crown!¡± Celine shouted in joy. The crown that had appeared seemed more like a tall burning flame rather than an ordinary crown. Although Juan couldn¡¯t see the crown properly as it was still in the process of coming out of his forehead, it was an unfamiliar item to him. Juan had cut down numerous gods with legendary equipment. He was the one who had created legends and myths with his own hands, but this item was still unfamiliar to him. Juan couldn¡¯t believe something like this had come out of his own body. ¡®Revival.¡¯ Juan intuitively realized that his revival was related to the strange power of this crown. Juan further theorized that perhaps even the birth of an ¡®emperor¡¯ was related to this crown as well. ¡°My king, I shall use my own hands to retrieve your crown on behalf of the Thornbush Priest Organization!¡± Celine shouted as she reached out to grab the flame crown. Juan tried to stop her, but it was hard for him to even move his fingers due to the intense pain. Juan was used to many different kinds of pain because of his experiences, but the pain caused by this heat was something utterly unfamiliar to him. Not only was he suffering from pain, but the mana inside his body didn¡¯t move at all, almost as if it was all suppressed. ¡°I will place the mighty crown back where it belongs!¡± Celine shouted once again. Upon seeing Celine¡¯s hand tremble as she tried to grab the crown but was unable to do so, a question came into Juan¡¯s mind for a short moment. ¡®What¡¯s stopping her?¡¯ Celine could grab the crown with her hands at any moment now. But for some reason, she was hesitating and didn¡¯t easily touch the crown, as if she was afraid. And that wasn¡¯t just an assumption¡ªshe actually was afraid of the crown. Celine¡¯s agitation also affected the tentacles and the Order of Lindwurm and Juan could sense the agitation in the air. ¡°My king!¡± Celine¡¯s fingertips that had been trembling barely managed to touch a corner of the Flame Crown. At that moment, a tremendous heat erupted from the crown and vaporized Celine¡¯s entire upper body in just the blink of an eye. The heat was so powerful that it burned Celine without even leaving behind a single bone fragment. The consequence of touching the Flame Crown didn¡¯t just end with losing her upper body. The top part of the tentacle monster was completely pierced, scattering minced meat to the ground. ¡°Why?! My king, why?! I have served you with all my will!¡± Celine was still alive due to her connection to the knights of the Order of Lindwurm and the fact that every single tentacle was an extension of herself. The knights of the Order of Lindwurm then kneeled down and reached for the crown with a thirsty look on their faces, but none of them dared to touch it directly. It was only then that Juan realized¡ªwhile he didn¡¯t know the reason behind it¡ªthat Celine couldn¡¯t touch this power called the crown. She was only able to draw it out from within Juan despite her desperate longing for it. ¡°Ugh, keuk¡­¡± Juan gritted his teeth, but not due to the pain this time. As the crown continued to come out of his body, his consciousness became more and more distant. The power of the crown was stirring up Juan¡¯s body and numbing his brain. Juan couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen if he lost consciousness in his current state. ¡°Give up the crown, you usurper!¡± Celine howled with frustration as she desperately tried to grab onto the crown, but couldn¡¯t do anything about it other than circle around it. Juan was slowly losing consciousness. The more the crown was pulled out of his body, the more Juan felt like a tremendous power was taking over his body. It was hard for Juan to even gauge the end of this force. At the same time, Juan felt his vision growing more distant whilst flames erupted out from his eyes and mouth. Even now, barely half the crown had exited the middle of his forehead. As Juan moved his body, the force of the crown scattered unstably and flowed out of his entire body. Celine grew even angrier upon seeing the white flames burst out of Juan¡¯s skin. ¡°That crown is not something that should be in your possession! There is certainly an owner who deserves it more¡­¡± Celine couldn¡¯t finish her sentence when she saw Juan slowly raising himself up. Upon seeing his body covered in white flames, Celine¡¯s body trembled as if she had realized something. ¡°Is that you, my king? Have you returned?¡± Celine carefully asked. Juan¡¯s burning body remained motionless with his hands and feet drooping down. The Flame Crown which was obliquely sticking out of his head was certainly incomplete, but somehow added a sense of fear. Celine was unable to do anything and only suffered from the opposing feelings of fear and desperation. At that moment, Juan¡¯s neck creaked and his head turned toward Celine. Celine felt as if her heart had stopped beating, even though she didn¡¯t have a heart, while at the same time the knights of the Order of Lindwurm raised their weapons due to the fear that Celine instinctively felt. Juan¡¯s body moved even before the knights from the Order of Lindwurm could fully raise their weapons. With his bare hands, Juan easily burned them down in an instant. The knights were immediately turned into ashes as soon as Juan¡¯s hand brushed past them. Juan didn¡¯t hesitate and ran wildly toward Celine. Upon seeing him charging furiously at her, all Celine could do was cover her entire body with as many tentacles as possible and hide deep within them. However, such weak attempts at defense were futile in front of Juan¡ªJuan burned the tentacles and ripped them apart. Celine¡¯s tentacles were helplessly dismembered and burnt. There was nowhere Celine could escape to in the vanishing flesh of the tentacles. It was as if her entire body was being shredded. Celine screamed, and the scream of such a giant tentacle monster reverberated through the dungeon and made the entire dungeon tremble. ¡°But why?! Why?! My king, all I was trying to do was put the star and your position back to where it belongs!¡± Celine¡¯s cry certainly wasn¡¯t directed at Juan, and it was unclear as to who the words were meant for¡ªhowever, none of that mattered now. Celine no longer had anywhere else to escape. Juan, who was engulfed with madness, finally reached her, and Celine¡¯s eyes flashed with bright light. ¡°My king¡­¡± Celine muttered without even realizing. ¡°The king of kings, the mighty Qzatquizail¡­ but why¡­¡± Those were the final words left by Celine. No more words were heard within the dungeon. *** Juan was watching his own body¡¯s actions as if he was dreaming. His body was completely out of control, and its speed and power were difficult for him to understand. Although what the body did was what Juan had also been desperately trying to do, it was useless since it couldn¡¯t be controlled. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Juan¡¯ was in a reckless frenzy¡ªthere was no other way to describe his current state. Even after killing Celine, Juan found the knights from the Order of Lindwurm one by one to trample them, smash them, and even went after and tore apart the prominent mercenaries with his teeth to chew and swallow them. By all accounts, those were the actions of animals rather than humans. However, Juan somehow felt relieved. Juan thought that maybe he had always wanted to act wildly in such a primitive manner. The larger the flame crown over his head got and the clearer its appearance became, the more distant Juan felt from his own body. There were a few questions that popped up in Juan¡¯s head before he completely lost his consciousness: the reason why Celine called him by the name of Qzatquizail, and what this unknown power was. But it didn''t matter now. Juan knew that he would continue to run around wildly like a beast. Juan was certain that no one in the empire, not even Barth Baltic, could stop him in his current state. Juan would continue killing, burning, and eating everything to turn the empire into hell as a beast of calamity. Juan knew that he would soon recreate the myths that the empire had once eliminated. Juan thought that such a cycle might even be the natural path that had been prepared for Juan all along, and maybe even the purpose of his revival lay there as well. ¡®No, but was the existence of the emperor even necessary in the first place? If the empire were to be destroyed and collapse like this, then wouldn¡¯t that mean my existence was worthless from the beginning?¡¯ The more suspicious Juan became of his existence, the closer he came to losing his consciousness. Then, Juan saw Swallan at the end of his sight. Swallan had an arrow nocked on her bow, but she couldn¡¯t even aim at Juan and was looking at him with an expression as if she didn¡¯t know what to do. Juan didn¡¯t hesitate to rush toward her. At that moment, something that came from the door leading to the deeper area appeared between Juan and Swallan. That something suddenly jumped in between the two swung its sword exactly at Juan. It was a man wearing a black robe with bandages all over his body¡ªit was the stranger Juan had encountered back in Hiveden. Crack! The sword swung by the stranger accurately struck the flame crown that was coming out of Juan¡¯s forehead. The flame crown wasn¡¯t substantial physically, but Juan¡¯s neck bent backward at the moment when the crown was struck by the sword. Juan¡¯s body spun in the air and miserably rolled onto the stone pavement. Juan wasn¡¯t the only one who suffered due to this attack. The stranger¡¯s arm was bent at a bizarre angle as he partially absorbed the shock from the sword striking the flame crown. The bandages that were wrapped around the sword instantly burned as if it had exploded. The stranger wrapped his broken arm with his hand and approached Juan who was groaning and attempting to move his body. With the sounds of the approaching footsteps, a black blade came before Juan¡¯s eyes¡ªthe same blade which killed him during his time as the emperor. Upon seeing the blade that had killed him in his past life, Juan somehow felt relieved¡ªhe thought he might be more comfortable if he died. But the blade didn¡¯t move as Juan had expected. The black blade gently tapped the flame crown that came out of the middle of Juan¡¯s forehead and slowly pushed it back inside Juan. Juan¡¯s head began to fill up with warm light and flame. *** Swallan blankly stared at the black-robed stranger who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She had been helplessly watching Juan''s mass slaughter before the stranger appeared, and would certainly have been killed if he hadn¡¯t shown up. However, Swallan couldn¡¯t be relieved by the stranger¡¯s appearance, despite the fact that he had unintentionally saved her life. The stranger had appeared from the door leading to the deeper area, which meant he was a being that belonged to the Crack. Swallan was wary and kept her eye on the stranger for a long time, but the stranger didn¡¯t really seem to care about her. Swallan figured that it was only a simple coincidence that he had saved her from being killed by Juan. The stranger touched Juan¡¯s body as if he was examining his condition. Swallan felt anxious upon seeing the stranger¡¯s actions, but he didn¡¯t seem to be doing any harm to Juan. Rather, she even felt that he was pitying Juan while examining his condition. The stranger quickly raised himself up from the ground after checking Juan, and Swallan was startled upon seeing the stranger turning around to look at her. The stranger didn¡¯t say a single word to Swallan and only hid the black blade back into his robe. Then, he pulled down the bandages that were covering his body all the way up to his chin using his intact left arm and spoke. ¡°Please look after him.¡± Swallan flinched the moment she heard the stranger¡¯s voice. Regardless of Swallan¡¯s reaction, the stranger turned around and headed to the door leading to the deeper area as if he had no intention of conversing with her more. Not long after the stranger entered the door, the door leading to the deeper area moved on its own and was completely closed. This area of the dungeon which had been a chaotic mess until just a moment ago was soon enveloped in silence. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Swallan sighed. Despite being extremely confused about everything that had happened, Swallan approached Juan. ¡®He¡¯s the emperor?¡¯ CH 97 Swallan was surprised to hear the conversation between Juan and Celine. Although Swallan had intuitively felt that Juan was an extraordinary young man, all the stories she heard from Juan and Celine¡¯s conversation felt far too absurd. Swallan had quite a few complicated feelings as a member of a race that lost their god¡¯s blessing due to Juan killing the god. However, Swallan was part of the generation that was born after her race lost their god¡¯s blessing. Swallan¡¯s bond with the god wasn¡¯t strong enough for her to be devastated over the fact that Juan was the one who killed her god. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to explain a lot of things to me once you wake up, Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces.¡± Swallan leaned toward Juan to help him up from the ground. It was then. ¡°Stop.¡± Swallan raised her head upon hearing a sudden voice. ¡°Who are you? What have you done to him?¡± A blonde-haired female knight was walking down the stairs, approaching Swallan. The female knight glared at Swallan and questioned her with wary eyes. Swallan quickly looked around to check if anyone else had come with the female knight. Although it seemed like the female knight had no other companions, she didn¡¯t appear to be an easy opponent. First of all, the sword in her hand was a holy sword. She didn¡¯t display an official symbol on her body, but there was a high probability that she was a Templar. ¡°My name is Swallan and I¡¯m Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces¡¯ comrade.¡± Swallan decided to comply with the female knight for now. Swallan was suspicious of the female knight, but she wasn¡¯t confident enough to fight against a Templar in her current state as she was exhausted. The female knight also looked very suspicious of Swallan, but soon responded. ¡°I¡¯m Sina Solvane, a knight of the Order of the Blue Rose. I will be the one to arrest that young man.¡± *** A day earlier. Horhell and his dragon settled down in a forest near the territory of Durgal and hid themselves. Meanwhile, Sina easily heard the rumors about the black-haired young man and that he and his expedition party had already entered the dungeon. Upon hearing those rumors, Horhell asked Sina to do him a favor. ¡°All by myself?¡± Sina Solvane was perplexed as she asked Horhell for confirmation. Despite her confusion, Horhell only nodded silently. ¡°I can¡¯t go in there. I¡¯ll be waiting outside,¡± Horhell said. ¡°Sorry? But¡­¡± Sina stopped speaking¡ªHorhell¡¯s tightly closed lips caught her eyes. Sina knew based on her experience over the past few days that Horhell never gave an answer once he decided to shut his mouth. Sina pondered. Horhell had given Sina a few pieces of advice upon seeing her training alone. The limitations Sina had faced while training in the Baltic Sword were clearly resolved with just a few pieces of Horhell¡¯s advice and a few sparring sessions with him. In just a few days, Sina¡¯s skills had grown rapidly. And now, Sina realized that Horhell hadn¡¯t helped her improve for no reason. ¡°Was your intention behind helping me train over the past few days just to make me enter the dungeon?¡± Sina asked. ¡°...No, that¡¯s not true. I am not talented enough to teach someone. You¡¯re the one who is extraordinary to be able to learn everything so quickly. If you don¡¯t want to go in there, we can just wait for him out here until he comes out on his own. If you really consider yourself to be indebted to me due to the few pieces of advice I gave, then why don¡¯t we just say it¡¯s settled by you doing me a favor right now since I don¡¯t intend to go in there.¡± At the same time, Sina couldn¡¯t just wait until Juan came out on his own¡ªshe had to see what he was up to inside the dungeon, and she had to check what had happened to him inside. Sina couldn¡¯t help it and decided to go into the dungeon. Fortunately, there was barely any danger within the dungeon. The previous expedition party had thoroughly killed all the monsters, and the traces left by them in preparation of an escape route helped guide Sina to Juan¡¯s location. Thanks to them clearing out the way, Sina was able to reach the deeper area much faster than Juan¡¯s expedition party that had entered earlier. What she encountered in the deeper area of the dungeon was Juan who collapsed on the ground and Swallan who had pulled out her dagger. Sina could guess what had happened inside the dungeon just by seeing the dead bodies as well as the tentacles which were burning with a terrible smell. After all, Sina had already passed through such scenes countless times. ¡°What does the Order of the Blue Rose have to do with him? Not only are the Order of the Evil Snake and the Assassination Organization are after him, but another knight order is after him as well? Why does Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces have so much burden holding him back?¡± Swallan complained. Sina felt that Swallan would be no easy opponent based on her relaxed attitude. It was only natural for Sina to think so, considering the fact that Swallan managed to stay alive in this chaotic mess. Inadvertently, something that Swallan said caught Sina¡¯s attention. ¡°Ten thousand gold pieces¡­ are you talking about the reward offered by the Church? Are you after the bounty on his head?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Hmm, no. Well, I¡¯d be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t care about the money, but¡­ as the good mercenary I am, I have to admit that Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces has already paid the full price he promised me. Then what am I supposed to call him now? I got too used to calling him Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Sina felt that it was weird for Swallan to be calling her comrade by the amount of bounty on their head, but didn¡¯t take it too seriously. Juan attracted way more abnormal people than normal people anyways. At the same time, considering that she herself was also involved with him, Sina felt that she was no longer normal either. Swallan reached out to Juan. ¡°I told you to stop!¡± Sina shouted in haste. ¡°¡­take him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take him outside. It looks like both you and I have a business with this guy. It seems obvious that I¡¯ll have a hard time being next to him, but I still have too many questions that I need to ask him and so I can¡¯t just leave him here like this. It seems that you have had a hard time too,¡± Swallan said as she looked at Sina¡¯s shabby clothes. Sina suddenly felt mixed feelings¡ªit was true that Sina had been sleeping out in the open for quite a long time, all in order to track down Juan. She didn¡¯t expect to be able to sympathize with Swallan¡¯s words when she had only just met her. ¡°So, what are you gonna do, female knight? Are you gonna keep standing there while holding your sword?¡± Swallan asked. Sina eventually approached Swallan and helped Juan up. Although he was still breathing, it was weak. At the same time, his body was burning up. Being unable to hold him due to the heat, Sina wrapped Juan with a cloak in order to carry him on her back. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t too heavy. As Sina and Swallan were heading out of the dungeon, they inadvertently found someone blocking their way¡ªit was a female knight who had bandages wrapped around her sides. Sina was perplexed as she couldn¡¯t even sense the slightest sign of the female knight''s presence. The female knight glared at Sina and Juan, then soon opened her mouth to speak. ¡°I¡¯m Nora from the Order of the Evil Snake. I will arrest him.¡± Then another person appeared¡ªMenneth. He had bandages wrapped around his head at the moment. His dogs were nowhere to be found, and he was glaring at Juan with an ax in his hand. ¡°Hand him over to me right now. Then I¡¯ll spare everyone else¡¯s lives.¡± Menneth and Nora weren''t the only ones trying to stop them. Another person, the illegal mage Rem, dawdled and appeared through a gap in the wall. [Stupid fools. I can¡¯t believe you are blinded by money and are trying to hand over this precious being to the Church. Hand him over to me instead, and I¡¯ll show you results that will help advance humankind.] ¡°What the hell¡­ You were all hiding when we were fighting earlier, and now you crawl out like rats¡­¡± Swallan sighed as if she was dumbfounded. Sina didn¡¯t expect to see other people who were involved with Juan even before they got out of the dungeon. Thinking that Swallan might have been wise, Sina drew her sword. *** The smell of wood burning in a stove filled the room. Juan slowly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry and he had no strength within him. Juan¡¯s whole body was screaming with pain, and it was his first time feeling such pain ever since he just began to train himself in Tantil. Someone brought a cup of water to his mouth as he opened his dry lips. Juan began to regain consciousness little by little. Although his vision was still blurred, he noticed that the ceiling above him was an unfamiliar one. He was no longer in a dungeon and was inside a warm cottage. Someone seemed to have rescued him. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ The person who brought the cup to Juan took it back as if they thought Juan had drunk enough. Then they stood up and picked something up that was placed on the table¡ªit was a long sword with a sharp blade. The long sword wasn¡¯t in its sheath, and was covered in blood. The person looked at Juan while holding the sword. Upon seeing all this through his blurred vision, Juan felt a sense of curiosity. If the opponent wanted to kill Juan, they could have easily done so before he gained consciousness. ¡®But why now?¡¯ The person fiddled with the handle of the sword, and then soon approached Juan as if they had made up their mind. Juan blankly looked up at the opponent. Not long after, a familiar voice was heard. ¡°It seems like our positions have reversed this time.¡± Sina Solvane was looking down at him coldly. Juan slightly moved his lips. Sina had a sword with her, and Juan couldn¡¯t resist as he couldn''t move. Now was the perfect opportunity for Sina to avenge the Order of the Blue Rose. The fact that Juan was heavily injured and unarmed didn¡¯t matter to Sina. The cries and screams of her fellow knights still lingered in her ears. ¡®Kill him.¡¯ Even the burning sound of firewood inside the stove sounded like it was urging her to kill Juan. Sina raised her sword. The moment she swung her sword horizontally, a blade suddenly appeared out of thin air. Crashing into Sina¡¯s sword, the blade flew back with the sharp sound of metal clashing. Templar Nora appeared with one of her knees on the floor. Sina glared at Nora with cruel eyes. ¡°You again? I thought I warned you not to interfere,¡± Sina said. ¡°But how did you know¡­?!¡± ¡°I must pay enough attention when someone who knows how to conceal their appearance is after me.¡± The power of the ¡®snake¡¯ that Nora had was not something that helped her to simply hide her appearance¡ªit allowed her to hide in a completely different dimension. There was very little chance of being caught, but she had to show herself in order to attack her targets. There was only the slightest time difference between the moment of attack and the moment she showed herself from her hiding spot. However, Sina responded so quickly that she grasped that little time difference to catch Nora. ¡°...That man is wanted by His Holiness! You shouldn¡¯t be trying to protect him!¡± Nora shouted. ¡°It was I and my comrade who found him, so we¡¯ll be the one to make the decisions. I don¡¯t intend to let him go easily, so please tell His Holiness not to worry.¡± Nora rolled over and kicked the ground again to charge at Sina. Nora¡¯s figure disappeared as if she had become one with the air. Sina flinched for a short moment, but soon pushed her mana into the sword and struck it as hard as she could into the air. With a loud banging sound, Nora was pushed into the air and fell to the ground. ¡°I can easily guess your moves by looking at the position of your feet before you disappear. If you want to properly hide yourself, do it before you run.¡± Nora was perplexed upon seeing that her arm was still intact, but soon realized that Sina had struck her with the back of the sword rather than the front. Sina was looking at Nora with a gaze filled with slight irritation, but hardly any concern. That was the look of someone superior looking down from above. Nora bit her lips. ¡®Even considering my injuries, she is too powerful for me. I¡¯m no match for her.¡¯ Although Nora often relied on the power of the ¡®snake¡¯ as a Templar from the Order of the Evil Snake, she was still quite knowledgeable and skilled as a Templar. However, Sina was several times as powerful as Nora. Even earlier, Sina managed to cut down Menneth without a single injury and dealt with the illegal mage in a three versus two battle. The only reason why Sina spared Nora¡¯s life was because she was a Templar. ¡®She could be the deputy of a knight order with her skills. How come such a talented knight is wandering around without revealing her affiliation?¡¯ Furthermore, the sword that Sina was armed with was a holy sword of a Templar, which was on par with Nora¡¯s. Even if Nora hid in a different dimension using the power of the ¡®snake,¡¯ she could still attack Sina with a holy sword that had been blessed with His Majesty¡¯s Grace. Nora had no excuses. ¡°Tell the Templars outside the cottage to stay still. His Majesty¡¯s knights shouldn¡¯t be raising their swords against each other, don¡¯t you think?¡± Sina said. There was no way to resist Sina. While Nora was upset, she had no choice but to accept Sina¡¯s words. If Nora decided to fight Sina in her current state, the Templars were bound to suffer. Things might have been different if another Templar capable of using the power of the ¡®snake¡¯ could come to help, but Nora couldn¡¯t make such an unreasonable move when she wasn¡¯t completely sure about Sina¡¯s identity. ¡°Are you protecting him?¡± Nora asked. Sina shook her head in denial at Nora¡¯s question. ¡°No. But I don¡¯t want to leave the task of killing him in someone else¡¯s hands.¡± CH 98 Sina loosely held her sword while standing in a calm manner. Although Sina looked like she was full of openings, Nora couldn¡¯t charge at her for some reason. ¡°Why is a Templar going against another Templar? Is there anything more important than His Holiness¡¯ words?¡± Nora asked. Nora thought that Sina was a Templar since Sina¡¯s sword was a holy sword. However, Sina was only given Kamil¡¯s holy sword. Sina would get in a lot of trouble and be placed under arrest if anyone found out that an ordinary knight had a Templar¡¯s equipment. But Nora didn¡¯t seem to have any doubts after seeing Sina¡¯s skills. ¡°There are some things that are even more important than His Holiness¡¯ words. I¡¯d rather prioritize them over His Holiness¡¯ words,¡± Sina answered. ¡°Hah, you dare to treat His Holiness¡¯ words lightly like that. You are¡­¡± Nora tried to attack Sina as she felt that she could pick apart what Sina had just said, but soon closed her mouth. If there was anything more important than the words of His Holiness, then it would be the words of His Majesty. Nora couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. It was common for Templars to be assigned solo missions due to their power, and Nora felt that Sina might also be performing a mission. ¡°Have you also been given a mission to chase that boy?¡± Nora asked. ¡°...I guess you could say that.¡± Sina looked back at Juan with a complicated expression. Sina¡¯s pursuit of Juan has now become more of a personal mission rather than a vocation or revenge for her dead comrades. Sina had to keep an eye on Juan to see where he was headed and what values he pursued. Nora stood up with a sigh. ¡°You said you can¡¯t reveal your affiliation, so it¡¯s only natural for me to have my doubts about you. But I will believe in your strong conviction,¡± Nora said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I believe you will understand that we have to continue keeping our eye on him since we also have our own mission. I will keep following you until the day you cut off that boy¡¯s neck.¡± At that moment, a low-pitched voice of a man came from behind Nora. ¡°No, you can¡¯t do that.¡± It was a bearded soldier from the Imperial Army who opened the door and walked into the room. ¡°This man will be arrested by the fourth division. I¡¯m going to take him to Beldeve, where the divisional command is located,¡± the bearded soldier said. Nora frowned upon hearing the soldier¡¯s words and protested. ¡°The fourth division? Aren¡¯t you just an ordinary soldier? How dare you try to intervene in the duties of the Templars¡­¡± Nora then noticed the Templars lying on the ground outside the door. A black dragon as big as the cottage pressed down on the Templars to prevent them from moving. On top of that, Swallan was standing beside the dragon and had her horn bow aimed at the Templars; however, a female mercenary didn¡¯t seem to be much of a threat due to the dragon¡¯s majesty. ¡®Is that a dragon?¡¯ Dragons were one of the representatives of the evil beasts that went against the empire and fought against His Majesty. Most of them had been exterminated and only some extremely young hatchlings had been tamed by the Order of Lindwurm. However, even those hatchlings were labeled as evil after Gerard Gain was accused of treason. It was only considered natural to exterminate them on-site; their existence itself was not tolerated within the empire. Then Nora recalled that there was one exception¡ªa traitor who used to be a member of the Order of Lindwurm but was granted forgiveness in exchange for killing all his comrades, and who then volunteered to be the empire¡¯s slave in exchange for the heads of his comrades. ¡°I¡¯m Horhell, the centurion of the sixteenth regiment of the fourth division. It has been notified that this man will be dealt with by the Imperial military discipline. The said notice is the order of Duke Hela Henna of the eastern fourth division, who is authorized by the Regent Barth Baltic.¡± *** The territory of Durgal was burning in massive flames. The fog and red forest which used to have a sweet scent were covered with ash and smoke. Countless mercenaries in Durgal had been exterminated by the Order of the Evil Snake, and Durgal was bound to become a ghostly territory from now on. It was Velkre¡¯s first time carrying out a ¡®purification,¡¯ and he was shocked; this was the first time he had ever seen such a depraved place. But Velkre had no regrets about acting beyond what his duties were, since all his actions were necessary to find Juan. However, he did regret one thing¡ªscattering the members of his knight order to speed up the search for Juan. ¡°So you lost him?¡± Velkre asked. ¡°There was nothing we could do about it,¡± Nora made an excuse while supporting her broken arm with her other hand. Nora wasn¡¯t lying; she had tried her best to stop Horhell from taking Juan away. Her broken arm was the evidence. But, the moment the dragon struck Nora¡¯s shoulder with its front paw, she could no longer stop Horhell. ¡°That unidentified Templar, Horhell, as well as a dragon¡­ There were too many unexpected obstacles,¡± Nora said. Velkre wiped the blood off his sword and looked down at Nora. The members of the Order of the Evil Snake were scattered everywhere, trying to find Juan, but he hadn¡¯t expected that there would be someone skilled enough to overpower Nora, while she had the power of the ¡®snake.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to have another helper,¡± Velkre said. ¡°It is unclear whether he¡¯s a helper. It seemed like Horhell was moving under the commands of the fourth division, while the female Templar seemed to have a strong grudge against the black-haired man.¡± ¡°Whether he is a helper or not, in the end he protected the black-haired man. You should have just faithfully performed your duties within the dungeon.¡± Nora wanted to tell Velkre that the dungeon had been much worse than facing a dragon, but decided to swallow her words. It was questionable whether or not she would have had an opportunity to kill Juan even if they went back to the dungeon again. Considering the fact that the Lord of Durgal as well as all the other mercenaries ended up dying, it was a miracle that Nora had managed to escape the dungeon alive. If she hadn¡¯t been injured and thus decided to retreat, she might have already died or gone mad like the former Templar, Jules. ¡°I have no excuses. All I can say is that I¡¯m ashamed of myself. I will accept any punishments.¡± Velkre sighed as he looked at Nora, then grabbed her by the shoulders to raise her. ¡°Sister Nora.¡± ¡°Yes, brother.¡± ¡°While it is true that you failed to carry out your mission, there is no need for you to blame yourself too much. We all know that Sister Nora is not the best at frontal confrontation anyway. But, if it wasn¡¯t for you, we would have lost him a long time ago and wouldn¡¯t even be able to find out where he was.¡± ¡°...thank you.¡± Nora thought that she would be disciplined for failing her mission; after all, disciplinary action against Marco was still pending. But she was relieved upon hearing Velkre¡¯s words. ¡°If that soldier of the fourth division took the sinner with him, his whereabouts are obvious. Our enemy must be in Beldeve, toward the east. That place is like a hometown to me. I will give you one more chance, sister. You¡¯ll have to have to be careful not to fail your mission this time. Otherwise¡­¡± Velkre whispered the rest of his words in Nora¡¯s ear. ¡°¡­one of us might have to become the ¡®evil snake.¡¯¡± Nora flinched. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The green flag held by Velkre waved in the air. It was a flag made of dragon¡¯s skin. *** ¡°Your Majesty, why did you decide to have children?¡± As soon as Juan heard the question, he realized that he was dreaming. There was only one person who would dare to ask him such a random question. As far as Juan knew, that person was already dead. Considering that the emperor¡¯s children were some of the most skilled and powerful people within the entire empire, not only was it a cheeky question, but also quite dangerous. However, the person who asked the question wasn¡¯t the type who would care about such things at all. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty cheeky question, Harmon,¡± Juan said. ¡°By no means is Your Majesty a good parent. First of all, Your Majesty is a murderer, a killer. Other than that, you are also neglectful about childcare. Even if you go and meet them occasionally, you only talk about things that make it difficult to call you a good educator,¡± Harmon said. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty harsh evaluation of me, Harmon. The bad parent standing in front of you is the emperor of the empire and the father of all its people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that, but I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯re a good ruler; you knew your own abilities and left the internal affairs to someone as capable as me.¡± Juan was sitting at the desk in his office. Harmon was in charge of most of the work in the office as he read the documents that the emperor had to review and then stamped the Imperial seal. Harmon continued. ¡°A good ruler is very different from a good parent. Ras is too timid, Dismas is too aggressive, and Nienna is way too indifferent about her surroundings. If Gerard didn¡¯t exist, I would have been seriously concerned about Your Majesty¡¯s parenting policy. All the children except for Gerard are too dangerous to be placed in power. Even Gerard tends to be overly obsessed at times; however, he is better than the other children.¡± ¡°You only talk about their flaws.¡± ¡°Why would I talk about their strengths when everybody already knows about them? Although they are better than your average human being, they shouldn¡¯t be compared to ordinary human beings considering the power that Your Majesty¡¯s children have.¡± Harmon¡¯s eyes seemed to be saying that just like the emperor who had the power to fight and defeat gods was expected to have a humanity greater than that of other humans, more should be expected of the children of that emperor. Juan sighed and shook his head. ¡°I know all of that, Harmon. But they¡¯re not as bad as you think they are, so you shouldn¡¯t be too worried. I think I know my children well enough.¡± ¡°All parents say that, but they don¡¯t realize that such beliefs are bound to be broken. I would like to know, Your Majesty. Why did you decide to have children? I would understand if Your Majesty adopted these children for the sake of having future generations, but I¡¯m not sure if that was your purpose. If you were thinking about having a successor, couldn¡¯t you have gotten a biological child?¡± The emperor¡¯s successor was the most sensitive topic in the empire. However, Harmon nonchalantly brought up the topic as if it was no big deal. The room fell silent, and this silence lasted for a long time. Juan could understand that Harmon¡¯s question was quite a difficult one, and that he had contemplated it for at least a few years before bringing it up to Juan. Clarifying the matter of his succession was an important matter. No one thought about the situation after the emperor¡¯s death and the danger of him getting into an accident¡ªin fact, no one tried to mention it in the first place. But Harmon was different. Harmon regarded the empire¡¯s existence and future to be more important than Juan who was the emperor. If Juan was the one to defeat the beasts and flatten the mountain, Harmon was the one who sowed the land and built houses. With that in mind, it was only natural for Harmon to wish to know about the emperor¡¯s biological child who might already exist or might be born later on. ¡°I don¡¯t plan to have a biological child. I have only four children, which are Ras, Dismas, Nienna, and Gerard. That won¡¯t change,¡± Juan said firmly. ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask why you don¡¯t want a biological child, Your Majesty. Instead, I want you to tell me the reason why you adopted these children. They are compared with you too often just due to the fact that they have been adopted by you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to compliment me.¡± ¡°Are you that happy about the fact that you are better than your children?¡± ¡°How cold-hearted you are. Well, the answer is simple. It¡¯s to keep the children by my side and keep a watch over them.¡± ¡°Please elaborate.¡± ¡°Those children have the potential to become some of the biggest threats to the empire if left unchecked. Ras is closer to Nigrato than anyone else, and Dismas is so powerful that even the strength of the powerful gods that have already died became his own strength. About Nienna¡­ well, I don¡¯t know about her. I can¡¯t even estimate how much potential she has. I¡¯m just glad that she¡¯s only interested in the Crack.¡± ¡°What about Gerard Gain?¡± ¡°Gerard is¡­¡± Juan hesitated to answer as if he didn''t know what to say. Gerard was the first son Juan had adopted. Gerard was the child who followed Juan the most, was the most loved by the people, and was the textbook example for the knights. No one would think that child could be a threat to the empire. ¡°No one would have questioned that he was your biological child if Your Majesty hadn¡¯t said that he was an adopted son. But Your Majesty has declared Gerard to be an adopted son, and that¡¯s what everyone believes. And yet people still talk about him. Gerard is too similar to Your Majesty to not be considered to be your biological child. This is getting even more evident as he ages. His personality, the way he talks, his abilities, and even¡­¡± ¡°Harmon.¡± Juan interrupted Harmon¡¯s words. Juan already knew exactly what Harmon wished to say. ¡°Your Majesty, Gerard is the eldest son and the son who resembles Your Majesty the most. Was the reason you kept him by your side because you felt that he too might become a threat to the empire?¡± Harmon¡¯s question was no different than asking Juan if the emperor himself could also become a threat to the empire. If the emperor became a threat to the empire that relied too much on the emperor, it would only be a matter of time before the empire completely collapsed. An empire without an emperor couldn¡¯t stay stable in the first place. ¡°Of course,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Gerard is no different from the other children in that he could also be a threat to the empire. But Gerard is special.¡± ¡°How is he special?¡± Harmon questioned. ¡°That child is¡­¡± CH 99 The black dragon flew with everyone on its back for a long time and only stopped in the middle of an unknown mountain around sunset. Juan was dragged down from the dragon''s back while being restrained by handcuffs. It was unknown as to what the handcuffs were made of, but it had an extraordinary function of binding mana and interfering with its flow. While Juan didn¡¯t need such handcuffs to restrain him as he still had not recovered his strength, Sina didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest intention of letting her guard down. Upon seeing the wariness in Sina¡¯s eyes, Swallan felt that the relationship between Juan and Sina was not a simple one. ¡°We will be camping out here today,¡± Horhell said. Horhell got his dragon to break a tree into small pieces to make some firewood, and then a campsite was built in an instant so that they could sleep out in the open. Meanwhile, Juan quietly stared at the dragon as it obediently followed Horhell¡¯s commands. Most of the dragons had been driven to the brink of extinction under Gerard Gain¡¯s leadership, and only a small number of Hatchlings were kept alive and tamed by the Order of Lindwurm under strict supervision. Juan had seen tamed dragons flying with the knights from the Order of Lindwurm and helping them achieve victory in the past. The dragons often played an active part in the Order of Lindwurm¡¯s battles despite the strict regulations. ¡°Why are we camping this early?¡± Juan asked. Horhell¡¯s gaze turned to Juan, his gaze completely emotionless ¡°Is there any reason for us to camp out here just because the sun is about to go down when we have a dragon with us? We can just continue flying.¡± ¡°Dame Sina. Please help this sinner shut his mouth,¡± Horhell ordered. However, Juan quickly opened his mouth again before Sina could put a gag on his mouth. ¡°The dragon must be unable to fly all night.¡± Horhell paused upon hearing Juan¡¯s observation. The dragon yawned while stretching its long neck and curling its body. The ornaments hanging on the dragon¡¯s body sparkled, reflecting the light of the bonfire. ¡°That¡¯s no ordinary ornament¡ªit¡¯s a restraining tool meant for suppressing the dragons. Judging from the shape of its horns, this dragon appears to be over seventy years old. You must have starved it quite badly, considering that it is still so small when it should be much bigger at its age. On top of that, you have even slashed the muscles around its wings so that its wings won¡¯t grow larger. That¡¯s why it can¡¯t fly for a long time, and¡­¡± Before Juan could finish what he was saying, Horhell stood up and kicked Juan in the stomach with all his might. Juan stopped talking, feeling the breathtaking sensation of pain. Horhell looked down at Juan with a stiff face, then turned to look back at Sina. Sina nodded her head as if she already knew what Horhell was about to say. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my eye on the sinner,¡± Sina said. Horhell nodded and approached the dragon, while Swallan remained by Juan¡¯s side. ¡°Why are you provoking that soldier?¡± Swallan asked while sighing. ¡°I wanted to find out if he really was the Horhell I knew,¡± Juan answered with a weak smile. ¡°Horhell? Are you talking about that Horhell of the Order of Lindwurm? I thought all of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm were dead.¡± ¡°Well, there are many ways to survive.¡± It was said that the Order of Lindwurm was ruined because of internal conflict. That meant there had been those who started the conflict by raising their sword first, and a few knights from the Order of Lindwurm must have survived. Above all, the number of knights from the Order of Lindwurm which he had seen under the control of the Crack during his visit to the dungeon beneath Durgal were far from enough to account for all the members of the Order of Lindwurm. However, Juan couldn¡¯t sense any signs of the encroachment of the Crack from Horhell at all. ¡°Can you tell if he really is Horhell now that you¡¯ve been beaten by him?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°I''m one hundred percent sure¡­ but, I have no idea how he managed to become so young.¡± Swallan stared at Juan, then turned her gaze to Horhell again. It was hard for anyone to believe that this non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Army, who appeared to be only in his mid-thirties, was the same knight who once stood and fought beside the emperor in the past. There were many ways to prevent aging, but most of them were methods that would draw the ire of the Church. Among the famous people who didn¡¯t age were Nienna Nelben, Dismas Dilver, and the Grand Magician Dane Dormund¡ªdue to the essence of the emperor that they had been granted. Juan had no idea what method Horhell was using to prevent aging when even the Regent Barth Baltic couldn¡¯t stop himself from getting older. ¡°So what are you going to do, Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces? Are you going to coerce that man into swearing his loyalty to you?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°Well, I still haven¡¯t thought that far at all. Actually, I¡¯d rather ask Sina that question since Horhell trained her with the sword.¡± Sina, who had been quietly listening to Juan and Swallan¡¯s conversation, flinched and glared at Juan upon hearing him mention her name. ¡°...He only pointed out a few things for me,¡± Sina said. ¡°You¡¯ve made quite some progress compared to the last time I saw you. You¡¯ve improved a lot over the short time I didn¡¯t see you. That Templar in the dungeon seemed to be pretty skilled, so I hadn¡¯t expected you to be able to subdue her that easily. Well, I guess it¡¯s only natural; After all, Horhell gave you some guidance, and you have to consider that he used to be an Elite Knight of the Order of Lindwurm. I guarantee you that Horhell is probably the most skilled man you have ever met in your life.¡± Sina glared at Juan with an unpleasant expression as he complimented her, but everything he said was true. Horhell had only given Sina a few pointers over the last few days while accompanying her, but her skills had improved to the extent that even she herself was surprised. Sina felt as if Horhell had completely mastered the essence of Baltic Sword. ¡°No matter how bright a candle burns, it can¡¯t compare to the sun. No matter how good I become, I am only fit to be His Majesty¡¯s subordinate,¡± Sina said. ¡°I guess so, huh?¡± Sina threw a quizzical glance at Juan as he had unexpectedly agreed with her, then soon realized that she was only complimenting him. Juan laughed as he watched Sina blushed, and Swallan clicked her tongue upon seeing the two. ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of the poor knight, Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces. If you really are the emperor, show her your authority instead of messing with her.¡± Sina looked at Swallan with perplexed eyes. ¡°Have you heard anything about his identity?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Like what? That Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is the emperor?¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Sina closed her mouth upon seeing Swallan speak about such a matter so naturally. Sina had been under the impression that Swallan didn¡¯t know anything about Juan¡¯s identity because she didn¡¯t show any respect to Juan, let alone honor him. ¡°How did you find out? No, let me ask you a different question. How did you convince yourself to believe that so easily? Shouldn¡¯t you be a little more cautious? Above all, if you know everything already, shouldn¡¯t you respect his authority a little more?¡± Sina asked Swallan with a confused look on her face. ¡°Why should I? It doesn¡¯t matter since I¡¯m an elf¡ªI¡¯m just a second-class imperial citizen, and I have no reason to be loyal to the emperor. Of course, there are a lot of demi-humans that are fond of the emperor, but I am not one of them. It is kind of cool that Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is the emperor, but I don¡¯t think I need to change my attitude toward him.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You are more of a strange person than Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces to me. You are a human, a knight, are loyal to the emperor, and know that Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is the same emperor. But you are not showing him much respect either. Why is that?¡± Sina tried to find something to say with a look of distress. Sina knew that she had placed herself in a contradictory position. Her decision to chase after Juan was no different from giving up on logic completely. The path that Juan had taken so far was filled with strange incidents: long-lost beings appeared, old beings stood up and shook people¡¯s minds, and made them start behaving strangely. Sina was affected even more than other people by these things. Now that Sina had chased Juan all the way to the eastern territory, she felt like she was a completely different person compared to when she was in Tantil. If there was something within Sina that was the same, it was only her obsession toward Juan. Juan cut off the conversation between Sina and Swallan. ¡°Stop it, Swallan. My relationship with her isn¡¯t that simple. I don¡¯t really want to be treated as the emperor anyway, especially with the current state of the empire.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then can I continue to treat Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces like I do now?¡± ¡°Have I ever expressed any dissatisfaction with your attitude?¡± ¡°Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is just Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces. Right?¡± Juan felt that Swallan¡¯s question was a little strange and had some hidden implications. He just silently looked at Swallan, then soon answered. ¡°I¡¯d rather have you call me Juan instead. I do not intend to be arrested as a wanted criminal and I do not have the ability to pay you ten thousand gold pieces¡ªat least not for now.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll just call you Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces,¡± Swallan grinned. Juan nodded as he didn¡¯t care. Swallan slowly bent her head to the side to stare at Juan, and Juan couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth first as if he was bothered by her gaze. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh. I don¡¯t.¡± Juan looked at the strange smile on Swallan¡¯s face with an irritated look in his eyes. ¡°To be honest, I had a lot of questions to ask when I found out that Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces was the emperor. Questions like why did you kill the god of the elves, why did demi-humans have to be treated so poorly within the empire, and why did Celine get so frustrated upon finding out Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces¡¯ identity¡­ But now that I have the opportunity to ask, I feel like none of those questions really hold any meaning.¡± ¡°They have no meaning?¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is just Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces. You feel very different from the emperor that I know of.¡± Both Juan and Sina¡¯s eyes shook upon hearing Swallan¡¯s words. While Swallan acknowledged Juan as the emperor just like other people did, the way she perceived him was completely different compared to others¡ªSwallan accepted Juan as Juan himself, nothing more. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I wanted to say to Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces. Thanks to Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces, I was able to end my unfinished business in the dungeon of Durgal. While everything that happened there was unexpected, in the end, Celine ended up dying. So, I guess I won¡¯t be suffering from hallucinations ever again,¡± Swallan said as she looked back at Juan. ¡°Oh, by the way. Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces also had some business with the dungeon of Durgal, right? Did you deal with it?¡± Sina leaned toward Juan and Swallan. Sina had no idea what business Juan had to deal with in the dungeon and what he did in there, since she wasn¡¯t able to properly observe the situation inside the dungeon. Furthermore, Juan¡¯s condition was weaker than ever when he came out of the dungeon. Juan quietly looked at the bonfire, its flames being reflected in his eyes. ¡°I was looking for someone,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Like who?¡± Swallan asked. ¡°My son.¡± ¡®His son?¡¯ Sina almost questioned Juan, but managed to swallow her words. The emperor had four children, and all of them were so famous that they were indispensable in the empire. Two of them were the captains of their own knight orders and their whereabouts were known, while one of them was killed by Juan himself after he became the incarnation of death. The only one left was known to be missing. Sina couldn¡¯t help but say the name that came to her mind right away. ¡°...Gerard Gain? Was he in the dungeon?¡± Juan looked back at Sina, and Sina closed her mouth thinking that she might have rashly brought up a sensitive name. However, Sina didn¡¯t need to worry¡ªthere was no change in Juan¡¯s expression. ¡°At least I thought he must be there.¡± Juan answered lightly; however, it was not a light topic in the slightest. Gerard Gain was a man who disappeared after the assassination of the emperor. He was then blamed as the perpetrator of countless conspiracies without ever showing up once, and was often praised as the hero and the leader by those who rebelled against the empire. In other words, Gerard Gain was an official enemy of the empire itself. ¡°Why are you looking for him? He is¡­¡± Sina hesitated and shut her mouth. No matter how much she hated Juan, she couldn¡¯t ask him about the story of his own child stabbing him in the back. ¡°Yes. He stabbed me in the back,¡± Juan pointed at his back in a calm manner. ¡°His sword pierced me from here to here. He stabbed me well enough so that I wouldn¡¯t ever be able to survive, even by some miracle. I taught him well.¡± The child whom Juan had taught swordsmanship to with his own hands and spent the most time with had stabbed him in the back. Juan still couldn¡¯t figure out where everything went wrong, and wished to meet Gerard and have a proper conversation about it. Then, Swallan opened her mouth. ¡°Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces, I don¡¯t know much about Gerard Gain, but¡­ the voices of the father and son usually sound¡­ pretty similar, right?¡± Juan and Sina¡¯s gaze turned toward Swallan at the same time upon hearing her unexpected question. Sina answered Swallan with a perplexed expression. ¡°Swallan, Gerard Gain isn¡¯t His Majesty¡¯s biological son, but an adopted son. So there¡¯s no reason for his voice or appearance to resemble His Majesty¡­¡± ¡°No. Swallan is right.¡± CH 100 Sina stared at Juan with her eyes wide open. However, Juan continued speaking without the slightest change in his expression. ¡°Did someone with the same voice as mine appear in the dungeon? Was he wearing a black robe, with bandages all over his body?¡± ¡°Um, yes. You already knew that? Have you seen him before?¡± Swallan answered. ¡°I have. It seems like he was the one who overpowered me and brought me back from my rampage. That¡¯s good to know, since I had no idea what happened after I lost consciousness. What did he say to you?¡± ¡°...He asked me to look after you. He didn¡¯t seem to have any hostility towards you,¡± Swallan said as she studied Juan¡¯s face. Everyone here that knew Gerard Gain had stabbed the emperor in the back. Swallan couldn''t help but be careful when talking about such a sensitive topic to the person directly involved. However, Juan didn¡¯t seem to care much and appeared uninterested. ¡°I see.¡± Juan simply answered Swallan as if he already knew. ¡°Wait. Gerard Gain has the same voice as you, Juan? Why is that?¡± Sina asked impatiently upon hearing what Juan had said. ¡°Gerard Gain has the same face and voice as me. The only difference is that he is younger than me and has blonde hair instead of black hair. The public often used to get confused; they thought we were the same person.¡± Sina opened her mouth wide in astonishment upon hearing such a fact¡ªshe had no idea that this was the case. ¡®Gerard Gain, an apostate who is an official enemy of the empire, has a face that¡¯s almost the same as His Majesty?¡¯ Juan was rather surprised by Sina''s shocked reaction. ¡°It¡¯s more surprising to me that you had no idea. Isn¡¯t Gerard Gain treated as an official enemy of the empire? How are you supposed to catch him when you don¡¯t even know what he looks like?¡± Juan asked. ¡°...the Church describes Gerard Gain as a devil, but they don¡¯t inform people about his appearance. He is only described as a being full of jealousy and hatred for His Majesty. But things make more sense now that you¡¯ve told me about what he looks like. I guess it¡¯s understandable for the Church to want to hide the fact that the one who assassinated His Majesty looks almost the same as his Majesty¡­ but wait, does that mean Gerard Gain was the biological son of His Majesty?¡± Juan smiled, and Sina¡¯s face stiffened when she saw his smile. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I just thought of someone who asked me a similar question back then. Unfortunately, your guess is wrong. Gerard Gain is an adopted son, and that¡¯s the truth. I didn¡¯t have even a single biological child. But¡­ Gerard Gain is a little special compared to my other adopted children.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Gerad Gain was created by cloning my own soul.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was done without my consent by my teacher, Dane Dormund. He said that it was something that he had to do for humankind, just in case anything happened to me. But I couldn¡¯t forgive him. And so, I decided to expel Dane Dormund from the empire and at the same time adopted Gerard Gain as my first son. There was no telling what could have happened if a child made by cloning my soul fell into the hands of the wrong people.¡± Sina looked dazed upon hearing Juan¡¯s sudden explanation of an extremely secretive and private affair of the empire. The fact that Gerard Gain was the emperor¡¯s replica was already shocking enough to shake the entire empire, but to top it all off, Juan was saying that the Grand Magician Dane Dormund, the one who assisted the emperor ever since the emperor¡¯s childhood was the one who had committed such an act. Although there were a lot of rumors about the sudden disappearance of the Grand Magician after committing a big crime during the early days of the empire¡¯s establishment, Sina didn¡¯t think that there would be such a story behind it. ¡°Come to think of it, you guys don¡¯t even know that the emperor had black hair, do you?¡± Juan asked. Sina silently nodded her head. In general, the emperor was described to have brilliant blonde hair. It was unclear whether it was because of the bright golden halo or because the emperor actually had blonde hair, but Sina had a feeling that the Church chose to describe the emperor as having blonde hair as that had a more "holy¡± appearance. Or it could be that even the Church didn¡¯t truly praise the emperor. Once Sina¡¯s thought reached this point, she felt the chills running down her spine¡ªthe existence known as the ¡®emperor¡¯ who had been praised and served for almost half a century had become unclear. A lot of bloodshed and atrocities had been justified and even celebrated in the name of the ¡°emperor¡±. But now, Juan¡¯s existence was shaking those beliefs and that foundation. ¡®Then who is the unknown existence that the Church has been serving all along? What was the reason for so much bloodshed and for so many lives to be sacrificed?¡¯ Sina bit her lips. She had long been feeling that the system she believed in had something wrong with it, but she never thought that its entire foundation would be denied like this. At this point, Sina found it hard to believe anything about the empire and the Church. ¡°Why are you telling me all these things so easily? All these things must be the confidential secrets of the empire right? Is it okay for you to tell me about all of this when I am nothing more than an outsider?¡± Sina asked with difficulty. Upon seeing that Juan was telling her all these secrets like it were nothing, Sina began to doubt whether Juan was trying to use her for his plan. However, Juan only grinned. ¡°Someone has to know the whole truth and record it, don¡¯t you think?¡± Juan said. ¡°My writing skills are terrible. Besides, you killed all my comrades and almost maimed me. Do you really think that I¡¯ll record everything without distorting it all against you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you do,¡± Juan answered calmly. ¡°Go ahead and either portray me as a mental patient who thinks of himself as the emperor or portray the emperor as a madman who¡¯s crazy about slaughtering in your story. I don¡¯t care what you choose, but go ahead and throw a stone at the emperor you saw with your own eyes. I won¡¯t deny anything you write about me, because that is the emperor in your mind.¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. *** By sunrise, Swallan quietly woke up while the others were still asleep. Then she slowly packed up her belongings, and soon left behind the others to head down the mountain. Then someone called for her from behind her. ¡°Are you not going to accompany us to Beldeve? While it wouldn¡¯t be as much as ten thousand gold pieces, you might still get some rewards.¡± It was Sina standing with her back against a tree. Swallan smiled bitterly the moment she saw Sina. Sina¡¯s face showed how tired she was from being unable to sleep due to their conversation with Juan last night. ¡°I was trying to take my leave without letting anyone find out, but I guess I failed. I thought you were the only person I had to trick since the dragon seemed to wake up easily and Juan didn¡¯t seem to be sleeping in the first place,¡± Swallan said. ¡°You said your name was Swallan, right? I heard that you are quite skilled and have a pretty good reputation as a mercenary. I can guarantee you that there will be sufficient rewards if you come with us.¡± ¡°You think that a mercenary will be paid a reward when there¡¯s a man who used to be an Elite Knight of the Order of Lindwurm and a dragon? Hah, you¡¯re hilarious. Whatever, I¡¯ve already suffered enough just by getting involved with Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces. I¡¯d rather suck a dick.¡± ¡°You would rather suck a¡­ okay, moving on.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to be reunited with Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces soon enough anyway. I can feel that we are entangled by a strange and nasty fate. I hope there won¡¯t be any annoying incidents like this one the next time I see him, but the lives of people involved with swords are never easy, you know? Well, I think Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces will be fine. You should be careful as well¡ªas long as you''re entangled with Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces, who knows what might happen to you?¡± It was hard for Sina to deny Swallan¡¯s words, and so she smiled bitterly, and brought up one of the things she had been pondering all night. ¡°Swallan, I thought about the question you asked me yesterday; about the reason why I don¡¯t respect Juan as the emperor even when I already know his identity.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Did you?¡± ¡°The reason why I respect His Majesty is that he was someone who treated humankind with kindness and love. But if Juan, as the emperor moves only with revenge and hatred as his motives, I can¡¯t respect or acknowledge him. That¡¯s the reason why I can¡¯t treat Juan with the same respect as His Majesty.¡± ¡°Is that so? But to us elves, the emperor has always been an object of revenge and hatred, right from the beginning.¡± Sina remained silent upon hearing Swallan¡¯s words. ¡°I never saw the emperor during the era when he established the empire. But from the point of view of a demi-human, I¡¯ve heard of many terrible things he has done.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± Sina asked. ¡°But I do think that Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is definitely a scary guy. He¡¯s also a bit cruel. Still, I don¡¯t think Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is worse than the emperor from the era when he established the empire. I think Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces is much more¡­ human-like compared to the emperor you are looking for.¡± ¡°Human-like? But His Majesty is¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. His Majesty cannot be compared to ordinary humans, I get it. That¡¯s easy for you to say as a human. But think about it one more time, female knight. Think of Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces as Juan Calberg Kennosis rather than the emperor. Stop trying to fit him into the mold of the perfect emperor that you have inside your head.¡± Swallan giggled and walked away. Then, she shouted at Sina before disappearing into the darkness. ¡±Think of Juan as Juan only!¡± *** By late afternoon, Horhell¡¯s dragon arrived at the fortified city of Beldeve in the eastern territory. It was blindingly fast compared to the days it took to cross the wasteland. The majestic walls and fortresses that were built on the edge of the coastal cliff were dangerous, but built thick in preparation for the invasion of the dragons. Although there were no longer any dragons left, the claw marks and marks left behind by the flames used by the dragons still remained. Horhell dropped Sina and Juan atop the large open space above the walls. Under the vigilant gaze of the soldiers, Sina noticed the sharp towers built around the fortress. The towers were damaged here and there, but they were still dangerous. Sina had never seen something like that within the empire before. ¡°Those towers are built to shoot or capture dragons,¡± Juan said as he noticed Sina gazing at the towers. ¡°The most dangerous threat in the eastern territory used to be the dragons until the Order of Lindwurm exterminated them. You can attack the dragons that enter the area between the towers or crawl from below. You can throw a net to catch them as well.¡± ¡°Catching a dragon?¡± Sina looked at Juan with a suspicious look. Sina felt that even Horhell¡¯s dragon could easily break the tower¡ªand Horhell had prevented his dragon from growing stronger or bigger, unlike the dragons that used to exist in the past. It was only natural for Sina to have difficulty believing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°There is equipment at the top of each tower to do so,¡± Juan explained. ¡°It looks like it will break if a dragon even hits it while passing by.¡± ¡°It may look weak, but there is a steel seam inside. It¡¯s powerful enough to cut up the small dragons when they run into the tower. There was a time when the eight towers simultaneously fired harpoons to overpower the Ancient Dragon. Can you imagine a dragon as big as the tower being captured and struggling inside a net?¡± Sina shook her head. Juan¡¯s words were hard to believe, but it was the only way to explain the construction of such towers in this fortress. ¡°It used to be possible, but not anymore. Its frame has gotten rusty due to the sea breeze, and the stone has been eroded quite a bit. I guess it¡¯s only natural for weapons to become rusty when there are no enemies to use it on,¡± an unfamiliar voice said. When Juan and Sina turned around toward the voice, they saw an old woman with a small figure walking toward them in an unwavering manner despite the strong sea breeze. The old woman¡¯s empty right sleeve flapped and shook in the wind. She rolled her only remaining eye and moved her gaze from Sina to Juan. ¡°You must be the current hot topic of the empire. My name is Hela Henna,¡± the old woman said with a smile on her face. Hela Henna gave off a strange impression. She hummed with a smile on her face while looking closely at Juan¡¯s face. Juan made an unpleasant face upon being observed this explicitly, and Hella quickly raised her only hand to apologize upon noticing the change in Juan¡¯s expression. ¡°Oops, excuse me. My bad. People get shameless as they grow older, especially toward young people, you know?¡± Although Hela was smiling, behind her smile was a sharp gaze observing Juan. While Juan couldn¡¯t sense any mana or power from Hela, he could see that she was not an ordinary old woman. ¡°You¡¯re Hela Henna?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Call her Duke Henna,¡± Horhell warned Juan from the back. Juan ignored Horhell¡¯s words and raised his handcuffed hands. ¡°Hela. Do the people of the eastern territory always treat their guests like this? Eastern people¡¯s hearts must have dried up alongside the land,¡± Juan said, ¡®A guest?¡¯ Sina wondered what Juan was talking about. ¡°Only dogs and sinners are bound by chains and handcuffed in the eastern territory. You should know your place.¡± It was Horhell who answered instead of Hela. Juan once again ignored his words and stretched his hands tightly. ¡°Enough, Hela,¡± Juan said. Hela seemed to be perplexed for a moment, but soon grinned and beckoned to Horhell. ¡°Uncuff him.¡± As soon as she gave the order, Horhell approached Juan without asking any questions. Sina thought that Horhell would stop the Duke from uncuffing Juan due to being concerned for her safety and for the safety of the surroundings, but he carried out her order as if he was a machine. In the end, it was Sina who stepped up. ¡°Please wait, Duke.¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± Instead of directly asking Sina, Hela turned her gaze to Horhell. ¡°This is Dame Sina Solvane. She said that she was tracking down this sinner by the order of the Church. I brought her with me because I felt that she would be helpful during the interrogation,¡± Horhell answered. ¡°I¡¯m Sina Solvane, a knight from the Order of the Blue Rose. I¡¯ve been tracking this sinner all the way from the southern province of Tantil. I lost countless comrades and saw a lot of blood being shed due to him. This man is extremely dangerous. It will be difficult to guarantee your safety if you uncuff him,¡± Sina said. Despite Sina¡¯s respectful tone, Hela looked at her coldly. ¡°I can guarantee my own safety, kid. You might have seen this young man for a longer time than me, but I¡¯m sure that I have better eyes than you. Now, if you try to interfere in my decisions one more time, I¡¯ll make you understand why the people of the eastern territory call me a bitch more often than the duke.¡± Sina was taken aback upon hearing Hela¡¯s cold words. Meanwhile, Horhell uncuffed Juan¡¯s hands according to Hela¡¯s order. When Juan was finally uncuffed, he stroked his stiff wrists with free hands. Although the chains connecting the handcuffs had been released, the handcuff still remained on Juan¡¯s wrists like a bracelet. This was the most the Duke could do for Juan. Juan couldn¡¯t use his mana freely, but his equipment wasn¡¯t taken away, his surroundings were open, and above all, Hela was close to him. Taking Hela¡¯s life would be quite easy if Juan wanted to kill her at this moment. But Juan did not do so. ¡°I would like to request some bread and salt, Duke Henna.¡± Hela burst out laughing at Juan¡¯s request. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone who knows such an old-fashioned tradition other than Horhell. Good. You seem to be quick-witted. I have a feeling that our conversation will go well.¡± Hela took the lead and beckoned him to take a seat. Sina couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on at all. CH 101 Due to being a fortress built to defend against the dragons, Beldeve had thick and hard walls. Sina looked at the steep cliff below the wall and the bubbles from the surging waves underneath the cliff. The cliff was so high that Sina had a feeling that even a dragon wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if it fell off. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time.¡± Hela brought out some bread and salt on a plate and approached Juan and Sina. She handed over the plate to Juan first, and Juan dipped the bread in salt before taking a bite. Then, Hela offered the bread and salt to Sina as well.[1] Sina hesitated; she couldn¡¯t understand the purpose of such an action, but soon imitated Juan and ate the bread as well. ¡°Now that you have both consumed bread and salt, you are officially my guests. I will be a good host, so I hope that the two of you will also behave as good guests should. Especially you, black-haired fellow,¡± Hela said. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t going to behave, I wouldn¡¯t have asked for bread and salt in the first place,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Fair enough. I had to mention it just in case; after all, the only things you get more of as you get older are gray hair and suspicions.¡± Hela then placed the empty plate on the floor and sat down. ¡°Ms. Knight can feel free to go downstairs now,¡± Hela said as she took a glance at Sina. ¡°But, Your Grace¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Centurion Horhell will be in charge of security. Or are you confident that you¡¯ll do a better job than Horhell and his dragon?¡± Sina hesitated for a moment, but soon bit her lips and bowed her head before leaving the room. Hela shook her head as she watched Sina walk out of the room. ¡°Jeez. Young people these days know nothing about traditions or taboos,¡± Hela said. ¡°Sina Solvane is from the southern territory of the empire,¡± Juan explained. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re from the east either. I haven¡¯t seen such dark black hair in quite a long time. Ah¡­ as you get older, each and every tradition feels more and more lovely and important.¡± Hela giggled. ¡°Anyway. Did you say that your name is Juan? Let¡¯s stop the small talk and get straight to the point. The reason why I asked Horhell to capture you is that I intend on selling you out.¡± ¡°You sent quite the hunter, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There are no other hunters like Horhell. Hey, I was told that you¡¯ve made quite the fuss in the southern territory! I also heard another story about you being seen in Hiveden. Other than that, all the equipment you have on you¡­ none of it is ordinary. But whatever, none of that matters¡ªit¡¯s only fair that such an extraordinary person appears once or twice in a century. ¡° ¡°I¡¯m flattered,¡± Juan said. ¡°It¡¯s not a compliment¡ªespecially considering the fact that the empire is currently full of lunatics like the ones from the Church. You should have moved more discreetly if you valued your own life.¡± ¡°Why? Because of the Church?¡± ¡°No. Because of Barth Baltic.¡± Hela looked at Juan with serious eyes. ¡°Pavan, that cheeky bastard dared to try and deceive me, but he will be in the palm of my hand no matter how hard he tries. So tell me something. The Church can freak out and send out the Templars at any time whenever someone does anything that stands out; after all, it¡¯s full of crazy people in the first place. But the Regent is different. While I hate that son of a bitch, I have to respect his eye as a commander and a swordsman. At the same time, I also know that he¡¯s been like a hibernating bear ever since His Majesty¡¯s death, doing absolutely nothing. Then what¡¯s so special about you that he¡¯s taken an interest in you?¡± ¡®Barth Baltic has taken an interest in me?¡¯ Hela¡¯s question was one that Juan wanted to ask her instead. Although Juan had no idea about this, he felt that it would only be natural for Barth Baltic to take an interest in him, since he had been making a fuss everywhere he went. ¡°He has only taken an interest in me? I heard that he chased the traitors who were involved with the assassination of the emperor. Apparently, there was a huge purge throughout the empire during that time,¡± Juan asked. ¡°Nope. That was all done by the Church. It was the Church that gave birth to the Order of the White Crow in order to capture the Order of Huginn, and it is also the Church that sends the Templars to trample on anyone if they are found to be involved with the apostates in any manner. Barth Baltic even gave the Templars the rights to draft so that they could move the Imperial Army if they wanted. This is why the imperial command system is such a huge mess,¡± Hela explained. Juan had also felt that the Imperial Army¡¯s command system was a complete mess. Nevertheless, no big issues had happened so far because of two reasons. First, during his time as the emperor, Juan had not only swept away all the enemies of the empire, but he had also developed the power of the Imperial Army. Secondly, the Church had been freely using the emperor¡¯s ''Grace¡¯ as much as they needed. ¡°Barth Baltic even allowed Ras to go back without doing anything when Ras tried to assassinate him. If he had even the slightest urge to avenge His Majesty or if he had a selfish desire for a high position within the empire, he would have immediately turned the Laus Mountains into flatlands. He certainly has the ability to do so, you know. More than anything, the reason why I don¡¯t think he is interested in His Majesty¡¯s assassin is that¡­¡± Hela pointed to the red land toward the northeast with her upper arm¡ªher right forearm had been cut off at the elbow. ¡°Because he is neglecting the treason of the bastards in the northeast! Those assholes are the real problems!¡± ¡°Northeast? What¡¯s wrong with the northeast?¡± ¡°The Thornbush Priest Organization, who are the followers of the Crack, is behind the rebels in the northeast, and the Thornbush Priest Organization is under the command of Gerard Gain!¡± ¡°Gerard Gain is behind the Thornbush Priest Organization?¡± Juan asked with a stern look. ¡°Of course¡­ While I¡¯ve never seen it in person and I don¡¯t have evidence, I have heard quite a few stories when I was interrogating some bastards. The black weapon that is known to have been used by Gerard Gain to stab His Majesty is a product of the Crack. I didn¡¯t try to look too closely into it, since the power of the Crack was starting to encroach on my mind the more I tried to look into it. But the Thornbush Priest Organization is the only group within the empire that follows the Crack, and the rebels in the northeast are the survivors from Arbalde, which has been contaminated by the Crack. Then it¡¯s only obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡®Arbalde.¡¯ Juan¡¯s face stiffened slightly as soon as this name came out of Hela¡¯s mouth. Hela noticed the change in Juan¡¯s expression, but she continued shouting as if she was angry while pretending not to notice. ¡°Barth Baltic is not interested in avenging His Majesty at all! Damn it! Okay, let¡¯s just say that part is fine. Because of that reason, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything if he had decided to take the throne for himself. Although I hate that son of a bitch, I acknowledge that there¡¯s currently no one in the empire who¡¯s more suited to be the emperor other than him. If Barth became the emperor, he would come to cut off the heads of the rebels himself,¡± Hela said as she banged the desk with her hand. ¡°But he¡¯s not doing that either! That asshole has power, but he is doing absolutely nothing! That¡¯s why trifles like the Pope and the captain of the Order of the Capital are bossing everyone around!¡± Hela¡¯s words were true¡ªBarth Baltic did absolutely nothing. He left the control of all the forces and making of the rules to the Church and only occasionally gave orders to the captain of the Order of the Capital. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Even Juan could see that the empire was being run precariously while taking dangerous risks. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re important, Juan,¡± Hela said as she glared at Juan. ¡°I need to find out what about you is so special to Barth¡­ I need to know your value before I sell you out. I¡¯ve already been promised a specific price, but seeing you in person makes me want to change my mind. No matter how much I think about it, I feel like Pavan was trying to pull the wool over my eyes.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time. I¡¯ve been hiding the fact that I have captured you as much as I can, but the Order of the Capital will find out about it soon enough. No¡ªmaybe they have already found out, since the Order of the Evil Snake witnessed you being captured. They¡¯ll find out even faster because Horhell mentioned Barth Baltic¡¯s name to them,¡± Hela continued as she looked back at Horhell. ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you, Horhell. If you hadn¡¯t mentioned that asshole¡¯s name, those lunatics would have been even more persistent. The problem could have become much more complicated if any blood was shed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Grace,¡± Horhell said. ¡°So Juan,¡± Hela leaned toward Juan. ¡°I don¡¯t think your value is only worth ten thousand soldiers or ten thousand gold pieces. That would be your worth if Barth Baltic took you away from me, but I want you to set your own price yourself. Maybe¡­¡± Hela continued with a serious look on her face. ¡°Maybe the price tag might even say that you are worth the entire empire.¡± *** Juan was offered to stay in one of the rooms located within the walls. There was a guard standing outside Juan¡¯s room to keep an eye on him, but the guard was no match for Juan considering Juan¡¯s skills. Juan didn¡¯t intend on running away when he had been served bread and salt. Those who received bread and salt in the east were treated as guests, and the guests had to abide by the rules of the host. One of the rules prevented the guest from crossing the window frame, which was a figurative expression saying that guests shouldn¡¯t leave without saying goodbye. It was an old tradition that had almost gone extinct now, but Juan didn¡¯t intend to go against the tradition when he had voluntarily asked to be Hela¡¯s guest. ¡®I was worried that she had become a granny, but she still has a bold temper.¡¯ As Hela said, the only thing that remained were traditions. Juan had a bitter expression. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to meet Hayla¡¯s daughter here.¡¯ Juan overlapped the face of the current Hela who was in her seventies with the face of the young Hela in her twenties, the daughter of a noble that he had seen in the past. Hela now had an aged face, gray hair, hazy eyes and had lost an arm. Her personality had become more like a mature war veteran rather than a sophisticated noble. Hela had once been secretly chosen as Gerard Gain¡¯s fiancee, but the current Hela looked nothing like the bright noble of the past. 1. Welcoming guests with bread and salt is a tradition in Northern and Eastern Europe, as well as in the Middle East. ? CH 102 ¡®She must have lived quite a difficult life.¡¯ Juan remembered how close Gerard and Hela used to be back in the past. The Hennas were a wealthy family in a small kingdom in the eastern territory at the time, and they were almost as powerful as the king. Juan had sent Gerard as a special envoy to the small kingdom to get them incorporated into the empire, and then Gerard unexpectedly became very intimate with the Henna family¡ªespecially with the youngest daughter of the Henna family. It was unclear as to whether or not Hela Henna was aware of Gerard Gain¡¯s intention to commit treason, but the assassination of the emperor happened before Gerard¡¯s relationship with Hela became public. Although the Henna family didn¡¯t seem to have been involved with the treason, Juan could tell that the Henna family had suffered from quite a backlash, considering that Hela was the one who became the duke, even when she was the last in line for the Henna family¡¯s succession. ¡®I didn¡¯t think Hela was strong enough to survive in a harsh world like this.¡¯ Juan figured that the storm brought about by Gerard Gain¡¯s betrayal had made Hela into the woman she was now. Not only had the storm created a wasteland in the eastern territory, but it had also turned a cute innocent girl into a tough and hardened war veteran. Juan wondered whether Hayla, Hela¡¯s mother, would have been proud or worried if she were to see Hela now. No¡ªperhaps it was better that she didn¡¯t see what her sweet and innocent daughter had become. ¡®It looks like she¡¯s in a difficult situation anyway. But that¡¯s only natural for the lord of a territory like this.¡¯ The eastern territory was being devastated day by day, and all of its resources were being poured into a never-ending war. Public sentiment among the people of the eastern territory was also pretty bad as the territory was neither stable nor well governed. On top of that, the Thornbush Priest Organization took advantage of this harsh environment to repeat the vicious cycle which was hard to break at this point. It was only natural for Hela to be obsessed with Juan; he would be used as a reversal card to save the eastern territory. Juan shook off his complicated thoughts. Hela wasn¡¯t the only person living in a completely changed world in a completely changed form¡ªso was Juan. He was not in any position to say who was better than whom. ¡®I should focus on my situation first.¡¯ He had not expected to be caught and brought all the way to Beldeve, but in a way, it was an extension of the event in the dungeon. Hela was currently fighting against the rebels who had the Thornbush Priest Organization behind them, and she believed that Gerard Gain was their leader. In that case, Hela¡¯s purpose was not too much different from Juan¡¯s. ¡®I¡¯d rather help Hela in this situation.¡¯ To be exact, Juan planned to observe Hela. Juan didn¡¯t fully believe Hela¡¯s words; after all, she was no longer the cute little girl he once knew. She had become a wily old fox, unlike the innocent noble girl she used to be. Juan couldn¡¯t let his guard down easily when considering the things she might have done in order to survive after the assassination of the emperor. However, Juan had a feeling that the connection between her and Gerard Gain would be revealed if he continued to observe Hela from right by her side. ¡®That¡¯s not the only thing I have to find out.¡¯ Juan also had to find out the goal of the Thornbush Priest Organization. The existence of the ¡®crown¡¯ further complicated his thoughts, even though he thought they were already complicated enough. On top of that, he had heard Celine mention the name of Qzatquizail, which the stranger had also mentioned in the past. This name was completely foreign to Juan. He didn¡¯t know what kind of relationship Celine and the Order of Lindwurm had with the Thornbush Priest Organization, but it was likely that they were involved with the ¡®crown¡¯ if the assassination of the emperor was entangled with the existence of the ¡®crown.¡¯ Juan placed his hand on top of his forehead while recalling the flame crown which had come out of his head back in the dungeon in Durgal. This was a power unknown to Juan, and he had never experienced anything like it before. Besides, the power was so great that Celine, who was able to use the power of the Crack with ease just by waving her hand, had been simply annihilated. Juan had to find out the reason why such a power was within him and how he had never felt it before. ¡®I think I should try to find the power inside me first.¡¯ Juan lay on his bed and slowly sank into his subconscious. *** It had been a while since the last time Juan had dived into his subconscious. The space which used to be like an empty field was now filled with mana, reaching up to Juan¡¯s ankle and it splashed around like water. ¡®It¡¯s the first time since I swallowed Talter.¡¯ Although much of this space was still empty, it seemed enough for Juan¡¯s current needs. In fact, he felt that it might already be enough, considering that he wouldn¡¯t even need that much power anymore; after all, the gods had been everywhere in the past, but not anymore. Juan looked around the empty space. ¡®Would there be a ¡®crown¡¯ somewhere in this empty space?¡¯ Juan was suspicious. Juan was ¡®looking around¡¯ the empty space, but the world he was in was his own mind. Juan¡¯s ability to control his mana was excellent, so he could easily search and feel every corner of his own inner world. However, he couldn¡¯t feel any power as great as the one that was displayed by the crown in the dungeon. ¡®What I saw back in the dungeon was way too realistic.¡¯ The crown had come out of Juan himself and was then put back inside him by someone who he assumed was Gerard Gain, who was wielding the mysterious weapon called Elkiehl. Juan paid more attention when searching his inner world this time, but he still couldn¡¯t feel the power of the crown. He could see traces of madness which seemed to be the remnants of Talter fluctuating in red waves, as well as the fog of Grunbalde that gathered faintly and disappeared. At the same time, Nigrato¡¯s essence stayed under the surface and only rose up occasionally. All the types of mana that Juan had absorbed remained within him in various forms, but eventually, they all became one in the huge sea that was Juan¡¯s mana. ¡®There is no way I can find it just by looking at the surface.¡¯ Juan had to look for something more fundamental. The crown had influenced his revival, and it was even possible that it was related to the birth of the ¡®emperor¡¯ if it really was also associated with Gerard Gain. Juan contemplated on what he should do. The inner world of one''s mind was not limited to what was visible on the surface. The part of the inner world that embodied the mana one had was only about thirty percent, while the abyss was an unconscious space that occupied the majority of the inner world at close to seventy percent. Just by looking into the abyss, ordinary people would either lose their egos and descend into madness or get trapped inside. Searching the abyss wouldn¡¯t be easy for Juan either, and looking into his own mind was quite different from transferring his spirit. ¡®If the crown really is inside me, it must be in the abyss.¡¯ We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Juan was confident. There was still so much more that he didn¡¯t know about himself. Juan hesitated for a while, then slowly headed into the depths of the abyss. There was no way he should have been able to feel anything when his consciousness was descending into the abyss, but somehow, Juan felt like his body was gradually getting heavier. Every incident he had been involved in, as well as everything else he had gone through slowly passed by Juan: the dragon, Horhell, Swallan, Celine, the Order of the Evil Snake, the Thornbush Priest Organization¡­ Juan¡¯s ego was slowly getting blurrier with each passing second, and the way out of the abyss of his consciousness was slowly being closed. It was as if Juan¡¯s consciousness was slowly being fossilized by the old memories, but Juan did not stop. ¡®Deeper¡­ deeper¡­¡¯ At that moment, everything paused. Juan¡¯s consciousness began to rise all of a sudden. Juan¡¯s consciousness quickly soared up out of the abyss, and then Juan opened his eyes wide open on his bed. His body was wet with cold sweat and there was a slight fever on his forehead. ¡®The crown.¡¯ Juan realized that after his revival, he had seen the crown even before his arrival in Durgal. There was also someone else who had seen it together with him. ¡°Dilmond,¡± Juan muttered. At that time when Juan was fighting against Nigrato in Hiveden, the Order of Huginn was on the verge of annihilation. Juan had lost consciousness in a fierce battle, and he was on Dilmond¡¯s back when he woke up. Dilmond had told Juan that flames had soared from Juan to burn all the undead under Nigrato. Juan saw his memories of that time while he was in the abyss. In his memory, the crown made of flames had soared above his head and set the surroundings on fire, giving birth to a sea of flames. ¡°But it stopped by itself¡­ why?¡± It was understandable that Juan¡¯s body felt hot back in the dungeon, since his body felt heated whenever the power of the flame crown was activated¡ªJuan had already been using the power of the flame crown for a long time. Juan started to question all the situations in which he had lost consciousness so far. Juan wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead. Juan had been thinking that his flames were his own, and they were the greatest power he had from the time of his birth as the emperor to his death leading up to his revival. But not anymore. Those flames had never felt as cold and distant to him as they did now. ¡°No¡­¡± Juan bit his lips. Whatever the crown was, Juan was now devouring the gods, devils and the demons to make their power into his own anyway. The source of the crown didn¡¯t matter too much to him. Rather, the crown was an opportunity¡ªit was a power with endless potential that he had not even known about. If Juan could make the crown¡¯s power his own and learn to handle it, it would be the strongest weapon he could ever ask for. Juan¡¯s lips twisted into a smile. Whatever the crown was, Juan didn¡¯t intend to lose to a weapon. He would be the only one to control it. *** The waves coming toward the blackened eastern coast ferociously rushed in and hit against the fortress of Beldeve with all their might. Hela stood at the edge of the wall and looked down at the bubbles formed by the waves. If the strong gust of wind changed its direction just for a moment, she was bound to disappear under the raging waves. The fortress of Beldeve had never been this close to a cliff in her old memories. It was the long-term erosion from waves and winds which constantly ground down the cliff. No one knew when, but the fortress of Beldeve would eventually disappear under these waves. The one to topple this place would be neither a dragon nor a traitor, but time. Hela thought of the young man she had met today. ¡®A young man with black hair and black eyes¡­¡¯ Hela¡¯s heart had almost stopped when she had first seen him; he looked too much like someone she knew. Of course, she might have simply felt that he looked similar to someone she knew because she didn¡¯t often see people from beyond the boundary. However, Juan looked too much like them¡ªGerard Gain, and His Majesty. Because of the fact that Gerard Gain looked so similar to His Majesty that he seemed to be His Majesty¡¯s biological child, one could easily guess what His Majesty had looked like during his youth just by looking at Gerard Gain. If Gerard Gain had the same hair color as His Majesty, everyone would have been sure that he was His Majesty¡¯s actual son. The young man named Juan looked very similar to Gerard Gain, whom she had met in her youth, except for his black hair color. ¡®They look too similar to consider it to be a simple coincidence.¡¯ Even if it was a simple coincidence, anyone would have been suspicious and interested upon seeing a young man with such an appearance have the power and ability to shake up the empire. Hela clutched the wall. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions.¡¯ If the young man named Juan was a hidden direct descendant of His Majesty, then the empire would be completely overturned. It was no exaggeration to say that countless powerful and ambitious people in the empire would reach out and everything established by the Church in His Majesty¡¯s name would be passed down to Juan if he was powerful enough. Of course, this was only wishful thinking. There were other possibilities to consider¡ªsuch as the fact that he was either Gerard Gain¡¯s son or even Gerard Gain himself. ¡®...If so, it would just be a disaster.¡¯ Either way, Juan was not an easy opponent to deal with. She could not be careless, lest she ended up losing him. First of all, Hela had to find out as much about Juan as she could. She had to hurry; after all, she had limited time. ¡°Horhell.¡± Horhell, who had been standing guard behind Hela, stomped his feet and took a respectful pose upon hearing her call. ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± ¡°You are the one who found that young man. What are your thoughts? I feel like your thoughts might be similar to mine.¡± ¡°I do not think, Your Grace,¡± Horhell said firmly. Hela had already expected such an answer from him, but still felt bitter. Horhell was a great knight, but he had become nothing more than Hela¡¯s sword after he had sold out all his comrades and beheaded them. Although that was what Hela had wanted and she was the one who had induced it, she couldn¡¯t help but feel lonely at this moment. She wanted someone she could share an old story about the past with, at least for now. ¡°You are a great soldier,¡± Hela said. ¡°Thank you, Your Grace.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I couldn¡¯t have lasted this long in this nasty eastern territory. It was fate that you betrayed the Order of Lindwurm and swore your allegiance to me. It¡¯s something I should be grateful for every time I wake up in the morning.¡± Horhell remained silent. ¡°No, swearing allegiance is a lie in all honesty. You and I both used each other as tools to fulfill our own purposes,¡± Hela muttered. Hela thought that perhaps this was the reason why her relationship with Horhell could last this long. Now, Horhell had spent more time working for Hela than he had for His Majesty and Gerard Gain. ¡°I was wondering what the young man named Juan means to you.¡± ¡°There is no meaning, Your Grace.¡± Horhell had a heavy expression, as if he were made out of stone. ¡°Even if he is the emperor himself, it doesn¡¯t mean a grain of sand to me.¡± CH 103 It was early in the morning. Juan came out of his room at the sound coming from the military training ground. Upon seeing Juan come out of his room, the soldier who had been guarding the door looked at Juan with perplexed eyes. ¡°Are the soldiers in the middle of their morning training?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Uh, um¡­Yes¡­Yes Sir.¡± The soldier stuttered as if he was confused about how he should treat Juan, since Juan was both a sinner and a guest of the duke at the same time. However, the soldier soon showed a respectful attitude to Juan, almost as if he was overwhelmed by Juan¡¯s aura. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look,¡± Juan said. ¡°Ah, yes. I will guide you to the military training ground.¡± The soldier willingly guided Juan, but Juan figured that there seemed to be an order from the duke stating that it was okay to let Juan move freely within the area as long as he was under surveillance. The military training ground was larger in size than Juan had expected, but it felt narrow due to the thick and high walls surrounding the entire training ground. The atmosphere created by the soldiers who were swinging their swords with simultaneous shouts of concentration was quite fierce. Juan noticed that the soldiers training in the middle of the military training ground were swinging their swords in an unusual way, and he soon realized that the soldiers were practicing the basic positions of the Baltic Sword; however, they weren¡¯t very skilled at it. ¡°They use swords when they¡¯re only soldiers?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Ah, they are the soldiers personally managed by Her Grace herself. She said that she was planning to select a few of them and train them to become either centurions or knights.¡± Juan nodded; the trainees certainly seemed to be built strong and had firm eyes. However, Juan soon lost interest in them. None of them seemed to even have half of the talent Sina had. Juan felt that Hela¡¯s attempts at training knights would end with only moderate success. What attracted Juan¡¯s attention was the strange group of people standing in a corner of the military training ground. The group consisted of a diverse range of people regardless of their age or race¡ªanyone from young soldiers to bearded middle-aged men, and even demi-humans were mixed in the group. They seemed much more messy and exhausted compared to the other trainees, almost as if they had been training since dawn. ¡®Are they conscripts?¡¯ The Imperial Army did not employ conscripts. Although the citizens were considered to be soldiers during the early days of the founding of the empire as well, the conscription system was eventually ended when most of the enemies who were capable of attacking the empire disappeared. Juan initially thought that they must be the conscripts, but soon corrected his thoughts. Their hands and ankles were chained with rustling chains. ¡°I thought only dogs and sinners were chained in the eastern territory?¡± Juan remarked. ¡°You¡¯re right, Sir. They¡¯re a punishment unit. They are the rebels from the northeast who decided to convert,¡± the soldier nodded his head and answered. ¡°A punishment unit?¡± Juan frowned upon hearing the soldier¡¯s explanation. A punishment unit was a unit composed of prisoners that weren¡¯t punished legally, but rather sent to a dangerous front line to operate in a war. Juan recalled how much Harmon Helwin hated punishment units. He was extremely disgusted with the concept of punishment units; not only did it lower the morale of the other soldiers at the front line, but there were even many cases of prisoners escaping and looting at the frontline, and thus causing trouble. Due to these reasons, Juan hadn¡¯t expected to see a punishment unit within the empire. ¡°What are they being punished for?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Sorry? I thought I already told you. They are rebel converts.¡± Juan was about to ask the soldier the reason why the rebels who converted were being used as a punishment unit when they should be treated properly after rooting out the spies, but closed his mouth instead. ¡®The rebels of northeast¡­ the survivors of Arbalde and the city encroached by the Crack.¡¯ Juan thought that the rebel converts must have been contaminated by the Crack as well. In Juan¡¯s memory, the northeast was the first place in the empire to be encroached by the Crack. The northern territory, which was famous for being the hub of the Crack, was originally a territory built around the boundary between the empire and the Crack in the first place. Gerard Gain had tried to stop the Crack from encroaching the eastern territory, but had failed¡ªhis first failure. His failure was what gave rise to the tragedy of Arbalde. ¡°But they are victims of the civil war in a way, aren¡¯t they?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yeah, well. I guess you could say that since they came here instead of joining the rebels of Arbalde in the end. Fortunately, there is no one singing weird songs or muttering random names, since the encroachment of the Crack isn¡¯t too severe. They won¡¯t be further encroached upon by the Crack as long as they live in asceticism for the rest of their lives.¡± Of course, the ¡®rest of their lives¡¯ meant nothing to the people in the punishment unit. As long as they were in the punishment unit, they would be sent to the most dangerous parts of war¡ªthe front line, and most of them would die within half a year. ¡°Hold your swords straight! Are your fingers broken or something!?¡± The one standing in front of the punishment unit and screaming at them was a centurion just like Horhell. The centurion walked in front of one of the prisoners and slapped his trembling hand. The prisoner instantly dropped the sword in his hand. ¡°Did you bastards rip apart your mother¡¯s womb and join the Crack even before you were fully developed and delivered? Is that why your fingers are so dysfunctional, huh?¡± The prisoners glared at the centurion with eyes filled with murderous intent, but no one dared to confront him. Juan was quite impressed with the prisoner¡¯s eyes. All of their ages, gender, and even race were diverse, but Juan could feel a persistent vitality and intense emotion from them¡ªIt was a strong will to survive no matter what might happen. ¡®That¡¯s probably why they became rebel converts at the risk of being used as a punishment unit.¡¯ It was only natural, since they would end up just like the knights from the Order of Lindwurm that Juan saw in the dungeon of Durgal if they were fully encroached upon by the Crack. Juan raised the corners of his mouth and grinned. Then, the centurion who had been yelling at the trainees noticed Juan and turned his gaze toward him. ¡°What are you? How dare a fresh trainee fool around like this when you should be busy training?¡± the centurion said. The eyes of all the prisoners turned toward Juan. Juan certainly seemed like a fresh young man, so it was only natural for the centurion to mistake him for a trainee. ¡°Are you expressing that you don¡¯t need my teaching? What a cheeky trainee you are. You¡¯re acting so tough, but you even seem like you¡¯ve never even slept with a woman before,¡± the centurion said as he fiddled with the wooden sword. Juan had no intention of falling for the centurion¡¯s provocation, but the centurion didn¡¯t let Juan go. ¡°Bring me a wooden sword! I must see how good he is,¡± the centurion ordered. The prisoners showed no particular curiosity toward Juan. Such a situation didn¡¯t seem to be new for them, as there had always been recruits who were either rebellious or overly confident in their skills. However, Juan wasn¡¯t dressed as a trainee and had a soldier guiding him. Juan looked back at the soldier who guided him to the military training ground, but the soldier didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of stopping the centurion or explaining Juan¡¯s identity. ¡®Either the discipline of the eastern territory¡¯s army is a mess, or¡­¡¯ ¡°I heard that the barbarians from beyond the border are nasty as hell. Let me see how nasty you are,¡± the centurion said. Juan looked at the wooden sword in his hand. ¡®A wooden sword, huh¡­¡¯ Juan had rarely held a wooden sword for practice. This was because a wooden sword became a lump of charcoal as soon as even the slightest of his mana was injected into it. No ordinary material could handle his mana unless it was made out of a special material. ¡®I guess it will not matter, since I¡¯m wearing handcuffs that restrict my use of mana.¡¯ This time, Juan had to fight the centurion using only his physical skills without the use of magic. Juan stared at the centurion without raising his sword. Meanwhile, the centurion had been maintaining a relaxed attitude as he said he wanted to test Juan¡¯s skills, but he showed a sharp change of attitude as soon as they began sparring. Then, the centurion suddenly charged at Juan and brought down his sword at Juan with all his power. It was a powerful attack that was tricky to dodge. One might even end up getting hit by their own sword if they attempted to block such an attack. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. The centurion¡¯s attack was incredibly clean and precise, almost as if this was not a spar; Juan could feel his murderous intent which had been honed and polished through practice. Juan saw the centurion¡¯s spirit and clicked his tongue as if he had expected the centurion¡¯s movements. Crack! A short cracking sound suddenly echoed throughout the training ground, and the centurion felt a sharp pain in his hand. The wooden sword the centurion held in his hand was split in half. Upon turning his head, the centurion saw Juan looking at him with an unpleasant look while holding his wooden sword with only one hand. That wooden sword was stabbed in between the split parts of the wooden sword held by the centurion. The centurion couldn¡¯t believe everything that just happened. The wooden swords that had been soaked in seawater and then dried were extremely hard and firm. ¡®And he split such a wooden sword vertically¡­?¡¯ The centurion had never seen anyone who had the skill to do so, nor had he thought that anyone was capable of doing so. The centurion couldn¡¯t close his mouth for quite some time and didn¡¯t even notice the blood that was flowing out from a cut he received from a wooden sword. ¡°This is a bit unpleasant, Hela,¡± Juan said in a low voice as he scattered his murderous intent. In the next moment, the centurion was thrown back and Juan¡¯s wooden sword was tightly held in Horhell¡¯s hand as if it was about to break. Juan took his hand off the hilt of the wooden sword. ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± The centurion looked like he had no idea what just happened. He was in a daze upon seeing the split wooden sword until just a moment ago, but his vision suddenly changed and he was rolling around on the military training ground. On top of that, Juan¡¯s wooden sword was now held by Horhell. And at that moment, the centurion could see Duke Hela approaching them from a distance. ¡°Well, what a heated morning. It¡¯s time for breakfast. Everyone, go inside and eat,¡± Hela said. The prisoners stared at Juan for a long time; he had easily knocked down the centurion. Then all of them soon started moving toward the canteen. At the same time, Hela beckoned the centurion who was still lying down on the ground to head to the infirmary. Soon, only three people were left in the military training ground. ¡°So, were you trying to kill that poor centurion just now?¡± Hela asked in a jolly manner. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that one should always train with a mindset as if they are in an actual battle?¡± Juan glared at Hela. ¡°That¡¯s right. There might be times when one dies during training. But the incident of a trainee beating and killing an instructor should never happen.¡± ¡°Well the centurion seemed to have attacked me with all his might, thinking that he couldn¡¯t care less if I died.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I ordered him to do so. I told him that he shouldn¡¯t be worried and spar with all his might, since he wouldn¡¯t be able to win against you anyway.¡± ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ Juan didn¡¯t feel any annoyance when he found out that Hela was trying to test him, as Juan was also curious about the level of the army led by Hela Henna. Juan and Hela were quite similar in the regard that they both tried to check the other¡¯s skills. What Juan was displeased with was the centurion. It was not that the centurion¡¯s skills were bad¡ªthey were rather good. Juan even felt that he was much better than the knights from the Order of Blue Rose. ¡®But.¡¯ ¡°Why did you teach the centurion how to use the Baltic Sword? Besides, it seems like you gave up teaching him in the middle of it,¡± Juan said. Juan did think that the centurion was skilled, but this only meant that he was better than the ¡®average¡¯ centurions. Juan felt that the centurion would be much stronger if he just used simple hands-on swordsmanship rather than unskillfully trying to use the Baltic Sword. ¡°As expected. You recognized it at just a glance. Horhell is terrible at teaching since he is a genius with poor empathy. There were a few who understood Horhell¡¯s teaching well in the past, but all of them are gone now,¡± Hela explained. ¡®So he was taught by Horhell.¡¯ Juan tilted his head in wonder as he recalled how Sina¡¯s skill had dramatically improved in just a few days with just a few pointers from Horhell. ¡®No¡ªperhaps it¡¯s simply that Sina¡¯s talent is just that outstanding. Rather than Horhell being a good teacher, it''s just that both Sina and Horhell were geniuses who became Elite Knights of their knight orders at extremely young ages.¡¯ ¡°So? What did you think about my skills? Was it disappointing?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Of course it was. I am very disappointed,¡± Hela answered. Hela received Juan¡¯s wooden sword which was being held by Horhell. The part which had been held by Horhell was compressed and distorted. ¡°I¡¯m so disappointed that I¡¯m starting to think that maybe I should keep you by my side. In case you didn¡¯t know, I¡¯m very fond of talented individuals,¡± Hela said as she fiddled with the wooden sword. ¡°Talented individuals?¡± ¡°That handcuff,¡± Hela said as she pointed to the mana-suppressing handcuffs around Juan¡¯s hands. ¡°I have never seen anyone who could fight properly even with those handcuffs on. And that¡¯s especially true for those who think extremely highly of themselves. That centurion you just sparred with is one of the strongest centurions we have. He is good enough that even Horhell would have difficulty fighting against him with those handcuffs on. It takes a long time for a person to adapt to the sudden changes in one''s body¡ªbut you¡¯re different.¡± A smile spread over Hela¡¯s wrinkled face. ¡°You have been acting like a weak guy right from the beginning, and you have already figured out the most efficient muscle movements that best match your physical abilities. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll always be able to fight with the best of your abilities even if you grow much weaker than you are now. That is no longer the realm of a genius, but rather the realm of a monster. And I¡¯m crazy about monsters.¡± Juan looked at Hela with a puzzled look on his face, as if he couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say. Hela¡¯s eyes were full of greed. ¡°Lead the fourth division for me, Juan. Then I¡¯ll give you the eastern territory.¡± CH 104 The only ones left in the military training ground were Juan, Hela, and Horhell. Horhell didn¡¯t even flinch upon hearing Hela¡¯s words, as if he already knew of Hela¡¯s plan to give a wanted criminal a military position and the eastern territory when an entire knight order was chasing Juan at the risk of their lives. ¡°Are you aware of the fact that I¡¯m being chased by the Church?¡± Juan responded apathetically. ¡°I have a lot of connections, Juan. It¡¯s hard to find anyone in the key posts of the capital¡¯s army who haven¡¯t been trained by me. I¡¯m sure they can help me protect one wanted criminal; after all, everyone owes me something,¡± Hela answered. Juan raised his eyebrow as he realized that Hela was promising him protection from the empire. ¡°Horhell was also someone from the Order of Lindwurm, but I managed to protect him as well. Although I did have to pay quite the price, I was even able to prevent anyone from taking away the dragon which had been labeled as an evil beast within the empire. We have not only demi-humans but also guys from beyond the border just like you in our army,¡± Hela further explained. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t be able to put you in an official position on the surface, since the empire revolves only around humans within the border. But I guarantee you that you will be able to do whatever you want behind the scenes. If that¡¯s not what you want, you have two options: either wear a mask or make a huge scar on your face. Then you might be able to show yourself on the surface. I promise to give you everything, including power and the right to govern as long as you decide to join the fourth division. What do you say?¡± ¡®What do you mean by that?¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t even snort at Hela¡¯s ridiculous words. ¡°What are you going to do if I lead the fourth division to commit treason?¡± Juan derided. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Hela¡¯s eyes shone sharply as soon as she heard Juan¡¯s words. Then she smiled brightly as if she had been waiting for just those words. ¡°Are you dumb enough to fight a battle that you have absolutely no possibility of winning?¡± ¡°I have never thought about possibilities. Not even once,¡± Juan said firmly. Juan¡¯s war with gods had never been easy. If he had thought about the chance of winning or losing before fighting them, Juan wouldn¡¯t have been able to destroy all the gods in the empire. ¡°But I bet you¡¯ve never lost either. It seems that you¡¯re not the type to fight while looking back, so I can imagine you fighting like losing even once will get you killed. So if a guy who fights like you commits treason, wouldn¡¯t that be because it¡¯s time for the empire to fall?¡± Hela said as she giggled. The moment Juan was about to answer, Hela raised her hand to stop him. ¡°For your information, I would have no choice but to hand you over to the Order of the Capital if you refuse to cooperate with me. I didn¡¯t tell you this before, but I was promised ten thousand imperial soldiers for capturing you. If there is any way I can prevent shedding the blood of ten thousand people of the eastern territory, I would choose that path without hesitation.¡± ¡°Then having me on your side would mean that the blood of ten thousand people of the eastern territory would be shed.¡± ¡°No, That¡¯s the way to save not only the people of the eastern territory, but also the 1.2 billion people of the empire.¡± Although the reason was unknown, Hela seemed to have high expectations for Juan. Juan was familiar with such expectations, since a lot of people prayed and asked for his help during his time as the emperor. If it was the emperor, he would have gladly accepted Hela¡¯s offer. However, Juan was different. ¡°I refuse,¡± Juan said firmly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shame.¡± Hela was readily convinced by Juan¡¯s instant refusal, almost as if she had already expected his answer. Even Juan was puzzled by her quick acceptance of his decision. ¡°So what are you going to do now? Arrest me and put me in a dungeon?¡± ¡°The sea prison of Beldeve is impossible to escape. How could I treat a guest who came into my house and ate bread and salt like that? I have no choice but to think of another way.¡± This was an inevitable decision for Hela. After all, everything would be useless if Juan refused to cooperate with her plan. She had to keep Juan close to her and convince him as much as she could. However, Juan thought otherwise. ¡°I think we might have a suitable alternative,¡± Juan said. Hela¡¯s eyebrows furrowed upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°Alternative? How interesting of a sinner to suggest an alternative. Go on, tell me about it.¡± Juan raised the corner of his lips and smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put me in the punishment unit?¡± *** Juan sat on the wall and enjoyed the sea breeze. Horhell and his dragon left Beldeve shortly after breakfast; he and his dragon had to go out on regular patrol to check on the front line. Juan had been waiting for him to come back for the whole day. The sun was setting, but the wind was still blowing fiercely. The sea breeze was harsh everywhere, but the breeze of the east coast was particularly fierce¡ªespecially on a high wall. However, Juan barely felt cold, just like how he could barely feel any heat. Then Juan heard a flapping sound from the sky. As Juan had expected, Horhell seemed to have come back before the sun completely set. A heavy landing sound could be heard on the wall, and a silhouette jumped off the dragon. Horhell tied the dragon to a large space on the wall and soon noticed Juan. ¡°You.¡± Horhell had his usual stiff expression as if he had a face made of stone. Juan slowly raised himself up. ¡°Did you have a pleasant flight?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t like having useless and unnecessary conversations,¡± Horhell answered. On the other hand, unlike Horhell, Juan liked to have useless conversations. As long as there was no urgent business that had to be dealt with, Juan liked to joke around and pour out his unnecessary emotions. Horhell seemed to be the exact opposite type, but he was currently making a displeased expression, which was a rare sight to see. ¡°You want to join the punishment unit? What¡¯s your intention?¡± Horhell had wanted to ask this question all along, but couldn¡¯t interrupt Juan and Hela¡¯s conversation earlier. To Hela, the punishment unit was a group whose life and death didn¡¯t matter. At the same time, Horhell had no intention of arguing against Juan¡¯s decision to join the punishment unit as long as Hela agreed, but he still felt unpleasant that he couldn¡¯t figure out what Juan was up to. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a prisoner wanting to join the punishment unit?¡± Juan asked as he raised his handcuffed hands. Horhell glared at Juan without giving the handcuffs on Juan¡¯s hands a single glance. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to behave in the first place. But then I thought that you might be more well-behaved than I expected when you asked for bread and salt; however, I still didn¡¯t think that you would cooperate. But now you¡¯re going to teach instructors and even the punishment unit? There¡¯s no reason for you to stay in Beldeve, is there?¡± ¡°What makes you say that Horhell?¡± Juan sat with his back toward Horhell. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a story to tell about your dragon?¡± Horhell¡¯s face became even more stiff than usual, almost as if it might break at the slightest touch. ¡°What about the dragon?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°What¡¯s the name of the dragon?¡± ¡°...there is no name. What¡¯s the point of giving a name to a beast? It¡¯s not like there are any dragons other than it.¡± Juan laughed out loud, and Horhell seemed to be quite annoyed at the sound of Juan¡¯s laughter. ¡°I remember the dragons raised by the Order of Lindwurm. The Order of Lindwurm wiped out all of the ancient dragons, but Gerad wanted to domesticate and raise the Hetzlings. However, they had to be very careful; after all, dragons could become dangerous if anything went wrong,¡± Juan said. Horhell glared at Juan without answering. ¡°Among them, I remember one specific dragon quite well¡ªit was the last dragon to be born, because it had no mother to brood it. No other dragon was born after it, so it¡¯s easier for me to remember.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°As far as I know, that dragon¡¯s name is¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Horhell¡¯s voice suddenly became rough, and Juan noticed the pain in his eyes. ¡°That is a cursed name. It shouldn¡¯t be spoken aloud by anyone anymore.¡± Juan could feel that the initiative of the conversation was completely in his hands. As Juan had expected, Horhell cherished the dragon more than anything. Juan felt that it was natural for Horhell to have a unique bond with the dragon since it was the last dragon left in the whole world. Juan turned his gaze toward the dragon. The dragon was biting the decorations and metal pieces that were pierced into its skin with teeth as if it tickled. ¡°Is that why you just call it ¡®the dragon¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes. It''s the only dragon left in the world anyway, so there is no need to call it by its name.¡± Horhell¡¯s words contained a deep-seated pain. Juan could easily guess that the dragon was not simply just a useful animal to Horhell. There were many among the Order of Lindwurm who were overly attached to the dragons that they raised. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t even call it a dragon,¡± Juan said. Horhell remained silent. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a young dragon, one who is just old enough to be called an adult. It could climb up the walls of Beldeve. I¡¯ve also seen a newborn Hetzling. But that dragon is only twice as big as a newborn Hetzling. It is too small and weak.¡± Juan figured that Horhell must have starved the dragon to curb its growth. Not only that, but he must have also cut out the dragon¡¯s growth plate and abused it. ¡°I can see that you cut off the tips of its wings so that it can¡¯t fly too high, you cut its nails and toenails so that it wouldn¡¯t pose a big threat to humans, and pulled out all its teeth except for a few fangs needed for chewing meat. That¡¯s not all.¡± Juan pointed out the thing that made him more upset than anything else. ¡°The dragons I¡¯ve met were the most intelligent and clever of all beasts, even if they chose the wrong side to stand on. But I haven¡¯t seen your dragon say a single word. Did you cut out his tongue? Or¡­ have you turned it into an idiot?¡± Horhell didn¡¯t answer, but his silence was enough to answer Juan¡¯s question. The dragons not only had powerful bodies and breath, but they were also skilled at magic. In order to turn the world¡¯s bravest and wisest animal into this ordinary livestock, Horhell had to have left only the minimal functionalities of the dragon and excluded the rest of its abilities. ¡°...that was the only way to save him,¡± Horhell said in a trembling voice. ¡°It was only after I did all of this that Duke Hela Henna accepted me. None of the other lords would accept me, but she was the only one who actively protected me by praising the work that I had done. I was deprived of my knighthood and I fell to the position of an ordinary soldier, but she helped me keep the dragon alive.¡± Juan remained silent for a while upon hearing Horhell¡¯s words, then opened his mouth. ¡°Then what about Gerard Gain?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can see how much you care about your dragon. But you¡¯re hiding too many things. The Order of Lindwurm was wiped out by internal conflict in Durgal. You¡¯re the only one who can be said to be a ¡®survivor¡¯ of the Order of Lindwurm. But your story is completely missing any information about what happened to the Order of Lindwurm. What happened to them? What happened to Gerard Gain who was supposed to be leading the Order of Lindwurm?¡± Juan hoped Horhell would tell him the story of the past without resisting, but there were no traces of Gerard Gain or the reason why Gerard Gain had done what he did in his story. Horhell showed a perplexed expression for the first time when Juan brought up Gerard Gain¡¯s name. ¡°...Captain Gerard Gain never returned.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nobody has seen Captain Gerard Gain ever since the emperor¡¯s assassination. That¡¯s one thing I am sure of,¡± Horhell said. Then Horhell changed the subject as if he had no intention of talking about Gerard Gain any further. ¡°...I¡¯ve spoken too much. I won¡¯t ask you how you know so much about me, the dragon, and the Order of Lindwurm. It doesn¡¯t matter to me what your identity is. What moves me now is neither the honor of the knight order nor the authority of the emperor. I am Horhell, the centurion of the fourth division. I hope you can acknowledge that. And¡­,¡± Horhell glared at Juan and continued. ¡°...I have no idea what you¡¯re up to, but you¡¯d better quit now if what you¡¯re trying to do could be harmful to Her Grace. Duke Henna is not an easy opponent.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Centurion Horhell.¡± After looking at Juan for a long time, Horhell turned his back and headed toward the dragon. Juan silently looked at Horhell¡¯s back as he got further away. The man who was once the Elite Knight of the Order of Lindwurm had fallen to the position of an ordinary centurion with a weak dragon that could have been something so much greater. Horhell said that what he had done was to protect the dragon, but in Juan¡¯s eyes, there was little difference between Horhell and the dragon. The two seemed to be in the same shoes. They were both distorted and repressed prisoners of the empire. CH 105 ¡°I¡¯m still unsure about your decision, Duke Henna.¡± Like all the other rooms in Beldeve, the Duke¡¯s office was made without a single window to prevent a dragon¡¯s breath from affecting the insides. Sina didn¡¯t like such rooms in Beldeve; the large stones felt as heavy as the history of the eastern territory. ¡°You suddenly requested a meeting, and you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re unsure? Tell me, what are you so unsure about, knight?¡± While Hela had certainly been informed of Sina¡¯s name by Horhell, she didn¡¯t bother calling Sina by her name. Hela¡¯s attitude toward Sina was cold in contrast to her attitude toward Juan. However, Sina wasn¡¯t discouraged. ¡°Juan is not a trustworthy man. Every place he passed by turned into ruins¡ªTantil, the Ash Tower, Hiveden, Durgal¡­ all of them. He is strong, and he doesn¡¯t hesitate to wield hatred in order to fulfill his purpose,¡± Sina said. ¡°So?¡± Hela raised her eyebrows. ¡°Juan might even use Beldeve as a stepping stone to achieve his purpose. I do not think that he joined the punishment unit without any goals, considering that it¡¯s a group composed of those who have been encroached upon by the Crack.¡± ¡°You sure don¡¯t know a lot of things. As expected of a novice knight.¡± ¡°...Your Grace, I might be too young and lacking in experience, sure, but I think I can confidently say that I know more about Juan than you do. I have been chasing him from Tantil all the way here. His identity is also¡­¡± Sina was about to talk about Juan¡¯s identity in detail, but shut her mouth; she had a feeling that it might have huge repercussions. It was no joking matter to bring up a story about how the respected emperor of the empire had come back for revenge with a sword in his hand. ¡°Then what do you think is the right thing for me to do, knight? Would it be best for me to restrain Juan entirely, bind him with chains and lock him in the underwater prison right now?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Your Grace, I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°Knight, you think too little of me and the eastern territory. Do you really think that I have no idea about what Juan is up to? The reason why he suggested joining the punishment unit is to remain in Beldeve.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Sina asked back in confusion. ¡°I have detained Juan as a prisoner. If I lock him up in the underwater prison, that would be no different than directly handing him over to the capital. Yet if I release him, you never know what the Imperial Army and the Church might do. Putting him in the punishment unit is the most appropriate alternative. It¡¯s an excuse to keep Juan within the fourth division and not hand him over to anyone else.¡± Sina closed her mouth as she thought Hela¡¯s words were plausible. ¡®But why?¡¯ ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that just further prove that Juan is pursuing something in the eastern territory?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Maybe he is. But about it? There¡¯s nothing in the eastern territory that I can give him. I have no idea what Juan wants from the east, but he has no choice but to follow my orders as long as he is in the punishment unit. I¡¯m gonna make sure to make the most out of him until I get enough value out of him for my risk.¡± ¡°...Your Grace.¡± Juan was too powerful and dangerous for one to use as a sword held in their hand, but Hela was also a formidable commander. Sina thought that it might be an insult to Hela if she further worried about her, but Hela was dealing with the emperor. ¡®Who in the world could use the emperor as a sword?¡¯ When Sina opened her mouth to persuade Hela once more, Hela stood up. Perhaps because of her hunched back, Hela was much shorter than Sina. On top of that, she didn¡¯t have as much freedom in selecting her weapons, as she only had a single arm. Nevertheless, Hela looked like a huge mountain to Sina. Sina realized yet again that Hela was a veteran who had trained numerous people who held key posts in the Capital Army. Then, Hela tapped Sina¡¯s left eyelid with her hand. Sina flinched in surprise; she hadn¡¯t even felt the presence of Hela¡¯s hand reaching out to her until that moment. Sina felt chills running down her back when Hela¡¯s dry hand lightly rubbed her eyelid which had burn marks and a tattoo, but she didn¡¯t show any agitation. ¡°It seems that your wound has no chance of recovery. Is it your arrogance or your fanaticism that allowed you to engrave such letters on your eye?¡± Hela asked. ¡°...this too is one of the ruins left by Juan. If I hadn¡¯t met Bishop Rietto, who treated me, I would have had to cut off my right hand as well.¡± ¡°Juan did that? As expected, he¡¯s such an interesting young fella.¡± Hela laughed out loud as if she found the fact that Juan wounded Sina to be funny. For a second, Sina felt an intense rage upon hearing Hela¡¯s laugh, but soon closed her mouth when she saw Hela¡¯s empty right sleeve fluttering. Hela grabbed Sina¡¯s right arm and fiddled with it. Sina¡¯s right arm was covered with scars, almost as if it was a cloth that had been torn and patched up shabbily; however, the wounds had completely healed up and holding a sword didn¡¯t seem to be a problem. ¡°It would have been like I was looking into a mirror if you really had lost your right hand, knight. That would have been kind of awkward,¡± Hela said. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Your Grace. I¡¯ve been disrespectful, but I never meant to insult you.¡± ¡°I see, knight. You called your eye one of the ruins left by Juan, but you don¡¯t seem to be ashamed of it. You even engraved those letters on top of it as if you were proud.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡± Sina was speechless. If Sina truly hadn¡¯t wanted to get a tattoo engraved on her eye, she could have just resisted and refused despite whatever the Order of the White Crow said. However, it was also true that there was confusion somewhere deep in her mind. Sina wondered whether or not she should consider the title of ¡®the emperor¡¯s watchdog¡¯ engraved by Juan himself to be an honor if Juan really was the emperor. ¡®What¡¯s the point if the existence of the emperor itself is a disgrace?¡¯ The tattoo engraved on Sina¡¯s eyelid symbolized her confusion itself. ¡°I don¡¯t consider my unbalanced figure to be a ruin, knight,¡± Hela said as she lifted her empty sleeve. ¡°War took a lot of things away from me: my eye, my arm, my family, and my dreams. Yes, I once thought that all I had left was ruins, just like you. But the ruins also give you something important.¡± Sina shrugged her shoulders upon hearing Hela¡¯s whisper. Then, Sina momentarily felt something similar and familiar from Hela. ¡°Whenever I trip on my foot by accident because my single eye can¡¯t properly measure the distance, I think of my dead son who died with an arrow pierced through his eye. When I suffer from phantom limb pain of my arm getting cut off in my sleep, I think of my dead husband who died with his body hung on the pillar. My disabilities gave me a lifelong gift¡­¡± This familiarity was because she could feel madness and hatred. Hela harbored the same feelings that Sina felt from Juan. ¡°¡­a lifelong gift that helps me to never forget my pain and resentment. Thanks to that gift, I was able to continue this war for fifty years, starting from the age of twenty. I could keep going even when most of my disciples betrayed me, the empire turned a blind eye to me, and the people of the eastern territory complained. Humans are bound to give up when they become exhausted, but these scars help me never forget what I am fighting for.¡± Hela too was also the type to ruin everything around her, just like Juan. ¡°...Your Grace, that¡­¡± ¡°No. You¡¯d better keep that in mind too. Whatever Juan did to your eye, it seems to have had a significant impact on your life.¡± Sina remained silent. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about me, knight. You think that Hela Henna would just be used as a stepping stone and get thrown away? No, instead it¡¯s the other way around. I¡¯ll be the one using him and he will be my stepping stone instead. At the same time, he can use me as much as he wants as well. Don¡¯t you want to know how far we can go by stepping on each other?¡± Sina got goosebumps on her entire body. She began to question whether it had been a good decision to help Horhell bring Juan to Beldeve. Hela would never quietly hand Juan over to the Order of the Capital. Instead, she will use him as much as she could to achieve her goal¡ªand Hela¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t a trivial one. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything else to say to me, feel free to leave and¡­¡± At that moment, the door burst open. The only time anyone could burst into the Duke¡¯s office without knocking was in emergency situations. A soldier with a pale look ran into the office. ¡°Your Grace, Centurion Horhell¡¯s dragon has crashed on the northern front!¡± Hela¡¯s expression stiffened. *** ¡°According to the guard¡¯s report, Horhell is currently somewhere here in the Gelmar Mountain.¡± The northern front itself wasn¡¯t too far away from Beldeve. In fact, Beldeve was the front line itself. Juan looked at the bright dots moving around in the dark blue horizon outside the barracks. Fortunately, the search was still underway. ¡°The villages of the local rebels around this area are here, here, and here. There are about two thousand people among them who can fight.¡± Hela held a candle inside the barracks and pointed out specific locations on the map. The places which Hela pointed out were in a triangular shape as if they were surrounding the Gelmar Mountain, which was reported to be the location where Horhell had crashed. ¡°It¡¯s right in the middle of the villages,¡° Juan said. ¡°The situation is not very good. I want to rescue Horhell before sunrise if possible, but a night operation is impossible, since we have neither a map of Gelmar mountain nor a local soldier to guide the way. We¡¯re going to lose a lot of troops to get through those guys to find Horhell, not to mention that we don¡¯t even have a lot of troops that can move right away,¡± Hela said as she looked at Juan. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that the punishment unit will come forward.¡± Only a few people were able to come out as soon as they heard the news of Horhell¡¯s crash; except for the minimum number of troops to protect the fortress of Beldeve, only Juan and the punishment unit were present in the barracks. ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited that the time for you to perform in an active manner came earlier than expected?¡± Hela said jokingly. However, there were less than fifty members in the punishment unit in total. In other words, Hela was giving an order for fifty troops to find Horhell before sunrise while dealing with nearly two thousand enemies. This was literally a suicide mission for the punishment unit. But unless they acted, Horhell would be captured or killed by the enemies, as there weren¡¯t that many places for the dragon to hide its huge body. Although it was unknown as to why the dragon couldn¡¯t fly, whether it be because it was in the middle of the night or because it was wounded, it was clear that it was in a situation where it couldn¡¯t move. ¡°It¡¯s not the worst situation,¡± Juan replied in a calm manner. ¡°Well, you sound confident.¡± ¡°You see all kinds of things when you live for a long time. In this case, the fact that we¡¯re in the middle of the night is not such a bad thing.¡± The guards had a strange look on their faces upon seeing a young man who looked to be only about eighteen years old mentioning ¡®a long time¡¯ to an old woman who had lived over seventy years. However, Hela didn¡¯t seem to mind and simply laughed it off. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not the worst situation for Horhell either. I think he should be well hidden somewhere, as long as he didn¡¯t die from the crash. He¡¯s the type to get stronger when faced with bad luck, so I believe he¡¯s still alive,¡± Hela shrugged. ¡°Were you not prepared for a situation like this?¡± Juan asked. ¡°To be honest, this kind of situation is the first for me as well. Actually, I didn¡¯t even know the enemies had the ability to crash a flying dragon. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the reason why we were able to maintain this front line despite our numerical inferiority is all because of Horhell¡¯s dragon.¡± Juan¡¯s lips twisted as he realized that Hela¡¯s stiff expression was not only because she was concerned about Horhell being dead or captured. ¡°Is someone helping the rebels?¡± Juan asked. ¡°That seems very likely, unless the dragon has an upset stomach. The rebels had been very intimidated until now because I had massive damage to them during the early fall battle. I can¡¯t think of any other reason for them to pick a fight all of a sudden like this.¡± ¡®The backers of the empire¡¯s rebels, huh¡­¡¯ There were many candidates, but there were not many opponents who could afford to do so. ¡°I hope we could find a trace if it was done by the Thornbush Priest Organization. It would be a good opportunity to make a fuss about this in front of the capital. Or, maybe it was the Imperial Army¡­ but even if it was them, there aren¡¯t many weapons they have that could deal with the dragon¡­ perhaps, um¡­ no, nevermind,¡± Hela said as she shook her head. ¡°Do you have any other ideas?¡± Juan asked. ¡°...maybe it was the Templars. Not even a dragon would be able to withstand Spears of Wrath. But there is no reason for the Templars to cooperate with the Thornbush Priest Organization, the enemies of the empire. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Juan nodded; he also thought that the Templars should be considered as one of the options. It was obvious that the Order of the Evil Snake were still after Juan, hence it wouldn¡¯t be a big surprise that the Templars ran into Horhell by a so-called-coincidence and shot down his dragon, since Horhell was the one who took Juan away the last time. ¡°I think we should consider it a possibility and keep that in mind,¡± Juan said. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°What? The Templars? I don¡¯t even want to think about the situation where I have to deal with two thousand rebels and the Templars at the same time,¡± Hela looked at Juan with a startled look on her face. ¡°I agree, but just because you don''t want to think about it doesn¡¯t mean that it won¡¯t happen.¡± Juan went out of the barracks, while Hela followed him outside the barracks. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to bring him back?¡± ¡°That would be up to Horhell¡¯s luck.¡± CH 106 ¡°...You mean a night operation? You even want us to go on a search?¡± one of the members of the punishment unit asked suspiciously. The night operation was dangerous in itself, but a raid was worth giving a try. However, the location the punishment unit would need to go to was an area where the enemies were fiercely searching. Considering that their target was a dragon which the rebels from the northeast were particularly resentful of, any and all personnel the enemy had available must be actively searching even in this moment. The members of the punishment unit remained silent upon hearing Juan¡¯s suggestion to head right into such a dangerous area. ¡°Yes,¡± Juan replied in a calm manner. One of the prisoners gritted his teeth. The prisoners were already aware that the punishment unit was treated as nothing more than a dog. The punishment unit was designated and deployed to only the harshest and most difficult areas to protect even at the front line¡ªbut they were constantly monitored, deemed untrustworthy by the allies, and their achievements weren¡¯t acknowledged. And now they had been told to break through two thousand enemies with less than fifty troops. Such an order was no different than being told to commit suicide. ¡°Are you coming with us as well, Sir?¡± one of the members who asked a question earlier opened his mouth again. Juan took a closer look at the man¡¯s face. He had a shaggy beard, dark eyebrows, and appeared to be the unofficial leader of the punishment unit. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Juan asked. ¡°My name is Hury Hate, Sir.¡± ¡°Hury, I¡¯m not a knight. I¡¯m just a commander who will be leading the punishment unit, as I¡¯m a prisoner as well,¡± Juan said as he showed Hury the handcuffs on his wrists. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to explain. You¡¯re not planning to go in there and pick up a dead body, are you?¡± Juan turned his back and beckoned without explaining further plans. There were no operational explanations. The only explanation the punishment unit was given was to enter the enemy camp to retrieve Horhell before sunrise¡ªthat was all. ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± one of the members of the punishment unit said out loud. However, Juan didn¡¯t even bother to look back. Hury followed Juan as he had no choice. The members of the punishment unit looked agitated, but they had no other choice but to follow the orders. No one complained despite their frustrations¡ªthey all knew that they would be executed immediately if they disobeyed the order. ¡°Mr. Hury,¡± one of the members of the punishment unit whispered in Hury¡¯s ear. ¡°Are we actually going to follow that guy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only thing we can do in this situation. It¡¯s basically a suicide mission, but we were put in the punishment unit for such purposes anyway,¡± Hury answered. ¡°Most of us here owe our lives to you, Mr. Hury. If you decide to follow him, it would only be right for the rest of us to follow him as well. But if anything happens to you, Mr. Hury¡­¡± Hury looked back at the other members of the punishment unit, who were exchanging anxious glances with each other, with a brooding look on his face. The member continued, ¡°...then we will have to think about other options. At least I don¡¯t want to die following a kid who is blinded by his ambition for honor.¡± It was only natural for the punishment unit to be nervous about following Juan, since Juan was only a young man who was slightly extraordinary in the eyes of the members of the punishment unit. ¡°I respect your opinion Asha¡ªafter all, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s responsible for everyone in the punishment unit if anything happens to me. But let¡¯s not worry too much. There¡¯s no way Duke Henna will abandon Horhell and his dragon. She must be pushing us to save them for a reason.¡± Asha remained silent and nodded her head. Hury continued to walk behind Juan in silence and spoke. ¡°We have no choice but to trust this guy right now.¡± *** The soil crumbled down helplessly on every spot that had been stepped on. The devastated land that was contaminated by salt and mana was filled with only red thornbush; however, it was unknown where the thornbush came from. Upon walking along the dark mountain path, Hury contemplated whether or not he should revise his thoughts about following Juan. A humming song sang by the traitors was heard in the pitch-black darkness. When fighting the war, songs of the similar melodies as right now filled the battlefield. These were the songs hummed by anyone that had been encroached upon by the Crack. The members of the punishment unit covered their ears with painful expressions; they had been trying to forget about the songs for a long time. ¡°What is this song?¡± Juan asked while straightening his back, as if he had no intention of hiding even when they were performing an infiltration operation. ¡°It¡¯s a song that worships and idolizes the master of the Crack. Everyone sings the song with their names in the lyrics,¡± Hury answered. ¡°Names?¡± ¡°Everyone who serves the Crack is given new names, and no one gets the same name.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Juan nodded his head. ¡°I remember hearing it in Durgal too,¡± Juan muttered to himself and continued walking. Meanwhile, Hury was overwhelmed with concern upon seeing the members of the punishment unit moving all at once. To Hury, the sound of fifty people moving at the same time in the middle of the night felt as loud as the mounted troops. Hury had suggested the strategy of dividing the punishment unit into groups and dispersing them for an efficient search, but Juan had turned his suggestion down¡ªinstead, Juan made sure that everyone was moving together at once. Although they were in a dark forest, there was a high probability of getting caught by the enemies when fifty people were moving as one big group. ¡®It will only be a matter of time before we get caught.¡¯ Hury looked at Juan with concern in his eyes. Moving in one group would be advantageous in a battle against a small number of troops, but there were over two thousand enemies. Hury closed his eyes; he had a feeling that the punishment unit would be wiped out as soon as the battle began. In that situation, scattering the troops in different groups would give the members of the punishment group a higher chance of surviving rather than keeping everyone in one big group. At that moment, Juan stopped moving. Hury wondered why Juan had stopped walking all of a sudden, but soon covered his mouth with his hands upon noticing what Juan was looking at. A group of seven rebels was rummaging through the area around them. Fortunately, it seemed like they would pass by as long as the punishment unit stayed still, since they were walking on a path located on a lower level than the punishment unit. However, Juan had no intention of letting them go. ¡°Let¡¯s fight,¡± Juan said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity.¡± Upon listening to Juan and Hury¡¯s conversation from behind, Asha gritted her teeth and tried to charge at Juan, but Hury hastily stopped Asha and looked at Juan with serious eyes. Juan was smiling, but he didn¡¯t appear to be joking. Hury patiently waited, but Juan didn¡¯t bother to explain to them why they must fight against the enemies who hadn¡¯t even noticed them. ¡°I won¡¯t wait long since we don¡¯t have time,¡± Juan said. Then, Juan picked up a stone from the ground and threw it toward the rebels without hesitation. Before Hury could even stop Juan, the neck of one of the rebels snapped and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. Along with that, the strange song stopped as well. Hury no longer had the time needed to make the best judgment. Hury charged toward the rebels as fast as he could, and pierced the necks of one of the rebels with his spear. Before the rebels could even grasp the situation they were in, Hury quickly twisted and broke the neck of the enemy standing next to him. When Hury turned his head, he could see Asha cutting off the head of another enemy with a dagger and Ranhal, a wolf Beastman, biting the neck of one of the rebels while crushing the head of another rebel by stepping on it. Six of the rebels were dead in a blink of an eye, including one that Juan killed. The last of seven rebels was standing a little farther away from the punishment unit with his eyes widened and mouth dropped open. Ranhal dropped the rebel in his mouth and ran toward the last rebel, but it was clear that he would only be able to reach after the rebel screamed and alerted the rest of the rebels. Hury bit his lips. In the next moment, Hury was smashing the head of the last rebel into a tree. A loud cracking sound rang throughout the mountain, and the sound of the strange songs that had been echoing throughout the entire mountain until just a moment ago stopped in an instant. Juan grinned at the sight. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Then, Asha ran wildly toward Juan. Grabbing Juan by his collar, Asha scolded him in a low and sharp voice. ¡°You son of a bitch. Do you want to get all of us killed? Or are you that desperate for honor and fame?¡± ¡°Get your hands off me,¡± Juan looked down at her and whispered. But Asha didn¡¯t listen. ¡°Do you even know what it means to infiltrate and search? I grew up in the northeast so I know nothing about the empire. But even I know what that is. But you just¡­¡± Juan didn¡¯t speak twice as he knew that there would be no point in doing so. For a moment, everyone felt a sharp chill run down their spines. All the members of the punishment unit around Juan instinctively straightened their backs, and those who were weak fell on their butts before they knew it. No one in the punishment unit could move their body, and felt a strange feeling of their bones being tickled. Asha showed the strongest reaction among everyone in the punishment unit. Asha, who was making eye contact with Juan, couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of Juan and collapsed while clutching her chest while foaming at her mouth. No one in the punishment unit knew what had just happened in front of their eyes. Then Hury quickly approached Asha and checked her pulse after lying her body straight. After checking Asha¡¯s breath and pulse, Hury urgently tried to resuscitate her. It was only after a while that Asha gasped and began to breathe again. Cold sweat dripped from Hury¡¯s forehead. ¡°I hope you have learned your lesson,¡± Juan whispered coldly. Juan¡¯s lesson was clearly communicated to everyone. The punishment unit realized that Juan could simply kill them all with ease, even if he couldn¡¯t use mana or use a weapon. ¡°...I think it would be best for us to retreat from here as soon as possible, since there was a loud noise during the fight earlier. The rebels will be here soon to check where the sound came from,¡± Hury replied calmly with his head lowered in front of Juan. Juan looked at Hury who had given his advice without a single word of complaint¡ªno emotions could be seen on Hury¡¯s face. Juan just walked past Hury instead of answering. Asha was still lying on the ground as she tried to catch her breath, and Hury quickly helped her up. Ranhal, a wolf Beastman, hid his tail between his legs and approached Hury. ¡°Mr-Mr.Hury. D-do you know what that was just now?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Hury wiped the sweat off of his forehead while murmuring. ¡°It was an extremely strong murderous intent.¡± ¡°M-murderous intent? There is no way that was simply something as simple as murderous intent, right? It felt as if he could kill everything in the world. It¡¯s surprising that Asha is still alive even after directly facing that murderous intent.¡± Being a beastman, Ranhal was much more sensitive to such things compared to the others. In particular, beasts were sensitive to murderous intent more than anything. It was only natural for Ranhal to be fearful. ¡°Human beings are somewhat insensitive to it¡­ but the murderous intent that he released in that moment was enough to frighten all living creatures. I bet even the demonic beasts would tuck their tails and run away.¡± Hury continued to walk silently instead of answering Ranhal. He could easily tell that Juan was much more powerful than what he had thought. However, it was not clear what purpose Juan had in bringing the punishment unit here and putting them at risk. For the time being, Juan was quietly listening to the murmurs behind him. Everyone in the punishment unit was full of resentment and hatred toward Juan, but no one dared to speak against him due to the ¡®something¡¯ that Juan had just shown them. Forcing others with fear was rather easy, but this only intensified the distrust that the punishment unit felt toward Juan. Nevertheless, Juan remained calm¡ªin fact, Juan wanted them to feel even more doubtful and resentful. The deeper their distrust, the greater the effect was when it was all overturned. *** Horhell wiped off the blood on his cheek. Horhell figured that he must have broken his ribs, considering the wheezing sounds that constantly came out of his mouth regardless of his will. Horhell¡¯s left arm was broken as well, but that didn¡¯t matter to him as long as he could still breath and hold a sword. Besides, he had managed to kill the little boy in front of him anyway. Horhell dragged the body of the boy who no longer struggled into the gap between the rocks. The boy, who was even younger than Juan, witnessed the moment in which Horhell¡¯s dragon fell to the ground. It didn¡¯t matter to Horhell whether the little boy was digging for wild vegetable roots or looking for firewood in the mountain. Horhell slit the little boy¡¯s throat even before the little boy could properly understand what was happening. If Horhell had hesitated, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop the little boy from screaming. Horhell felt no guilt. Horhell already had numerous experiences of killing children even younger than this little boy and burning houses filled with the cries of infants. Amidst the silence, Horhell decided to forget about the little boy he had just killed. CH 107 Horhell turned his head. ¡°Hey.¡± As if responding to Horhell¡¯s words, the dragon curled up inside the valley exhaled a long and deep breath through its nose. The dragon seemed to be in a pretty bad condition due to its injury, but desperately rubbed its face against Horhell¡¯s torso as Horhell approached it. Because the dragon was much larger and heavier, the impact from the fall was much greater for the dragon than it was for Horhell. One of its wings was broken here and there, and thus left limping. It was rather fortunate that the injury was only limited to this, thanks to falling between the valleys and rolling at an angle. Horhell could instinctively feel that the dragon was in a pretty bad condition, to the extent that it couldn¡¯t fly. That alone was already fatal for the dragon. ¡°Haha,¡± Horhell laughed helplessly. Horhell had never thought that his journey would end in this way. He had abandoned his morality as well as his honor, all to save this dragon. But he was about to face such a ridiculous end. There were less than two hours left before sunrise. Horhell had already given up all hope, as surrendering was nothing but a long and terrible death. From the side of the valley came low humming sounds, almost like a chorus¡ªit was the song sung by the rebels. Horhell clutched his sword, but he knew that it would be difficult to fight, given the current condition of his body. He looked back at the dragon for a moment. The weakened dragon was staring at Horhell with its transparent eyes. Leaving behind his dragon, Horhell started to run to the other side of the valley. ¡°The bastard¡­!¡± ¡®The bastard is on that side!¡¯ That was the sentence Horhell intended to shout. His plan was to lure the enemies as far away as possible, buying some time for the dragon. Horhell hoped that the dragon would then be lucky enough to be found and rescued by someone. But even before his words could come out of his mouth, someone ran into Horhell. Horhell groaned at the sensation of his broken ribs stabbing into his lung as he crashed into a stranger. Horhell saw white fangs and rough skin covered with fur in the dark. Horhell opened his eyes wide. ¡®A wolf?¡¯ ¡°Centurion Horhell, please keep quiet for a moment,¡± the wolf suddenly opened its mouth and spoke. Horhell didn¡¯t know much about the wolf beastman, but he had seen him once. ¡®There was one member of the punishment unit who was a wolf beastman.¡¯ Horhell tried to say something, but his voice failed to come out properly; only a wheezing sound could leave his mouth. ¡°Did the search party¡­ come to find¡­ me?¡± Horhell managed to spit out a few words. Horhell¡¯s mouth foamed with blood as he spoke, but Ranhal seemed to have understood him. ¡°People did come to find you, Sir. But¡­¡± Ranhal muttered with unease. At that moment, something approached Horhell and Ranhal along the slope of the valley. It came with a rustling sound, and made a loud thud as it hit the rock, causing Horhell to tense up. The moment Horhell tensed up, he could smell the scent of blood. A dead body fell from above. ¡°What the hell were you trying to do?¡± Juan appeared from the other side of the dark valley. Although no blood could be seen on Juan¡¯s body due to the dark clothes he was wearing, Horhell could smell a strong scent of blood from him. However, none of the blood seemed to be Juan¡¯s own. ¡°...I was trying to distract the rebels away because I thought the dragon might be caught.¡± Juan smirked at Horhell¡¯s words. ¡°Are you in love with your dragon or something? You¡¯re quite lucky to be alive.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Then, Horhell saw troops coming down the slope of the valley. Horhell could tell at a glance that they were the members of the punishment unit. Every one of them was covered in blood and looked completely exhausted. Quite a few of them seemed to be injured, and they were all glaring at Juan with murderous intent in their eyes. Horhell couldn¡¯t understand why they were drenched in blood and looked the way they did. He thought that they must have infiltrated as he didn¡¯t hear a fight anywhere. ¡®Did they kill all the rebels they met on their way here? Every single one of them?¡¯ Horhell thought it couldn¡¯t be, but nothing else that came to his mind made sense. On Ranhal¡¯s back, Horhell guided Juan to the place where the dragon was. Juan made a displeased expression upon seeing the dragon¡¯s wounds. ¡°There is no way it can move in this state. I thought it might at least be able to walk. It won''t be able to recover with rest alone. It will die unless it gets treated.¡± Horhell bit his lips when Juan brought up the scenario of the dragon¡¯s death. ¡°Put me down. I¡¯ll stay with the dragon,¡± Horhell said. ¡°Centurion Horhell.¡± ¡°Put me down.¡± Ranhal looked at Juan with timid eyes. Horhell was confused upon seeing Ranhal¡¯s attitude. Although Horhell was only a centurion, it would be no exaggeration to say that he had the highest authority in the fourth division after Duke Henna. However, the members of the punishment unit were waiting for Juan¡¯s orders rather than listening to Horhell. It was only after Juan nodded and gave permission that Ranhal put Horhell down on the ground. ¡°Ranhal, you go and tell Hela our location. Tell her that she must come before sunrise,¡± Juan ordered. ¡°Pardon me? Isn¡¯t coming before sunrise almost impossible? The mounted troops won¡¯t be able to come up the mountain,¡± Ranhal answered with his eyes widened. ¡°Then make them run on all fours. Tell Hela that Horhell, the dragon, and I will all die if she doesn¡¯t come by then. If that happens, then Hela would soon die of anger too, right? Do you think you all will be able to live any longer if Hela dies?¡± Ranhal seemed fully convinced by Juan¡¯s persuasion. Horhell watched Ranhal disappear into the darkness, then opened his mouth. ¡°Well, that was a lie. You have no intention of dying here.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ He¡¯s too stupid and needs proper motivation,¡± Juan shrugged. Juan first took the armor off of Horhell and examined his body. As Juan had seen many wounded soldiers before, he could easily recognize Horhell¡¯s condition at just a glance. Horhell had minor scratches here and there, and the injury on his left arm seemed like it would be able to fully recover after recuperation. However, his broken ribs seemed to have punctured his lungs. Juan measured the fracture area and figured that there was a risk of his heart getting stabbed if he was moved without caution. ¡°How did you even fall?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I have no idea. I have very little memory of before and after the crash.¡± Blood spewed out of Horhell¡¯s mouth as he spoke. Yet he only looked at the dragon without paying any attention to his own injuries. ¡°What about the dragon? Are there any ways it can be treated?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you. This kind of injury wouldn¡¯t kill a dragon. What is killing him right now are the restraints you put on him,¡± Juan answered Horhell¡¯s question in a firm voice. Horhell remained silent. He had had also thought that the dragon was suffering due to the restraints. A crash like this wouldn¡¯t be a problem to ordinary dragons in the first place. However, Horhell¡¯s dragon was different. His dragon was particularly weak due to the long term starvation as well as the remodeling of its body done to weaken it. ¡°The restraints you put inside its bones and joints are worsening its wounds and eating his life away. I mean, I understand that you did what you had to do, since the dragon would have died a long time ago otherwise. But it seems like it can¡¯t afford to escape in its current state.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± Horhell leaned against the cliff, almost as if he had given up. Horhell closed his eyes as he realized that his guess was correct. Then, Juan beckoned the members of the punishment unit. Upon seeing Juan¡¯s beckon, the members of the punishment unit hid among the rocks in the valley without complaining. Juan began to collect the stones and branches around him after ensuring that the members of the punishment unit had properly hidden themselves, and Horhell wondered if Juan was planning to build a temporary camp here. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything useless and just go. Tell Duke Henna that she doesn¡¯t have to come either,¡± Horhell said. ¡°Why? Do you want to choose this place to be your grave?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always known that I would never die in a peaceful way anyway.¡± Juan snorted at Horhell¡¯s answer and continued to move. But everything seemed meaningless in Horhell¡¯s eyes. In fact, the thought of dying here seemed to be some kind of relief. Horhell had imagined his own death countless deaths before, but the situation he was in now wasn¡¯t the worst that he had imagined. ¡°Juan, there¡¯s something I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I was the one who killed the knights of the Order of Lindwurm.¡± *** Juan didn¡¯t show a change of expression. Instead, he simply stopped moving and looked back at Horhell in silence. ¡°I was expecting it already. What else can I think when you¡¯re the only one who survived the internal conflict of the Order of Lindwurm? It¡¯s obvious. Besides, there¡¯s no way that a knight of the Order of Lindwurm and his dragon were forgiven without paying some sort of price,¡± Juan said as he tilted his head at an angle. ¡°Did you destroy the Order of Lindwurm in order to save the dragon?¡± ¡°...Yes, but it was inevitable. The Order of Lindwurm had already been encroached upon by the Crack.¡± Juan had already expected such a thing; after all, he had felt the strong energy of the Crack from the traces of the Order of Lindwurm back in Durgal. What mattered was to what extent the knights of the Order of Lindwurm had been encroached upon by the Crack. Juan could barely feel any energy of the Crack in Horhell. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve been encroached upon by the Crack,¡± Juan said. ¡°It only looks like I haven¡¯t. The people of the eastern territory, especially the troops, have all been encroached upon by the Crack to some extent. It¡¯s the songs sung by the rebels that affect everyone,¡± Horhell answered. Juan turned his head and focused his attention on the low humming sound coming from beyond the valley. Juan recalled how the members of the punishment unit looked distressed and delirious whenever they heard it. ¡°Don¡¯t pay too much attention to it. The Crack will immediately start to encroach upon you the moment you casually start to sing along.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about a wailing like that. Just tell me about Gerard Gain. Had Gerard also been encroached upon by the Crack? Since when?¡± ¡°Yes. Captain Gerard Gain had also been encroached upon by the Crack. Everyone simply assumed and speculated that he was encroached upon by the Crack, but being an Elite Knight of the Order of Lindwurm, I saw everything from the moment Captain Gerard decided to commit himself to the Crack to receive a new name. Because I¡¯m¡­¡± Horhell hesitated, but soon continued. ¡°...I¡¯m the one who caused Captain Gerard Gain to be encroached upon by the Crack.¡± Horhell inhaled a short breath as soon as he finished speaking. Horhell suddenly felt as if Juan¡¯s black eyes were burning in the dark. ¡°Explain everything in detail so that I don¡¯t misunderstand you even a little,¡± Juan said after a moment. Horhell gulped and opened his mouth. ¡°Juan, since when do you think Captain Gerard Gain started to plan the assassination of the emperor?¡± Juan shook his head; he had no idea. He was neither able to anticipate it nor notice any signs. The only person who had felt that something was off about Gerard Gain had been Harmon Helwin. If Harmon hadn¡¯t figured out the details, no one other than those closest to Gerard Gain would¡¯ve known anything about his plan. ¡°Do you know when the people of eastern territory began to be encroached upon by the Crack?¡± Horhell asked. Juan slightly tilted his head upon Horhell¡¯s gaze. ¡°Forty-five years after the founding of the empire¡ªtwo years before the assassination of the emperor. What about it?¡± ¡°At that time, the Order of Lindwurm had already started seeing the signs of the encroachment of the Crack and we had been doing everything we could to prevent it. Captain Nienna Nelben had actively instructed us on how to defend against it. The way to defend against the encroachment of the Crack was much simpler than I had thought.¡± ¡°I know about that as well.¡± The best way to defend against the encroachment of the Crack was to kill all those who had already been encroached upon. The Crack had the ability to constantly encroach upon and encourage one to cause destruction by entering one¡¯s mind when one starts to find more about the Crack. It would only be a matter of time before a single person who had been encroached upon by the Crack caused dozens or hundreds of people to also be encroached upon. The only way to stop this was to unconditionally kill any who had already been encroached upon by the Crack. ¡°Preventing further encroachment through a painful process of asceticism after a period of quarantine is possible in the early stages of the encroachment. However, complete recovery is impossible¡ªjust like those from the punishment unit over there. There¡¯s no way to deal with those who have been encroached upon to a certain extent. So what¡¯s the next step?¡± Horhell looked back at Juan and continued. ¡°The ways to deal with the encroachment weren''t known in detail at that time, since Captain Nienna Nelben was thoroughly isolating the Crack in the northern territory, to the extent that everyone was relieved. But when the first incident of the encroachment of the Crack happened, we¡­ no¡ªI took things too lightly.¡± Horhell continued with a bitter smile. ¡°There was one family¡ªa family who fled from the Crack who had already started to be encroached upon when they were reaching here from the north. Captain Gerard Gain and I found them and interrogated them. The parents seemed fine, but their daughter who was still an infant showed signs of the encroachment of the Crack. The family was devastated and clung to Captain Gerard¡¯s legs, begging him in tears. But Captain Gerard firmly shook his head. That¡¯s when I said something to the captain. I still remember exactly what I said at that moment, even to this day.¡± Horhell paused for a moment, then continued with trembling lips. ¡°...Captain, I think the baby is just babbling, not singing.¡± CH 108 ¡°What do you think Captain Gerard did? The captain I know wouldn¡¯t have made an exception, since a mission must be carried out even if it means having to kill a child. However, Captain Gerard let them go after hesitating,¡± Horhell said. ¡°And that happened in the forty-fifth year after the founding of the empire?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes. And three weeks later, the door to the Crack opened in the northeastern metropolitan city of Arbalde.¡± This was the beginning of the tragedy of Arbalde. The more the people praised and sought knowledge, the stronger the power of the Crack became. Then, once the ways to prevent and suppress the encroachment of the Crack became widespread, no one was interested enough to try to find out more about the Crack, other than corrupted magicians. However, at that time people had been helplessly exposed to the power of the Crack, without knowledge, which was now considered to be common sense. The fact that the door to the Crack had opened meant that the area could no longer be controlled by anyone. ¡°Captain Gerard and the Order of Lindwurm were desperate to try and prevent the spread of the Crack. But nothing we did was enough. And eventually¡­ Captain Nienna led the Order of Penlil to the eastern territory.¡± As someone who had been fighting against the Crack ever since she was old enough to hold a sword, Nienna knew exactly what to do in such a situation. Juan clearly remembered hearing about the widespread massacre conducted by Nienna in the eastern territory through a report that she wrote herself¡ªher report had been so horrific and shocking that even Juan had wondered if it had been necessary to suppress the people of Arbalde to that extent. However, Juan trusted Nienna. Nienna was the one who had been personally fighting against the Crack all along and she knew better than anyone what would happen if she didn¡¯t stop the power of the Crack in Arbalde. So, she stopped it¡ªby all means necessary. ¡°I know that Gerard and Nienna almost had a falling out because of what happened in Arbalde,¡± Juan said. ¡°No, they actually did fight to the point where they were both drenched in the other¡¯s blood. It was rather surprising that they didn¡¯t fight using swords. It almost caused an all-out war between the Order of Lindwurm and the Order of Penlil, but all of it stopped when the emperor¡¯s royal letter arrived,¡± Horhell explained. Juan nodded heavily. The royal letter was written by his own hands, and its content stated how Juan understood, trusted and accepted Nienna Nelben¡¯s methods to stop the spread of the power of the Crack in Arbalde. ¡°At that time, Captain Gerard had no choice but to back down. I had never seen anyone look up to the emperor as much as Captain Gerard Gain. So, he had to understand and convince himself; after all the royal letter was from the emperor, whom Captain Gerard believed to be the most just and righteous person in the world. The Order of Lindwurm then retreated from Arbalde; we couldn''t bear to attack our own people. The same was also true for me. But¡­ Captain Gerard Gain was different. He slaughtered the people of Arbalde with his own hands, right beside the members of the Order of Penlil.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°Two million people were slaughtered. Doesn¡¯t that number feel unreal? Had so many people ever been killed since the gods were exiled from the empire? We were shocked and infuriated by the fact that human hands could kill so many humans. What do you think we were all thinking in that situation? There was only one thought in all our minds.¡± Horhell expressed himself loud and clear. ¡°Was that massacre really necessary? We, the knights, originally decided to grab our swords in order to protect our people. But we had to kill so many people. Was all that truly necessary? What is the Crack? No, is the Crack really what we are against at that point? If we had to kill that many people with our own hands, what even is the point of protecting them from the Crack? Do we, or does the emperor, even deserve to be called the guardian of humanity?¡± Horhell paused for a moment, then soon continued. ¡°...the northeastern rebels are the descendants of those who survived the massacre of Arbalde. The fact that Captain Nienna failed to completely wipe out the traces of the Crack even after the massacre might be proof that the massacre had been unnecessary. Or maybe we were only able to lock those encroached upon by the Crack in the eastern territory, thanks to the massacre. Anyway, the northeastern rebels despise the empire for what happened. I don¡¯t even want to criticize their ignorance which caused them to fall under the influence of the Crack,¡± Horhell sighed. ¡°Because, the first ones to be encroached upon by the Crack after the massacre were the members of the Order of Lindwurm.¡± Juan continued to collect the stones around him again while listening to Horhell¡¯s words. ¡°The members of the Order of Lindwurm comforted Captain Gerard Gain, who was distressed, trying to drag him to the Crack and forget about everything. But I couldn¡¯t get myself to stop them, since I might be responsible for two million deaths. I thought that it would be impudent of me to flee to the Crack to forget about what I¡¯d done. I slowly became distant from the Order of Lindwurm, and became closer to the dragon. From that day on, I don¡¯t even hesitate to kill even a child,¡± Horhell murmured painfully. ¡°However¡­¡± Horhell looked at the sky with empty eyes. ¡°...then the members of the Order of Lindwurm tried to prove that Captain Gerard Gain and themselves hadn¡¯t been wrong. So, they tried to spread the Crack in the empire¡ªin particular, Deputy Vekelt was at the center of the plan.¡± ¡°They tried to spread the Crack?¡± Juan frowned and asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the details. All I knew was that Captain Gerard Gain was planning to assassinate the emperor, then return to the eastern territory and lead the Order of Lindwurm to attack the capital. But everything was in vain when Captain Gerard didn¡¯t return. The Order of Lindwurm didn¡¯t know what to do. Then they went to Durgal in order to try and repeat exactly what had happened in Arbalde.¡± ¡°...Is that what happened in that dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes. So, I killed them all. There were a few others who joined me in stopping them, but I was the only one who survived. In return, I entrusted myself to Duke Henna. But¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I made the right decision.¡± Juan stopped what he was doing and looked back at Horhell. ¡°I survived in order to save the dragon, but shouldn¡¯t I have died with my comrades back then? Was the infant really just babbling? Am I the one who caused the deaths of two million people? Am I the one who caused Captain Gerard to have no choice but to stab the emperor? Did I drive the empire to this point?¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Juan approached Horhell and noticed that Horhell¡¯s eyes were quite hazy. Horhell had become mentally weak, not only because he had lost too much blood, but also because of the fact that he thought that both him and the dragon were going to die soon. Juan quietly stared at Horhell¡¯s eyes. ¡®What should I do with him?¡¯ Horhell believed that he was the one who caused the tragedy of Arbalde and the assassination of the emperor. If Horhell¡¯s actions had been what influenced Gerard Gain to assassinate the emperor, it might be best for Juan to take his life right here to make him comfortable. However, Juan felt that was not enough. Juan raised his hand and slapped Horhell¡¯s cheek. The members of the punishment unit looked at Juan in unison upon hearing the echoing sound. Horhell trembled and spat blood. At the same time, for some reason, Juan¡¯s gaze made Horhell feel ashamed of himself. ¡°How arrogant of you,¡± Juan said. ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t up to you to decide whether to kill that infant or not¡ªthat had been Gerard¡¯s job. It was Gerard¡¯s own will to be convinced by your words, and it was also his will to obey the emperor¡¯s royal letter. It was also his own will to stab me out of defiance. Do you really think that you have that much influence over everything? You overestimate yourself.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°That was what the emperor chose.¡± Horhell shut his mouth, and Juan moved the pieces of stone that he had been rummaging around for a while. The sky was starting to brighten. The sun tended to rise later in the middle of the mountains, but the valley was already starting to become bright. At the same time, the song sung by the rebels could be heard closer than ever. ¡°The emperor gave all of that authority to Gerard Gain, not you. Therefore it is Gerard Gain who is responsible for all that happened. Tell me. Did Gerard reappear in front of you to resent you? Did he blame you even a little bit? The reason why he was in pain was entirely because of his own decisions,¡± Juan snorted. ¡°He was just waiting to be persuaded if he was given even the slightest motivation. The regrets from his own decision are entirely his responsibility.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me that none of that would have happened if you hadn¡¯t said anything about the infant? Then Gerard would have just made another excuse, because that¡¯s the kind of guy he is. He probably would have believed that he could take the responsibility for anything he did, and that¡¯s why he probably regretted his choices even more. I have no idea how he got so weak, but what can anyone do?¡± Juan clenched the stone in his hand. ¡°I, the emperor, raised him like that. I appointed him as the captain of the knights, and believed that he would do his job properly. After all, the mistakes Gerard made are also considered to be my mistakes. Maybe it was only natural for the emperor to pay the price with his own blood. The responsibility should be directed upward, not downward.¡± Horhell opened his eyes wide at Juan¡¯s unexpected remarks. ¡°Juan, you¡­¡± Horhell¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°Yes. Maybe the emperor was meant to die.¡± Juan was clutching the stone so hard that his hand turned pale white and then began to bleed. Being unable to use mana, Juan¡¯s skin was weak and fragile. The fragments of stone scattered everywhere as Juan threw them on the floor. The sound of the pieces of stone rolling down the valley could be heard, and the members of the punishment unit could even see someone shouting toward the valley. It was clear that this ¡®someone¡¯ wasn''t the backup that the punishment unit had been waiting for. The sunlight began to seep into the valley, but their reinforcements were nowhere to be seen. Hury grabbed his weapon. Their location wasn¡¯t the most ideal, as the bottom of the valley was easy to attack. The members of the punishment unit glared at Juan with resentment and hatred in their eyes. It was only natural for them to be angry, since they were all about to die while waiting for the arrival of the reinforcements. The valley was filled with humming sounds. ¡°You paid for the price of your sins by killing the rebels, Horhell. I¡¯ll be the one to forgive your sins myself. And I¡¯ll help you live your life a little longer,¡± Juan said. ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°However, keep in mind that your life will then belong to me, not to Duke Henna.¡± At that moment, one of the rebels shouted in a strange singing voice and swung his spear. The armor the rebels were wearing looked shabby, and no one was dressed in any type of uniform. Juan dodged the rebel¡¯s simple attack with ease and kicked him in the stomach while grabbing the spear. The spear then pierced straight down the rebel¡¯s neck in a blink of an eye. While the man was struggling in pain, he puffed his mouth to mutter something. The enemy faltered for a moment upon seeing Juan¡¯s quick and clean response. Fighting broke out throughout the valley. The punishment unit formed a circle and fought desperately, but there were too many enemies. The number of enemies was increasing to the point that they were covering the entire valley. Then, Horhell noticed the handcuffs still hanging on Juan¡¯s wrist. Juan couldn¡¯t use any mana or magic with those handcuffs on his wrists. Horhell fumbled through the pockets of his trousers to search for the key, but the key was nowhere to be found. Horhell bit his lips as he thought he must have dropped it somewhere when he crashed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The handcuffs¡­ I can¡¯t find their key. There¡¯s no way to get them off your wrists,¡± Horhell said with a frown. Juan looked at Horhell with a dumbfounded expression and spoke. ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. I wasn¡¯t going to ask you to release me in the first place.¡± ¡°What? Then how are we going to fight against all these rebels when¡­¡± ¡°I never said that I won¡¯t use magic.¡± Then, Horhell realized that the stones and branches scattered on the ground by Juan followed a series of strange patterns. Even before Horhell could figure out the meaning of those patterns, the rebels charged toward them. ¡°Although I can¡¯t use magic that kills thousands at once.¡± Juan broke the blade off of the spear with his bloody hand and tightly clutched the metal. Juan¡¯s blood dripped to the ground, and the blade soon began to glow red. At that moment, the stones that Juan had strangely arranged heated up simultaneously and started emitting burning heat. The members of the punishment unit quickly dropped their weapons; they too were starting to heat up. ¡°Stay away from the dragon,¡± Juan warned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°To be exact, stay away from the restraints on the dragon¡¯s body.¡± Horhell looked back toward the dragon upon hearing Juan¡¯s warning. The steel restraints that the dragon had all over its body were glowing red and heating up. The dragon seemed surprised, but did not seem to be feeling any pain. Horhell recalled that dragons were born with strong flame energy, and remembered a story that said that drinking a dragon¡¯s blood enabled one to become impervious to flames. This could be seen from the fact that Gerard Gain had been able to casually wander around in flames after drinking the blood of a dragon. ¡°What the hell is this¡­¡± Horhell murmured. Instead of answering Horhell, Juan raised his hand which was holding the blade high up into the air. The heat in the valley rose higher and higher as Juan raised his hand higher. The rebels backed away in a hurry, and those who held weapons made of metal all dropped their weapons, unable to hold onto them due to the burning sensation. The terrible heat emitted by the metal weapons filled up the entire valley. CH 109 Juan raised his hand all the way. At the same time, the blade which had been barely maintaining its shape completely melted and flowed down Juan¡¯s arm. Everyone including the rebels and Horhell looked at the sight with a shocked look on their faces. Juan¡¯s arm, which was covered in melted iron, glowed bright red. The blade in Juan¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t the only thing melting. All the metal objects in the valley were glowing red with heat and melting down. Some of the men in armor screamed and rolled around in pain, then bit their own tongues. There were also those who turned their backs without hesitation to run away from the valley. The heat was hard to bear, even for Horhell. Horhell noticed that his armor, which Juan took off a moment ago to examine his wounds, was also melting down. It was an old armor, but now it was nothing more than melted iron. Roar! At that moment, the dragon roared. All the people crouched with their ears covered and widened their eyes as they tried to figure out what was going on. Hundreds of metallic restraints that had been covering the dragon¡¯s body were melting slowly while glowing red and flowing down its body. The dragon flapped its wings as if it wanted to move, but couldn¡¯t fly as its wing was still broken from the crash. However, just the disappearance of the restraints already seemed to have made the dragon¡¯s body much lighter. ¡°What¡­ how¡­ what kind of magic did he¡­¡± Horhell murmured to himself. Horhell had never seen this kind of magic before, because the Church only allowed very limited magic to be used outside of the Church. ¡®Besides, Juan is wearing handcuffs on his wrists that suppress his mana. So how is this possible?¡¯ Then, Horhell noticed that only some of the many stones arranged on the ground to form the magic circle were emitting heat and glowing red. ¡®That looks like¡­ a bloodstain?¡¯ Only then did Horhell realize that Juan had only picked out the stones that had the dragon¡¯s blood on them to form a magic circle. When the blade in Juan¡¯s hand had melted completely, he swung his arm around to scatter the liquid metal into the surroundings. The enemies who got splattered by the liquid metal broke out in painful screams. Along with the scream, the enemies began to retreat one by one. Then, the dragon roared once again¡ªthe enemies could no longer hold out. Juan laughed as he looked at the back of the rebels running away in a rush. ¡°So you used the blood of the dragon instead of your own mana¡­¡± Horhell said. ¡°A Dragon¡¯s blood contains an enormous amount of mana. The mana in your dragon¡¯s blood was especially rich, since it''s never used magic before.¡± Horhell saw that Juan no longer had handcuffs on his wrists; they too were melted by the heat. Horhell realized that this had been Juan¡¯s plan all along. Horhell felt weird upon seeing the rebels running away from the valley. The number of enemies in the villages around this area was almost two thousand. And Juan had driven them all away by simply using one magic that melted iron. On the other hand, Horhell also felt regret; he thought Juan and the punishment unit could easily overpower the enemies at this moment, as the enemies were completely unarmed and had lost their will to fight. ¡°If you were able to stop the enemies this easily from the very beginning¡­ why did you scare Ranhal like that? You told him that everyone will die if he doesn¡¯t come back by the time the sun rises,¡± Horhell asked. Juan pointed to the bottom of the mountain upon hearing Horhell¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because we need to catch those guys that are running away.¡± Horhell looked in the direction that Juan pointed, and he saw the troops of the fourth division approaching the bottom of the mountain. The troops seemed perplexed by the sudden influx of enemies, but soon noticed that the opponents were in a panic and completely unarmed. Duke Henna, who commanded the troops, was not a person to miss such an opportunity. ¡°Do not let a single enemy escape!¡± The troops were outnumbered, but the guerrilla unit spread widely and crushed the enemies one by one. Hury was left speechless upon seeing the enemies being crushed by the troops in an instant. The sight of two thousand men running away in fright and screaming as they were crushed was quite a disturbing view. Then, Juan looked back at Hury. ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see that Duke Henna is coming to congratulate us on our victory? Get prepared to return,¡± Juan ordered. Hury hesitated for a while, but soon gestured to the members of the punishment unit to follow Juan. It was Hury¡¯s first time walking onto a battlefield in a calm manner without carrying a weapon in his hand while a battle took place right before his eyes. Juan took the lead, while the dragon and Horhell limped behind him. The atmosphere became strange. Horhell looked at the dragon which was completely free of any restraints with unfamiliar eyes. Horhell couldn¡¯t even recall the last time he had seen his dragon without restraints on its body. Only then did Horhell realize how cruel he had been toward the dragon. He could probably never repeat his mistakes ever again. ¡°Juan,¡± Horhell quietly called out to Juan. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°My dragon has been released from the curse¡ªyou set him free. Now its name is no longer cursed,¡± Horhell muttered blankly. Juan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not too fond of dragons. I bet your dragon won¡¯t like the fact that I was the one to set him free.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Flop. Then Juan heard a sound. He turned around to see Horhell kneeling with his forehead touching the ground. As the members of the punishment unit watched in shock, Horhell spoke clearly while lying face down, almost as if he was worshiping Juan. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Dragon Orca and I, Horhell Helmer, will serve you for the rest of our lives.¡± *** ¡°Well done, everyone. Now go and get some rest.¡± Those were the only words Juan left for the punishment unit after returning to Beldeve after an all-night battle. Juan directly entered the castle without even bothering to check the number of the members from the punishment unit who managed to return. Being extremely exhausted, the members of the punishment unit scattered. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the fourth division rushed to lock up the enemies who were captured in the battle at the valley; however, no one said anything to the members of the punishment unit who weren¡¯t helping. Everyone knew how hard the punishment unit had fought, and suppressing two thousand enemies with only a fifty men unit was an unprecedented achievement. ¡®How many of our people were sacrificed for the sake of this achievement?¡¯ Hury wondered as he looked around at the members of the punishment unit. All the members of the punishment unit looked utterly tired. At that moment, Asha, who almost died in the face of Juan¡¯s murderous intent, stood up and approached Hury with a pale complexion. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere, Mr. Hury?¡± Asha asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It looks like you broke your ribs. Hurry up and head to the medical corps,¡± Hury answered while feeling concerned. ¡°My broken ribs aren¡¯t that important right now. How many of our people were killed because of that little¡­¡± Asha grumbled and looked over the members of the punishment unit. Hury also looked around and counted, trying to figure out how many from the punishment unit had died with a bitter look on his face. Then, Hury¡¯s expression stiffened. After counting the number of members from the punishment unit over and over again, Hury¡¯s mouth dropped wide open. ¡°Mr. Hury?¡± Asha examined Hury¡¯s expression with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°...No one died.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to properly count the numbers earlier, as it had been too dark, but not a single one of us died during the battle. Even the ones who were injured won¡¯t suffer from any long-lasting disabilities. It makes sense that no one died, because at the last moment of the battle that guy used magic, but we had such fierce battles even before that¡­¡± Hury¡¯s body trembled at the sudden realization. It wasn¡¯t that Juan left without even trying to figure out the number of people left in the punishment unit¡ªhe left because he wasn¡¯t interested and felt indifferent toward them; he already knew that none of them had died. ¡®I thought he was just pushing us to our deaths¡­¡¯ Asha also looked surprised that everyone was safe after counting a few more times. She bit her lips and shook her head. ¡°It must be a coincidence¡­ after all, we participated in a raid.¡± ¡°How many times have we participated in a raid, Asha? Has there ever been a case where everyone managed to survive and come back from such a mission?¡± Hury asked. The answer was no. The punishment unit was always placed in the most difficult and dangerous places on the battlefield, and they would be the quickest to die. Often, only half of the troops returned alive, or they barely escaped annihilation in many cases. Moreover, the mission to save Horhell and his dragon had been a mission more dangerous than ever. Nevertheless, everyone managed to come back alive. Asha had no choice but to admit this truth. ¡°But how¡­ just who is that guy?¡± Asha murmured. ¡°I have no idea. But I have a hunch that the eastern territory will go through a significant change very soon.¡± *** The fact that the operation to rescue Horhell was successful quickly spread to both the northeastern rebels and the fourth division in just a few days. ¡°Hey, Mr. celebrity.¡± Juan gnashed his teeth at the sound of Hela calling him a celebrity. ¡°What, has the rumor already spread? It hasn¡¯t even been a few days,¡± Juan complained. ¡°Well, it''s important that we spread a warm story to share around the fireplace, since winter is coming. Rumors often get more exaggerated during the winter, you know? I¡¯m not popular with the people of the eastern territory, so I have to at least spread a story like this,¡± Hela said as she sat beside Juan, who was sitting on top of the wall. There was a remote cliff underneath Juan¡¯s feet where the waves hit against the rocks, and the view of the open sea was in front of Juan¡¯s eyes. The top of the wall was Juan¡¯s favorite spot in Beldeve. Elsewhere, a small banquet was underway to pray for the swift recovery of the dragon and Horhell before they prepared for another war. Even the punishment unit, who were usually treated like prisoners, was mingling with the other troops to drink. A strong stench of alcohol could be smelled from Hela, almost as if she drank a bit too much at the banquet. In fact, she was already quite drunk. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold? I always feel like I will end up getting hemorrhoids if I sit here for even ten minutes,¡± Hela said. ¡°I have a lot of body heat, so I¡¯m fine,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Oh, by the way. Don¡¯t worry about the rumors. I¡¯ve ordered everyone to remain completely silent about your existence. Most of the rumors are about Horhell and the dragon. They¡¯re both popular on the front line, as they¡¯ve saved the troops who were in a crisis many times before. There are many soldiers who are happy about the news of their safe return.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t a Centurion supposed to be in charge of tactical command?¡± ¡°Well, soldiers would prefer a superior who flies in the sky and controls a fire-breathing dragon over a superior who shouts at them to charge at the enemies. Anyway, thanks to Horhell returning safely, the image of your¡­ handcuffed warriors who led the rescue operation has improved a lot.¡± Hela looked at Juan with a profound expression. But Juan didn¡¯t bother to make eye contact with Hela. ¡°What magic did you use to bring the punishment unit to their knees like that? They have some talent, but they are quite difficult to tame. In particular, Hury was a man who pretended to be obedient, but no one really knew what he was really up to. But now, he looks like a well-trained hound in front of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just good at training others in a harsh environment,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°I wish I was good at that.¡± ¡°It was you and your soldiers who actually dealt with the most difficult part of the battle.¡± Juan was right. Hela defeated and captured nearly a thousand enemies with just one hundred fifty soldiers who specialized in guerrilla warfare¡ªit was an unprecedentedly big victory. However, Hela gave Juan more credit for his successful rescue operation. ¡°What is there to be proud of when I won against those who were unarmed, had burn injuries all over and had lost their minds? It¡¯s better to show off the obvious achievements than to brag about an achievement that could create a lot of false rumors. You and the punishment unit rescued a hero who was isolated in the middle of the enemy camp. That alone is enough to be a pretty good story,¡± Hela said ¡°I see,¡± Juan nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s even more so because you can¡¯t reveal your existence. The soldiers would fall in love with you in an instant if we could praise you as a young hero.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t reveal myself anyway. Plus, I¡¯ve already told you that I don¡¯t care about being praised.¡± Juan¡¯s existence could never be publicly announced¡ªat least for the time being. The Order of the Evil Snake was still chasing him, and Hela had been asked by the capital to capture Juan. It was obvious that people would immediately become suspicious of Juan in such a situation if they heard a story praising the achievements of a young man with black hair. ¡°Come to think of it, why would you call me a celebrity when no one even knows of my identity?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Oh, of course, no one can stop the rumors from spreading little by little. There are plenty of people who have big mouths. It can¡¯t be helped even if I sew their lips together. You¡¯re not famous enough to be called a celebrity, but I heard rumors about you are already spreading elsewhere.¡± ¡°Elsewhere?¡± ¡°Where I can¡¯t control anyone¡¯s mouth. I¡¯m talking about the northeastern rebels.¡± CH 110 Juan clicked his tongue. ¡°Then the rumors will spread even more quickly; after all, those bastards never shut their mouths.¡± ¡°I agree. According to the intelligence report I received, rumors about ¡®the black-haired beast who spews out flames and can melt all the weapons¡¯ spread almost instantly. Do you happen to know fire-breathing techniques?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Something like that. What¡¯s the possibility that these rumors will be a problem in the future?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s very low. The rumors are only spreading among the rebels anyway. The rebels who have been encroached upon by the Crack are the enemies of the Church, and they are also the enemies of the Imperial Army. There¡¯s no way the Church and the Imperial Army will trust those rumors,¡± Hela explained. Juan nodded his head. The story of the black-haired beast would remain unknown to the rest of the empire unless the Church and the Imperial Army were colluding with the rebels. *** The candlelight flickered ominously inside a room in an abandoned building that didn¡¯t even have a ceiling. ¡°¡®A black-haired beast,¡¯ huh? It looks like that bastard got another new nickname associated with him,¡± Suvole, a member of the Order of the Capital spoke in a joyful voice while looking at the map that was placed on the desk in front of him. In front of Suvole were two people who looked at him with uncomfortable expressions. One of them, a man with a black beard and scarred face, glared at Suvole while holding a two-handed axe which was as large as his body against the floor. ¡°You think this is funny? You seem to want to be split in half like the other Imperial soldiers.¡± ¡°Of course not. By the way, how long has it been since you polished that ax of yours? It looks so gross that I don¡¯t even want to go near it. What do you think, Velkre? Do you want my blood on your flagpole as well?¡± Suvole smiled. Velkre, the captain of the Order of the Evil Snake, had an exhausted expression on his face. ¡°The only thing I want to do right now is to get out of this disgusting place as soon as possible. To achieve that I would have to cut off either your neck or that apostate¡¯s neck; however, if I had to choose, I¡¯d rather cut off that apostate¡¯s neck than yours.¡± Suvole grinned upon hearing Velkre¡¯s words. ¡°I mean, is there anything wrong with Arbalde? It¡¯s not as bad as people make it out to be. The rumors about it are terrible, but it is a place where people still reside. Don¡¯t you think so too, Sir Urkel? Or should I call you Lord of Arbalde?¡± Urkel, the Lord of Arbalde stroked his beard. Soon, his pupils flashed with a purple glint and he slightly lifted his ax and slammed it on the floor. In an instant, the smooth stone pavement cracked and shattered into the shape of a spider web. However, Suvole didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°My apologies, ¡®Revenge King¡¯ Urkel,¡± Suvole added as he shook his hand. ¡°Mind your manners, arrogant knight,¡± Urkel warned. ¡°Of course. A king is still considered king even if he is just the head of a tribe that barely survived and is a mess,¡± Survole derided. Urkel gritted his teeth in anger, but didn¡¯t do anything in the end. While Suvole was a knight of the empire, he was also the only person who provided Urkel with weapons and funds. No one knew why a knight of the empire was supporting the rebels, but the rebels would have long been destroyed if it wasn¡¯t for Suvole¡¯s help. Furthermore, this time around Suvole had brought them an opportunity that could turn the tables in their long war against Duke Henna. ¡°Anyway, thanks to the help from the Order of the Evil Snake, we were able to drop Horhell¡¯s dragon from the sky,¡± Suvole said. ¡°...But still failed to kill him,¡± Urkel muttered. ¡°Isn¡¯t that entirely your fault? You couldn¡¯t even find a wounded dragon which only gave rise to the story of the so-called black-haired beast. Oh, and we can¡¯t forget about Duke Henna¡¯s heroic triumph over your people. Well, whatever¡ªthat¡¯s fine. We were able to find out the whereabouts of the so-called ¡®black-haired beast,¡¯ so that¡¯s enough of an accomplishment. You also gained a benefit, since the dragon won¡¯t be able to move for a while, and at the same time, the Order of the Evil Snake and I gained benefits as well, since we found out about that black-haired man¡¯s whereabouts. Even Duke Henna won a great victory and a new hero, so everyone gained some benefits.¡± ¡°Are you deriding me?!¡± At that moment, Suvole slammed the desk with his fist as hard as he could and yelled, ¡°How could I not deride you in this situation! Wouldn¡¯t you do the same if you were put in my shoes? Captain Velkre and I risked both our positions to help you out! But you and your tribe are nothing but a useless bunch of trifles!¡± ¡°Fine. If you have that many complaints, let¡¯s end our alliance here.¡± Urkel lifted his ax and struck down at Survole as soon as he finished speaking. At that moment, Velkre¡¯s green flagpole suddenly appeared in the way of the ax and twisted the direction it was going. Pieces of shattered stone sprang up everywhere, and with a roar the building was shaken by the strong shock released by the clash between the flagpole and the ax. Suvole remained motionless while glaring at Urkel. Suvole knew that Urkel had no intention of killing him; if he did, even Velkre wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand an attack from Urkel which he released with all his might. ¡°Are you serious, Your Highness, the Revenge King?¡± ¡°Do you think that my tribe and I are just dragging our lives simply to live longer? No¡ªwe are doing all this to kill at least one more of you bastards from the empire. We don¡¯t care if we have to submit to the Crack or the devil in order to achieve that goal. Heck, I wouldn¡¯t be at a loss if I cut off your neck right now, especially when I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re up to.¡± Suvole sighed upon hearing Urkel¡¯s words. ¡°I think really highly of the desire you and the warriors of Arbalde have¡ªthe desire for revenge. The same goes for your resolve and magnanimity to be able to hold hands with the object of your revenge. But I need you to show me what you are capable of.¡± Urkel remained silent this time. ¡°You can¡¯t even unify all the warriors of Arbalde under your banner. The Thornbush Priest Organization has been constantly interfering, and your tribe wants to put their survival before revenge. The only reason you were able to somewhat unify them this time around was because Durgal has been destroyed. Am I wrong?¡± Suvole asked. Urkel had been leading the rebels for a long time, but his power and authority had reached the limit. The rebels were tired of the entrenched war, and now wanted peace rather than revenge. Furthermore, the Thornbush Priest Organization wanted to draw them all deeper into the Crack. It was only natural for Urkel to be exhausted when he had to walk on a tightrope in between the two. The voices of the people calling for a ceasefire were bound to grow louder along with the arrival of the harsh winter. In the midst of all this, the destruction of the territory of Durgal, one of the pillars of the Thornbush Priest Organization, acted as an opportunity for Urkel. The destruction of Dugal raised awareness, and Urkel was finally able to somewhat unify the warriors of Arbalde. ¡°Now that we have all settled down, let¡¯s organize our goals once again. Let¡¯s start with Lord Urkel. You want to unite the warriors of Arbalde first, and kill even one more person from the empire. To do so, you accepted my support instead of killing me, even when you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m up to.¡± ¡°Correct. I can kill you bastards at any time if I really wanted to. Duke Henna would be no match for us if the warriors of Arbalde were united. In fact, I¡¯ve already had many chances to kill her,¡± Urkel said. ¡°Captain Velkre of the Order of the Evil Snake. You are chasing after a black-haired young man named Juan, am I right? Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but you are looking for a chance to kill him, but are facing difficulty because he is now in the hands of Duke Henna.¡± ¡°There would be no reason for me to face apostates like the both of you if it wasn¡¯t for that reason. After all, this was the order given by His Holiness, the Pope,¡± Velkre answered with a firm expression. ¡°I admire your faith, Captain Velkre. I agree that one should be willing to make a compromise at times. And lastly, me¡­ I want to help you all gain benefits. Lord Urkel will be able to get Duke Henna¡¯s head, and Captain Velkre will be able to pull out Juan¡¯s heart.¡± Urkel glared at Suvole. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What about me?¡± ¡°I need to hear what you¡¯re up to. It¡¯s been a long time since you started supporting Arbalde, but this is the first time you¡¯ve shown your face. Not to mention that you¡¯ve even involved a Templar in this meeting. So, I might as well ask while we are facing each other,¡± Urkel said. ¡°My reasons aren¡¯t that big, and will not interest you. But let me just say that I want to see Duke Henna going down.¡± ¡°...why is that?¡± ¡°Because the capital hates her quite a lot. The more the eastern territory is ruined, the better. The eastern territory is already in such ruins, yet it¡¯s still producing talented people and even has an outstanding commander¡ªDuke Henna. The perception of the eastern territory within the capital is that it is ¡®the land of betrayal.¡¯ No one wants such a territory to flourish again,¡± Suvole shrugged. Urkel glared at Suvole. Suvole¡¯s words meant just one thing¡ªhe was using Urkel as a tool to prevent the eastern territory from prospering. And since Urkel¡¯s interest lay in not letting the eastern territory prosper, it was true. ¡°I¡¯m very glad you¡¯re more interested in revenge than in prosperity, Urkel.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll make sure to cut your throat once I end Duke Henna¡¯s life.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting. But I don¡¯t think Duke Henna is such an easy opponent. Anyway, we¡¯d better move on to the next plan, since we won¡¯t be seeing Horhell¡¯s dragon for a while. Everyone seems to be impatient, so let¡¯s hurry.¡± Suvole checked something on the map and got ready to go outside. Then, Urkel spoke to him again. ¡°Suvole. Come to think of it, you¡¯ve already had several opportunities to kill Duke Henna. She¡¯s even involved with the one who assassinated the emperor. Couldn¡¯t you just kill her if you hate her that much? Why are you still keeping her alive?¡± Suvole tilted his head as if he was wondering how to answer Urkel¡¯s question. ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty obvious? The reason for keeping Gerard Gain¡¯s bitch alive is to make her suffer. I want her to be in so much pain that she¡¯d rather prefer to die than stay alive. Otherwise, there would be no reason to keep her alive. And who knows? Maybe Gerard Gain will show himself when Duke Henna is on the verge of death. Then the Order of the Capital and the Church will finally be satisfied.¡± *** The warrior commander, Yurban, slightly raised his chin and hummed a song in a low voice. The mountain was completely quiet, except for the song sung by Yurban and the warriors. The wind blew against the dry branches on a tree that had no leaves; they had been dead for a long time. By singing together, Yurban and his warriors felt connected with each other. In fact, things were not as simple as that. Singing that song together had the effect of connecting the warriors to each other via the encroachment of the Crack in their heads. This song, which seemed to have no lyrics, embodied the name of the master of the Crack. The more his name was called, the greater the encroachment of the Crack inside them became. Once the encroachment of the crack was strong enough, the master of the Crack granted them even stronger powers. ¡°Yurban.¡± Yurban turned his head when he heard someone calling his name. Ergil, the vice commander of the warriors, was here. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stop singing for a while? There might be an ambush,¡± Ergil said. ¡°Ambush?¡± Yurban asked back in curiosity while looking around at the surroundings. It made sense that there might be an ambush, since the warriors were passing through a canyon. However, this was an unfamiliar concept to the warriors of Arbalde. ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we just sing louder? We are not just some villagers, but we are the warriors of Arbalde. Let¡¯s sing and praise his name louder instead,¡± Yurban suggested. ¡°No, I mean¡­ isn¡¯t our goal to loot some goods to last us through the winter, and not to fight? So let¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°So what? It¡¯d be nice to hunt and bring back the heads of those bastards from the Imperial Army while we are looting. Or are you suggesting that the Imperial bastards are stronger than the power that master has granted us?¡± Ergil glared at Yurban. Ergil was a warrior who trained himself to be strong enough so that he didn¡¯t have to sing as loudly as the other warriors. Of course, being a warrior commander, Yurban was much stronger than Ergil. But, Yurban was only better than Ergil despite his younger age and lack of training due to just one simple reason¡ªYurban sang the song of the Crack non-stop, praising the name of the master of the Crack so much that he would even sing in his sleep. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ we should watch out and move more cautiously, considering the rumor about the black-haired beast. Three of our warrior divisions are down already. We should at least send the guards ahead of time to¡­¡± ¡°The reason those divisions were defeated was because, just like you, they only thought about hiding and sneaking around. They wouldn¡¯t have lost if they called out master¡¯s name with a louder voice,¡± Yurban clicked his tongue. ¡°If we could win just by simply calling out master¡¯s name, then why have we not yet captured Beldeve?¡± Ergil shot back. At that moment, Yurban grabbed Ergil by the collar and lifted him up in the air. The march of the warriors stopped when two of their leaders suddenly clashed. Yurban¡¯s physique was much smaller compared to Ergil, but Yurban easily lifted Egil¡¯s body to knee level with just one hand. At the same time, Yurban¡¯s eyes flashed purple in anger. ¡°It¡¯s all because of punks like you. We would be wiping out not only the eastern territory, but the entire empire if the bastards in the south were just as good as us warriors of Arbalde. Let the enemies try to ambush us as much as they want. How would it be fun if they couldn¡¯t find us just because we were walking around quietly? I¡¯d rather fight them.¡± Yurban roughly threw Ergil to the ground. The march resumed while Ergil was still collapsed on the ground, and Yurban sang the song even louder than before. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Ergil looked at Yurban with dejected eyes. Then, someone approached Ergil to help him up¡ªit was one of the young warriors. ¡°Warrior Ergil, are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right¡­ but may I ask you to do me a favor? Go and do some reconnaissance in the canyon with your comrades. Passing through this path without reconnaissance just doesn¡¯t sit right with me,¡± Ergil ordered. The young warrior nodded and climbed the hillside with his comrades. When the young warrior was halfway up the hillside, something suddenly appeared on the canyon. Then, the young warrior¡¯s head was crushed by a large stone in an instant. CH 111 ¡°There¡¯s an ambush!¡± Ergil shouted in a loud voice as soon as he witnessed the young warrior¡¯s sudden death. The warriors of Arbalde were busy dodging and protecting themselves from the pile of falling stones, but Yurban drew his dual swords and bounced off the rocks falling in front of him. A loud roar echoed throughout the mountain. This was a roar that only those whose minds had been encroached upon by the Crack could understand. Upon hearing the roar, the warriors immediately regained their composure and prepared for battle. ¡°Come out, you Imperial bastards! Your fattened skins will be useful to us, allowing us to last through the winter!¡± Yurban shouted. ¡°You might be a little disappointed if what you want is our skin.¡± A mocking voice replied to Yurban¡¯s shout from the top of the mountain. At the same time, arrows poured down on the warrior division. The warriors barely managed to avoid the rocks that were slowly rolling toward them, but it was impossible for them to dodge all the arrows fiercely pouring down on them. The warriors crawling up the hillside were soon stabbed by the arrows and rolled down the hill. Only a few were able to hide behind the rocks and the bodies of their comrades. ¡°How long are you going to continue with this cowardly move?!¡± Yurban shouted as he blocked another arrow. ¡°Can someone please pierce that noisy bastard¡¯s neck and shut him up?¡± Arrows were shot toward the spot where Yurban was standing one after another. No matter how strong Yurban was with the power granted by the Crack, he had no way to deal with this kind of barrage. Being unable to hold out, Yurban lifted a heavy rock and threw it toward the people who were ambushing them. But, the people ambushing them dodged the rock with ease. Yurban continued to throw more rocks one after another, but no one was hit; after all, Yurban couldn¡¯t even see the enemies properly. Even so, Yurban didn¡¯t stop and continued to throw the rocks, even the one which the warriors were hiding behind. ¡°Yurban! If you throw all the rocks¡­¡± As soon as Ergil shouted, an arrow pierced through Yurban¡¯s cheek. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! More and more arrows pierced through Yurban¡¯s body one after another. Despite his injuries, Yurban stood firm as he either broke or pulled out the arrows which had pierced through his body. ¡°Come on out, you sons of bitches! It seems to me that you all can only fight fair and justly against unarmed people! Nothing has changed from the time when you all attacked Arbalde!¡± The arrows stopped at once. Ergil wondered if the enemies had been persuaded by Yurban¡¯s words, but he soon realized that wasn¡¯t the case as soon as he saw someone sliding down the cliff to approach the warriors. ¡°It seems that among all my men there are none who can shut your mouth. Or maybe they just don¡¯t mind your annoying shouts, since they are all wearing earplugs.¡± It was a black-haired young man who appeared in front of the warriors. Yurban¡¯s heart began to pound faster than ever upon seeing the young man¡¯s hair color. The rumors about the black-haired beast had already spread among the warriors of Arbalde. Yurban couldn¡¯t hide his excitement; he thought that he would be treated as a real warrior rather than just a child who got stronger by shouting his master¡¯s name if he brought back the neck of the black-haired beast. ¡°Black-haired beast! Let¡¯s have a duel! A fight to death!¡± ¡°A duel?¡± ¡°Yes! It must be your first time fighting against a real warrior of Arbalde, huh? Be prepared, for I¡¯m on a whole new level compared to the villagers you killed at the valley last time! Is that short sword your only weapon? I¡¯ll lend you one of my dual swords if you want. I don¡¯t want anyone saying that I won unjustly.¡± Juan simply stared back at Yurban with his arms crossed¡ªJuan¡¯s careless attitude bothered Yurban. ¡°No, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something¡­¡± Even before Juan could finish his sentence, Yurban once again opened his mouth. ¡°You and I met here because of fate, and one of us will die here! There is no misunderstanding!¡± Yurban began to sing in a loud voice. He could feel the power of the Crack filling his body. ¡®I become a true warrior with this power. I will avenge those brothers of mine who were murdered helplessly!¡¯ Yurban broke out a long roar. At that moment, Juan ran wildly toward Yurban and stuck his finger in Yurban¡¯s mouth. Then, Juan pushed his finger all the way to the side without hesitation. Yurban couldn¡¯t figure out what had just happened. But for some reason, he was looking in the opposite direction. Then he saw Juan still standing there. ¡°Did you think I came down here to fight you?¡± Juan snorted. Yurban stumbled with his neck completely turned the other way, then soon collapsed to the ground helplessly. Juan didn¡¯t even need to draw his short sword to kill Yurban. The remaining warriors silently looked at Yurban¡¯s body and then a hostile expression covered their faces as they turned to Juan. Juan wasn¡¯t surprised at their reactions since all the people he had met so far had been hostile to him. Ordinary people usually lost their will to fight and surrendered when Juan showed them his overwhelming power, but the warriors of Arbalde were different¡ªthey never stopped until they died. Then someone from the back raised his hand and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m Ergil, the vice commander of the warriors. I wish to surrender.¡± *** Beldeve was once again excited at the news of capturing the warriors of Arbalde. In just a few days, the fourth division had destroyed a total of three divisions of the warriors of Arbalde. The punishment unit led by Juan capturing the vice commander of the warriors was the peak of their victory. However, there was no celebration for the victory this time around; not only was winter coming, it had also not been that long after the celebration for Horhell¡¯s rescue. Instead, Hela gave the punishment unit plenty of alcohol and meat as a reward. This time, only Juan and the members of the punishment unit were invited for security purposes. ¡°This guy captured the warriors of Arbalde! He even got the vice commander!¡± Hela raised her glass high and laughed out loud with her arm around the back of Juan¡¯s neck. Juan was rather surprised to see how excited Hela was¡ªsuch a reaction was unexpected, since Hela normally made only cynical and violent remarks. ¡°It¡¯s not that impressive. They were just a bunch of crazy guys who were singing. It¡¯d be weird if I couldn¡¯t capture them,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°Of course it¡¯s impressive. Only a few of the warriors of Arbalde have ever been captured alive until now. It might not have been an issue for you, but it¡¯s difficult to capture them since most of them are crazy about the Crack. Did you remember to gag them?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Yes. Hury told me that we must gag them no matter what.¡± ¡°Good job. Things get complicated if we let them keep singing or calling out that name,¡± Hela giggled and drank from her glass. There wasn¡¯t enough meat and the alcohol was too strong, since the fourth division also had limited supplies just like the rebels. Everyone was simply enjoying the atmosphere. However, Hela seemed to be getting drunk a little too fast compared to the others. ¡°A name¡­ come to think of it, I heard a story that people get stronger the more they call out that name. What¡¯s that all about? One of the guys I killed earlier today was much stronger than normal warriors. Was he able to get that strong just by calling out that name as well?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Stop trying to find out about the details. I¡¯ve seen many people who found out the details about the Crack one by one like that and had their minds encroached upon by it before they even knew it. I heard that something appears in your dream and tells you a ¡®name¡¯ once your mind has been encroached upon by the Crack to a certain extent. But there¡¯s no point trying to find out about that name since each person hears a different name. There was a fool among the soldiers who tried to get stronger by muttering a random name he got off of the rumor,¡± Hela explained. ¡°It looks to me like you know too many details.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m at quite a high risk of having my mind encroached upon by the Crack,¡± Hela said as she waved the stump of right arm. ¡°However, it¡¯s hard to find anyone who hates the Crack as much as I do. I¡¯m walking a tightrope, just counting on that. For your information, I have ordered Horhell to cut off my neck if he ever sees me muttering a strange name.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a difficult superior,¡± Juan clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s certain that Horhell has bad luck when it comes to his superiors. And my soldiers¡­ well, maybe they¡¯ll be able to catch their breath now. We¡¯ve all been very happy these days. It¡¯s all thanks to you, cutie.¡± Hela stuck out her lips and jumped on Juan as if she was about to give him a kiss, but her attempt failed as Juan backed away in disgust. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Which do you think is worse, the insult of a superior or disobedience of orders?¡± Hela jokingly shouted with an angry look. ¡°How about¡­ sexual assault?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ important. Ok. I¡¯ll restrain myself. Anyway, your men in the punishment unit did quite a good job this time as well. What do you think? Are you satisfied with them?¡± Hela asked. ¡°They¡¯re slightly better than the ordinary soldiers for now. But the fact that there¡¯s no one being disobedient is quite satisfying. I think they¡¯ll get much better as long as they don¡¯t neglect their training.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t settle for being decent,¡± Hela murmured with a serious face despite being drunk. ¡°If you really are going to train them, try to make them the best. Pavan, that asshole was so good at the Baltic Sword that he could even hold out against Horhell in a spar¡­ I wish I could have another genius like that. If only I had just one guy like him next to me¡­¡± ¡®Pavan, huh.¡¯ Juan remembered his name quite clearly. As far as Juan knew, Pavan was the captain of the Order of the Capital. Hearing Hela¡¯s words, it seemed that Hela had once trained Pavan. Juan was once again convinced of her intentions which he had already been suspecting. ¡°You want me to stay here to help you out,¡± Juan muttered. ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± ¡°Are you trying to a knight order in the eastern territory?¡± ¡°...you¡¯re quick-witted. Yes, I am trying to do just that. I¡¯m assuming you already know that there is no knight order in the eastern territory. It¡¯s been my cherished dream for a long time¡ªto build a decent army in the East. The reason why we don¡¯t have one in the eastern territory is partly because of the Order of Lindwurm, but also because of the fact that Pavan Peltere, that son of a bitch, took all of my knight apprentices away.¡± Juan nodded his head; he figured that Pavan taking away all the knight apprentices had to have been a fatal blow for Hela, who had invested all of her resources in training the knights. ¡°I taught Pavan ever since he had been nothing, but he took all his comrades when he left for the capital. Yes, it¡¯s only natural for people to want to get ahead and succeed. I also understand that he wanted to escape from the dangerous battlefield and live a comfortable life in the capital. And I can also understand wanting to get the honor of being the captain of the Order of the Capital¡­ but I couldn¡¯t forgive him for one thing¡ªleaving me behind just to kiss Barth Baltic¡¯s ass.¡± Hela gritted her teeth as if she was angry just by thinking about it. ¡°I lost a lot of talented individuals whom I had trained at that time. If it wasn¡¯t for Pavan stealing them away, the civil war would have been over a long time ago. The eastern territory would have had a knight order and it would have had the opportunity to wash away the label of being ¡®land of betrayal.¡¯ But now¡­ I don¡¯t know. Would I be able to see that scene in this lifetime?¡± Juan didn¡¯t answer, but Hela already knew his answer. At this point, Hela was too old to nurture a knight order, and she could tell that Juan had no intention of staying at Beldeve for a long time. Hela smiled bitterly and leaned her head on Juan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, it seems like there''s a guy who¡¯s fallen for the wrong man again this time.¡± Hela¡¯s words clearly hinted at something. Juan could immediately tell who Hela was talking about. ¡®She¡¯s talking about Horhell.¡¯ Horhell did not openly show his favor for Juan, but he was not very good at hiding it either. Most people seemed to interpret it as him simply being grateful to the one who saved his life, but Hela seemed to think otherwise. Hela was a quick-witted woman. ¡°You seduced the punishment unit and one of my centurions in less than a week since you came to Beldeve. What a fatal man you are, huh? So who¡¯s next? I bet the entire fourth division will fall for you just in half a year. But it''s only fair. A young hero is better than an old, scrawny grandmother, both on the battlefield and in leading the eastern territory.¡± ¡°Hela.¡± Hela drank the alcohol in her glass. ¡°Whatever. But Juan, please don¡¯t betray me. I¡¯ve had enough betrayals in my life¡­ Gerard¡¯s betrayal alone was too much for me to handle.¡± The last words muttered by Hela were close to a quiet whisper, but Juan could hear her clearly. It was hard for Juan to even swallow a gulp, but he could answer Hela¡¯s request with confidence. ¡°I won¡¯t. Both you and I have already suffered too much betrayal,¡± Juan said as he nodded. Hela stared at Juan for a while, then stood up. Standing on the railing of an old wall in a fierce wind, Hela looked like she might fall at any second. The prosperity and stability of the entire eastern territory depended on her narrow and scrawny shoulders. And those were things that the eastern territory has not had in nearly half a century. Hela took a deep breath. Juan wondered if she was going to shout something out loud, but she stayed still for a long time and exhaled. Then Hela got down from the railing again. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much.¡± Instead of answering Juan, Hela threw her glass down the railing. Then her steps suddenly stopped as she was going down the stairs. ¡°Come to think of it, Horhell said something strange about you.¡± ¡°About me?¡± Horhell had sworn allegiance to Juan when he found out about his identity. Juan recalled that he had never asked Horhell to keep his identity a secret or asked him to keep his mouth shut. It wouldn¡¯t be so strange if Horhell mentioned Juan¡¯s identity to Hela as a show of his remaining allegiance to Hela. ¡°According to Horhell, you¡­ no, nevermind. Forget about it.¡± Hela went down the wall without looking back. Juan¡¯s hair blew in the wind. CH 112 The underwater prison of Beldeve was different from the prisons in other territories. The underwater prison which was known to have been built for non-human races such as beasts was not only huge in size, but it was difficult to enter as well. Even the warriors of Arbalde who weren¡¯t afraid of fighting the Imperial Army feared the underwater prison. Ergil and his warriors were currently locked up in the famous underwater prison. They were all only restrained with a gag and simple handcuffs, and there were no guards monitoring them. However, none of the warriors considered escaping. This underwater prison didn¡¯t require guards to monitor the prisoners; the way down was a sheer cliff with thick walls capable of withstanding even the attacks of a dragon, and there were rough waves all around. The underwater prison was located even further below in an underwater cave and was made up of air bubbles maintained by magic. Every prisoner trapped in the underwater prison trembled with fear as they breathed in the salty air and imagined the enormous amount of seawater ready to engulf them at any time. The warriors took a glance at Ergil. Ergil was now the commander of the warriors; after all, it was certain that Yurban was dead. The warriors couldn¡¯t understand why Ergil decided to surrender without even attempting to fight back¡ªit was obvious that the Imperial Army would kill them anyway, since the warriors had been encroached upon by the Crack already. The warriors thought that even if the Imperial Army locked them up for now to dig out some information about the Crack, the Imperial Army would definitely kill them all once they were no longer useful. The warriors had decided to follow their commander¡¯s judgment for the time being, but they were beginning to grow impatient upon seeing Ergil not take any action. Then the warriors heard the sound of bubbles. Soon after, water poured down from the ceiling and the magic bubble of the underwater prison slowly opened. An iron box then descended from the gap. The warriors anxiously watched the seawater soaking the floor of the prison, but the water stopped pouring as soon as the iron box passed through the gap. ¡°You bastards must be hungry, right? Her Grace said that she will interrogate you all herself in a little while, so you¡¯d better fill your stomachs and prepare yourselves.¡± Three Imperial soldiers walked out of the iron box. That iron box which was fastened with iron chains was the only thing that connected the underwater prison and Beldeve. The soldiers put down bowls of porridge boiled with who knows what in front of all the warriors. ¡°Wait. Come to think of it, these guys are gagged. How are they supposed to eat then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to take it off of them for a while. I bet they won¡¯t even have the time to utter anything while they¡¯re eating. Did you hear that, bastards? I¡¯ll make sure you eat with your nose if you utter even the slightest nonsense.¡± The soldiers took off the gags from the warriors¡¯ mouths one by one and began to feed them the porridge. They usually let the prisoners feed themselves, but Duke Henna had ordered them to make sure that they fed these warriors with their own hands. The warriors were able to fill their stomachs one by one. The porridge didn¡¯t taste great, but even this was a rarity in the northeast where the supplies were low. It wasn¡¯t long before it was Ergil¡¯s turn. As the soldier was taking off the gag from Ergil¡¯s mouth, he suddenly saw something strange in Ergil¡¯s mouth. ¡°Huh? Wait a minute. What are you hiding in your mouth?¡± The soldier tried to pry open Ergil¡¯s mouth with force, but Ergil refused to open his mouth. The soldier called out to his comrades in a hurry. ¡°Hey, everyone come here for a second. I think he¡¯s hiding something in his mouth.¡± ¡°What? Is he hiding a razor under his tongue to cut the gag or something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not a razor¡­ hold him still for a second.¡± The soldiers held both of Ergil¡¯s arms and forced his mouth open. The moment Ergil¡¯s mouth opened, a purple tentacle suddenly stretched out and grabbed the head of the soldier in front of him. Then the soldier¡¯s body drooped with a grotesque sound even before he could let out a scream. ¡°W-what the hell is going on!¡± The soldiers who were restraining Ergil¡¯s arms panicked and tried to draw their swords in a hurry. At that moment, the tentacle spun around with a swooshing sound. The soldiers were instantly thrown at the wall and then fell down, motionless. Ergil stood up with the thick tentacle wriggling out of his mouth, which was opened so wide that it almost looked as if it was about to tear. The warriors watched the sight in disbelief. Although Ergil hadn¡¯t been granted a lot of powers from the Crack, he was a sincere warrior. No one had imagined that Ergil would have such a side¡ªErgil himself was a creature of the Crack. Then Ergil simply broke the handcuffs with ease using his tentacles and walked toward the iron box. Ergil carefully examined the iron box, but soon paused; he didn¡¯t know how to use the iron box to rise back up to the surface. In order for the iron box to be pulled back up, its iron chain had to be shaken in a certain way; it was a precaution against a situation where the prisoners managed to rebel¡ªand there was no way Ergil could know such a fact. Ergil jumped onto the roof of the iron box and began to climb up the chain connected to the box. The warriors recognized Ergil¡¯s intentions and immediately tried to stop him by screaming and shouting, but they still had a gag in their mouths. Escaping the underwater prison wasn¡¯t easy. Even if the prisoners successfully escaped the bubble made with magic, they would be crushed under the tremendous water pressure or be swept away by the fierce ocean currents and be drowned to death. Despite the concerns of the warriors, Ergil tried to climb up and rip the bubble magic open by force. He swung his tentacles when something transparent and elastic blocked him¡ªthe purple tentacle easily pierced the bubble. The warriors screamed in panic upon seeing the seawater starting to pour over them. Nevertheless, Ergil silently grabbed the iron chain and climbed up without looking back at his warriors. It took less than a minute for the bubble to be completely filled with seawater after the bubble was torn by Ergil. In the blink of an eye, the warriors were drowned to death in the dark and salty sea. At the same time, a purple tentacle crept up from the depths of the sea toward Beldeve with malice and murderous intent. *** The waves grew rough as the winter wind fiercely blew toward Beldeve. Hela was walking along the wall and noticed the unusual sound of the rushing waves. However, Hela believed that the reason why she felt it to be unusual was due to the anxiety that still lingered somewhere in her mind¡ªalthough Hela was happy due to the continuous string of good news that had been brought back to her by Juan, it was hard for her to be completely relieved. Good news had always been followed by the bad news throughout Hela''s life. Not only did the assassination of the emperor take place shortly after Gerard Gain had proposed to her, but a large number of her disciples including Pavan left for the capital when she was about to wrap up their training and create a knight order. Hela shook her head. ¡®Don¡¯t think too much, Hela. You don¡¯t have much time left anyway. You don¡¯t need to do everything all over again if things go wrong¡ªyou can just die now.¡¯ Whether she ended up falling or crashing, it was time for her to run and never look back. Interrogation of the warriors captured by Juan was her top priority right now. Hela hoped to find out the information about the plans of the Revenge King Urkel through the interrogation, which would allow her to attack him throughout the winter. ¡®It¡¯s better to think about even one more question to ask the warriors rather than paying attention to the sound of the waves.¡¯ Then came the urgent sound of footsteps¡ªit was Sina Solvane. She approached Hela with a short breath. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°There you are, Your Grace. I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I heard you caught some of the rebels. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to join you during the interrogation. Would that be all right?¡± Hela frowned upon hearing Sina¡¯s request. While Hela¡¯s evaluation of Sina wasn¡¯t bad, the warriors were valuable prisoners. Hela felt that it wouldn¡¯t be right for her to draw an outsider too deeply into the affairs of the eastern territory. The moment Hela was just about to open her mouth to decline Sina¡¯s request, Hela¡¯s head turned toward the waves. The sound of the waves was definitely stranger and more abnormal than usual. The sound of the waves was coming from too close, to the extent that it was hard to believe Hela and Sina were standing on the wall. Splash! At that moment, a purple tentacle suddenly soared up from the sea. The seawater splashed against the wall, and a man completely soaked in seawater climbed up the railing of the wall. Hela stared blankly at the man who reeked with a fishy stench. She couldn¡¯t tell if what she was seeing was a dream or a reality. The man who crawled up from the sea looked at Hela while the purple tentacle which replaced his tongue hung out of his mouth. The man puffed his mouth for a short second, gasping for air. Then he called out ¡°Hela Henna.¡± ¡°Your Grace!¡± Whip! In a blink of an eye, a tentacle swept away the two guards who had been standing beside Hela to the side. One of the guards screamed as he fell over the wall and disappeared into the raging waves. The tentacle then wrapped itself around Hela¡¯s body as soon as the guards were out of the way. With a cracking sound, Hela¡¯s only arm broke. At that moment, Sina had immediately drawn her sword and attacked the tentacles. A black fluid splattered from the tentacles, but it was too late. Upon realizing that Sina was not an easy opponent, Ergil threw Hela into the sea. Seeing that, Sina screamed. ¡°No!¡± From such a height, the surface of the sea would be no different from a stone pavement. She would immediately lose consciousness and drown in an instant even if she managed to survive the fall. Sina struggled to reach out and grab Hela, but her hand couldn¡¯t reach Hela. Meanwhile, Hela looked at the outer walls of the fortress of Beldeve from her position in the air. Hela had never seen the fortress of Beldeve from this angle before. The last thing Hela remembered before falling into the raging waves was the regret of never asking Horhell to take her for a ride on his dragon. *** At the moment Hela encountered Ergil, Juan was far away from the walls, on the other side of the castle. Nevertheless, Juan immediately used Blink to get to Hela as soon as he sensed an unusual sign¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop Hela from falling into the sea. ¡°Hela!¡± Juan shouted and clung to the railing of the wall. Dark blue waves raged on the surface of the sea, but Hela was nowhere to be seen. Juan slowly turned his head with a cold look in his eyes. A man whose body was fused with wriggling purple tentacles was caught in Juan¡¯s eyes. Although the man had a strange figure, Juan could immediately recognize him at a glance¡ªit was a warrior named Ergil whom Juan had captured with his own hands. Juan¡¯s eyes sparkled with anger upon realizing that Ergil had purposely allowed himself to be caught in order to infiltrate Beldeve. Juan gritted his teeth. ¡°You wanted more blood even after the deaths of so many of your people?¡± Juan said as he drew his short sword. The tentacles continued wriggling, and then Ergil released a larger tentacle from his body. A tentacle that was even larger than Ergil¡¯s entire body soared into the sky. A loud murmur and disturbance could be heard from below the walls due to everyone noticing Ergil. Juan¡¯s cold eyes stared directly at Ergil without flinching even once. ¡°I see. Nienna must have been too gentle. I¡¯ll make sure that I don¡¯t leave a single one of you alive this time around,¡± Juan said as he bounced forward. Ergil immediately dodged and swung his huge tentacle to sweep away everything on the wall. Sina quickly rolled back and barely managed to dodge the tentacle. It was obvious that Juan and Sina would be thrown into the sea if they were hit by the tentacle¡¯s attack. ¡°Juan!¡± Sina looked for Juan in a hurry, but she couldn¡¯t find him anywhere. The moment Sina thought he might have been swept away by the tentacle, Juan appeared behind Ergil¡¯s back. At the same time, a few of Ergil¡¯s fingers were cut off by Juan¡¯s short sword. Ergil hastily swung his tentacles toward the direction where Juan was. However, Ergil somehow ended up dropping down on one knee instead of catching Juan with his tentacles. Ergil¡¯s eyes widened upon realizing that his lower left knee was gone. The same thing happened again and again very quickly. In Sina¡¯s eyes, it seemed as if Ergil¡¯s body was slowly but surely being ground down. Starting from his fingers, toes, hands and then torso, Ergil was getting ¡®shorter.¡¯ Ergil¡¯s tentacles weren¡¯t able to touch Juan even once. Being unable to hold out, Ergil finally uttered a painful cry. But Juan continued to mutilate Ergil¡¯s body with his short sword in a calm and collected manner. Sina bit her lips upon figuring out Juan¡¯s intention¡ªhe was torturing Ergil. Based on Juan¡¯s skills and abilities, he could have easily ended Ergil¡¯s life almost instantly a long time ago¡ªbut he did not. Ergil lost all his limbs and fell onto the wall. Nevertheless, he stretched out his tentacles toward Sina as if he thought that taking her hostage was the last resort. But Sina was not as weak as he thought and was not subdued by such a simple attack. Sina widened the distance between herself and Ergil as she split the tentacles approaching her in half. Only then did Juan grab Ergil¡¯s chin and tear out the protruding tentacles. Juan shoved his hand deep into Ergil¡¯s throat with a cold smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be begging me to send you to hell rather than keeping you alive very soon.¡± CH 113 Ergil¡¯s throat began to glow red due to heat and started emitting smoke. Then, with a sizzling sound, Juan slowly pulled out his hand. A thick tentacle was dragged out of Ergil¡¯s mouth along with the smell of burning flesh. ¡°Juan!¡± At that moment, Sina grabbed Juan by his arm in a hurry, causing Juan to stare at her with freezing-cold eyes. Sina couldn¡¯t even gulp due to fear, but she didn¡¯t let go of Juan¡¯s arm. ¡°You can¡¯t kill him now. We still have a lot of information to find out from him.¡± An ordinary person would have already died a time ago when Juan violently mutilated their body with a short sword. But Ergil was still alive and trembling. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have told me that when he was still a little more intact?¡± Juan replied coldly. Sina remained silent. While Sina also sympathized with Juan¡¯s feelings to some extent when he was mutilating Ergil, Ergil was a valuable prisoner that Hela had been trying to capture for so long. ¡°He can become the proof needed to prove that the rebels are directly related to the Crack,¡± Sina said. Juan closed his mouth. To be honest, Juan wondered what such proof had to do with anything. ¡®What if the rebels are related to the Crack? Is the Imperial Army going to come and subjugate them?¡¯ Regardless of the Imperial Army¡¯s actions, Juan had decided to kill all the rebels. But Juan let go of Ergil¡¯s tentacles for the time being. The tentacles helplessly drooped down. Juan looked at the completely burnt tentacles which were no longer able to move and muttered. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± However, the reason why Juan spared Ergil¡¯s life wasn¡¯t because of Sina¡¯s words. ¡°There¡¯s no need to kill him so quickly.¡± *** Beldeve was turned upside down at the news of Hela Henna falling over the wall. Even Horhell who had been recuperating, jumped at the shocking news. Meanwhile, Sina Solvane and one of the two guards who witnessed the incident and survived called for the soldiers to search for traces of Hela in the sea. Despite all their efforts to find Hela, no one expected her to be alive. So, some people chose to pay a visit to Ergil instead of looking for Hela¡ªHorhell was one of them. ¡°I heard that the culprit who murdered Duke Henna was here.¡± Horhell¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Horhell rarely showed any emotions, but even he couldn¡¯t help but lose control of his emotions at the tragic news of his master¡¯s death, who he had been relying on for a long time. Juan stared at Horhell and the few other soldiers for a while, and then opened the door for them. ¡°I was just about to start. You can do whatever you want to him.¡± Horhell and the soldiers entered the room with a murderous look. Inside the small room Ergil was tightly tied to a chair. Gasp. The soldiers¡¯ faces turned pale upon seeing Ergil¡¯s current condition. Some of them stared at Ergil for a while, then ran out to vomit against the wall. The soldiers were usually confident enough to say that they were immune to seeing violent sights, since they had a lot of experience on the battlefield. However, they had never seen someone in such a terrible state before. The worst part was that Ergil still seemed to be breathing. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s still alive?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°What would be the point of torturing a corpse? Of course he¡¯s alive,¡± Juan answered. ¡°How did you even¡­ no, nevermind. I¡¯d rather not ask.¡± ¡°Okay. So what are you going to do? Are you going to help me deal with this bastard or help Sina to try and find Hela?¡± Few of the soldiers seemed to be trying their best to endure and watch. However, they eventually ran out of the room, unable to handle the stench of rotting wounds. The only person left was Horhell. ¡°Your subordinates seem to have quite weak stomachs,¡± Juan clicked his tongue. ¡°They¡¯ve gotten used to seeing terrible sights like demons and monsters, but I guess this was too much for even them to handle. What¡¯s going on with him right now? Can he even talk?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°I used some magic on him, so we don¡¯t need to worry about him moving. I have reconstructed the structure of his mouth, and he still has a clear consciousness. An ordinary human being would¡¯ve already died, but this guy seems to have extraordinary vitality and is familiar with magic as well.¡± ¡°That is very much possible if he is a creature of the Crack.¡± Juan stood behind Ergil who sat motionlessly. Then he pulled out Talter¡¯s short sword and looked at Horhell. ¡°What you¡¯re about to see won¡¯t be too pretty. Are you going to keep watching?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I¡¯ll watch but leave everything else to the expert.¡± Juan shrugged and shoved his short sword into the back of Ergil¡¯s head without any hesitation. Ergil¡¯s shoulders trembled, and at the same time a sloppy sound came from the back of his head. He seemed like he wanted to scream, but the only thing that came out of his gagged mouth was a grotesque moan. Juan used his bloody hands to pull some unidentified pieces of flesh out of Ergil¡¯s head and dropped them on the floor. Then he cut his own finger with the short sword. Horhell frowned, wondering what he was doing. He figured that it would be better to watch for now rather than asking for explanations. Juan shoved his hand into the back of Ergil¡¯s head once again, and the sound of Juan¡¯s hand digging into Ergil¡¯s brain terrified even Horhell. ¡°There. All done.¡± ¡°...May I ask what you just did?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°I had tried to make him open his mouth while dragging him to this room. But it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t open his mouth even if I tortured him physically. You know that brainwashing magic doesn¡¯t work on the beings from the Crack, right? So I changed the method a little bit,¡± Juan answered as he condensed mana into his hands. Absorbing all the mana, Juan¡¯s fingers became entangled with Ergil¡¯s nerves and began to connect with them quickly. Ergil¡¯s eyes rolled over and his entire body trembled. There was no one inside the room who knew what was going on¡ªand the same was true even for Juan. ¡°There was a time when my arm got cut off inside the mouth of a demonic beast at Tantil¡¯s slave colosseum. I eventually killed the demonic beast and absorbed its energy to regenerate my arm. But I¡¯ve always wondered what would happen¡­ if I did the same to someone who is still alive. I am regenerating his nerves using my mana and connecting them to my hand.¡± Then, Ergil¡¯s shaking and twitching body stopped moving at once. Juan grinned and whispered in Ergil¡¯s ear. ¡°Your name.¡± ¡°E¡­Ergil. Ergil Egabail.¡± Horhell could no longer hold back his questions. However, as soon as Horhell was about to ask how any of this even made sense, Juan brought his fingers to Ergil¡¯s mouth. ¡°Relax. I¡¯ve seen someone do something similar to this in Durgal. Sit back and quietly watch.¡± Horhell closed his mouth upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°All right, Ergil. What did you come to Beldeve for?¡± ¡°Assassinate¡­ Hela Henna¡­¡± ¡°Who ordered you to do it?¡± ¡°The Revenge King¡­ Urkel Arbalde¡­¡± Juan looked at Horhell. Horhell, who had been quietly listening, added an explanation upon Juan¡¯s gaze. ¡°He is the one who leads the warriors of Arbalde. He¡¯s a survivor of the massacre in Arbalde, and he¡¯s the leader of the northeastern rebels.¡± ¡°The Revenge King, huh? What a bombastic title. Alright then, what was supposed to happen after you killed Hela Henna?¡± Juan continued to interrogate Ergil. ¡°Escape through the sea¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about Urkel¡¯s purpose. What is his next move? Hela Henna might be gone, but the Fortress of Beldeve is not a place you can easily take over.¡± Ergil did not open his mouth¡ªit seemed that he genuinely didn¡¯t know of Urkel¡¯s purpose and was not hiding it. Juan figured that it was very likely that Urkel had not informed Ergil in case an unexpected situation arose. Juan was disappointed, but he hadn¡¯t expected much in the first place. It was certain that the rebels sent Ergil to Beldeve, and the purpose was clear; it was common for the enemies to assassinate their opponent. ¡°Do you have any questions to ask him, Horhell?¡± Juan asked. Horhell asked Ergil about the deployment of the enemies and their strategies in a quiet voice. Ergil simply answered what he knew, and didn¡¯t answer what he didn¡¯t know. The whole process was so smooth that Horhell didn¡¯t even feel like he was interrogating Ergil. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s completely useless, but the information he is giving us is nothing compared to the value of Duke Henna,¡± Horhell said. ¡°And how to use this information is entirely up to you,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°Let me ask you one last question. Do other warriors have the ability to turn themselves into tentacle monsters like you? Even Urkel?¡± Horhell asked Ergil. If that was true, the rebels that the fourth division had been dealing with so far were nothing compared to the real force of the rebels. It was questionable whether the fourth division would even be able to handle one hundred warriors like Ergil. Fortunately, Ergil shook his head. ¡°No. This is a power given only to the name that was granted to me¡­ A star burning brightly in the Crack gave me this name¡­ The name that is only granted to the Priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization¡­¡± Horhell gritted his teeth upon hearing the name of the Thornbush Priest Organization. It was an open secret that the Thornbush Priest Organization was involved with the rebels, but the capital refused to admit it. Now, Ergil would be the only evidence that could prove this fact. ¡°Is that so? Then what¡¯s the name given to you?¡± Juan asked mockingly. Ergil drooled with blank eyes and opened his mouth. ¡°The name given to me is ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­¡± A strange tone that resembled the sound of scratching metal stirred Juan and Horhell¡¯s ears the moment Ergil said the name given to him out loud. It was a sound that could not come out of a normal human¡¯s mouth. ¡°However, that is nothing more than a fake name. Those who are not chosen receive only fake names¡­¡± Ergil added. Juan inadvertently remembered the story Hela had told him about ¡®the name.¡¯ It was said that the lyrics of the song that the rebels constantly kept singing contained a certain name, and their power became stronger the more they called out the name¡ªand that everyone was given a different name. Ergil seemed to be suggesting that all those names were fake. ¡°Only the chosen ones like me among those who serve the king can hear the real name¡­ The king of kings who will split the world in half and lead us on a path to destruction,¡± Ergil continued to speak slowly even when Juan didn¡¯t ask him a question. And the name muttered by Ergil shortly after was familiar to Juan. ¡°...Qzatquizail.¡± Juan¡¯s expression stiffened. It was a name he had already heard a few times from the stranger he met in Hiveden, as well as from Celine in Durgal. They were both those who were related to the Crack. ¡°What is Qzatquizail?¡± Juan asked in a calm manner. ¡°A dragon so giant, it sprawls dimensions over¡­ Nine heads it has, but only one wears one crown¡­¡± Ergil¡¯s words sounded like the stanza of a poem rather than proper answers. Juan frowned and realized that he asked the wrong question; it was natural for him to only get an ambiguous answer back when he asked an ambiguous question in a situation where he couldn¡¯t even guess Qzatquizail¡¯s identity. Juan decided to ask a more detailed question. ¡°What does Gerard Gain have to do with Qzatquizail?¡± Ergil opened his mouth. But what came out of his mouth was not an answer¡ªErgil¡¯s jaw suddenly opened so wide that it almost ripped. It was almost like he was a snake trying to eat an animal bigger than its own size, and thus began to widen his mouth even further. Then his jaw began to turn over as if he was devouring himself. Horhell freaked out and stepped back at the gruesome sight he had never seen before, and Juan also pulled his hand out in a hurry. Juan looked at his hands covered in Ergil¡¯s red flesh and nerve bundles. Meanwhile, Ergil¡¯s body became smaller and smaller in size as he devoured his own body. ¡°No!¡± Juan tried to stop Ergil in haste, but he couldn¡¯t stop Ergil¡¯s self-devouring. Ergil¡¯s body was sucked into the empty space that had absolutely nothing inside. Within seconds, his body completely disappeared without a trace. *** Three days after the attack on Duke Henna. Sina and the soldiers were soaked in seawater, returning from an overnight search. Their eyes were gloomy due to the exhausting search, and they were trembling due to the fierce winter wind. Despite their efforts to search the sea all night, the only thing they were able to find was the corpse of the guard who fell from the wall. Some of the soldiers went to search for Duke Henna by boat; however, only a few still had any hopes left. Nevertheless, they constantly searched for Duke Henna and didn¡¯t give up. ¡°You look depressed.¡± Sina noticed Juan waiting for her in front of her room. Instead of answering, Sina held out something to Juan. ¡°This is the eye patch I found today¡ªit might be Duke Henna¡¯s.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. CH 114 Juan looked closely at the eye patch that Sina had handed over to him. The old and shabby eye patch made out of leather hardly looked like it could be an item belonging to a noble. Juan had a feeling that it could be the eye patch of the unfortunate captain of the fishing boat who died in the fierce waves. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t think you would be that depressed over the duke''s death. I remember Duke Henna not being very fond of you,¡± Juan said. ¡°I would be lying if I told you that I wasn¡¯t upset when she showed hostility toward me. But Duke Henna is a famous person, and I felt a sense of kinship with her since we are both from the Imperial Army. She was a great commander.¡± Although Duke Henna often spoke harshly and acted violently at times, everyone acknowledged her as a competent military commander. Sina could understand Duke Henna occasionally acting out of madness; after all, even Sina herself had a dream about Ossrey and the Order of the Blue Rose just recently. ¡°Did you admire her?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I guess I did. I can¡¯t believe that someone I respected disappeared in just an instant. We couldn¡¯t even find her body¡­ According to the fisherman who lent us the boat, the current flows toward the archipelago in the winter. So there¡¯s a high possibility that her body is either in the ocean or has sunk to the bottom already.¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t be able to find her.¡± ¡°But we did find her eye patch today. So maybe tomorrow¡­ I don¡¯t know. I feel we should at least try our best to find her body and give her a proper funeral.¡± ¡°Sina,¡± Juan opened his mouth with a displeased look on his face. ¡°Where do you believe one¡¯s soul is?¡± Sina wanted to ask Juan what he was talking about all of a sudden, but Juan¡¯s face was more serious than ever. Sina hesitated, but soon pointed to the left side of her chest. ¡°In the heart?¡± ¡°Some people say that. Some say that it¡¯s in the head, or somewhere around the navel area, the place where the mana heart is. Heck, some people from beyond the border think that one¡¯s soul resides in their pillow, while some others believe that it flows in the nasal discharge. Some even say that it¡¯s in the wind. But the truth is that no one really knows. It is certain that everyone has a soul, but no one knows where it is,¡± Juan said as he stretched out his empty hands. ¡°Sina, I¡¯m not talking about a stranger. My corpse is located in the capital.¡± Sina closed her mouth. ¡°It is said that my glided body is sitting on the eternal throne. But I don¡¯t consider that to be my body at all¡ªthat¡¯s nothing more than a rotting corpse. Some give it authority and even worship it. But I, the owner of the body, think that to be completely meaningless,¡± Juan said with a firm look on his face. ¡°But we still need her body for the funeral and¡­¡± ¡°Do you believe that her soul is in her body, somewhere deep in the ocean being eaten by a fish, or do you believe it¡¯s in her beloved eye patch that she wore her whole life? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to bury her eye patch politely and solemnly?¡± Sina looked at the eye patch with complicated eyes. As the search for Duke Henna continued for a long time, the morale of the fourth division had hit rock bottom; the situation on the front line was falling into disarray. Horhell had been taking on the duties of the duke despite his injuries, but his authority as a centurion limited his power. Sina realized that Juan was suggesting that the whole vicious cycle must come to an end. ¡°Take this to Horhell. Hold Duke Henna¡¯s funeral, and tell him to stop the search. You¡¯ll end up with a few more corpses if you continue to wander around the winter sea.¡± *** Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Urkel, who led the northeastern rebels, looked up at the snowy sky through the open ceiling of the abandoned building. Urkel let out a long sigh after hearing the news of Duke Henna¡¯s death. The beginning of a snowfall in the northeastern territory was signaling the beginning of a harsh winter. Hela¡¯s death in the winter was good news for the rebels, since the rebels were running out of food supplies. If the rebels looted Beldeve and the neighborhood surrounding it, they would be able to get more than enough food to last through the winter. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t be Urkel¡¯s main purpose behind raiding Beldeve. Urkel¡¯s heart pounded fast at the hope that he could finally achieve revenge for Arbalde. Urkel thought that he would only be satisfied once Beldeve, a fortress city located on the eastern front line, fell into a horrible situation, just like Arbalde. ¡°Congratulations, Urkel.¡± Suvole stood up first and congratulated Urkel upon seeing Urkel remaining silent despite the good news. ¡°Finally, that persistent bitch is dead,¡± Urkel muttered briefly instead of answering Suvole. Urkel¡¯s voice was neither jolly nor light¡ªit was unknown whether it was due to the death of an old enemy, or due to the regret of being unable to kill her in a dignified way. ¡°The empire helped you by not only providing military logistics, but also by neglecting your plan to kill Duke Henna at the expense of losing the great talent of the empire. You haven¡¯t forgotten about our deal, have you?¡± Suvole asked with a smile. ¡°...of course not.¡± Urkel had finally killed his old enemy, but the aftertaste of achieving one of his long-time goals was quite bitter rather than sweet. Suvole, an Imperial soldier, neglected Duke Henna¡¯s life and death when he had been aware of Urkel¡¯s plan to assassinate her. Such a situation made Urkel feel unpleasant; it reminded him of the empire¡¯s neglect toward Arbalde''s tragedy. Both Hela and Urkel had been fighting since even before they had wrinkles and gray hair, and they took away each other¡¯s precious people many times. Hate sometimes becomes affection if it continues for a long time. Urkel didn¡¯t understand the complexity and subtlety of such feelings until he heard the news of Hela¡¯s death. He had been trying to kill Hela for so long, but couldn¡¯t accept that he was only able to succeed with the help of the Imperial Army. ¡®Perhaps the old days are coming to an end.¡¯ Urkel thought as he looked at Suvole who was still a competent young man. Urkel was well aware of the future that awaited him as well as the warriors of Arbalde¡ªthe rebels who fulfilled their duty and captured Beldeve will be treated as nothing more than a small insurrection. Besides, the Imperial Army will come to prevent the rebel¡¯s forces from growing bigger, considering that the rebels no longer needed to exist to keep Duke Henna in check. It was obvious what would happen next. The eastern territory will continue to be in ruins, and it will take at least one hundred years for them to rise again. ¡®Whatever. That¡¯s none of my business.¡¯ Urkel had already decided to devote his whole life to getting revenge when the tragedy of Arbalde occurred. Urkel thought that dying in the fortress where Hela had died would be his apology to Hela for killing her in such an unfair way. He no longer had a reason to live. Urkel stood up. ¡°Warriors of Arbalde, we will advance to Beldeve. Destroy and sweep everything into the sea.¡± *** Upon hearing the news of the dragon¡¯s crash as well as the death of Duke Henna, the warriors of Arbalde united under the opinion that now was their best opportunity to attack Beldeve. The snow that had just begun to fall poured heavily, almost as if it was foretelling just how severe the rest of the winter was going to be. The villagers joined the expedition to Beldeve as usual, because they lacked supplies to last through the harsh winter¡ªit was a perfect opportunity for them to loot supplies. All the villagers and warriors of Arbalde stood up all at once and began to march through the snow. Only those who weren''t capable of fighting, such as the elders and the children, as well as a few people who were meant to look after them remained in the village. A gloomy song started to ring out in a singular note within the huge moving procession. ¡°My ears are going to rot,¡± Velkre, the captain of the Order of the Evil Snake, complained as he watched the march from the hill. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine as long as you don¡¯t hum along. That¡¯s when the encroachment begins,¡± Suvole answered lightly as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°My subordinates¡¯ nerves are also on edge. They might have just started to run wild to kill Urkel if he hadn¡¯t made a move. I¡¯m glad that Revenge King finally moved his heavy ass.¡± Suvole and Velkre were not very close in terms of their affiliated groups, but they were willing to cooperate with each other at any time for each other¡¯s purposes, while also keeping an eye out for the knife that the other might be hiding behind their back. ¡°Be honest with me. Are you the one who instigated this rebellion?¡± Velkre asked, feeling suspicious. ¡°I just follow the orders from the capital,¡± Survole shook his head with a smile. ¡°You induced internal strife within the eastern territory to make them weaker, endured that the rebels were short on supplies and food before the arrival of winter, got my knight order to drop the dragon, told Urkel that now was his only chance to attack Beldeve and encouraged him to kill Hela. Are you saying this was all done on orders from the capital?¡± Velkre questioned with cold eyes. Suvole looked a little taken aback upon hearing Velkre¡¯s words. Suvole had thought that Velkre was an ordinary Templar, but he was much sharper than expected. Suvole blinked as he realized that Velkre had seen through his plan. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one setting up things behind the scenes. I have no idea what your role within the Order of the Capital is, but I also have lots of duties to carry out under the surface,¡± Velkre snorted with a grin. Suvole took a glance at Velkre¡¯s green flagpole. The flag had a green background with a black snake in the middle. Those who are commonly referred to as ¡®Evil Snakes¡¯ were often given missions to deal with the secret orders given by the Pope under the surface. Getting the cooperation of other groups was easy for them due to their purpose-oriented nature, which often involved assassination. ¡°Thank you for your understanding. Once those rebels take care of the fourth division, you will be able to find the black-haired young man you¡¯ve been wanting to find so badly,¡± Suvole said. ¡°I thought you were also looking for that black-haired bastard.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Survole shrugged and pretended like he had no idea what Velkre was talking about. ¡°Is the reason why you think that because we are trying to clean up the eastern territory now? It¡¯s just a coincidence. We were able to do so because we got lucky and the situations lined up.¡± ¡°Do I look like a fool to you?¡± ¡°All right, Captain Velkre. If you¡¯re not a fool, I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re trying to pick a fight with me. I told you that I would allow you to handle the black haired young man, and I¡¯m giving you that opportunity right now. That black-haired young man might escape, but that¡¯s your business, not mine.¡± Velkre lifted the flagpole and slammed the ground with a thud. With a rumbling sound, a vibration shook the land surrounding Velkre and Suvole. The northeastern rebels freaked out and looked at the ground and the sky in alarm, but they couldn¡¯t find anything wrong. Urkel glared at Suvole and Velkre from a distance. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, you shouldn¡¯t think of everyone as your chess pieces. The power that His Holiness has granted me might be heretical, but it is sharp. I hope you won¡¯t do anything that goes against His Holiness¡¯s will,¡± Velkre said to Suvole with a sharp look. ¡°How could I dare to do anything against the will of His Holiness?¡± Suvole bowed and apologized in an exaggerated gesture. Velkre hesitated for a second¡ªhe no longer had any more business with Suvole, and Suvole was no longer useful to him. Besides, there were no troops guarding him at the moment. The only thing that was stopping Velkre from killing Suvole was the fact that he still couldn¡¯t figure out what Suvole was up to. ¡®It might be better to get rid of him now than to neglect him and let him cause trouble in the future.¡¯ ¡°All right. It seems like Captain Velkre is still worried about me because I¡¯m alone and I have very mediocre swordsmanship skills. Then how about this?¡± Suvole raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll depart from the eastern territory right now. I¡¯ll leave the rest of the matters here to you and Urkel. Will that be enough to relieve you?¡± Velkre was still suspicious and uncomfortable, but didn¡¯t want to continue pressing Suvole; after all, he was already backing down to this extent. Furthermore, Suvole was a part of the Order of the Capital. Considering that Barth Baltic was behind Suvole, picking on him was not a wise idea. ¡°Sounds good. Where are you headed to? If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll have one of our Templars guard you on your way,¡± Velkre offered. ¡°Thank you for the generous offer, but there¡¯s no need. I have to go far in a completely different direction from where you are going anyway.¡± ¡°A completely different direction¡­ are you, perhaps going toward the north?¡± Velkre tilted his head. ¡°Yes. I have an appointment there,¡± Suvole smiled. Suvole had not forgotten the promise he had made to Duke Henna. CH 115 Red blood sprayed upon the white snow that was beginning to cover the eastern territory. The Fourth Division¡¯s forces were far from sufficient to block the large-scale looting and invasion that had simultaneously begun at the eastern front line. Countless refugees were flooding into Beldeve, but the Fourth Division had yet to fully recover and there was no one who was able to fill Hela¡¯s vacant seat. Juan fiddled with Talter¡¯s short sword. In the meantime, Horhell brought a tactical map and noticed Juan staring at his short sword. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°It seems like I didn¡¯t take good enough care of this short sword.¡± Horhell approached Juan and closely examined the condition of the short sword. To Horhell, the short sword still looked fine and balanced, with a sharp blade. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It still looks good to me,¡± Horhell said. Juan smiled. It was only natural that Horhell couldn¡¯t notice the difference; the strength of Talter¡¯s short sword depended on how much blood it consumed. The short sword had been useful until now since it had consumed enormous amounts of blood at the colosseum in Tantil, but it hadn¡¯t been able to consume enough blood to maintain itself after Juan took possession of it¡ªthis was especially true in recent times. Juan had been feeling that the condition of the short sword was getting worse and worse each day. Juan decided to place these thoughts to the back of his mind and turned his attention to the tactical map brought by Horhell. ¡°How many enemies do we have?¡± Juan asked. ¡°According to the report we got from the scouts, the number of enemies is estimated to be around fifty thousand. And there are around four thousand warriors of Arbalde among them.¡± ¡°There are around twelve thousand troops in the Fourth Division, right? I¡¯d say we are ahead of the game, just based on the level of training and equipment, but the problem is the warriors of Arbalde. Ordinary soldiers won¡¯t be a match for them at all. We need to come up with a good deployment strategy to¡­¡± Juan closed his mouth before finishing the sentence. The problem they were facing was neither the training level of the troops nor their numbers¡ªthe real problem was that the position of the commander of the Fourth Division was still vacant after Hela¡¯s death. ¡°Hela didn¡¯t even pick a successor in case of her sudden death?¡± Juan asked Horhell with an annoyed expression. It would be normal for the deputy to take over in local knight orders, but there was no knight order in the eastern territory. The same was true of blood relatives¡ªHela Henna was the last of the Henna family¡¯s blood. Hela¡¯s son, who would have been her only heir, had died on the battlefield, and Hela was no longer able to get pregnant and continue the Henna family¡¯s bloodline after her son¡¯s death. ¡°She used to have one. His name is Pavan Peltere,¡± Horhell said. ¡®Isn¡¯t that the guy who betrayed Hela and went to work for the Order of the Capital?¡¯ Juan grew even more irritated at the thought. At the same time, Horhell continued speaking, ¡°Then people have been secretly gossiping that I would be the next successor. But I have no practical experience in commanding on the battlefield, not to mention my lack of knowledge about the Order of the Capital. Duke Hela knew that, and that was the reason why she never officially declared me as her successor.¡± ¡°Well fuck you and the capital. Hela¡¯s already dead, so there¡¯s no other way. How can you always be flying so high in the sky, but not even develop some tactical skills?¡± Juan complained. ¡°I don¡¯t have tactical skills, but you do, Juan,¡± Horhell said as he stared at Juan with a firm expression. Horhell was aware of Juan¡¯s identity. Of course, the only evidence that Juan had were his words. But just about anyone would believe Juan¡¯s words if they were to listen to the stories he brought up in a calm manner. His appearance also further supported his claim. Whatever the story behind it was, Juan was indeed the emperor himself. Standing in front of Horhell was the best tactician, warrior, and a magician in human history. No word other than ¡®best¡¯ could be used to describe a man who led the weakest race, which had been on the verge of extinction, against the almighty gods and achieved victory. Juan¡¯s lips twitched and he glared at Horhell. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°And may I ask you why you can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m planning to kill everyone from Arbalde. The Fourth Division shouldn¡¯t be moving with such a purpose. It should only be moving with a purpose of protecting the people and defending the territory. If I were to take command of the Fourth Division, I will make sure to kill all those rebelling assholes. But I can¡¯t guarantee that the Fourth Division will remain intact. If you don¡¯t mind that, I will lead the Fourth Division.¡± Juan was firm. He fought with a mindset similar to when he had confronted the gods as an emperor. He had no choice back then; humanity would have been completely wiped out if Juan couldn¡¯t kill the gods. ¡°The only reason I remained in Beldeve was to find out what Hela had been hiding. But now that she is gone, I am ready to leave at any time. I¡¯ve already stayed here for too long anyway,¡± Juan said. But Horhell did not back down. ¡°One thing I am sure of is that the Fourth Division and Beldeve will be completely wiped out and annihilated if you don¡¯t lead us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business. Let it happen.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Horhell had a dumbfounded look on his face. ¡°Well, the annihilation part can be avoided. The enemies are still quite a distance away, so have the Fourth Division retreat and hand over Beldeve to the enemies. I bet that those in the capital won¡¯t be able to resist the urge and will send more troops to Beldeve. That¡¯s when you strike back. You don¡¯t have to worry about the farmland being taken away, given that the harvest season is already over. Those bastards won¡¯t have any other ways once we retreat along with all our food reserves. That¡¯s what Hela would have commanded if she was still here.¡± ¡°But if we are going to fight them anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better to face them from within the fortress¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to avoid the fight. Currently there is no proper command system and no dragon; the morale is low, and the opponents are crazy lunatics who get stronger just by singing. Do you seriously think that the eastern territory was able to hold out until now because of these fortress walls? This fortress was built to fight dragons, not humans.¡± Horhell nodded his head, convinced. ¡°Then what should we do about the refugees? There¡¯s no place for them to go in this cold winter, and neither do we have enough food to feed them all.¡± ¡°Do you think Hela would have been worried about the refugees?¡± Horhell remained silent. ¡°What is it? I thought you only cared about your dragon; however, now it seems like you¡¯re feeling responsible all of a sudden after becoming the head of the Fourth Division.¡± ¡°They might also end up being encroached upon by the Crack instead of simply dying. What happened in Arbalde might also happen in the eastern territory if it starts to spread¡­¡± ¡°When that happens, the Imperial Army will¡­ Ugh¡­ fine, fine. I get it. You¡¯re not planning to step back, are you? You are being so annoying. This is why I prefer moving alone. Then let¡¯s go back to the beginning, since leaving behind the fortress is no longer an option,¡± Juan sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t a commander who is experienced in commanding on the battlefield, has been trained as a knight to become an officer, who is well-respected among ordinary soldiers and has a noble personality which won¡¯t be looked down by the capital magically pop up in front of us?¡± Juan grumbled. Horhell smiled bitterly upon hearing Juan¡¯s ridiculous standards. ¡°There¡¯s no way such a person would suddenly appear¡­¡± At that moment, the door burst open and someone walked into the room. ¡°Horhell, the inspection of the sit-in castle weapons you requested is finished. And I thought we would have to make a change in the course of the search party, since the rebels moved toward the south. So I came up with new routes. There are two options: should we prioritize protecting the refugees, or should we prioritize searching for the enemy?¡± Horhell and Juan stared at the person who appeared through the open door. Feeling perplexed at two gazes staring at her in silence, Sina groped her face with her hands. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± Sina asked. ¡°What do you think, Horhell?¡± ¡°Not bad. Her appearance might remind the soldiers of Duke Henna as well.¡± The next commander of the Fourth Division was decided on the spot. *** Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop! The soldiers backed away in a panic when they saw the war horses galloping at high speed on the wasteland covered with snow. For soldiers, backing away from the front line was unacceptable under any circumstances, but they had no other way to block the horses approaching them at high speed¡ªit would be hard to find anyone who was capable of blocking Templars who were wearing silver armor that had been granted with His Majesty¡¯s Grace. The green flagpole carried on Velkre¡¯s back flapped fiercely as he rode his horse. Velkre passed the warriors of Arbalde who were moving on their feet, and rode his horse at full speed to avoid Suvole just in case. Just like that, the Order of the Evil Snake traveled from Arbalde to the fortress of Beldeve in just two days. The fortress of Beldeve looked busy, with people placing weapons and wooden fences, almost as if they were preparing for a sit-in. Velkre grew curious upon seeing such a sight. Velkre had been thinking that there was a high chance that the Fourth Division would abandon the fortress. If that really happened, he had been planning on attacking Juan who would most likely have been in the retreat line¡ªhowever, Beldeve preparing for a sit-in was completely unexpected. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s because there¡¯s no commander to come up with a proper plan.¡¯ Velkre rode his horse to approach the closed gate and struck the ground with his flagpole. ¡°I¡¯m Velkre, the captain of the Order of the Evil Snake! Person in charge, come out and show yourself!¡± The ground rumbled due to the shock of the flagpole striking the surface, but the thick walls of the fortress of Beldeve remained stable without shaking in the slightest. However, the shock was enough to surprise the soldiers who were working on the top of the walls. Soon the soldiers working atop the wall disappeared, and someone stuck their head out the gate. ¡°Did you say the Order of the Evil Snake?¡± Velkre frowned upon seeing the person who stuck their head out the gate. It was a one-eyed, blonde female knight with a strange tattoo engraved on her other eye. Velkre knew that being one-eyed couldn¡¯t be inherited, but for just a moment he thought that she might be Hela¡¯s hidden daughter. ¡°I did! There was a report saying that an evil apostate was hiding here. As far as I know, I understand that you¡¯re not in the best situation. If you promise to cooperate with us, the Church will reward you with enough¡­¡± ¡°Brother Velkre.¡± At that moment, Nora hurried up to Velkre and whispered. ¡°That¡¯s the knight who took the black-haired man. It¡¯s Templar Sina Solvane who was with Horhell in the cabin.¡± ¡°What?¡± Velkre looked up at Sina in haste. Sina didn¡¯t answer Velkre and only stared down at him in silence. ¡°She¡¯s a Templar? Are you sure about that?¡± Velkre asked Nora. ¡°She had a holy sword. If she¡¯s not a Templar, it means she either stole it from someone or picked it up somewhere. But I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a Templar, considering her skills¡­¡± Velkre was no longer listening to Nora. The information about the lost equipment of a Templar as well as a talented blonde-haired female knight immediately connected in his head. ¡®The chaos that took place in Hiveden and the Elite Knight of the Order of the Blue Rose who was rescued by the Order of the White Crow.¡¯ ¡°Sina Solvane! Are you Sina Solvane?¡± ¡°I am, Captain Velkre. It seems to me that the reason you¡¯re here isn¡¯t to help His Majesty¡¯s people who are in danger from the evil apostates,¡± Sina said. ¡°I have come here under the orders of His Holiness, something which is more important than protecting the people from the apostates! There was a report saying that Hela Henna had been hiding an apostate who may be able to pose a threat to the empire¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Sina replied even before Velkre could finish speaking. Velkre nodded his head; he had already expected her to deny it. He swallowed the next words he was about to say and continued speaking. ¡°Then let me search the inside of the¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Velkre¡¯s words were cut off once again. Velkre frowned and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me search the inside of the fortress if you¡¯re not hiding anything?¡± ¡°This fortress is at war right now¡ªI can¡¯t just open the gate for someone who is armed, especially for personal reasons. This is based on the Regent Barth Baltic¡¯s Imperial command,¡± Sina answered in a cold voice. ¡®Using Barth Baltic as an excuse again, huh?¡¯ It was true that the Regent Barth Baltic had announced the basic rules that must be followed by the Imperial Army. However, there were only a few Imperial Armies that adhered to the rules in the current era where the Church held such strong power. Even Barth Baltic didn¡¯t really care that no one followed such rules. ¡°Are you telling me that Imperial command is more important than the orders of His Holiness who represents His Majesty¡¯s words? How dare you call His Holiness¡¯ order a ¡®personal reason?¡¯¡± ¡°The Imperial Army only obeys orders from their immediate superiors, and His Holiness¡¯ private armed groups aren¡¯t included in the Imperial command system. If you are going to mention the conscription rights, I would like to let you know that it only applies to soldiers who are off duty. We are preparing for a very important battle right now.¡± ¡°Did you just call our knight order a private armed group!?¡± Velkre burst into a roar and struck the ground once again with the flagpole. Sina quickly held the railing of the wall in a hurry when the ground rumbled again due to the shock. But she continued to speak in a calm manner. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to call an armed group that is neither included in the Imperial military system nor stipulated in the law book created by His Majesty. If you don¡¯t mind, I have to get going. I advise you to adjust your collar, since the winter wind is cold in the eastern territory.¡± After saying he part, Sina disappeared over the wall even before listening to Velkre¡¯s response. Velkre stared blankly at the wall; he had never been treated like this before in his life. The other Templars approached Velkre with a perplexed look on their faces. ¡°What should we do, brother Velkre? We can break through the gate if we use the Grace we have been granted or the power of the snake. There might be lots of enemies, but if we take advantage of the chaos to assassinate the black-haired man and quickly leave¡­¡± Velkre turned his head and glared at the Templar who spoke. ¡°That¡¯s your suggestion about what to do with a fortress under the possession of the Imperial Army? Does this mission look the same as burning a rural village or charging toward small remote cities?¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just step down in the face of this insult¡­¡± ¡°No, I was too generous to them. I was planning to help them if they decided to cooperate, since I felt bad that His Majesty¡¯s people were going to be slaughtered by the apostates. But they are no different from apostates themselves if this is how they want to be.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Velkre glared at the fortress of Beldeve with cold eyes. ¡°They denied that the black-haired man was here. As long as we are here, they won¡¯t be able to use that black-haired man in the battle anyway. If the black-haired beast doesn¡¯t show up, it will be hard for them to hold out¡ªespecially when they are in a state of low morale.¡± CH 116 Sina walked atop the wall with an unpleasant expression. It felt like it was just yesterday when she had been full of respect for the Templars, but all she felt from the conversation she just had with Velkre was irritation and mild disgust¡ªbut it was unknown whether it was because she saw their true colors or simply due to the situation she was in. Sina looked up and found Juan and Horhell approaching her from the opposite side while Juan gave her a round of applause. ¡°I have no idea why someone like me, who is completely unsuitable to be the commander, has suddenly been granted this position, but I¡¯m only accepting your offer for the time being because of Centurion Horhell¡¯s desperate request and the fact that we are in an emergency. After all, we must prevent the Imperial Army from being trampled on by the rebels by any means. I will step down from this position as soon as the situation is over,¡± Sina said while alternating between glaring at Juan and Horhell. ¡°You seemed to be quite good at this job when I saw you talking to Velkre. Just take the position for good.¡± Sina glared at Juan upon hearing his joke. Sina was still young and lacked enough experience. She was an excellent knight who was full of potential, but the position of commander of the Fourth Division as well as suddenly being put in charge of the fortress of Beldeve was daunting for her. However, Sina knew the ropes to commanding on the battlefield, since all knights were trained to carry out their duties as officers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Duke Henna was only five years older than you when she became the head of the eastern territory,¡± Horhell said. However, the fact that Sina was taking up the same position that Hela had taken when Sina was five years younger was not very comforting for Sina, even if it was temporary. ¡°Were there rebels at that time too?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ there were barely any. It was right after General Nienna stomped on them to clean everything out, and the scant few descendants who survived gained power to become the rebels they are today.¡± ¡°And there were dragons too. Horhell, what¡¯s the status of your dragon? Has it recovered yet?¡± Sina asked. ¡°It has recovered to the extent of being able to run around. But I don¡¯t think it can fly just yet, since it is still treating its wings,¡± Horhell answered. ¡°Please have it be on standby at the training ground in case the enemies break through the gate. I am aware that you value your dragon quite a lot, so feel free to retreat whenever you feel is necessary. And Juan.¡± Sina turned her gaze toward Juan. Sina contemplated for a short moment between making personal or professional decisions. As the commander of the Fourth Division, Sina could immediately make an order to restrain Juan and arrest him. Such a decision could result in terrible consequences for the entire fortress, but Beldeve wasn¡¯t a place that Sina had to feel responsible for anyway. Sina opened her mouth after staring at Juan for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t expect a sacrifice or heroic effort from you, since I¡¯ve seen your true nature all the way from Tantil to this place. Perhaps Duke Henna had been expecting exactly something like that from you: cruelty. But¡­ I¡¯m not Duke Henna. And it is unacceptable to have you in the Imperial Army since you deny the entire system. It¡¯s not like I can make use of you and your strength as a part of the force either.¡± Juan narrowed his eyes. It wasn¡¯t a wise idea to exclude Juan from the force at this moment. ¡°But,¡± Sina let out a long sigh. ¡°I denied that you were here. As far as I know, you are not in this fortress. This is no place for you.¡± Sina looked down under the wall where the snow was lightly blowing in the wind. Her gaze lingered on the Templars who began to set up a camp. ¡°I will think of you as the black-haired beast, not Juan. So go out on the battlefield and be a raving sword. Show those who killed Duke Henna what hell looks like.¡± Juan smiled. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at.¡± *** ¡°Brother Velkre, according to the report the warriors of Arbalde and the Revenge King will arrive tomorrow.¡± Velkre nodded his head at the report. A portion of the northeastern rebel villagers, who were closer to anti-imperial forces, had already arrived near the fortress of Beldeve. The Templars were setting up a camp and staying on standby due to the lack of equipment needed for a siege, but things would change when the warriors of Arbalde arrived. In particular, the Revenge King Urkel was a man who could function as a battering ram to break through the gate. ¡°I thought they would try to split up and attack the fortress from all directions before the main group arrived, but they aren¡¯t doing anything. That¡¯s unexpected. Are they scared of something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible. Or it could be that they are trying to keep us in check.¡± Velkre had secretly sent Nora into the fortress of Beldeve several times to search the inside and to make sure that Juan wasn¡¯t there. However, Juan was nowhere to be found. There were two possibilities based on this: either Juan had escaped or he was still hiding. But if it was the former, there would be no reason for Sina Solvane to be on edge against the Templars. Therefore Vekre was leaning toward the latter and suspected Juan to be still hiding within the fortress. ¡°The siege won¡¯t last long, so everything will be settled in just a few days. Brothers and sisters, make sure you are all well-armed and ready to break through at any time,¡± Velkre ordered. ¡°Yes, brother Velkre. Oh, and there was something else. One of the villagers asked me to tell you a story.¡± ¡°A villager?¡± Velkre frowned. The villagers might be residing in the empire, but they were no different from traitors. Because they were no different from the barbarians from beyond the border, their stories were irrelevant to a Templar like Velkre. ¡°It was something worth paying attention to,¡± the Templar quickly added an explanation as if he noticed that Velkre¡¯s displeasure. ¡°He said that they were attacked by some soldiers who seemed to belong to the Fourth Division on their way here. He said that there was a black-haired beast among those soldiers.¡± ¡°What? Why are you only telling me about this now?¡± Velkre jumped up from his seat. If that information was true, there was no reason for the Templars to sit outside the fortress and wait. The Templar hastily waved his hand upon seeing Velkre¡¯s reaction. ¡°When I asked about the detailed appearance, it was clear that it wasn¡¯t this wasn¡¯t the same black-haired beast; however they did have the same hair color. We all saw his face, didn¡¯t we? The description of his appearance was completely different from what we know.¡± Faking appearance was easy by simply dying one¡¯s hair. There would be no reason to purposely dye it black, since black-haired people weren¡¯t welcome in the empire, but such a plan was worth a try, considering that the rebels feared the black-haired beast. ¡°There are a lot of reports of a black-haired beast being sighted, but all the descriptions of his appearance were different. Perhaps the Fourth Division is operating guerrillas outside the fortress with deception tactics.¡± ¡°How trifling of them to think they are being so smart. Their plan is to agitate the rebels and at the same time shake us as well, since things would get complicated if the real black-haired beast was one of them¡­¡± Velkre muttered irritably. The information reported by the villager was an ambiguous one that could be neglected, but hard to completely ignore. ¡®We were able to monitor all the soldiers leaving the fortress until now, but what if Juan had already left the fortress a long time ago? Or what if we missed him leaving?¡¯ It could simply be that Sina¡¯s attitude was nothing but deception, and Juan might be participating in the war in his own way. But Velkre couldn¡¯t just leave this place. ¡°...we have no choice. Form four teams of four Templars with the Templars who have been granted with the power of the snake as the leader. Marco, Nora, Odessa, and Evone will be the team leaders. All the teams should go to the places where the black-haired beast had been sighted and double-check. The warriors of Arbalde are just around the corner, so he will be somewhere in the middle anyway. Kill everyone with black hair,¡± Velkre said. ¡°I understand and will obey your order, brother. But would it be okay to send out all the knights with the power of the snake when there might be a battle tomorrow?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just sit and do nothing after reports like those. But if we send out brothers who don¡¯t have the power of the snake, they might all end up dying. If the time comes when we really need the power of the snake¡­ I will transform into the Evil Snake.¡± The Templar who had raised the question bowed his head in bewilderment at Velkre¡¯s firm words. ¡°Then we will go on and follow your instructions.¡± *** ¡°Brother Velkre, will you be alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve prepared everything in case anything happens. Our previous Captains have all done it too, so don¡¯t worry and go forth.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Nora looked at Velkre with worried eyes, but soon kicked her horse to get going. The area around the camp soon became quiet as the search parties formed by the Templars left. Velkre fiddled with the flagpole as he recalled his own words. Although he told the Templars that he would transform into the Evil Snake, he didn¡¯t actually intend to do so¡ªhe only pretended to be a good captain so that other Templars wouldn¡¯t complain about him remaining in the safe place. Velkre had witnessed the endings of those who transformed into the Evil Snake in the past. Among those, there was even a time when Velkre had to use his own hands to end them. Velkre only became a Templar to survive¡ªhe had no intention of dying. ¡®There¡¯s no need to choose such a terrible end.¡¯ The camp was quiet, since more than half of the Templars were away. The vigilance was naturally reduced, but Velkre wasn¡¯t too worried about it. There were very few people in the empire who were powerful enough to hurt him, and most importantly, the enemies hadn¡¯t shown any movement for the past few days. Just as things would become complicated for the Templars if they were to directly attack the fortress of Beldeve, the fortress of Beldeve¡¯s situation was also one where they were unable to do anything to them. Velkre stood by the camp and quietly looked at the fortress. Bright moonlight was shining through the clouds on the fortress of Beldeve. The sight of snow lightly falling over the old fortress built on the coast was beautiful enough to fascinate one¡¯s eyes. Being someone from the eastern territory, the fortress of Beldeve was not an unfamiliar sight to him. The same was true about many of the old stories about the fortress. Velkre thought that tonight might be the last night that the fortress of Beldeve remained standing. Velkre stared at the fortress as if he was engraving it in his eyes. ¡®I¡¯ll be recorded as a part of the new legend.¡¯ Velkre smiled; he felt his own thoughts to be ridiculous. After looking at the fortress for a while, Velkre turned around as he felt the chills due to the cold weather. Just before entering the camp, Velkre frowned upon seeing the lamp turned off. ¡®The fuel seems to have run out.¡¯ Velkre groped around his desk to find a lamp in the dark. Then, he suddenly began to feel that something was strange and ominous for some reason. It was only natural to be dark in the night, but the full moon was shining brightly outside. ¡®But this darkness is too¡­¡¯ Even before Velkre¡¯s hand could reach for the flagpole, a sharp blade penetrated his chest. The sharp stabbing sound irritated Velkre¡¯s ears and made his toes curl up. One, two, three, four, five¡­ The blade that was so cold that it could almost freeze one¡¯s heart tore through Velkre¡¯s body over and over. Splat! Velkre collapsed to the ground. His chin trembled as he reached for the flagpole which he wasn¡¯t able to grab, the flagpole was already in someone else¡¯s hand. ¡°A knight order that casts a magic spell using the dragon¡¯s skin, and borrows the power of dragons, huh? Weren¡¯t the dragons designated as evil beasts by the empire? The Church seems to set and follow the rules only at their own convenience.¡± There was no way Velkre could forget this voice. Velkre blankly looked up, but all he could see was darkness. At the same time, the sound of footsteps approaching him got closer and closer. A small flame rose before Velkre¡¯s eyes, and there Juan was¡ªmaking a flame at his fingertip and looking at Velkre without an expression. A flag that was wide enough to make a cape was held in Juan¡¯s hand. Velkre felt dispirited. ¡®We were the ones who were deceived.¡¯ Velkre thought that he was the one hunting down Juan, but it was the other way around¡ªJuan was the one who was hunting them. Velkre had to admit that he was caught off guard. It didn¡¯t matter whether or not Juan was hiding among the many black-haired beasts that the search party was after. ¡°Is this dragon skin the main strength of your knight order? What happens if it is destroyed?¡± Juan asked. ¡®Try it.¡¯ Velkre tried to speak, but not a single sound came out of his mouth; his lungs had been completely destroyed. Velkre puffed his mouth, and Juan smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think Horhell would like the dragon skin very much. I¡¯m sure that Hela would have liked it, but she probably would have hung it on the wall instead of a tapestry since she wouldn¡¯t know how to use it anyway. But, she¡¯s gone now¡± Juan whispered his final words in Velkre¡¯s ear. Juan spread the flag wide and pulled it with both his hands. The next moment, Juan raised his eyebrows. Unlike Juan¡¯s expectation of the flag being tough to rip apart due to being made with dragon skin, the flag was easily torn apart in two pieces. ¡®Fake.¡¯ Only one word popped up in Juan¡¯s head. At that moment, Juan saw Velkre puffing his mouth to mumble something. What he was mumbling was neither his last will nor a curse¡ªit was a prayer. Even before realizing the context and meaning of the prayer, Juan quickly ordered the knight of the dead to slit Velkre¡¯s throat as he felt unusual energy from him. However, Velkre¡¯s mouth was already mumbling the last syllable the moment his head fell on the ground. His lips were curled into a smile. ¡®Your Majesty, unseal the sin you have restrained and allow your servant to have a new body.¡¯ At that moment, the cape draped around Velkre¡¯s body soared up as if it was devouring him. At the same time, flames rose like a beacon in the camp. CH 117 The Templars inside the camp popped out immediately upon hearing the loud boom that rang out. They quickly looked toward the fortress of Beldeve to figure out the situation, but found no change. Only then did they notice a bright flame that was burning behind them¡ªthe flame was coming from Captain Velkre¡¯s camp. Meanwhile, Juan was thrown off by the soaring flames and staggered to his feet. It was unknown as to what Velkre had done, but a huge explosion containing a lot of power had occurred. ¡®Flames bursting out like this just by putting on a cape, huh¡­¡¯ Juan managed to protect his body using Umbra before the explosion, but the shock from the explosion was still quite severe. ¡®This isn¡¯t a force that an ordinary human can deal with.¡¯ Then, something slowly limped and walked out of the flames burning high in the sky. The soaring flames quickly died down and stuck behind this ¡®something¡¯s¡¯ back as they continued burning. Juan clicked his tongue as he assumed the identity of his opponent. ¡°It must be one of the magical equipment made by the dragons¡­¡± Juan muttered. ¡°That¡¯s right, apostate,¡± Velkre said in a strange voice. Only now did Juan realize that the flag on the flagpole had been a fake to trick him, and that the real flag was disguised as a cape. Dragon scales began to cover Velkre¡¯s entire body, including the armor on his back, while the wounds on his chest and back also healed themselves. ¡°We call this armor ¡®the Evil Snake.¡¯ It¡¯s a piece of equipment made by the evil beasts who once antagonized His Majesty, but it is also the most appropriate weapon to punish an apostate such as yourself,¡± Velkre said. Not only did the armor cover the surface of his body, but it was clear that ¡®the Evil Snake¡¯ was deforming Velkre¡¯s skeletal and body structure. Velkre¡¯s face was distorted due to the pain and anger, as if the whole process of transformation was very uncomfortable for him. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Velkre uttered a curse inside. He had no choice but to transform into the Evil Snake in order to survive, and he could feel other emotions beginning to erode his head. Judging that nothing good would come out of waiting until Velkre¡¯s transformation was complete, Juan quickly charged toward Velkre. At that moment, Velkre swung his empty flagpole and struck Juan¡¯s short sword at once. Juan narrowed his eyes upon realizing that not only was the flag extraordinary, but even the flagpole was not an ordinary weapon¡ªthe scales that were deforming Velkre¡¯s body were slowly covering the flagpole as well, creating a spear. It was a thick, white spear that resembled the bone of a dragon. Grrrrrr. A guttural sound came out of Velkre¡¯s mouth¡ªone that should not come out of a human. At the same time, his vertically pointed pupils flashed green. The transformation was almost complete. Velkre¡¯s appearance was still somewhat humanoid, but he had grown taller and had developed reversible jointed legs and had grown bizarrely long fingernails. ¡®That¡¯s not just a simple transformation.¡¯ Juan could feel the power of a dragon itself from Velkre. He had a feeling that the current Velkre would be able to do anything that a dragon was capable of. Juan wondered how such a weapon was still allowed to exist in the empire¡ªif he had been aware of such a weapon, he would have either sealed it or destroyed it for good. Bang! Juan lifted his short sword as soon as Velkre disappeared from his sight. When the bone spear collided with his short sword, Juan intentionally jumped and bounced off to minimize the shock. Juan frowned. While it was true that Juan had failed to read Velkre¡¯s movements due to Velkre¡¯s transformed body structure, it was clear that Velkre used Blink. ¡°You fucking lizard¡­!¡± Juan glared at Velkre who was running wildly toward Juan even before he fell to the ground. Velkre continued to pressure Juan without giving him a break. Being a lightweight, Juan didn¡¯t have many ways to block Velkre¡¯s attacks which were heavy and powerful. Just like his fight against Ethan Etil, fighting against the captain of a knight order was difficult for Juan. Due to this reason, Juan had wanted to quickly finish Velkre off by assassinating him¡ªbut here he was, fighting Velkre one on one. To make matters worse, Velkre was draped with magic equipment made by the dragons. Magic equipment made by the dragons who were extremely familiar with magic was certainly some of the best quality equipment out there. ¡®Of course, there is a corresponding price for this power.¡¯ Using the magic equipment made by dragons is closer to a curse than a blessing¡ªit was like asking a devil to grant your wish. Although it would be possible to get the power you want, no one could guess what would be the price you would have to pay in return. There was even a possibility that a curse was placed on the equipment to kill the person who used the equipment. Due to this, usage of such equipment was avoided, despite the great power they could provide. Juan had already figured that much out. Juan jumped into the air once more. While he was slowly falling to the ground, he saw Velkre jumping up in the air to change the direction of his spear in order to prevent him from dodging the attack again. ¡°Keuk!¡± Juan hastily changed the direction of his falling body and used Blink. Slash! Juan rolled on the snow-covered ground and quickly picked himself up. Blood drops formed on his scratched skin, but Velkre continued to rush at Juan and picked up his spear from the ground, immediately charging him one more time. Juan squinted his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s rushing.¡¯ It was certain that Velkre was at an advantage, and Juan had to acknowledge that Velkre was quite skilled. None of the weapons Juan had at the moment could damage Velkre, and such a difference in power couldn¡¯t be filled up with good swordsmanship skills or experience. Juan was able to fight Nigrato since he had the emperor¡¯s flames, which were lethal to beings like Nigrato, but Velkre was wearing armor made from the leather of a dragon¡ªa being that had the same type of energy as Juan. Flame energy. Velkre¡¯s strength far exceeded that of Juan, and he was just as fast as Juan. Juan might stand a chance at victory if he was given enough time to concentrate on casting a magic spell, but magic equipment also had strong magic resistance. Juan tried to think, but Velkre didn¡¯t give him time to think. ¡®Why is he rushing while completely forgoing defense? Or¡­ is there a time limit to how long one can use the equipment?¡¯ Juan wondered if the time limit was the curse involved with the Evil Snake; there was no way such a strong force could be used without paying a corresponding price for it. ¡®Having a time limit sounds like a reasonable restriction.¡¯ Once he figured that out, Juan¡¯s attack method was decided. He prevented his body from being flung up into the air due to Velkre¡¯s attacks, while dodging Velkre as much as possible. Juan was fully capable of dodging Velkre¡¯s attacks if he focused on avoiding Velkre, and Juan would use Blink whenever Velkre used Blink as well. Juan wondered why Velkre, the captain of a knight order, was only making such simple attacks, but soon noticed the reason¡ªit was impossible for Velkre to use the same types of attack patterns he used before his transformation. ¡®He¡¯s not used to the skeletal and structural changes from the transformation.¡¯ This meant that the magic equipment was for one-time use. It was clear that Velkre would either die or be close to being dead once the equipment was taken off of him. Meanwhile, Velkre smiled upon seeing that Juan had begun to only dodge his attacks. Juan felt more and more strange as time went by. Juan had used Blink at least ten times in order to dodge Velkre¡¯s attacks and was beginning to feel that his body was running out of energy. However, Velkre was still looked like he was full of energy as he kept pushing Juan. ¡®Not only is he still full of energy, but he no longer seems like he is rushing.¡¯ Juan thought that he might be mistaken. ¡®Maybe the time limit is not the restriction¡­ perhaps the equipment was simply created without a type of curse.¡¯ Most magic equipment made by the dragons were created with a curse placed upon them, but there were rare cases where the dragons created some of them without a curse. However, not a single piece of equipment made for humans was without a curse. ¡®I might have to consider a retreat.¡¯ Juan wanted to kill Velkre and see his end, yet there was no way of doing so at the moment. In the meantime, Velkre once again charged toward Juan, but disappeared from Juan¡¯s sight as soon as he realized that Juan wasn¡¯t concentrating anymore. Juan quickly used Blink and moved in the opposite direction; he thought Velkre had also used Blink to disappear. However, there was no shock or noise like the ones that Juan had expected. Feeling perplexed, Juan¡¯s face soon distorted. Juan felt a strong sense of deja vu¡ªit was an unusual feeling¡ªa feeling of someone watching him. It was the same feeling which he felt when he was at the wasteland with Swallan. Juan inadvertently recalled a Templar named Nora, who was capable of suddenly appearing and disappearing. At that moment, Juan turned his body in haste and held out Talter¡¯s short sword. Crack! However, Juan¡¯s attempt at defending himself was pointless when he wasn¡¯t in a good posture. Talter¡¯s short sword broke in half and scattered along with an unpleasant noise that rang loudly in Juan¡¯s ears. Juan clicked his tongue. Although he knew that Talter¡¯s short sword was growing weaker with each passing day, he hadn¡¯t expected it to break so soon. Juan managed to barely dodge Velkre¡¯s bone spear, but Velkre grabbed Juan by the neck and pinned him down on the ground. Juan was completely stuck and unable to move under Velkre¡¯s huge hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been making too many mistakes,¡± Velkre whispered. ¡°If you had noticed that I¡¯ve been using Blink just like Marco did in the wasteland, you should have thought of the possibility of me being able to hide myself just like Nora. You¡¯re too easy to fool.¡± Juan only smiled at Velkre¡¯s words and didn¡¯t answer, which Velkre found irritating. Juan groaned and opened his mouth. ¡°Where did you even get that armor from? It¡¯s the kind of equipment that I would have destroyed if I knew of its existence.¡± ¡°Dragon Lord,¡± Velkre answered Juan. Juan frowned; he recalled that he had killed the Dragon Lord with his own hands. However, Juan had no idea that the Dragon Lord owned such a piece of equipment. ¡°The Order of Lindwurm confiscated it from the Dragon Lord¡¯s lair. It was kept in the knight order¡¯s coffers, and the Church¡¯s holy relic department confiscated it after the knights from the Order of Lindwurm were labeled as apostates.¡± ¡°...I see. The Order of Lindwurm¡­¡± Juan nodded his head at the convincing explanation. Velkre opened his mouth and continued to speak even though Juan didn¡¯t ask any further questions. ¡°Dragon Lord had anxiously watched as His Majesty slaughtered gods to establish the empire. She thought that the tip of His Majesty¡¯s sword would one day be pointed toward the dragons, since they were the servants of the gods. The Dragon Lord had tried to remain neutral, but thought that it was humiliating that so many dragons gave in to humankind and ingratiated themselves. Both sides ended up suffering from damage, and eventually the war began.¡± Juan listened to Velkre¡¯s words in silence. Hearing a Templar speaking to defend the evil beast of the empire sounded strange, but reasonable at the same time. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°There was no reason for His Majesty to annihilate the dragons. But there was no way His Majesty could have left the dragons alone when they had such overwhelming power when compared to humans. After all, His Majesty had been killing all the gods regardless of them being good or bad. Upon seeing many of his kind being sacrificed, the Dragon Lord created equipment to protect his race,¡± Velkre continued to speak with his hand placed over his armor. ¡°This armor is one of the pieces of equipment that was created when the dragons lost the war and became endangered. Most of the equipment made by dragons was destroyed, but this one was kept safe. The Dragon Lord hoped for this armor to continue to exist, and placed a curse on it that would engulf any human who wore it to rebel against the empire¡ªhe placed a curse to make sure that the humans would constantly suffer from a never-ending civil war.¡± ¡®An equipment that offers great power while also encouraging humans to antagonize each other.¡¯ Juan had to acknowledge that the Dragon Lord saw right through the human psychology despite being from a different race. The equipment that was made by dragons provided the user with great power was dangerous, but too attractive to refuse. It was only natural for people¡ªeven the Church to pursue a piece of equipment that offered such great power. ¡°Is it a curse that makes you babble bullshit?¡± Juan derided. ¡°No,¡± Velkre answered briefly. ¡°To be exact, it¡¯s a curse that makes one loathe the emperor and plants a seed of thought needed to aim for the destruction of the empire. The Dragon Lord also placed a curse to make the user deliver her final message to you once any human wearing this armor finally got a chance to kill you. Emperor.¡± Velkre¡¯s expression froze the moment his mouth opened against his will. He looked as if he had no idea about what he was saying. ¡°I can¡¯t let you stay alive when my kind went extinct because of you. You are neither a savior nor a guardian. You are nothing but a seed that will sprout and bring about utter destruction, who was brought by Dane Dormund. So die. I will be waiting for you, while burning in hell.¡± The Dragon Lord¡¯s curse finally reached Juan¡¯s ears after decades. After spitting out the curse, Velkre immediately put strength into his hands, wanting to pierce Juan¡¯s stomach with the bone spear. Then Velkre realized that his spear hadn¡¯t moved at all. Velkre frowned and turned his gaze toward the spear held in his hands to find something dark winding around the spear, as well as Juan who was wearing ink black gloves that covered both his arms. Velkre looked at the sight with eyes filled with disbelief. With his arms wrapped in Umbra, Juan broke the tip of Velkre¡¯s spear. Crack! In an instant, Velkre¡¯s arm that was still holding Juan¡¯s neck broke along with a gruesome sound. ¡°Thanks for your explanation about the equipment¡¯s curse and its advantages. My short sword was going to break at any moment anyway, but it broke at perfect timing. Thanks to that, I was able to fool you easily,¡± Juan said with a smile. Only then did Velkre realize that Juan had deliberately pretended to be driven into a corner to get explanations about his equipment. ¡°Fortunately, it seems like there won¡¯t be any trouble even if I kill you. But¡­¡± Juan whispered the rest of his words in Velkre¡¯s ear. ¡°You didn¡¯t actually think that you could beat me by wearing the skin of a bastard that I¡¯ve already killed once, did you?¡± CH 118 ¡°Keuk!¡± Velkre swung his arm as fast as he could, but Juan dodged Velkre¡¯s attack with ease. Velkre clicked his tongue and took a glance at his broken arm. Thick black blood dripped through the dragon scales along with a cracking sound. Before anyone knew it, Velkre¡¯s broken arm was returning to its original form. ¡°Is your arm recovering itself? No, no. There¡¯s no way the Dragon Lord was generous enough to place such a beneficial effect on an armor made for humans,¡± Juan said with a smile. Velkre bit his lips. Juan was right¡ªVelkre¡¯s arm was returning to its form, but only in appearance. It was being forced to return to its original shape by the armor. However, his bones were still broken and his flesh was crushed like porridge. Despite all this, the power of the armor allowed Velkre to move freely, regardless of his injuries. ¡°How does it feel to be a disposable tool for the Dragon Lord?¡± Juan derided. ¡°I have already dedicated and devoted my body to His Majesty anyway. It¡¯s not a big deal that my body is being used as His Majesty¡¯s broken blade with this hideous snake skin on it until my life is consumed completely.¡± ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s the emperor¡¯s will, huh? That¡¯s funny. I thought I just heard the Dragon Lord¡¯s curse. Didn¡¯t you hear it with me?¡± Juan smiled while stroking his chin. Velkre''s face quickly hardened. It was true that Velkre had also heard the Dragon Lord¡¯s curse. In fact, the curse was constantly being whispered and echoed in his head even now. Velkre felt as if he was about to lose his mind upon hearing the curse resonating so deeply in his head. ¡°Is the curse still being whispered in your head? Is it telling you to kill the emperor who is standing in front of you right now?¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Velkre quickly charged toward Juan. At the same time, the bone spear reformed itself with a cracking sound and struck the place where Juan was standing. Juan dodged the powerful attack with ease, but the tip of Velkre¡¯s spear stubbornly chased after Juan¡¯s body. Juan clicked his tongue at Velkre¡¯s skill. He moved violently with big movements and shook his spear strangely, yet still accurately aimed for Juan¡¯s heart. Although Velkre was pretending to be too excited to control his body, his movements were still exquisite and brilliant. ¡®All the captains of the knight orders are quite skilled. What a waste that I have to kill them all the time.¡¯ Velkre was relying on the power of the Evil Snake, but Juan had to acknowledge Velkre¡¯s skill. Juan was certain that Velkre would have been appointed to an important position if he lived in different times and was under different circumstances. However, Velkre had already transformed into the Evil Snake. Juan could finally understand the curse that Dragon Lord had placed on the armor: once put on, the armor could never be taken off. Then, the armor consumes the life of whoever dares to wear the armor, while preventing them from dying despite their terrible injuries, all for one purpose¡ªto kill the emperor and destroy the empire. It was easy to tell how the Church had been using such cursed magic equipment for their benefit by looking at the Templars from the Order of the Evil Snake¡ªfrom the time of his transformation into the Evil Snake, Velkre was destined to die at the hands of his fellow Templars. Velkre¡¯s spear grazed Juan''s armpit. However, Juan didn¡¯t doge. Instead of widening the distance, Juan sharply dug into the gap revealed by Velkre. After one look at Velkre¡¯s eyes which were flashing green, Juan wore Umbra only up to his shoulders as surrounding his entire body with Umbra would be a waste of mana. ¡®I¡¯ll be fine as long as I don¡¯t get struck by his spear.¡¯ A black light split over the snow. With the sound of air being torn apart, the snow on the ground was scattered everywhere by the pressure of the wind, revealing bare ground. Velkre suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He flinched, noticing that both of Juan¡¯s hands were already digging into his left shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s start with one arm.¡± Juan¡¯s hands which were wrapped in Umbra clasped tightly onto the skin of the Evil Snake. With a tearing sound, the skin of Evil Snake began to separate from Velkre¡¯s arm. Velkre screamed at the terrible pain from being skinned alive; after all, the skin of the Evil Snake and his own skin had already fused together. With the terrible sound of skin being ripped apart, blood scattered all over the snow. Juan let Velkre go, while holding onto Velkre¡¯s tattered skin in his hand¡ªall the while having a content smile on his face. Velkre glared at Juan with bloodshot eyes and a bloody and ragged left arm. ¡°I will kill you. I will fucking kill you, emperor. You fucking son of a bitch¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you admit that I¡¯m the emperor?¡± ¡°I will kill you!¡± Velkre didn¡¯t even seem to know what he was saying due to his pain as well as anger. This meant his current state allowed the Dragon Lord¡¯s will to easily encroach upon his mind. Velkre charged toward Juan with a roar, but his attack was a far cry compared to his attacks from before. At this point, there was hardly any snow left on the floor. The heat emitted from Velkre¡¯s blood that was scattered everywhere melted the snow, causing the surrounding area to become sweltering hot, just like summer. Meanwhile, Juan was almost done. Rip! The skin on Velkre¡¯s chest was peeled off with an irritating sound. With his arms and legs broken to the point they were all ragged, Velkre could only remain motionless and blankly stare at Juan who was tearing his body apart. Juan lowered his body to get close to Velkre¡¯s face. ¡°Now only the face is left,¡± Juan said. Velkre struggled to open his mouth and then muttered. ¡°I¡­ surrender. I surrender¡­¡± Juan was slightly surprised. Being a reasonable person, Velkre¡¯s surrender didn¡¯t come off as cowardly. But Juan hadn¡¯t expected such a request for surrender to come from a Templar; he believed that all the Templars were just a bunch of lunatics. ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected. No, maybe it¡¯s because of the Evil Snake. It¡¯s something strange¡­ having both hatred and loyalty to the emperor¡­ this is a new experience for me. It¡¯s only reasonable and natural to request to be spared when you have been incapacitated.¡± Juan nodded his head, but that was the extent of his agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve heard your request, Templar. But I¡¯ll have to skin you anyway.¡± Velkre opened his mouth and tried to say something, but Juan stabbed his fingers underneath Velkre¡¯s chin. *** ¡°Juan!¡± Sina jumped upon seeing Juan climbing up the wall, drenched in blood from head to toe, almost as if he had soaked himself in a sea of blood. The blood dripping from his body dyed the wall red. Horhell also hurried and ran toward the wall upon seeing Juan soaked in blood. ¡°Relax. It¡¯s not my blood. If it was, I would¡¯ve burned it before climbing up the walls,¡± Juan said in a calm manner. ¡°...W-what makes you think that I was worried about you? Just how many did you kill to end up looking like that?¡± Juan pondered for a while, and then answered. ¡°Half a man.¡± ¡®Half a man?¡¯ Sina couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying, but Juan only spoke vaguely. Then he poured out something that was inside the Umbra¡ªwhat came out of the Umbra with a splashing sound were bloody pieces of skin that seemed to belong to a lizard. Orca, Horhell¡¯s dragon, approached the skin and sniffed it, but quickly stepped back with a roar. ¡°What the heck is this?¡± Horhell came close to the skin to take a closer look at it. ¡°It¡¯s leather made out of the skin of a dragon. Oh, right¡­ Don¡¯t touch it. It¡¯s been cursed,¡± Juan warned. Horhell glared at the skin of the Evil Snake with a horrified face. Horhell poked the leather with the tip of his sword and then opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s the flag of the Order of the Evil snake.¡± ¡°Oh, you noticed what it was at just a glance. You¡¯re right. I had thought that you would grab me by the collar and ask where I killed an innocent dragon,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way that any other dragons are still alive. Even if there were, they couldn¡¯t be this small. This leather is too finely chopped to be of any use, so my only guess is that this is the dragon skin that is in the possesion of the Order of the Evil Snake. It was originally managed by the Order of Lindwurm after all.¡± ¡°I see. This was the only way to stop the Order of the Evil Snake from using that flag. We won¡¯t have to worry about Velkre for a while either¡ªhis entire body will sting a little whenever he puts on his clothes for a while.¡± Sina didn¡¯t seem to understand their conversation, but Horhell had a weird expression on his face. ¡°...Is he still alive?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°Yes. He surrendered. If I had been in his place, I would have just asked to be killed, but he didn¡¯t,¡± Juan answered while kicking the skin of the Evil Snake with his feet. ¡°Wrap this up and keep it somewhere safe; we¡¯ll be using it soon. Let everyone know that I¡¯ll rip it off of their body if they lay their hands on it. Sina doesn¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s going on, so you should elaborate on my behalf, Horhell.¡± *** ¡°Brother Velkre. Are you awake?¡± Velkre opened his eyes with difficulty upon hearing the voice of someone above his head. At that moment, Velkre convulsed at the sharp light that penetrated into his eyes. All of Velkre¡¯s senses were overwhelmed as soon as he retrieved his vision. Soon, Velkre started moving violently and began to scream in terrible pain, causing the Templars to hastily put an eye patch on his eyes and gag him in order to prevent him from biting his tongue. ¡°Calm down, Brother Velkre! Only your fatal wounds have been healed with the help of the healing Grace! Your wounds might open up once again if you continue to move recklessly like that!¡± However, Velkre didn¡¯t stop moving. At that point, one of the Templars quickly poured an unknown liquid into his mouth. The liquid made his mind go blank and then he stopped moving. Slowly, Velkre¡¯s mind started to become clear as his whole body lost strength and all his senses became dull. Velkre opened his mouth and stuttered. ¡°N-Nora¡­ is that you? Sister Nora?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Are you finally able to get a hold of yourself?¡± Nora answered with a complicated expression. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°When did you return? How much time has passed?¡± ¡°I returned as soon as I felt the power of the Snake being retrieved. The only time when the power of the Snake is retrieved is when the power of the Evil Snake is being used. But everything was over by the time I came back. I just found you in the snow, drenched completely in blood, brother.¡± ¡°I see. Well¡­ what is my current situation?¡± Nora remained silent for a moment. Velkre could easily guess what the state of his body was, but anxiously waited for Nora¡¯s answer anyway. Finally, Nora opened her mouth with difficulty. ¡°Everyone thought you would die, brother Velkre. After all, we¡¯ve never seen anyone staying alive despite being in such a terrible state. You know, you had already lost way too much blood? But you survived, brother Velkre. I believe you will be able to return to your original body and recover as long as you continue being treated by the healing Grace.¡± ¡°Sister Nora, I asked you what the current state of my body was.¡± ¡°...Brother Velkre, it was only a second ago that your eyes were restored. You know better than anyone what the current state of your body is, don¡¯t you? No one would have guessed that it was you who was buried in the snow, while drenched in blood, if we didn¡¯t know the procedure of retrieving the Evil Snake, brother Velkre.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Velkre began to giggle. Nora was worried that Velkre might have gone mad upon listening to his laughter. Considering that Velkre was still alive despite such terrible injuries, it was hard to imagine how he managed to endure the pain without going insane. ¡°Ha, haha! This is amazing. I didn¡¯t expect him to pay heed to my request,¡± Velkre muttered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nora asked. ¡°Request to surrender.¡± Nora looked toward Velkre suspiciously. However, even before she could ask what he meant, Velkre, who was unable to contain his laughter, opened his mouth and started speaking. ¡°You know what, Nora? None of the men from the Order of the Evil Snake who transformed into the Evil Snake have lived to tell the tale. I¡¯m the only one. It has been an immutable law to be skinned and martyred at the hands of fellow Templars before one turns into an enemy of the empire. But I made it out alive.¡± ¡°Yes brother¡­ actually, other people have been talking about this matter as well. Not only is it unusual for the captain to transform into the Evil Snake, but there are no regulations about how you would be treated if you happen to survive. Brother Marco temporarily took the position of the captain, considering that brother Velkre is not even able to move, not to mention the fact that the Evil Snake has been stolen by the enemy,¡± Nora explained. ¡°Marco?¡± Velkre shook his shoulders and laughed out loud again, almost as if he couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. Velkre¡¯s whole body trembled as he laughed and the intense pain messed with his nerves. Nora began to worry about his mental state. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, brother Velkre? It¡¯s time for you to calm down and take some rest.¡± ¡°How can I possibly hold back my laughter? Marco, that damn bastard¡­ I would love to see his face when he finds out the identity of his opponent. He had been gritting his teeth, wishing for revenge, but¡­ hahaha!¡± ¡°Who is the opponent? Isn¡¯t he just an apostolic young man at best?¡± Nora frowned. ¡°An apostolic young man¡­ no. He is the only person worthy of any and all Templars in the empire to surrender and serve him. I have surrendered, and so, I survived. I will never fight His M¡­ him again. But Marco¡¯s head will roll even before he has a chance to surrender, since he doesn¡¯t even have the Evil Snake. He¡¯s always so impatient and tries to handle everything as fast as he can. I bet the speed of his head being cut off will be just as fast.¡± CH 119 Marco approached Nora as soon as she came out of the camp where Velkre was resting. There was a long scar on his eyebrows¡ªit was the wound he got when he fought Juan in the wasteland. It could have easily been treated with the help of a healing Grace, but Marco decided to purposely leave it untreated, saying that he didn¡¯t wish to forget the price of his own arrogance. Since then, Marco had gotten a lot more calm and rational compared to before, and his skills were also growing noticeably. ¡°I heard brother Velkre¡¯s voice. Has he come to his senses?¡± Marco asked. ¡°Yes. But he seems to be slightly out of his mind,¡± Nora answered. ¡°Hah, no doubt. Not even the captain of a knight order could be in his right mind after having been skinned alive. Him still being alive after what he went through can already be considered a tremendous blessing from His Majesty,¡± Marco scoffed. Nora nodded silently; she hadn¡¯t held any hope for Velkre¡¯s survival either. When they had found him in the snow, his injuries had been so severe that the Templars were split in their opinion on the matter of using a healing Grace on him. It was only natural for them to be hesitant; there had never been a case of someone who was transformed into the Evil Snake surviving the ordeal. Nora changed the subject of the conversation to shake off her thoughts regarding Velkre. ¡°What did the Templars who saw the attacker say?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s testimony was consistent. Brother Velkre¡¯s camp suddenly started blazing with flames, and then the black-haired young man appeared along with Brother Velkre who had transformed into the Evil Snake. They said that they didn¡¯t intervene to help brother Velkre because it was a principle to be cautious and not get involved whenever the power of Evil Snake is being used,¡± Marco scratched the scar on his eyebrows with an unpleasant expression. ¡°That black-haired bastard¡­ I knew that he was good, but I didn¡¯t think he would be able to beat Captain Velkre even when he used the power of the Evil Snake¡­¡± ¡°What should we do, brother? We no longer have the Evil Snake with us anymore, and we confirmed that the opponent¡¯s skill exceeds even that of a captain of a knight order. He even managed to take away the holy equipment, even when he fought by himself. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to let His Holiness know that the opponent is just as dangerous as one of the Six Apostates?¡± ¡°You want me to treat him as being on the same level as Ras Raud and Gerard Gain? Hah. I usually hate to think highly of those evil apostates, but the opponent is not as strong as them. There¡¯s a reason why the Six Apostates are treated as the empire¡¯s official enemies, you know? You shouldn¡¯t say such words easily,¡± Marco said as he looked back. Heavy sounds that shook the earth were coming from across the horizon. Marco twisted his lips and smiled. ¡°Besides, the heretics of Arbalde are coming. We can gain all the benefits while simply watching the apostates fight against each other. Then we can go ahead and behead whoever wins. It¡¯s better that way. It has now become clear that the Fourth Division is protecting the wanted criminals of the Church, so we have the excuse to attack them.¡± *** Urkel decided not to ride a horse. Instead, he walked through the snow on his feet and carried weapons on his back just like the other warriors of Arbalder and the villagers. The snow pouring on them grew harsher and the food they had brought with them began to run out, but there wasn¡¯t a single person who gave up or returned. Everyone was still singing with full strength. Most of the food supplies they had received from Suvole was left to the children and the elderly, as well as those who would be taking care of them, since none of the armed warriors of Arbalde intended to return to the village¡ªthey knew all too well that they would never get an opportunity like this ever again. Even if they had to die, they planned to do so under the walls of Beldeve. The same was true of Urkel. He had devoted himself to the Crack, but he had no intention of falling under their rule completely. There was a pretty good chance that Urkel would be able to grow strong enough to be able to destroy the empire if he fully devoted himself and allowed himself to be fully encroached upon by the Crack; however, to Urkel, whether it was the Crack or the empire, there was hardly any difference. Urkel wanted to at least leave a small dent in the system everyone believed to be completely solid. Urkel would be quite content if such a dent could be made by the Crack and the Crack became the opportunity that allowed him to destroy the empire in the future. Even if he wouldn¡¯t be able to see such a future, he believed that his grandchildren, whom he left behind in the village, would surely be able to do so. Urkel recalled his son who died a long time ago. Hela and Urkel had been fighting a long and hard battle that killed the other¡¯s families. But Hela died, leaving nothing behind, and Urkel left behind his grandchildren. ¡®I won, Hela.¡¯ Urkel would have spat in Hela¡¯s face if she were to appear in front of him, but she had already disappeared deep into the sea. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Your funeral will be held when I burn the fortress of Beldeve.¡¯ Urkel stopped marching. The sight of the fortress of Beldeve filled his eyes. All the rebels slowed down upon seeing Urkel stop, and then Urkel looked around at them. The rebels were the farthest thing from an army¡ªthey were just a small group of villagers who lacked weapons and had small figures due to being malnourished. They didn¡¯t even have cavalry. They looked like they were scared, but there was no sign of anyone backing down. These villagers were different from the warriors of Arbalde who fully dedicated themselves to revenge. Most of them just wanted to leave the harsh northeast and live a new life in the south, where it was more fertile¡ªall in order to allow their children to lead a better life. Urkel felt apologetic toward them; he knew that achieving their goal would be almost impossible. Once Beldeve fell, the Imperial Army belonging to the capital would move. They were completely different from the Fourth Division in terms of quality as well as numbers. Despite being aware of the fate awaiting them, Urkel had no chance but to deceive them for the sake of his own revenge. ¡°Our enemy is standing right there.¡± Urkel slowly pulled out his axe from behind his back. The fortress that had been built to fight against the dragons looked so majestic that it was doubtful whether or not human power could allow them to capture it. But there was no reason to hesitate. ¡°Go! Go and take whatever you want!¡± ¡®Whether it be food, a handful of sunshine, or revenge.¡¯ Urkel¡¯s loud roar rang throughout the fortress of Beldeve. *** With Urkel¡¯s roar, a battle began immediately, without any declaration of war or summons to surrender. Slowly, the villagers helplessly collapsed to the ground under the rain of arrows. Medina rolled on the ground at the same speed that she had been running as soon as an arrow pierced through her shoulder. But that didn¡¯t stop her. Medina squirmed as she picked herself back up and continued to run. The sensation of her bare feet touching the cold snow and the arrows brushing against her ears felt rather jolly. She constantly muttered ¡®¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö.¡¯ It was the name granted to her by the Crack, and it was constantly giving her strength to push on. She used to be hesitant to mutter the name she was granted; she had nightmares about losing her mind¡ªhowever, now was the perfect time to use the strength granted to her by the name. Medina felt as if she could smash the entire world. Medina was the first one to arrive in front of the gates of Beldeve. However, she was forced to stop there. The gate that looked like it would be easy to break through from afar turned out to be so huge that it was almost comparable to a small hill in terms of size¡ªit was only natural, since it was the gate which was used by the Order of Lindwurm and their dragons. Medina felt tiny as soon as she stabbed at the gate using her spear with all her might. She immediately realized that the gate of Beldeve was thick enough to be called a wall rather than a gate. It wasn¡¯t something Medina could break through no matter what she did. At that moment, boiling oil poured down upon her head. Medina¡¯s limbs were immediately fried and shrank in the blink of an eye, as she was cooked alive. Toel, one of the warriors of Arbalde, took advantage of the time the enemy used to boil the oil once again and leaped forward. When he shoved his short sword into the gate of Beldeve and hung on to it, a small gap was created¡ªa gap that they could use to climb the thick wall. Toel stabbed his short sword into the wall and crept up the gate. Constantly humming ¡®¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö,¡¯ the name that was granted to him by the Crack, gave him a terrible headache. But it also gave him the power to just lose his mind and fight fiercely on the battlefield. Toel climbed onto the wall in an instant and quickly grabbed onto one of the soldiers of the Fourth Division and threw him under the wall. That was the first victim from the Fourth Division. The soldiers of the Fourth Division gathered at the sound of a scream. Countless spears flew toward Toel, even when he hadn¡¯t yet made it onto the wall. But those spears looked nothing more than toys to Toel, someone who was a warrior of Arbalde who was granted the power of the Crack. Toel threw himself onto the wall even with spears stabbing into his mouth. Killing another soldier of the Fourth Division was a piece of cake for Toel. Then the device to open and close the gates came into his eyes. Toel tried to run straight toward the device, but a black-haired man with a beard appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way. Toel looked confused when he saw the man, who was not dressed as a member of the Imperial Army, but was restrained with handcuffs on his wrists. But his face became distorted even before he got a chance to take a closer look at his opponent¡¯s face. The moment he shouted something in an angry voice and his weapon met with the opponent¡¯s, Toel felt a sharp pain in his sides. Only then did Toel realize that a wolf demi-human had struck him on his side to push him off the wall. A resentful cry of a curse could be heard even as he fell off the wall to his death. Meanwhile, Urkel was constantly repeating the name of ¡®¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯ as he heard the screams of dying villagers; he still lacked strength. Urkel constantly repeated the name granted to him by the Crack while smashing his axe right at the gate of Beldeve. An arrow pierced through his thigh, but he could still walk without a problem. A spear pierced through his throat, but he could still talk. Boiling oil was poured over his head, but his consciousness was clearer than ever. Urkel continued to mutter the name he was given. Finally, the strength he had been waiting for filled his body. Urkel lifted the huge two-handed axe over his head and his fingers coiled around the handle as if a giant tree was taking root. Urkel¡¯s muscles swelled up to the extent that they looked like they would burst at any moment. Urkel bit his lips as he thought this was enough strength for him to break through the gate. He called out the name granted to him one last time and swung his axe while blaming himself for borrowing power from the cursed being residing in the Crack. The dent left behind by someone else was a good target for Urkel to aim for. Urkel¡¯s axe struck the gate, and caused the entire fortress of Beldeve to shake. The gates opened about one-third of the way as Urkel¡¯s axe destroyed a part of the gate¡ªit was only a narrow gap, but it was enough for the warriors of Arbalde and the villagers to pass through. Urkel¡¯s face was filled with joy. All that was left for Urkel to do now was to slaughter. ¡°All the warriors, enter the¡­¡± Urkel couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. The first thing he encountered after entering through the open gate wasn¡¯t the frightened soldiers of the Fourth Division¡ªit was a black-haired young man with a smile on his face. Urkel recognized the young man at a glance. It was the black-haired beast. ¡°It¡¯s your first time seeing my face. Am I right?¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Urkel tried to grab Juan, but Juan simply reached out his hand and grabbed Urkel¡¯s hand in a calm manner. Juan¡¯s hands were fitted with black gloves that gave off a strange energy, causing Urkel to snort; he thought Juan was trying to show off his strength. ¡°Do you even know who I am? I am the Revenge King Urkel, the leader of the warriors of Arbalde!¡± ¡°Add ¡®armless¡¯ to your title from now on.¡± Crack! Crack! Urkel turned his head toward the gruesome sound coming from his hand which was held by Juan. Urkel¡¯s hand was in the process of regenerating due to the power of the Crack, but it was once again twisted like a broken twig by Juan using his gloved hands. Urkel screamed in pain and tried to step back. However, Juan didn¡¯t even budge. Urkel felt like his arm was being pulled out. ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö!¡± Urkel called out the name granted to him by the Crack. In an instant, Urkel¡¯s broken hand began to cling to and wrap around Juan¡¯s hand. Juan had remained motionless until now, but let go of Urkel¡¯s hand and pushed Urkel away, almost as if he felt uncomfortable holding onto Urkel¡¯s hand. Urkel gritted his teeth and tried to charge toward Juan again. At that moment, something with a huge figure stuck out its head from behind Juan. It was a dragon. ¡°Fuck.¡± The dragon¡¯s mouth opened wide and blazing red flames soon poured out of its throat. Urkel hurriedly tried to cover his face, but he couldn¡¯t avoid being burnt. The dragon¡¯s flames engulfed Urkel and threw him tens of meters away in an instant. CH 120 Urkel¡¯s body was on fire as he rolled around on the ground for a long time. The warriors of Arbalde rushed to try and douse the flames by pouring snow on Urkel, but the flames released by a dragon would not be put out that easily. It was only after a long time Urkel managed to stand up on his feet with red burns all over him. ¡°That son of a bitch!¡± Urkel muttered a curse and looked toward the fortress of Beldeve. The gate was destroyed, but a dragon was burning all the villagers who were approaching the gate. The front of the gate was no different than hell. Meanwhile, the black-haired beast wandered leisurely through the flames and ruthlessly killed anyone who came near the gate. Juan quickly knocked down the warriors of Arbalde¡ªhe didn¡¯t even need to take out his weapon. Urkel gritted his teeth. It would be impossible to pass through the gate with Juan and the dragon guarding the front. But they didn¡¯t have any other way either. ¡°The dragon won¡¯t be able to breathe out fire endlessly! The black-haired beast won¡¯t be able to fight forever either! Continue pushing!¡± Urkel yelled and tried to push forward again. He had no choice but to step up and try to restrain the black-haired beast so that the warriors of Arbalde and the villagers could seek an opportunity to enter the fortress. ¡®It would be hard for me to do so given my current state, but if I tap into the power of the Crack just a little more¡­¡¯ This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Urkel made a hard decision, but he stumbled and dropped down on his knee. ¡°Leader, I think it would be best for you to treat your fatal wounds while staying at the back for now. You can¡¯t fight as you are right now.¡± Urkel was suffering from immense pain due to the burns, yet he refused to step back; he had decided to die fighting. He knew that other villagers would hesitate if he were to back down now. Then Urkel saw one of the warriors of Arbalde approaching him in a hurry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! Just go and continue pushing. I¡¯ll take care of myself!¡± Urkel burst into a rage and tried to send the warrior away even before the warrior opened his mouth. At the same time, the warrior shook his head with a pale expression as if he was perplexed. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Leader! I just got a message from back home!¡± ¡°The rear?¡± Everyone who had come to the fortress of Beldeve had come prepared to leave everything behind and die on the battlefield. This meant that they no longer had a place to call ¡®home.¡¯ ¡®If there is anything like that, it would probably be where a small number of children and the elders are still¡­¡¯ Urkel¡¯s face hardened. The warrior brought a boy who looked like he could die at any moment. The boy was barefoot and his foot was soaked in blood, almost as if he had been running for a long time in the snow. Urkel¡¯s lips quivered. ¡°What happened?¡± Urkel asked the boy. ¡°Nienna¡­¡± A familiar but terrifying name came out of the boy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Nienna and the Order of Penlil have barged into the village!¡± The woman who led the carnage from decades ago and turned Arbalde into ruins. The boy was saying that she had returned. *** Urkel felt as if someone had hit him in the back of his head. ¡®Nienna? Why would Nienna be here right now?¡¯ Nienna was the emperor¡¯s second child, as well as the person who was second in command within the empire. She was a combat freak who had been fighting against the Crack ever since she was barely old enough to hold a sword in her hand, and she was the one who took care of the entire northern territory. Not only was she the General of the Imperial Army in the northern territory, but she was also the captain of the Order of Penlil that was well known for their violence as well as the strongest military discipline in the empire. Nienna Nelben was known as the harbinger of winter. In the current state of the empire where the seat of the emperor was vacant, the Thornbush Priest Organization¡¯s strongest enemy was Nienna. The reason why the Thornbush Priest Organization had not explicitly intervened even until now was due to Urkel¡¯s request to keep Nienna in check. But here she was¡ªwhen the fall of Beldeve was right around the corner. The snowflakes fell on Urkel¡¯s head. Come to think of it, the first snow of the season this time around was much earlier compared to the past winters. Urkel bit his lips; he felt that he should have sensed Nienna¡¯s imminent return based on the early onset of snowfall. After all, Nienna¡¯s title was ¡®the one who brings the winter.¡¯ Death and ruins would be all that would remain if Nienna and the Order of Penlil had decided to intervene in the affairs of the northeast. In fact, nothing would be left this time. At that moment Urkel came back to his senses. Urkel hastily bent down toward the boy and whispered in a nervous voice. ¡°What about the other villages? Did everyone manage to evacuate?¡± The boy looked at Urkel in silence and shed tears. Urkel¡¯s mind went blank; it was clear that the boy was the only one who was able to escape while everyone else was dying. Nienna allowing the boy to escape clearly had a purpose¡ªit was either her plan to make the warriors of Arbalde and the villagers panic, or to make them fight back without retreat. The warriors hurriedly held Urkel and helped him stand on his feet just as he stumbled. ¡®I promised myself that I would die here.¡¯ Urkel had thought that he had completely let go of everything else in his life for revenge. But this was only a delusion. He decided to die on the battlefield for the sake of his grandchildren and their survival. While he thought that everything he did was for revenge, he only now realized that it had all been to lead all those who devoted their lives for revenge just so that their children could live freely in peace. Urkel knew that his grandchildren would also live bound by hatred for the rest of their lives if he didn¡¯t sacrifice himself while holding all the hatred in his arms. But they were all dead now. There was only one thing left for Urkel and the warriors of Arbalde¡ªrevenge. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Urkel¡¯s scream shook the earth as tears of blood flowed down his cheeks. Urkel grit his teeth to the point that they almost broke. Urkel turned his head and looked at his surroundings. There was only one thing he was looking for. It was the Imperial knight from the capital that had induced and instigated this whole war. Nienna¡¯s sudden intervention could only be thought of as Suvole''s trick to wipe out both the Fourth Division as well as the northeastern rebels in one fell swoop. Urkel realized that both Hela and himself had been used. ¡°Suvole!¡± Urkel recalled seeing Suvole standing with the Order of the Evil Snake on the hill and whispering something to the captain before he went to war. Urkel¡¯s bloody eyes turned to one side of the battlefield. On the hill above the forest, there were quite a few Templars who were arrogantly watching the battle, waiting for its end. ¡°I¡¯ll tear you to death, you fucking bastards!¡± *** Marco was watching the siege against the fortress of Beldeve from atop the hill. The fact that the warriors of Arbalde and the villagers managed to destroy the gate was impressive, but the sudden appearance of the dragon and the black-haired young man was unexpected. The black-haired young man was even wandering around, almost as if he didn¡¯t care about hiding his identity. ¡°There¡¯s nothing good about the Fourth Division fighting a war with a heretic like that being on their side. Besides, isn¡¯t a dragon considered to be an evil beast within the empire? Hela was so determined to protect them both, but now would be the perfect opportunity to take both of them out at once.¡± ¡°The black-haired young man won¡¯t be able to do anything once the ladder reaches the wall. Some of the warriors of Arbalde are quite remarkable, so it will only be a matter of time before the fortress of Beldeve falls.¡± ¡°Good, good. We will wait for now, then group one, two, and three will break through as soon as the battle enters a state of lull. Group four should make sure that the black-haired young man doesn¡¯t escape from the outskirts¡­ wait, what is that?¡± Marco frowned as he saw some of the rebels running toward them all of a sudden. Marco¡¯s eyes which had been bestowed with a Grace allowed him to see his opponents clearly even from afar. Urkel was running straight toward the Templars. Marco flinched for a moment upon seeing Urkel, who was tapping into more and more of the power of the Crack running crazily toward him with tears of blood in his eyes. At the same time, he felt a murderous intent that sent chills down his spine. ¡°Prepare for battle,¡± Marco ordered. ¡°Pardon? Isn¡¯t that just the Revenge King?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see that the lunatic has gone completely mad!? Get your weapons right now and get ready to defend!¡± The Templars raised their weapons upon hearing Marco¡¯s roar. It was only natural that they weren¡¯t prepared to defend; the Templars had just been leisurely watching the battle from a distance. The Templars hurriedly set up a barricade, but the speed of the warriors of Arbalde far exceeded their expectations. ¡°Ah, forget about the barricade! Start charging your Spears of Wrath!¡± Marco belatedly shouted another command. Urkel ran toward the Templars, reaching them in just an instant and split the nearest Templar body in half. In response, Marco shouted in anger and threw a Spear of Wrath toward Urkel. A few strands of lightning also struck Urkle, but he did not slow down at all. Marco shouted to vent his anger, ¡°You jerks! I should have known that heretics have no loyalty at all!¡± ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö!¡± Urkel shouted an unintelligible name that no one could understand and swung his ax toward Marco again. Marco questioned whether Urkel had suddenly gone mad, but Urkel didn¡¯t give Marco an opportunity to have a conversation. At the same time, Macro wasn¡¯t the type to solve conflicts through conversation either. ¡°Kill them all! The steps that we must take in order to establish His Majesty¡¯s will have changed!¡± *** The northern army was marching fast despite the heavy snowstorm. Ten thousand elite soldiers mounted on horses and equipped with heavy armor led the way, and three times as many support and evacuation units followed behind them. As they advanced, the troops didn¡¯t leave behind anything that might possibly come back to bite them later. To prevent anyone from hiding or surviving, the troops even burned all the food and didn¡¯t leave behind a single place that could function as a hiding place. A long silver-haired young woman led the army at the forefront. The woman who rode her horse in silence came to a stop at some point. She reached out her hand and clenched her fist as if she was grasping air. The moment she pulled her fist aside, the snowstorm that filled the entire sky began to fade in an instant. As the sky cleared, the sight of the northeastern rebels running around the fortress of Beldeve could be seen from afar. At the same time, one knight carefully approached the woman. ¡°General Nienna, there¡¯s the target.¡± Nienna didn¡¯t even glance at him, causing Suvole to have an awkward expression. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the land you wanted to go back to so badly? You said you regretted not being able to clean it up completely. I let you come back here. Don¡¯t you have any other impressions?¡± Nienna raised her middle finger toward Suvole. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Suvole smiled and took a step back. Nienna once again began to ride her horse at a high speed as the snow subsided, and three knights wearing unusually thick armor followed closely behind her. Behind the knights¡¯ backs fluttered the blue-colored skin of a beast instead of a cape with a symbol. Snow wolves that are strong enough to chew up the demonic beasts of the Crack acted as their symbol. Even Suvole, a knight from the Order of the Capital, was in awe of the Order of Penlil, who had survived ever since His Majesty¡¯s era. The knights belonging to the Order of the Capital were mostly from the newer generations and had replaced the older knights, but the Order of Penlil was full of older knights. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t look like the Order of Penlil had weakened at all. ¡®Instead, they seem to be getting stronger.¡¯ Suvole turned his head toward the back to look at the mounted soldiers who were following Nienna from behind. The mounted soldiers consisted of northern ethnic groups; they were extremely strong and were so huge that it made others doubt whether or not they were just ordinary people of the empire. In fact, ¡®Imperial Army¡¯ wasn¡¯t an appropriate term for them¡ªit was said that these soldiers were more loyal to Nienna than to the Regent or His Majesty. The same could be said about the entire northern territory. Nienna was the living proof of the long-standing native faith worshiped by the North. Nienna was said to be the daughter of the being called the ¡®winter duke¡¯, someone who came and left with a long snowstorm. There was no way to confirm whether the story was true or not, but this mysterious myth about Nienna was an object of awe and worship to the people from the North. Suvole couldn¡¯t hide his excitement at being able to run and fight alongside a famous legend. Suvole also felt that it was interesting that the Order of the Capital¡¯s long-drawn plan was able to be rapidly advanced, thanks to the black-haired young man. ¡°All knights-¡± Nienna stretched out her right hand like a wing. She only whispered in a quiet voice, but the cavalry rushed to spread out swiftly to the side as if they were one with Nienna. ¡°Go rescue them.¡± Nienna gave a short order. Just before the cavalry stormed in, the ground which had become muddy due to the blood and the heat began to freeze white. The villagers and the rebels who saw Nienna and the cavalry tried to fight or run away, but thin ice froze them before they could even do anything. The villagers died before knowing the reason for their death¡ªtheir eyes were the first to burst. A hammer named Nienna as well as her ten thousand-strong elite cavalries quickly struck the northeastern rebels who were placed on the anvil called Beldeve. The northeastern rebels broke in an instant, just like thin glass. Suvole burst into laughter when he saw one of the warriors of Arbalde being trampled under his horse¡¯s hooves. ¡°Duke Henna. The ten thousand Imperial Army troops that I promised you have now arrived!¡± *** Juan had a suspicious look on his face as he saw the warriors of Arbalde retreating like a tide. Then he soon realized that they were rushing at the Templar¡¯s camp¡ªJuan could easily tell from their expressions and the scale of the disturbance that their reason for charging toward the camp wasn¡¯t for anything good. At that moment, a familiar sound was heard from the front line. The sound of numerous horse hooves pounding on the ground shook the earth. The sound of the upcoming battle was vibrating the entire ground. Soon after, an unknown cavalry unit struck the rear of the northeastern rebels. It was unknown as to who it was that was leading the cavalry unit, but it was a clean charge at just the right timing. Meanwhile, the northeastern rebels were still busy fighting against the Templars on one side. Juan could only say one sentence. ¡°Haha. What a fucking mess.¡± CH 121 ¡®I have no idea who decided to launch an attack at such perfect timing.¡¯ It was unknown as to why the warriors of Arbalde were attacking the Order of the Evil Snake all of a sudden, but there was no reason for Juan to intervene and stop them from fighting when both the warriors of Arbalde as well as the Templars were nothing but annoyances. ¡°Juan!¡± Sina called out for Juan from above the walls. ¡°Do you understand what¡¯s going on right now? Why are the warriors of Arbalde attacking the Order of the Evil Snake?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I have no clue. But doesn¡¯t it make sense that they don¡¯t like each other? Just let them be. It¡¯s rather fortunate that they are taking each other out. The one thing I like better than killing the people I hate is watching people I hate kill each other,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. Then do you know the identity of the army that just stepped in? They look like another division of the Imperial army based on their formation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m about to go and find out.¡± Juan quickly jumped up to the top of the wall to find the place with the best view. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s find out who this hero that appeared out of nowhere is, shall we?¡± Juan squinted his eyes and focused. It was difficult for him to identify distinct features from this distance, but Juan could roughly identify the characteristics. ¡°From the looks of it, they all appear to be wearing heavy armor made with beast skin. They have even put armor on their horses. Their armor seems to follow the Imperial style, but I don¡¯t see a flag¡­ maybe they are a backup? I also see someone at the forefront who seems to be the commander¡­¡± Juan closed his mouth without finishing his sentence. Although he couldn¡¯t recognize the details of the commander¡¯s face, he was certain. Juan¡¯s words suddenly stopped, but the information he had given so far was enough for Sina to identify the army. ¡°It¡¯s the Northern Imperial Army,¡± Sina murmured. ¡°Northern Imperial Army? Why did the Northern Army come all the way here to Beldeve? They aren¡¯t allowed to come here without Duke Henna¡¯s permission.¡± Horhell said after hearing Sina¡¯s conclusion. ¡°Duke Henna had always been heavily opposed to the Northern Imperial Army getting involved in the affairs of the eastern territory. It¡¯s only natural for her to be opposed, considering the hostility that the easterners have towards General Nienna. I understand that General Nienna did what she had to do, since that was her job, but it would still be hard for the eastern territory to accept her just because of that.¡± ¡°But they are here. Don¡¯t tell me that General Nienna came here herself¡­ did she?¡± Juan couldn¡¯t hear any of the conversations between Sina and Horhell. In fact, it was no surprise to Juan that Nienna would come to the east at such a time. Nienna went to wherever the Crack had spread its reach, all in order to exterminate and destroy them. It was rather strange that she had left the situation in the northeast unattended until now. It was either that she had become politically liberal as she grew older, or that the situation in the north was even more serious than in the east. ¡®So it¡¯s not too strange that I encountered her here¡­ but why now out of all the times?¡¯ Juan¡¯s heart was pounding. It was his second time meeting one of his children. Unlike Ras, who had been stigmatized as a traitor, Nienna was the hero of the empire and the leader of the North. The way Ras and Nienna were treated was completely different, and Juan was still not sure about what that meant. ¡®Was she also involved in treason? If she was, how much does she know? What should I do if it turns out that she knew everything from the beginning? Whatever she did to me, would I be able to tolerate it?¡¯ Juan stopped thinking. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to worry about all his concerns until after he had met her. Neither Nienna nor Juan were the type to postpone the slaughter of their enemies when the enemies were right in front of their eyes. *** ¡°You¡­ damn monster!¡± One of the Templars struggled and stabbed a sword into Urkel¡¯s leg but not a single drop of blood came out of Urkel. Instead, Urkel¡¯s muscles just split and purple tentacles popped out to wrap around the Templar¡¯s hands and arms. The Templar squirmed, trying to get the tentacles off of him, but the Templar was helplessly absorbed into Urkel like an insect entangled in a spider web. The Templar soon became a part of Urkel¡¯s calf, just like many other Templars. ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö!¡± Urkel uttered an unintelligible word. It was Suvole¡¯s name, Velkre¡¯s name, and also the name of the master of the Crack¡ªjust words mixed with countless names that did not have any specific meaning. A clear trajectory was left on the ground every time Urkel dragged his legs. Urkel no longer had the figure of a human at this point. At least ten Templars were torn to pieces and tangled in the tentacles attached to Urkel. Marco¡¯s distorted face was at the top among the Templars tangled to Urkel. Marco persistently survived even after having been absorbed into Urkel¡¯s tentacles, but no sound was coming out of his puffed lips. The Templars were strong. They were strong enough that each Templar could easily take on five of the warriors of Arbalde. But that was it. The Order of the Evil Snake, without the power of the snake, was crushed by a crowd burying them instead of their attacks¡ªand half of them were killed by Urkel. Urkel was still looking for the Templars. The knight order was almost wiped out, but Urkel still hadn¡¯t found the Templar named Velkre who had been with Suvole. ¡°L-Leader!¡± one of the warriors approached Urkel and shouted. Urkel did not respond but simply walked with a two-handed axe dragging against the ground. The warrior¡¯s voice became desperate upon seeing such a sight. ¡°Nienna Nelben and the Order of Penlil are headed this way! The villagers have been trampled on and the warriors are on the verge of annihilation! Please let us know what we need to do!¡± Urkel¡¯s neck creaked toward the warrior who just made the report. His appearance was closer to a hideous monster than a human, but the warrior smiled brightly. ¡°¡­enemy,¡± Urkel said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Where is the enemy?¡± It was clear what Urkel was referring to. The warrior¡¯s face became more and more expressionless, then he soon bit his lips. The warrior forced a sad smile with miserable eyes. Then he soon saluted Urkel in a light gesture. ¡°Since when did we wait for our enemies to come find us? We are nothing but stones thrown into the world anyway, aren¡¯t we? Among all the stones, I was honored to be a stone thrown by your hand! I¡¯ll get going then. I hope you will be born in a warmer land in your next life!¡± The warrior slowly backed away. The warrior left after giving such a greeting and ran toward the back¡ªit was the direction from where Nienna and the Order of Penlil were marching. Urkel didn¡¯t look back but only continued walking in silence. A large camp came into his eyes. Almost all the camps were falling apart with the bodies of the warriors of Arbalde scattered around. Urkel tore open the camp with an expressionless face, and there sat a man wrapped in a large towel. He was a gruesome-looking man whose muscles were exposed. Urkel could recognize him at a glance. ¡°Velkre.¡± ¡°Revenge King. It hasn¡¯t been that long since the last time I saw you, but both of us look quite different from the last time we saw each other, don¡¯t we?¡± Velkre made a self-mocking joke. Urkel had parts of the bodies of the Templars merged into him with the tentacles, while Velkre¡¯s red flesh was revealed without skin. It was a sight that no one would want to encounter at night. ¡°Stand back, Urkel. Isn¡¯t it the Fourth Division that you are hostile to? Why are you attacking us all of a sudden?¡± Nora asked. Nora had stayed with Velkre to guard the camp and protect him. She was covered in wounds, and Urkel could easily tell that the bodies of the warriors of Arbalde scattered outside the camp seemed to be of her handiwork. ¡°Sister Nora, stand down. I would have tried talking to him already if he was someone who would listen,¡± Velkre said. ¡°But¡­¡± Urkel raised his two-handed axe and struck it toward Nora even before she could say anything. Nora quickly lifted her sword, but she lacked the strength to withstand his blow. Urkel took away the sword from Nora and stabbed it in her own shoulder, causing Nora to collapse to the ground with a short scream. She groaned as she tried to pull out the sword stuck in her shoulder, but it was clear that she no longer had the ability to fight. Velkre looked at Nora with complicated eyes. In his current state, he could neither swing a sword nor stand up on his own. All he could do was watch death approaching him before his eyes. ¡°We desperately wanted to kill each other from the first time we saw each other. We should have done this a while back, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Velkre recalled having mixed feelings when seeing Urkel with his imposing and threatening expression back in Arbalde¡ªUrkel was a despicable heretic, but he was arrogant and energetic enough to call himself a king. However, he was nothing more than a monster now. ¡°Go ahead. Neither do I have the strength nor the ability to hold a sword. Feel free to eat me up or split me in half.¡± Velkre waited for his death with open arms, but Urkel did not move. Instead, he opened his mouth. ¡°Where is Suvole?¡± Velkre couldn¡¯t answer Urkel¡¯s question. Just like Urkel, Velkre had no idea where Suvole had gone. But Velkre couldn¡¯t open his mouth for a different reason altogether. Suvole was standing right behind Urkel¡¯s back. Urkel turned his head when he saw Velkre¡¯s gaze turning toward his back. Only then did he notice Suvole. Suvole was riding on a horse and looking down at Urkel with a deriding expression. Myriad of heavy cavalry stood behind him, and Urkel could immediately tell that it was the Order of the Penlil. Upon seeing Suvole, Urkel charged toward him with an unintelligible shout. Usually, a bigger size meant lower speed, but Urkel¡¯s speed was overwhelming. However, Suvole continued to look at Urkel with a relaxed face. Urkel, who was running as fast as he could, almost as if he was about to break down and tear everything in his path, was forced to come to a stop with a loud roar. Countless spears from the cavalry had penetrated Urkel. The long, thick spears that seemed to have been made to deal with monsters larger than humans fused with the tentacles from the Crack, effectively retraining Urkel. Despite his limbs gradually being torn apart, Urkel continued to push himself against the spears, causing the cavalry to start getting pushed back with a cracking sound. ¡°...Suvole!¡± Suvole stepped back with a nervous look on his face when he saw Urkel slowly approaching him. At that moment, Urkel¡¯s face began to freeze as he was covered in white. Urkel desperately twisted his body, but it only cracked and broke like glass. Urkel¡¯s movements completely stopped not long after the cold white air had covered him entirely. Suvole wiped the sweat off of his forehead. ¡°General Nienna. If you did that on purpose, that¡¯s a bad thing to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said you would stand in front of me.¡± Nienna rode her horse around Survole with an interested expression on her face. ¡°He is definitely smaller than the demonic beasts belonging to the Crack, but it¡¯s rare to find anyone with his level of energy. Most of them are mindless beasts anyway¡ªthey run away as soon as they get hurt. But not so for this one.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± Nienna showed curiosity rather than disgust or fear upon seeing the bizarre figure of Urkel. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. At that moment, Suvole once again realized that she was the general standing on the front line in the war against the Crack. ¡°But that¡¯s about it.¡± Nienna left a short comment and turned her back on Urkel. Crack! At that moment, Urkle¡¯s body broke down into pieces. Suvole fell off of his horse when the broken ice and body fragments poured over him all of a sudden. But Nienna didn¡¯t even bother to look back at Suvole, who had fallen to the ground. ¡°Knight. If you¡¯re not used to horseback riding, just walk.¡± Nienna also spoke to the knights of the Order of Penlil who followed her. ¡°Was this the last of the warriors of Arbalde?¡± ¡°I think so, General.¡± ¡°Are all the Templars dead as well?¡± Nienna asked while looking at the camp where Velkre had just been. There was no one left inside the camps, and the same was true of Nora, who seemed to have been fatally wounded. Nienna was curious for a moment, but soon shrugged; she didn¡¯t care. The knight order was none of her concern anyway. ¡°We are heading to the fortress of Beldeve.¡± CH 122 The soldiers of the Fourth Division witnessed the moment when the northeastern rebels were crushed between ten thousand strong heavy cavalries and the fortress of Beldeve. They also watched Urkel, the Revenge King, leading the warriors of Arbalde to leave the battlefield and attack the Order of the Evil Snake. There were many who also witnessed the end of the warriors of Arbalde. Nienna Nelben¡¯s northern army didn¡¯t hesitate to trample on the villagers, not leaving even a single one alive. Throughout the entire mission, none of the cavalrymen said even a single word¡ªthey only communicated using sign language. It was only after all the villagers and warriors had been killed that the soldiers of the Fourth Division understood the reason behind this. The battlefield, which had been filled with the songs of the Crack, was now completely silent. The northern army was able to ensure that they didn¡¯t miss a single warrior or villager who was still hiding somewhere by using just sign language. The northern army was approaching the fortress of Beldeve, and the soldiers of the Fourth Division looked at them nervously even though they knew the northern army was here to aid them. Standing at the forefront, right beside General Nienna was a knight holding a sword that was stabbed into a head. ¡°Urkel¡­ that¡¯s Urkel¡¯s head, isn¡¯t it?¡± The mutterings of one of the soldiers spread throughout the fortress of Beldeve. This meant only one thing¡ªit was the end of the civil war that had plagued the northeast for decades. The soldiers of the Fourth Division had a hard time adapting to the unexpected reality of their long-fought war ending in such a short time. The civil war led by Urkel, the lord of Arbalde, that continued for thirty-three years ended in just one day with the intervention of General Nienna and the Northern Army. It was such a futile ending that the soldiers wondered why Duke Henna had put so much effort and suffered so much over the years. It felt as if they were being shown that the civil war in the east is not even a big deal to the Imperial Army¡ªand this was the truth. Rather than feeling the joy of victory, the soldiers felt rage and anger as they questioned why the Imperial Army had left the eastern territory unattended until now. But the Northern Army¡¯s momentum was overwhelming, causing the soldiers of the Fourth Division to not dare to show their anger and rage. But, the Northern Army was clearly not given a warm welcome. ¡°We don¡¯t seem to be welcomed here,¡± Suvole said as if he was teasing Nienna. Nienna could feel that as well, but she was used to such a situation; her army was often not very welcome anywhere they went. Nienna felt the urge to freeze and pull out Suvole¡¯s deriding tongue. In fact, she wasn¡¯t the type to hold back when she could do what she wanted. Two of the knights from the Order of Fenrir grabbed Suvole¡¯s arms from both sides and grabbed his chin upon seeing Nienna give a signal. It was only after NIenna grabbed onto Suvole¡¯s tongue that he knew what was going on. Suvole desperately begged Nienna. ¡°W-wait, don¡¯t do this. Please hear me out!¡± Suvole shouted. ¡°These will be the last words that you can say with your tongue, so say something meaningful.¡± ¡°N-no. What I¡¯m trying to say is that they don¡¯t seem to respect your authority, General. They should be paying their respects to you, who is their savior.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; I didn¡¯t come here to receive their respects. Hm, but I just remembered something that I had forgotten about.¡± Nienna didn¡¯t think that Suvole¡¯s excuse was good enough to change her mind about pulling out his tongue, but she decided to let it slide for now. She would have a lot of time to pull out Suvole¡¯s tongue anyway. Nienna beckoned slightly to the back of the line, and a woman with a small figure came forward and stood next to Nienna while riding a horse. She was wearing a hood that covered her entirely. Suvole had often seen her meeting and talking to Nienna, but he had no idea who she was. He simply thought that she might be one of the easterners that Nienna had brought in for interrogation purposes. ¡®But why is she standing beside Nienna right now¡­?¡¯ Nienna drove her horse toward the front of the fortress of Beldeve. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the fortress these days?¡± Nienna asked. Nienna could enter the fortress as she pleased, since the main gate of the fortress had already been destroyed. But Nienna did not act arrogantly. Soon, Horhell and Sina Solvane walked out from behind the gate, causing Nienna¡¯s eyes to widen. ¡°Horhell? You look like you haven¡¯t aged at all.¡± ¡°Thank you. I can see that the same is true for you, General Nienna Nelben.¡± ¡°I heard that you were beaten up pretty badly by Barth, but I see that you¡¯ve become the commander of the division. Congratulations.¡± ¡°Thank you for your high regard, General. But I¡¯m not the commander. The commander is Sina Solvane, who is standing next to me,¡± Horhell pointed to Sina Solvane standing next to him. ¡°I¡¯m Sina Solvane from the Order of the Blue Rose, General Nienna Nelben. I welcome you in the name of the Fourth Division,¡± Sina said politely. Nienna tilted her head in wonder when she saw Sina. ¡°Did Hela have a daughter? She only had a son as far as I remember,¡± Nienna asked. ¡°Unfortunately, Duke Henna passed away during the time I had been staying in Beldeve as a guest. I am temporarily leading this place. Now that General Nienna is here, please recommend a suitable person to command the Fourth Division and I will humbly put down my position.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. I thought you were Hela¡¯s daughter because you only had one eye as well. My apologies. I happen to be a little indifferent toward everything other than the land I rule. Now that I¡¯m taking a closer look, you are prettier than Hela. Hela, too, used to have a beautiful face when she was young.¡± ¡°...Thank you, General.¡± There was no way that having a single eye could be inherited, but Nienna shrugged with a straight face. Sina thought that Nienna might be even weirder than the rumors said. ¡°Let¡¯s not continue this chat here. Why don¡¯t we go in and continue our conversation? Oh, I had something to give you before that¡­¡± Nienna rummaged through her pocket inside her cloak as if she was looking for something. Sina patiently waited to see what Nienna was talking about, but Nienna couldn¡¯t find what she was looking for even after a long time. Nienna¡¯s expression changed into one of bewilderment. ¡°Hmm, well this is¡­¡± ¡°Um, General Nienna? May I ask what you are looking for?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m looking for the previous commander of the Fourth Division.¡± Nienna pulled her hand out of her pocket, almost as if she had been waiting for Sina¡¯s question. However, Nienna¡¯s hand was still empty. Sina tried taking a closer look at Nienna¡¯s hand to figure out what Nienna meant, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. The moment Sina raised her head suspiciously, the hooded woman who had been standing next to Nienna took off her hood. Seeing her, Sina¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Long time no see, female knight. It seems like you¡¯ve been guarding the fortress pretty well.¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. At the same time, the sound of Horhell dropping his sword was heard from behind. Similar sounds could be heard from all over the fortress, while Suvole was surprised as well. It was Hela Henna. Nienna shook her empty hands and grinned. ¡°Ta-da.¡± *** Nienna, Hela, and Sina moved to the audience chamber of the fortress. The Northern Army settled in the open space outside the fortress, since there was not enough room for ten thousand people in the fortress of Beldeve despite its large size. The Northern Army wasn¡¯t upset that they had to stay outside, since they were being supported and treated by the follow-up units. ¡°How¡­what happened? Everyone thought that you were dead.¡± Sina was still looking at Hela in disbelief. Horhell was even more surprised than Sina. He knew that it was rude, but he was so shocked that he grabbed Hela¡¯s hand to make sure that she was real. ¡°I know. I thought I was going to die too,¡± Hela admitted in a calm manner. ¡°But I can¡¯t really explain what exactly happened either. I remember seeing the waves engulfing me after I was thrown into the sea by that monster from the Crack, but I have no memory after that. I was in the barracks of General Nienna¡¯s support unit when I came to my senses.¡± Sina turned her head and looked at Nienna. Nienna just shrugged at Sina¡¯s gaze. ¡°We don¡¯t have much to say either. We found Duke Henna in a pit that was made to prevent the wind from blowing into it, and it was quite well made too. She was wrapped in high-quality leather. She even had a flag with the Henna family¡¯s symbol on it to make sure that we could identify her. Without that¡­ I would have just passed by her or killed her because I would have thought she was one of the warriors of Arbalde. The last time I saw Hela was fifty years ago, so I wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize her at all. Back then, she used to have both her eyes and arms. She looked much more beautiful as well. Anyway, it¡¯s a good thing that I was able to bring her back alive. Although I don¡¯t know how Dame Sina feels about Hela¡¯s sudden return.¡± Nienna said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be more grateful. The position of the commander was quite burdensome for me and I am not suitable for it in the first place. It¡¯s only right to give it back to the rightful owner.¡± Sina showed her modesty and bowed her head. Sina noticed that Hela and Nienna were both hiding something. What happened to Hela was not something that could just be passed off with the sentence ¡®I don¡¯t know what happened.¡¯ It was clear that there was some kind of secret intervention that could not be mentioned. But Sina couldn¡¯t argue or ask them what they were hiding. Prying too much could give an impression that Sina didn¡¯t welcome Hela¡¯s return. Meanwhile, Nienna smiled as if she could read Sina¡¯s thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, knight. I have checked Hela myself. She is perfectly sane¡ªin fact, no one would believe that she has been fighting against the Crack for decades.¡± ¡°Yes, General.¡± Nienna¡¯s tone was strong as if she was telling Sina to keep it under wraps. Sina decided to hold back her questions for now. ¡°By the way,¡± Nienna leaned over the table. ¡°I have heard from Sir Suvole that there was a remarkable man here.¡± Sina couldn¡¯t figure out who Suvole was, but she immediately realized who ¡®the incredible man¡¯ that Nienna was talking about. Sina¡¯s shoulders stiffened as she got nervous. ¡®She¡¯s probably Juan¡¯s daughter¡­ Will she recognize Juan? And would she acknowledge him as her father if she recognizes him?¡¯ ¡°General Nienna. I have something to ask you before I introduce you to him¡­¡± ¡°Nienna!¡± Sina¡¯s face turned pale at the voice she heard even before she could finish what she was saying. At the same time, a black-haired young man could be seen leaning from the railing on the second floor¡ªit was Juan. ¡°Long time no see. I just took a shower; I didn¡¯t want to meet you while I was drenched in blood. So how have you been? Have you enjoyed your hobby?¡± Juan asked in a joyous tone. Squeak! Nienna jumped up from her seat with the sound of a chair scratching against the floor. The faces of everyone became distorted upon seeing Juan who had appeared out of nowhere without giving them any time to prepare. No, everyone except for Suvole, who didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Is that the famous black-haired heretic? Wait¡­ what¡¯s wrong with everyone?¡± Suvole¡¯s words were dismissed as they were. Juan slowly walked down the stairs step by step, while Nienna was staring at him as if she did not want to miss a single scene. Sina noticed that Nienna¡¯s sword had turned white with frost as she clutched her sword tightly. ¡°I saw you taking an active part on the battlefield. You¡¯ve become much more experienced. Well, you were the type of child who could run just by being taught how to walk and speak eloquently just by being taught how to speak. I knew you¡¯d have great accomplishments.¡± No murderous intent could be felt from Juan. Rather, Sina couldn¡¯t read any energy or expressions from Juan. Sina thought that such a Juan was even more dangerous than usual. Sina inadvertently recalled Juan¡¯s expressionless face when he had calmly annihilated the Order of the Blue Rose. ¡°It¡¯s a little surprising that you fight without using a weapon now. Are you sick of it now? No, maybe it¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have an opponent who was strong enough for you to need to use your weapon. The only ones who could stand against you were Barth Baltic and Gerard Gain.¡± Juan had no hatred for Nienna, but at the same time, he had no expectations either. He intended to decide everything after meeting her at this moment. ¡°What about now? Are you going to keep holding onto your sword?¡± Juan asked. Sina broke out in a cold sweat. Then Sina stepped forward with the sound of ice breaking even before she knew it. Sina didn¡¯t even realize that she was already standing in Nienna¡¯s way. ¡°General Nienna. Please hear me out first.¡± The person most surprised at Sina¡¯s action was Sina herself. Never once did she think that she would be standing in the way of General Nienna who was more respected than anyone else in the Imperial Army and held the highest authority, just after the Regent¡ªespecially when her action was to protect Juan. ¡°Sina, there¡¯s no need for you to come in the middle of our conversation.¡± Sina looked down at the floor upon hearing Juan¡¯s laughter from behind her back. The sound of ice breaking that was heard earlier was the sound of Nienna putting down the sword in her hand. Fragments of ice were scattered on the floor as they fell off of Nienna¡¯s hands, and the murderous intent that had filled the room disappeared completely. At that moment, all that remained was Nienna¡¯s pure curiosity. ¡°I thought you were Gerard, that son of a bitch. But I guess I was wrong. Who are you? You look quite similar to someone else I know. Perhaps you¡¯re the result of my dad¡¯s private life?¡± CH 123 Nienna stared at Juan for a while, then made told the others while beckoning to them slightly. ¡°Everyone, give us some time to have a private conversation, would you?¡± Hearing this, Suvole looked at Nienna with a flustered look. ¡°But General, that man is a wanted criminal. He might be dangerous, so please let me¡­¡± A sudden burst of laughter could be heard from one side of the room even before Suvole could finish speaking. Hela was also giggling with her face covered with her hand, almost as if she couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter, while at the same time, Horhell was also trying his best to put on a firm face. On the other hand, Sina just had a complicated look on her face. Nienna looked at Suvole with a dumbfounded look on her face. ¡°For a moment, let¡¯s assume that I can¡¯t protect myself against him. Then, do you think you could protect me from him? I¡¯m feeling a little ashamed if I really look that weak to you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Stop getting in my way before I pull out your tongue. Hela, please excuse us,¡± Nienna said. ¡°Of course, General. Horhell, tell me about what I missed during the time I was gone,¡± Hela said. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Hela and Horhell left the room, and Sina soon followed. Sina looked back many times, as if she was worried about Juan, but Juan didn¡¯t even spare a glance at her. Suvole moved toward the door as well; he had no choice. While leaving, he whispered something in Nienna¡¯s ears. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about our promise.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. But if you whisper in my ear one more time, I¡¯ll pull out all your teeth.¡± Suvole flinched upon hearing Nienna¡¯s cold words and quickly ran out of the room. Soon, Nienna and Juan were left alone in the room. Nienna brought out two cups and set them on the table. ¡°You don¡¯t like alcohol, do you?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Nienna poured some water inside the cups and placed them in front of herself and Juan. Then Nienna sat on the table to look closely at Juan. ¡°You seem to know me pretty well based on the way you talk,¡± Nienna said. ¡°You think?¡± Juan spoke calmly. ¡°I¡¯m the one who raised you. Of course I know all about you.¡± Nienna neither seemed surprised nor did she laugh. She just looked at Juan with calm eyes as she raised her glass. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be saying things like that so easily. That reminds me of something. It¡¯s one of the three most embarrassing things I¡¯ve ever said. You should know what I am talking about if you really did raise me¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty. You might be the one who raised me, but it was winter that gave birth to me.¡± Nienna spat out the water in her mouth upon hearing Juan¡¯s words, while her face turned red with embarrassment. But Juan just continued speaking calmly. ¡°To be fair, you were only fifteen when you said that line. It would only be natural for you to say something like that at that age. But it is a little surprising that you think that what you said back then is one of the most embarrassing things you¡¯ve ever said. I thought that it was a pretty decent expression. In fact, you¡¯ve even said something better than that on one occasion. ¡®There is a winter dragon¡¯s soul entangled in my destiny¡­¡¯¡± ¡°Stop¡­ stop it. If you don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll kill you to make you shut your mouth, no matter what your identity is!¡± Juan shrugged and raised both his hands. Meanwhile, Nienna¡¯s silver hair just made her red face even more prominent. ¡°God damn it. I thought that Gerard went missing, and my dad was dead and buried forever,¡± Nienna muttered. Juan inadvertently thought of an assumption that was ridiculous, and he wanted to deny it. ¡°That¡¯s not the reason why you got yourself involved with the matter of the assassination of the emperor, is it?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Assassination of the emperor? What kind of bullshit are you talking about? I was waiting for backup support at that time. Had my dad come, it would have been the perfect opportunity to have a final showdown and close the Crack for good. I couldn¡¯t even pay that much attention when I heard the news about Gerard, that asshole, stabbing dad because I was too busy fighting against tentacle monsters. I couldn¡¯t even set foot in the capital when Barth was busy with the purge,¡± Nienna explained. Juan stared at Nienna, but she didn¡¯t seem to be lying. She wasn¡¯t the type to lie in the first place¡ªNienna was the type of person who had the audacity to say something like, ¡®Yes, that was me. So what are you going to do about it?¡¯ ¡°To be honest, all that I felt when I heard that my dad had been stabbed was ¡®the time had come.¡¯ The lives of dad and all his children were already like that¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be so strange if we got stabbed at any time anyway. It was just a surprise that it was Gerard who stabbed dad.¡± ¡°So you¡­ never felt anything to be strange about the current situation of the empire at all? You know, about the situation that Ras was in?¡± ¡°Ah, of course I thought it was strange. But¡­¡± Nienna frowned with her arms crossed. ¡°If you knew enough about me, you would know what I thought about all of it.¡± ¡°...You were probably busy fighting against the Crack,¡± Juan quietly said. ¡°That¡¯s right. If I had been able to close the Crack back then, I wouldn¡¯t be sweating in the middle of winter like this. I missed the best timing to close the Crack, and I¡¯m just barely stopping it from ruining the empire right now. If I had left it unattended, the influence of the Crack could have crossed from the north to reach the center of the empire. If the frontline becomes any wider than it is now, the empire will not be able to handle the Crack anymore.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Juan nodded. ¡°I heard that Barth, Helmut, and Dismas are doing quite well in the rear. It¡¯s true that I was surprised to hear that Ras was involved in the assassination of the emperor, but I was already surprised with Gerard. So I guess I was less shocked the second time.¡± Juan felt that Nienna wasn¡¯t lying. There was no reason for her to lie, and even if she was lying, her story lacked details. Considering that she had never left the northern territory, Juan figured that Nienna had nothing to do with the assassination of the emperor. ¡®The person who led the treason probably thought that Nienna wouldn¡¯t care about the assassination of the emperor as long as she was left alone.¡¯ As a result, Nienna was able to maintain her position as a General, unlike Ras, who was publicly branded a traitor. The Crack might have spread further or a civil war might have broken out within the empire if Nienna had come to the capital like Ras¡ªafter all, Nienna had made the right decision. Nienna clapped her hands, indicating that she wanted to change the topic. ¡°Anyway. Seeing that you know me so well, you¡¯re definitely not someone ordinary. Are you the man I¡¯ve been waiting for all along?¡± ¡°The man you¡¯ve been waiting for all along?¡± Juan tilted his head. ¡°Yes. Aren¡¯t you here to make me pregnant?¡± Complicated thoughts suddenly flashed through Juan¡¯s head upon hearing Nienna¡¯s question. Juan had prepared himself for many different situations and conversations he might run into when he met his children, but never once had he thought about a situation where his child would say such words to him. After pondering even harder than he did when he fought against Nigrato, Juan was able to find a clue for Nienna¡¯s sudden remark. ¡°Are you talking about a story involving the winter duke?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes, I am. There is a time when the North has a blizzard for seven days straight, and it is said that¡¯s when the winter duke visits. The story says that the maiden becomes pregnant for no reason during that time, and gives birth to a silver-haired child. The legend says that the child would be called the child of the winter duke, and that the child will be a great help to the family if he is raised properly. Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°...What makes you think that I¡¯m the winter duke?¡± ¡°Hm. Your appearance doesn''t resemble the winter duke from the story, but you look a lot like the greatest man that I know. You also mentioned that you¡¯re the one who raised me. That means you¡¯re either His Majesty or the winter duke. It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising even if His Majesty turned out to be the winter duke himself. So the bottom line is, you came to make me pregnant.¡± ¡°You are completely wrong. I don¡¯t intend to make you pregnant at all.¡± ¡°So the boring conclusion is that you are His Majesty?¡± Juan held his head; he was starting to get a headache. ¡°Yes,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Then who¡¯s going to take my virginity?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business. Can you take me seriously at least once? Wait. How old are you right now? Why are you¡­¡± Juan felt that his encounter with Nienna was much more difficult and complicated than his encounter with Ras. *** Suvole nervously hovered around the hall. His plan had been clear when the Order of the Capital ordered an investigation about Juan. He had thought that it was the perfect opportunity to wrap up the long-standing plan that had been orchestrated by Pavan. Suvole recalled the time when he promised reinforcements for the Fourth Division in return for asking Duke Henna to pursue Juan. Duke Henna captured Juan by sending Horhell on a mission, and Suvole tricked the knight order which had crawled into the East to drop Horhell¡¯s dragon. In return, Urkel succeeded in assassinating Duke Henna at the expense of several warriors of Arbalde. It was only natural for the civil war to intensify as both the dragon and Duke Henna were absent. And at that point, Suvole dragged Nienna Nelben, who had long since been interested in the affairs of the northeast, into the civil war in the name of bringing in the reinforcements requested by Duke Henna. The Northern Army was smaller than the Capital¡¯s Army, but they were the strongest army who had been honed on the battlefield. Just like that, the northeastern rebels as well as Duke Henna were both wiped out. Everyone was in the palm of his hands¡ªSuvole even felt a little pleasure that Nienna, who always acted so arrogantly, was nothing but a chess piece moving in the palm of his hand. This was despite the fact that he was only able to do all that he did due to Pavan¡¯s orders and the support of the Order of the Capital. Suvole intended to use Nienna¡¯s authority to get his hands on Juan when Nienna took over the fortress of Beldeve at the end of this plan, since he believed that Juan would have no choice but to kneel down before Nienna and the Order of Fenrir no matter how powerful Juan was. What was unexpected was that Duke Henna had somehow survived and that Nienna had taken an interest in Juan. It was unknown as to why Nienna was interested in Juan, since she had always been indifferent toward anything other than the Crack and war. Suvole¡¯s plan would only end up benefiting Hela if Suvole ended up missing out on getting his hands on Juan, since the northeastern rebels had been wiped out for no good reason. Suvole bit his lips. ¡°Stop roaming around like a dog that needs to poop. Come and have a drink with me, Suvole,¡± Hela said. Suvole turned his head. Hela had brought two glasses and a bottle of alcohol and had a strange smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive, Your Grace. I was very surprised when I heard the tragic news,¡± Suvole said in a careless greeting. ¡°Thank you for saying that, Suvole. But I bet you weren¡¯t as surprised as I was the moment I found out that I wasn¡¯t dead, even though I thought I had died.¡± ¡°I bet. Anyway, I want to thank you since I got to catch the black-haired criminal. As I also brought in reinforcements of ten thousand troops, our deal has¡­¡± At that moment, Hela cut off Suvole¡¯s words and opened her mouth before he could continue. ¡°Oh, yes. About Juan¡ªI did have a hard time making him stay in Beldeve. Are you worried that General Nienna and Juan might have something going on between them inside the room? I didn¡¯t know that you were into silver-haired women,¡± Hela said. ¡°Please be careful with your rude remarks, Your Grace,¡± Suvole frowned. ¡°Be careful with my rude remarks, you say? Your attitude is completely different from the last time when you begged me to pursue the black-haired criminal. I¡¯m so scared. But you¡¯re the one who has to be careful with your words from now on.¡± Hela tapped Suvole¡¯s chest as she held out a glass to him. Suvole unconsciously took the glass that was being handed to him. ¡°Because I heard that you¡¯ve been talking quite a lot of shit to everyone,¡± Hela said with cold eyes. The moment Suvole flinched, Hela filled his glass with alcohol. ¡°Have a drink, Suvole.¡± ¡°Your Grace. What are you talking about? I¡­¡± ¡°I said drink.¡± Suvole gulped upon facing Hela¡¯s fierce eyes. Suvole had never seen someone give such a piercing and threatening look with just one eye before. Behind Hela stood Horhell with his arms crossed as he, too, glared at Suvole. Suvole emptied the glass filled with alcohol after hesitating for a while. Suvole coughed vigorously, since the alcohol was too strong. ¡°The Order of the Capital will hold you accountable if I die,¡± Suvole said. ¡°Are you afraid that I poisoned your drink? You must have done something that makes you feel guilty if you think that. Well, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t plan on doing that, at least not right now,¡± Hela drank from her glass in front of Suvole as if she was proving that the alcohol wasn¡¯t poisoned. ¡°Your problem is that you¡¯re too arrogant. Did you really think that General Nienna is an idiot who knows nothing other than the Crack and war? I mean, I guess that¡¯s true to some extent. But you looked down on her obsession with the Crack. You thought she wouldn¡¯t interrogate a single warrior of Arbalde on the battlefield? Don¡¯t you think that at least one of the warriors of Arbalde would have talked about you?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­? I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°Ah. Of course. You probably thought that the warriors of Arbalde who devoted themselves to the Crack would remain silent no matter what. But Nienna is a monster who tortures the beasts from the Crack to get what she wants. It¡¯s a piece of cake for her to interrogate one or two of the warriors of Arbalde to find out everything she wants. She might not have the detailed information, but a little fragmentary information is enough for her to figure things out.¡± ¡°...Stop talking nonsense.¡± ¡°Nonsense? Did you think General Nienna hates you for no reason? Tell me. Why do you think General Nienna kept the fact that I¡¯m alive a secret to you? Wasn¡¯t the time the Northern Army arrived at Beldeve earlier than you expected?¡± Suvole couldn¡¯t answer Hela¡¯s questions. Hela covered her mouth and burst into laughter. ¡°Now. I want you to answer another question. How do you think General Nienna would deal with a knight from the Order of the Capital who was in league with the Crack?¡± CH 124 It didn¡¯t take long for Nienna and Juan to come out of the audience chamber. Hela and Sina were waiting for them outside the room, while Nienna was looking around as Hela approached her. ¡°Where¡¯s Suvole?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°Horhell took him. He seemed like he had a lot to talk about,¡± Hela answered. ¡°You should have sent Walter with Horhell. He¡¯s good at things like that.¡± Walter was one of the knights of the Order of Fenrir who had come to Beldeve with Nienna. Hela shook her head at Nienna¡¯s words. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I figured that Suvole will tell us everything even if we don¡¯t torture him. I¡¯ll go and find Sir Walter if Suvole hides anything from us.¡± ¡°Fair enough. All right, then let me use your training ground for a while.¡± ¡°The training ground? It''s a little messy right now due to post-war management. If you need an open space, the garden is empty and ready for you to use. But why do you need to use the training ground¡­?¡± Hela asked. Juan snorted. ¡°Because she still can¡¯t believe me after all the things I¡¯ve said. Apparently, she needs to see how good I am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to show me how good you are if you want to prove that you¡¯re my dad. Right, why don¡¯t we make a bet?¡± Nienna said. ¡°A bet? Like what?¡± Juan asked. ¡°You need to get me pregnant if I win.¡± Sina dropped the sword she had been holding upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words. On the other hand, Juan glared at Nienna, not even bothering to spare Sina with a glance. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not very much like my dad. He never thought about what would happen if he lost even before fighting,¡± Nienna shrugged. ¡°...I¡¯m gonna go crazy if I talk to you for much longer. What am I getting if I win?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the honor to get me pregnant.¡± Juan seriously contemplated whether or not he should give up on persuading Nienna and consider heading somewhere else¡ªthat didn¡¯t seem like too bad of an idea. Juan always knew that Nienna was a little ¡®unique¡¯ compared to the others, but he had always believed that she must have hidden her true self in front of Juan in the past. ¡®Or maybe she has also been encroached upon by the Crack and has lost her mind due to fighting the Crack for too long.¡¯ Juan felt his second guess to be more convincing as someone who had seen many people that had lost their mind by being in contact with the Crack. ¡°Why are you so obsessed with getting pregnant? As far as I know, the Imperial law doesn¡¯t allow incest. I thought you were only interested in the Crack¡ªI had no idea that you were the type to chase after men like this,¡± Juan said. ¡°Let me correct you. What I want is to get pregnant, not men. I need a successor. Being seventy years old already, it¡¯s already too late to think of a successor. The north needs a successor, and I don¡¯t even care if the other person is a woman as long as she can get me pregnant.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time for a decent man, but there were none. That¡¯s probably due to my standards being too high because of dad. Daughters tend to look up to their dads, you know.¡± ¡°Incest is a felony,¡± Juan frowned ¡°And the seniors who will be the judge for that would be more than happy to see me get pregnant. They don¡¯t seem to be against incest anyway. There¡¯s a lot of incest between mythical beings, you know? The father marries his daughter, and the nephew marries his aunt. Most importantly¡­ I¡¯m not biologically related to dad. I¡¯m an adopted child. Ta-da. Everything works out perfectly, right?¡± ¡°No, nothing works out perfectly. I don¡¯t know about getting you pregnant, but there is one thing I have understood now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The fact that I really failed at educating my children properly. I guess Harmon was right¡ªI can¡¯t really say anything back to him.¡± *** The garden was filled with dead grass and desolate trees that seemed to have been dead for a long time. Nienna took the lead and stood in the middle of the garden. As Juan followed, Sina hurriedly whispered from behind his back. ¡°Juan, General Nienna is said to be the second most powerful person in the empire after the Regent Barth Baltic. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she¡¯s the strongest among humans. You might be at quite a disadvantage if you¡¯re trying to prove your identity by fighting. You don¡¯t have to fight¡ªwhy don¡¯t you take your time and¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying that she won¡¯t acknowledge me as the emperor, just like you refuse to acknowledge me?¡± Juan asked. Sina frowned, but nodded her head as if she had no choice. ¡°Yes, just like how I don¡¯t acknowledge you. I will stand as a witness for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sina. But that¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Juan left Sina behind and took the lead toward the middle of the garden. Sina tried to stop him with a nervous look on her face, but failed. Nienna stood in front of Juan, facing him with her arms hanging loosely. Nienna scanned Juan from head to toe, then tilted her head and asked a question. ¡°Where¡¯s your weapon?¡± ¡°I used to have one, but it broke recently. It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t need one anyway,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to use just any weapon. Well, I guess it wouldn¡¯t matter if you really are my dad. He¡¯s someone who is good at fighting both with or without weapons. But he did admit that it was more advantageous to carry weapons when fighting than using bare hands.¡± ¡°Well I just fought according to the situation. I never really decided on what was more advantageous or not.¡± Nienna giggled as if she was satisfied with Juan¡¯s answer. ¡°It seems more and more convincing that you are my dad. All right¡­ All I¡¯m looking forward to is for you to fight with all your might.¡± Nienna pulled out the sword hanging by her waist and handed it over to Juan. The blade shone with a blue light and made the surrounding air freeze despite the winter air being cold already. Juan accepted Nienna¡¯s sword without refusing and swung it into the air as if he was trying to get used to it. Upon seeing Juan play around with Nienna¡¯s sword, the knights from the Order of Fenrir made an unpleasant expression. ¡°This is a pretty good sword,¡± Juan said. ¡°Pretty good, you say? The craftsman who made that sword would be very upset if he heard you say that. He didn¡¯t let anything hotter than ice get near it when he was forging that sword. He said that he would dedicate it to me rather than dedicating it to the emperor.¡± ¡°What weapon are you going to use if you give this sword to me?¡± ¡°I have two weapons.¡± The moment Nienna clenched her hand in the air, the surrounding space froze and created a long spear. The spear looked like it was made from snowflakes and had a rough grain and arbitrary blade. But the texture looked quite solid and indicated that it was made out of ice. The blade looked sharp enough to even slice through flames. ¡°It¡¯s a spirit¡¯s weapon. I call it Overon. I¡¯ll lay out some constraints for this duel. I¡¯m not going to use any magic or essence. I won¡¯t strengthen my body with mana, and I won¡¯t summon Fenrir either. I won¡¯t wear a cloak of winter, won¡¯t restore my body during the duel, and won¡¯t make it hard for you to fight by changing the terrain. And lastly, I¡¯ll fight you under the assumption that you are the real emperor under all these preconditions.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to go easy on me, you know.¡± ¡°Sure. Tell me that again after you are able to withstand my attack at least once.¡± Nienna held the spear high up in the air with both her hands and aimed it toward Juan. At the same time, Juan could see some interest and pleasure in her round eyes that were smiling at him. In the next moment, Nienna¡¯s eyes went cold, and Juan felt a strong murderous intent. Suddenly, Juan¡¯s chest was pierced. Due to the spear blade being too powerful, Juan was thrown into the air instead of being penetrated on the spot. Juan felt a sharp pain. Juan could feel his consciousness getting hazy and distant, so he examined his condition¡ªthe injury was quite severe, with a hole the size of a fist in Juan¡¯s chest. Juan could even see his own heart. This type of injury was almost guaranteed to an average human¡ªand it was just a single attack. Juan frowned, since he wasn¡¯t even given the time to wrap himself with Umbra. Juan managed to land on his feet but he could barely stand. ¡°You must have a spare life or something, huh?¡± Nienna said mockingly. Everyone¡¯s gazes turned toward Nienna, and the knights from the Order of Fenrir flinched upon seeing her current condition. Nienna was also bleeding through her chest and her blood was soaking her clothing. Nienna¡¯s pupils were shaking. ¡°What the heck¡­ It¡¯s common sense to block the attack if you can, not to stab the opponent back at the risk of losing your own life. It¡¯s not like we are arch-enemies¡ªwhy risk your life over a simple test?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°I thought you said that you¡¯d fight me as if I¡¯m the real emperor?¡± Nienna grinned at Juan¡¯s answer. ¡°Yes, that''s exactly what my dad would do.¡± Juan had been checking and verifying his own physical abilities until now. This meant he knew that he wouldn¡¯t die from such an injury to his chest. In fact, Juan himself had no idea how much his body would have to be injured for him to die. ¡°I guess there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± *** The tip of the spear grazed Juan¡¯s throat, and the blood drops froze due to the cold air. Juan clicked his tongue, since he couldn¡¯t even see the tip of the spear flying toward him. The only reason he wasn¡¯t fatally wounded was that Nienna was using the techniques of the Baltic Sword. Juan clearly remembered how to fight using a spear and was easily able to predict the trajectory. But that information could only benefit him when his physical ability allowed him to. Nienna was getting faster and faster every time Juan dodged her attacks, almost as if she was testing Juan¡¯s limits. Juan was also fighting back against Nienna by using the Baltic Sword, but he was certainly in a worse condition compared to Nienna. ¡°What¡­ that¡¯s just¡­¡± Sina and the people around her had their jaws on the floor as they watched Nienna and Juan¡¯s duel. The sight seemed more like two streams of gas getting tangled with each other rather than a duel between humans. The trajectory of the weapons being swung in the air alone seemed to make an invisible bubble around Nienna and Juan. ¡°I remember the stories I heard from Horhell. He said that at a certain stage of the Baltic Sword, the movements become unpredictable like the fog and invisible like the wind¡­ I never would have thought that I¡¯d see not one, but two people who had reached such a level. It¡¯s extremely hard to find people on their level in the empire.¡± It had been a long time since Sina had given up on her goal of chasing after Juan. In fact, that had been an arrogant thought from the very beginning. Sina had understood that she would never be able to reach Juan¡¯s level. Even so, Sina struggled to look closely at Juan and Nienna¡¯s movement. Hela inadvertently noticed Sina, whose shoulders were trembling. Hela thought that it might be because Sina was immersed in Juan and Nienna¡¯s battle, but most of the people here, including Hela were only able to see the afterimages of the two. Hela wondered what Sina was able to see for her to be paying so much attention to it. ¡°What the hell are you doing? I told you to fight with all your might, didn¡¯t I? Take out that black armor of yours and use the power of the sword in your hand! You can even use magic! I wouldn¡¯t save a trump card until the end if I were you!¡± Nienna shouted at Juan as if she was still relaxed. The tip of Juan¡¯s sword slightly shook upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words, and then Juan wrapped himself in Umbra, almost as if he couldn¡¯t help it. Umbra quickly spread and covered Juan, starting from his chest¡ªit was his first time using Umbra in its full plate armor form after the incident at Durgal. Nienna laughed as if she had been waiting for Juan to cover himself in Umbra and swung her spear even more fiercely. Nienna was surprised by how solid and firm Umbra was. A magic armor that could be summoned was often made of soft metal. But Umbra was not only tout but also hard and flexible. Nienna noticed that Juan¡¯s movements became much faster and stronger after he donned Umbra. Nienna quickly dodged Juan¡¯s sword that was being swung toward her head, but then his sword immediately turned and aimed for her side as soon as she dodged. Juan¡¯s sword gradually cut Nienna. ¡°Hah,¡± Nienna smirked. In general, stronger physical ability wasn¡¯t directly correlated to the level of one¡¯s swordsmanship. But Juan seemed to be an exception to that rule¡ªNienna wondered how much Juan¡¯s swordsmanship skills would improve if Juan¡¯s physical ability became stronger. ¡®If he got stronger¡­ then he might even reach stage five.¡¯ Nienna had reached stage five of the Baltic Sword a long time ago, but at some point in time, she realized that she wasn¡¯t making any more progress. So, Nienna felt joy at the fact that she had found a rival after decades. She focused and got more and more immersed in the battle and concentrated on the blade flying toward her. At that moment, Nienna felt a sharp murderous intent toward a direction that she had not predicted. In anticipation of being fatally wounded by the unexpected attack, Nienna willingly threw herself and swung her spear toward that direction¡ªthe direction where Sina Solvane was standing. Nienna couldn¡¯t understand the situation for a moment. The murderous intent wasn¡¯t coming from Juan, but from Sina. Nienna realized that she had made a mistake as soon as she appeared in front of Sina, whose eyes were still staring at the duel. But it was already too late. The situation couldn¡¯t be reversed and the tip of Nienna¡¯s spear that was pointed toward Sina was sharp. None of the people here, including Sina herself, were aware of Nienna¡¯s attack¡ªexcept for one person. CH 125 Crash! Shattered pieces of ice were suddenly scattered high up into the air with a loud roar. The sudden shock wave caused everyone watching the duel to be thrown backward, scattering all over the place. In the middle of the chaos, Nienna noticed that her hand had suddenly been frozen and then shattered, joining the other ice pieces in the air. Red drops of blood fell on the ice, as Nienna fell on her backside. The knights from the Order of Fenrir quickly approached Nienna and began to take care of her hand as well as all her other wounds. Meanwhile, Juan was slowly pulling back Umbra into his body while looking tired and exhausted. Then, Nienna opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but was hesitant. Then she soon spoke in a quiet voice. ¡°What you just did¡­ that was¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s exactly what you were just about to do.¡± Nienna bit her lips. She had attempted to perform the fifth stage of the Baltic Swords, but was helplessly stopped by Juan. The fifth stage of the Baltic Sword allowed one to distort time and space¡ªit created a world that was close to death, where the flesh burned, the heart stopped, and the opponent was suffocated just by moving. Even Nienna had barely reached the fifth stage and found it very difficult to perform. ¡°Haha,¡± Nienna burst into laughter. ¡°I did make a mistake, but¡­ I have to admit that there¡¯s only one person who can perform the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword so calmly.¡± Nienna neatly gathered her legs and placed her remaining hand on the ground. Slowly touching the ground with her forehead, Nienna worshiped the emperor who had returned to the empire. ¡°I give you my greetings, Your Majesty. And¡­¡± Nienna raised her head back up and smiled brightly. ¡°...I missed you, dad.¡± *** After the mess in the garden, Nienna visited Sina and apologized several times. However, Sina didn¡¯t even know why Nienna was apologizing to her. While silently watching the duel from the sidelines, Sina felt like she could gradually see Nienna and Juan¡¯s movements at some point. It was hard for her to spot every detailed movement, but at least their movements felt like human movements to her. She even had the urge to jump in and join the duel to fight them, all so she could get just a little more immersed¡ªwhat she felt at that time was a sense of triumph. At that very moment, everyone was suddenly thrown backward with a tremendous roar, and Juan was standing in front of her eyes, while Nienna had lost one of her hands and collapsed to the ground. Everyone was wondering just what had happened in that one moment. ¡°You¡¯ve reached the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword,¡± Juan said. ¡°What?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Congratulations. This is just the beginning and you still have a long way to go, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone grow at such a fast rate as you since Nienna,¡± Juan lightly tapped Sina¡¯s shoulder and passed by. Sina was dazed by the words ¡®stage four¡¯. Although the stages of the Baltic Sword were not an officially used standard, even among the captains of the knight orders, only a few had reached stage four. ¡®But now I¡¯ve reached stage four out of nowhere?¡¯ ¡°Come to the north anytime if you are interested in war, Sina. The Order of Fenrir always welcomes talented individuals like you,¡± Nienna said to Sina with a smile as she followed Juan up the stairs. Only Sina remained at that spot with a bewildered face. *** Hela took Nienna and Juan to her office, saying that she had something to talk about now that Juan¡¯s identification had become clear. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Hela carefully worshiped Juan as soon as they arrived at the office. Hela could no longer deny the fact that Juan was the emperor when Nienna, the emperor¡¯s own daughter, had confirmed Juan¡¯s identity. In fact, Hela had been made aware of the clues that Juan was the emperor by Horhell. While she was able to make assumptions that Juan was either the emperor¡¯s hidden child or Gerard Gain who was hiding his identity, it was difficult for Hela to believe that Juan was the emperor himself. It was only natural to be cautious when making such a judgment. She knew that the emperor¡¯s reappearance in the empire wouldn¡¯t mean the return of the peaceful era of the past like everyone expected¡ªthat was especially true for Hela herself, who was related to Gerard Gain. Hela carefully raised her head while wondering what Juan would do now that his identity had been confirmed. Hela had no excuse even if Juan decided to behead her. But Juan was smiling, completely unlike Hela¡¯s expectation. ¡°Hela. It feels so awkward for you to suddenly act that way. Just treat me the way you did before.¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­ how could I dare to¡­¡± ¡°To be honest with you, personally, I just hate being treated as the emperor. It even feels like an insult to be called the emperor, considering the current situation of the empire,¡± Juan said while sighing. Upon hearing Juan¡¯s words, Nienna, who was seated in a relaxed manner with her feet propped up against the desk, asked in a relaxed manner. ¡°Come to think of it, I have a question that I wanted to ask. Why did you come back? I mean, there are a lot of reasons for you to come back and there are no reasons for you to not come back. But when I heard that dad was¡­ dead without any sign of resurrection, I thought that you had simply committed suicide.¡± Hela made a shocked and curious expression upon hearing the word ¡®suicide.¡¯ Meanwhile, Nienna raised her severed hand and continued speaking as if she was adding an explanation. ¡°All those who were granted the essence of the emperor, including myself, have such a strong vitality that recovering lost body parts can easily be achieved. If we can recover that fast, the emperor himself must be able to recover even faster, wouldn¡¯t you think? I had never thought that dad would ever die. So the only thing that crossed my mind when I heard the news of dad¡¯s death was that you committed suicide by borrowing someone else¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°Gerard had an unusual sword with him. The moment I was stabbed by it, I could feel that regeneration of wounds would be useless to keep me alive,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°An unusual sword? Wait¡­ By any chance, did it have a black blade? Like a strange weapon with straight branches stretching in all directions.¡± Juan nodded at Nienna¡¯s description. ¡°Yes. Have you ever seen it?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness. So Gerard had Elkiehl with him?¡± Juan had heard of Elkiehl before. He recalled the elf Celine, who was working for the Thornbush Priest Organization. She briefly mentioned it during their encounter in Durgal when she was talking about the crown. ¡°Is that what it¡¯s called? Elkiehl, huh. Do you know what it is exactly?¡± Juan asked. ¡°There are quite a few theories. I haven¡¯t seen it more than a few times either. It is said to be the Crack itself when they take root all over the world and start to encroach upon reality, or the bone that grows in the spine of a nine-headed dragon, or the branch of a huge tree that grows by engulfing all the energy of the world¡­ While there are many theories, none of them has been confirmed to be true. But besides the fact that it''s sinister and evil, there is one other thing I am sure of.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°It disregards any shell and only digs into one¡¯s essence.¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Elaborate.¡± ¡°No matter how strong you are or how strong your protective shield is, Elkiehl can penetrate the essence of its target. Does that make sense to you, dad? Basically, if Elkiehl aimed for your life, it will take your life. Would it make more sense to you if I said that it was a sword that can destroy whatever its target is with just one slash or stab?¡± Nienna explained. ¡°...I¡¯ve heard of all sorts of terrible curses, but I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that before.¡± ¡®And Gerard has that, huh.¡¯ Juan was convinced that the sword the stranger he met back in Hiveden had was Elkiehl. But the stranger had not only bandaged the sword, but also tried his best not to stab anything with it, even by mistake. Juan had no idea what the stranger¡¯s purpose was. Upon seeing Juan who seemed a little discouraged, Nienna nimbly added. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not necessarily evil. People just say that it¡¯s evil because it¡¯s only been used for evil purposes. Elkiehl is also a tool that can be used to remove evil spirits and curses. No matter how strong the curse is, Elkiehl can easily get rid of it with just one slash or stab. What if Gerard stabbed you because you were under a serious curse that you weren¡¯t aware of?¡± ¡°Then he wouldn¡¯t have had to stab me from behind.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, that¡¯s true. Anyway, it might have felt a bit ominous because it¡¯s a weapon that belongs to the Crack. I¡¯m sure I would have broken either Gerard or Elkiehl if I had seen either of them first¡ªor maybe even both¡­ Well, that''s disregarding whether or not I am capable of those feats.¡± Nienna¡¯s words were firm. To Nienna, who had devoted her entire life to waging a war against the Crack, Elkiehl was a weapon that shouldn¡¯t exist. And the same was true of Gerard, who had used such a weapon. ¡°It would make sense for you to die if Gerard had stabbed you with Elkiehl. Then, I¡¯ll have to change my question¡­ How did you come back? Anyone who gets stabbed with Elkiehl is guaranteed to die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either. I remember my soul wandering infinitely through time. There were neither any thoughts nor any worries. At one point, I woke up somewhere on the Great Plains of the south in the body of a child who looked to be only about eight years old.¡± ¡°Eight years old? I kind of want to see how you looked when you were eight years old, dad.¡± ¡°...Anyway. I had thought about committing suicide for a moment, just like you said earlier. But it was unbearable for me to see the current state of the empire. All the vices and absurdities I had forbidden were being promoted under my name. I devoted my entire life to killing gods, but everyone was now worshiping me as a god and did all kinds of nasty things under my name. The gods I killed must be laughing at me in the afterlife.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Nienna made an amused expression. ¡°Then you¡­ have come back to straighten the current state of the empire?¡± ¡°To put it in a good way, I guess so. To be exact, I¡¯m going to do exactly what I did in my past life, but by making a few changes and twisting the directions.¡± ¡°So you are going to start a war¡­ Then you¡¯ll have to be prepared to fight Barth Baltic, dad.¡± Juan looked at Nienna silently. ¡°I had thought that I might have to fight against you too. But as it turns out I didn¡¯t have to. Do you think I¡¯ll end up fighting Barth Baltic?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nienna answered without hesitation. ¡°The empire began to worship me ever since Barth Baltic came to power. Don¡¯t you think it would be enough to convince him by simply revealing my identity? The person who he worshiped has appeared,¡± Juan said. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to fight him even more.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Actually, the reason is similar to mine. I hate the Crack so much, but I love the majestic scenery created by them. I like the purple fog as well as the traces of the mysterious civilization¡ªI especially like their bones, bodies, and the smell of their rotting flesh. But I don¡¯t like it when they are alive,¡± Nienna raised her finger. ¡°The same is true of Barth Baltic. He doesn¡¯t mind worshiping a dead god. But a living god¡ªthat¡¯s unacceptable.¡± *** Juan looked at Nienna in silence for a moment. Nienna¡¯s expression was firm and unwavering, as if she was certain about her thoughts. ¡°Barth Baltic considers me to be a god?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that has anything to do with what Gerard did. But apart from that, it¡¯s clear that Barth respected you and wanted to kill you at the same time. You should know¡ªafter all, you were his teacher. He could never reach your level even if he trained for the rest of his life. It¡¯s obvious that he wouldn¡¯t be too happy to see you come back alive.¡± Juan sighed deeply. It was unknown as to whether or not Barth Baltic was involved in Juan¡¯s assassination yet, but it was quite shocking to hear about his feelings toward Juan; he had no idea that Barth considered him a rival. On the other hand, Nienna looked puzzled upon seeing Juan¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°Wait. You really didn¡¯t know, dad? I thought you must have already known. After all, I could tell from just one look at Barth¡¯s eyes. I thought you two had a thrilling relationship.¡± ¡°...I think that¡¯s because you and Barth are quite similar in a way. I bet you¡¯re the only one who can understand him and his endless hatred.¡± Hornsluine, Barth Balric¡¯s race, was destroyed by gods. So, it was only natural for Barth Baltic to hate gods. But Juan had no idea that Barth had considered Juan himself to be a god. If it was true that Barth considered Juan to be a god, then the reason why Nienna was concerned about Barth colliding with Juan made sense. ¡°Then I will have no choice but to kill Barth Baltic.¡± ¡°Dad,¡± Nienna leaned towards Juan with a serious face. ¡°Actually, I have something to say about that. To a certain extent, I already knew that you were my dad even before the duel. The reason why I requested a duel was to check your strength. Let me get straight to the point¡ªyou¡¯re no match for Barth Baltic. Don¡¯t get me wrong¡­ You¡¯re already quite good¡­ But not good enough to win against Barth Baltic.¡± Juan had already speculated such a fact. Barth Baltic was strong enough for Juan to leave his back to him. But Juan was still surprised upon hearing Nienna saying that Barth was stronger than Juan. ¡°That might be true for now, but I thought I would catch up to him pretty soon. Is Barth Baltic really that strong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important, dad. You shouldn¡¯t be ¡®fighting¡¯ Barth Baltic.¡± Nienna said firmly. ¡°Dad, you didn¡¯t come back to fight him. You came back to punish them. So you shouldn¡¯t be ¡®fighting¡¯ Barth Baltic¡­ You have to overwhelm him. You should give the impression that people can not even dare to fight you. If you end up fighting him, you need to step on him like he¡¯s an ant and crush him. That¡¯s who the emperor is¡ªthat¡¯s who my dad is.¡± CH 126 Juan remained silent for a moment. Nienna was right¡ªJuan might be able to deal with the Templars for now, but dealing with the entire Church and the Imperial Army was a whole different story. Even if Juan returned to the empire by fighting against them, internal strife and sacrifices would only increase without achieving the ¡®punishment¡¯ that Juan wanted. ¡°...You seem quite well-versed in the principles of kingship,¡± Juan said. ¡°Well, the person I watched and learned from was pretty decent. Considering the current situation, It would now be difficult to avoid the matters of the capital like we have been doing so far. To be honest with you, I really want to take you to the capital right now and say ¡®here is the emperor you guys have been worshiping as your god. Now, all those who are guilty should run to the training ground right away and line up in the order of severity of crimes.¡¯ But¡­¡± Nienna shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Doing so will just create a huge mess. Your daughter is the second in line to the empire and she is the leader of the strongest soldiers in the empire, you know? Think about what would happen if I brought you to the capital and said that you¡¯re the emperor¡ªeveryone would growl, raging that General Nienna has grown senile due to her old age or she is seeking to usurp the throne. At that point, we could simply kill everyone, but that¡¯s not really the best move.¡± Juan nodded upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words¡ªJuan still didn¡¯t have the overwhelming presence of an emperor. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Nienna continued speaking with her eyes shining. ¡°In that sense, there are three things that you must do.¡± Nienna stretched out three fingers. ¡°Three things?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes. Number one. Becoming stronger. I shouldn¡¯t even have to mention this, right? I¡¯ll talk about the step-by-step method later on,¡± Nienna said while folding one of her three fingers that she had stretched out. ¡°Number two. Usually the third thing would be the most important, but this is just as important as the third. We need to catch Gerard Gain. Not only did he stab you, but he¡¯s one of the traitors who ruined the empire and led to its current state. It¡¯s clear that Gerard is a traitor, and no one can truly say that the emperor has returned without catching Gerard Gain.¡± Nienna stopped talking for a second and looked toward Hela. ¡°It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that this is the primary reason I have come to the Eastern Territory. And it is also the reason why Hela is in the office with us right now.¡± Only then did Juan turn his gaze toward Hela. Although Hela was the owner and the commander of the fortress of Beldeve, Juan had been thinking that there was no need for Hela to stay in the office and listen to the conversation between Juan and Nienna¡ªbut Nienna¡¯s words suggested that Hela was necessary for their plan. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Gerard will come for Hela? Are you going to use her as bait?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Hela has decided to cooperate if such a situation arises. But I bet Gerard will show up way before then.¡± Nienna said in a confident tone. ¡°There are many reasons to catch that bastard, dad. He stabbed you, ruined the empire, and became corrupted by the Crack. One reason to die is enough, but he¡¯s got three. Besides, he¡¯s in the east. I have a feeling that the reason for him to stay in the east is also related to you, dad. If he really is here, I¡¯ve got a plan to pull him out sooner or later.¡± Nienna continued speaking with a strange smile. ¡°Anyway, catching Gerard will be the first step on your return, dad. Lastly, number three¡ªthe most important¡­¡± Nienna said, being unable to hide her perplexed but excited expression. ¡°You must kill the emperor.¡± *** The snow grew stronger as the night approached. The songs that filled the battlefield were long gone and only silence prevailed as the snow piled up. There were thousands of bodies scattered on the battlefield, but no one held a funeral for them. The Order of Fenrir and the Northern Army retrieved the bodies, but did not hold a funeral for them. The knights and soldiers of the Northern Territory believed that those who had been encroached upon by the Crack couldn¡¯t properly head to the afterlife. They believed that those who had been encroached upon by the Crack would have their souls sucked through the Crack and become prey to the other monsters inside the Crack. Thus, there was no point in having a funeral. However, the Order of the Fenrir and the Northern Amry collected the bodies in an empty space; infectious diseases may start spreading in spring if the bodies were left unattended. They planned to burn the bodies all at once when it stopped snowing. Juan was visiting a hill made up of the bodies collected by the knights and soldiers. Then, the sound of clattering horse hooves was heard from behind him. ¡°Juan!¡± It was Sina. Sina got off her horse and quickly approached Juan while exhaling a white breath. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. I wasn¡¯t able to properly thank you for what you did for me back at the garden.¡± ¡°Thank me? For what?¡± Juan asked. ¡°When you were dueling with General Nienna. At that time, you saved me at the last minute, didn¡¯t you?¡± Juan smiled without answering. ¡°To be honest, I had no idea what had happened at that time. I had no idea why General Nienna was suddenly standing in front of me in the middle of the duel and why you were blocking me from General Nienna. I was so shocked that it was hard for me to come to my senses. But after thinking about the situation, I was finally able to find out what happened.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Turns out I was too immersed in the duel between you and General Nienna. I must have unintentionally shown some murderous intent. And General Nienna who was focusing on the duel mistook my murderous intent for yours and attacked me instead. Then you blew up General Nienna¡¯s hand to protect me,¡± Sina explained. Juan silently continued walking as Sina followed after him. ¡°I only attacked Nienna because it was the perfect timing to do so; after all, she lost her concentration for a moment. You would have done the same as me if you were put in my shoes. Rather, I should be thanking you. I won thanks to you,¡± Juan replied as if he was annoyed. ¡°Whatever your reasons were, you saved me.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you that I would have blown up Nienna¡¯s hand regardless of what you did. Come to think of it, you¡¯ve also saved my life before in Durgal, right? Actually, we¡¯ve tried to kill each other and saved each other several times. I¡¯ve never had another relationship like this,¡± Juan burst out laughing. Juan inadvertently realized that his relationship with Sina was quite strange. Their relationship was beyond just a good and bad relationship. Even Juan couldn¡¯t define his relationship with Sina, even when he had many connections and relationships in the past. On the other hand, Sina didn¡¯t smile the slightest bit despite Juan¡¯s laughter. ¡°Of course, I have not forgotten what you did to my knight order. I still hold a grudge against you for killing my comrades. Apart from that, it is also true that our relationship is not simple. The power you gave me is also connected to that, right?¡± Sina touched the tattoo on her eyes. ¡°This is no simple burn, is it? I feel my tattoo burning hot and bright whenever you exert your strength. I have no idea what intentions you had when you left me with this scar,¡± Sina continued with a sigh. ¡°But it is an undeniable fact that you are the emperor. Although your values don''t quite align with the values of the emperor I used to serve, I still believe that the emperor I used to serve is somewhere inside you. I intend to bark next to the emperor until he opens his eyes.¡± ¡°Bark?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes, just like the emperor¡¯s watchdog that I am.¡± Juan laughed in a low voice and stopped walking as he approached the place where the bodies of the warriors of Arbalde were gathered. The Order of Fenrir had placed a protective magic spell on the bodies to prevent them from being further corrupted by the Crack. Unfortunately, this protective magic could only prevent the Crack, not other forces. ¡°Why do you think I came here, Sina?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. To mourn the deceased?¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s no way I would do something like that.¡± Instead of waiting for Sina¡¯s answer, Juan took something out of the box he had been holding¡ªit was the dragon skin that poured out of the box with a thud. An extremely strong curse as well as mana were still being released from the vestiges of the Evil Snake that had been worn by Velkre due to the fact that it was forcefully removed from his skin. ¡°...What are you trying to do?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t want all these bodies to go to waste. I¡¯ve become quite a thrifty person ever since I was revived. So I thought it would be nice to follow Ras¡¯ precedent. There¡¯s no one who can match him in efficiency of recycling corpses.¡± For a moment, an ominous thought passed through Sina¡¯s head. She turned pale in an instant. ¡°I vowed to kill all of these bastards, but Nienna stepped in before I could. So I have no choice but to make up for it in this way,¡± Juan said. ¡°How could you insult them like¡­¡± Juan placed his hand on a piece of the Evil Snake skin even before Sina could finish speaking. The pieces of the Evil Snake then wrapped around Juan¡¯s hand with a mushy sound and climbed up his arm. Juan began to chant a spell at a speed that was so fast that it was unintelligible¡ªSina couldn¡¯t understand it at all. He then began to demonstrate magic using the mana inside the Evil Snake. The blood oozing from the Evil Snake spread like a spider¡¯s web. Juan rubbed the blood of the dragon as well as the deep-seated curse entangled in the Evil Snake together in Juan¡¯s hands, then it climbed above the body of one of the warriors of Arbalde. At the same time, Juan spread the Umbra widely and covered the surroundings with it. It was a piece of cake to make an army of the undead with the help of the essence of Nigrato. ¡°A terrible grudge as well as a fine body are must-have ingredients for making the best undead. And if the Dragon Lord¡¯s curse that urges one to kill the emperor and ruin the empire is intertwined with those ingredients¡­¡± Juan smiled grimly while burning the blood of the Evil Snake brightly, and Sina looked at Juan with a pale face. Soon after, something slowly rose up from the pile of corpses. The skeleton of the being that stood up while throwing off the rotting skin from all the corpses was not pale white in color, but ominous red. Starting with the first undead, all the other undead soon began to raise their bodies here and there as well. Not all of the warriors of Arbalde had been revived. Only about fifty warriors stood up from within the pile of corpses. The most bizarre among all of them was the huge undead that was intertwined with numerous bodies. Upon seeing the large two-handed axe held by the undead, Sina realized that it was Urkel. Urkel, who had turned into an undead, felt even more ominous and creepy than the knights of the dead that Sina had seen back in Hiveden. ¡°We have some special undead here. They are like dragon blood soldiers.¡± ¡°What the¡­ what the hell are you going to do with all of these undead?¡± Sina asked. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty silly question, Sina. Why do you think I created all these soldiers?¡± Juan laughed and continued speaking. ¡°Nienna told me during the day that I have to kill the emperor. And we mean the ¡®emperor¡¯ that is enshrined on the eternal throne and dried up like a mummy. Not only should we kill him because he¡¯s the vessel that is keeping my mana locked up, but also to symbolize that the emperor has returned.¡± Juan snapped his fingers. At the same time, the dragon blood soldiers roared¡ªit was an eerie sound. ¡°In that sense, the undead created using the curse of the Dragon Lord who was so eager to kill the emperor will prove to be very helpful. I should congratulate the Dragon Lord, since she¡¯ll eventually be able to achieve her lifelong goal.¡± Juan slowly stored all the dragon blood soldiers into Umbra, which had spread out like a cape¡ªthis was exactly how Ras used to hide all the knights of the dead. The space inside Umbra couldn¡¯t allow living beings inside, but it was large enough to hold even the fifty dragon blood soldiers. ¡°So I¡¯m starting to wonder what you think, Sina. Do you still believe that the emperor you once served is inside me after seeing what I¡¯ve just done? Isn¡¯t it fair to admit that the emperor you used to serve has always been this way?¡± Sina didn¡¯t know what to say. A blizzard, the dark moonlight, the undead with red bones clattering as they walk, Juan controlling the undead, a strange insanity in Juan¡¯s eyes, and the cold wind that was penetrating Sina¡¯s bones¡ªall these things were pressuring her, almost as if Juan was saying that the emperor she once knew was already killed by the hands of humans. ¡°Juan¡­ What can I say?¡± There was only one thing Sina had to say. ¡°Even if the owner decides to abandon the dog, the dog cannot just abandon its owner. If the owner is losing his mind and burning to death, it is the dog¡¯s job to bark until he dies. If you decide to walk into hell on your own, I¡¯ll be the dog that burns in hell right beside you while barking the loudest.¡± *** The blizzard became even harsher as the winter deepend. It was a piece of cake for Nienna to remove the snow clouds if she wanted, but she continued to stay in Beldeve while watching the snow cover the entire fortress. The only people who suffered because of her decision to stay were the soldiers who were working on removing the snow. The soldiers grumbled and whispered among themselves; they suspected that Nienna was making more snow fall on purpose, but no one knew the truth. ¡°The soldiers have been complaining a lot, Nienna.¡± Juan spoke to Nienna who was looking at the sea from atop the fortress wall. She was looking at the sea with her feet hanging down the wall. ¡°Please tell them that a lot of snow in winter will make their land more fertile in spring. Now that we have kicked out the northeastern rebels, we should have Beldeve prepare to accept more residents.¡± Then a strange-shaped snowflake fell on Nienna¡¯s ear. Nienna stopped shaking her legs and became still upon feeling the snowflake. She seemed to be focusing on something for a while, but soon turned toward the inside of the fortress wall with a bright expression. ¡°Any good news?¡± Juan asked. ¡°They¡¯re ready. You¡¯re ready too, aren¡¯t you dad?¡± ¡°Ready for what?¡± Nienna smiled. ¡°Ready to catch that bastard, Gerard Gain!¡± CH 127 ¡°Remnants of the rebel forces from Arbalde?¡± Juan asked. Nienna rode her horse at high speed on the snowy field. Behind her was the cavalry that was chasing her to try and catch up to her. At a glance, Juan immediately noticed that the number of cavalrymen had nearly halved. One could guess that the other half was carrying out a separate operation. ¡°Yes. To be precise, they are the remaining villagers¡ªthe remaining villagers who remained in the village after the warriors of Arbalde took their forces to attend war¡­ Maybe I should call them survivors instead. Anyway, I was gathering all of them in a single place,¡± Nienna answered. ¡°Have you been gathering them for them to be taken to the cavalry?¡± ¡°I would have, but the northeast is too big. There¡¯s too many of them to be gathered into the cavalry. Instead, I made sure to trample on the villagers and deteriorated the climate to create an environment that is impossible for the villagers to survive in. Then they will have no choice but to gather in large groups naturally.¡± Juan nodded; he realized that the soldiers¡¯ suspicions about Nienna causing the snow to fall nonstop was correct. It was Nienna¡¯s plan to trample on even the smallest means of survival for the survivors and drive the starved villagers into a single place¡ªit was an operation to exterminate them by the roots. It was a cruel and ruthless plan, but no one would be surprised; after all, Nienna had never stopped at anything to get rid of the Crack. Meanwhile, Nienna took a glance at Juan as if she was wondering what was on his mind after hearing about what she had done. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a terrible person for doing what I did?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡®You gotta do what you gotta do in order to deal with the Crack.¡¯ Juan believed in Nienna¡¯s judgment¡ªthe judgment of the person who had long since been protecting the north from the Crack. In fact, Juan was the one who had to learn from Nienna how to deal with the Crack. Gerard¡¯s failure to do so had caused the tragedy of Arbalde. ¡°I¡¯ve already allowed you to do the same thing in the past. This time around is just an extension of that time, and I would be nothing but a hypocrite if I oppose it or feel bad about it just because it is happening in front of my eyes this time around,¡± Juan said. ¡°I wish Gerard could also have thought like that,¡± Nienna muttered, smiling weakly. ¡°Gerard was expressionless throughout the slaughter of the Arbalde residents. I couldn¡¯t figure out what was on his mind. I wish he would have at least opposed me and made a fuss about it. Then¡­ maybe none of this would have ever happened.¡± ¡°Nienna, I was the one who placed him in a position where he could take charge and be responsible for himself. He was in a position where he was capable of making his own judgments. If he couldn¡¯t accept or understand my order, he could have come to me to protest or petition in person. But he didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Juan said with a firm expression. ¡°That¡¯s true. If he¡¯s a commander, then he should be responsible.¡± Nienna had never once listened to Juan¡¯s order to move the troops at once¡ªshe had only moved when she was thoroughly convinced that it was necessary, regardless of the emperor¡¯s order. It was only natural that she was used to thinking for herself and taking matters into her own hands; unlike Juan, who had to think about the balance of the entire empire, Nienna was only focused on dealing with the Crack in the north. Even her earlier decision to invade the East when the Crack began to spread its roots there was based on her independent judgment. ¡°I think yours is an extreme case of that, but¡­ do you really think that Gerard will come? I heard that there are only a little over a thousand survivors. And you expect Gerard to come to save only that many survivors?¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear that Gerard is somewhere nearby. Besides, you and I are also here. Right now, it¡¯s the moment when the tragedy of Arbalde is about to repeat itself, albeit on a smaller scale. I honestly think that Gerard will definitely show up if he has something he wants to say to us¡ªwhether it¡¯s to rebel against you, or because he feels a sense of obligation to protect the people. Even him not showing up at all can be a message too, in the sense of him obeying your order after what happened in the past.¡± Basically, Nienna was forcing Gerard to give her an answer about how he felt about what happened in the past. It was her way of confirming whether she was in the right or Gerard was in the right, with the emperor acting as the judge. Thus, Nienna was confident that Gerard would show himself. ¡°Hela will cooperate with us even if he doesn¡¯t come out.¡± Juan looked back at Hela who was following him from behind. Juan had to admit that Hela was quite a brave warrior unlike what her age would make you believe. But he couldn¡¯t imagine how she would be useful as bait. It was true that Hela used to be Gerard¡¯s lover at one point in time, but Juan couldn¡¯t be sure that Gerard would appear to save her while knowing that she was a bait. Then Hela made a gesture of touching her lips¡ªit was a message that she had something to say to Juan. So, Juan slowed down his horse and approached Hela. ¡°Juan, I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t tell you about this back in the fortress of Beldeve. But¡­¡± Hela carefully brought up a story, almost as if she was still hesitant. Juan intuitively felt that she was about to bring up something serious upon seeing Hela being so hesitant. ¡°Do you remember the day that I fell from the fortress of Beldeve?¡± Hela asked. ¡°I do. I thought you must have fallen into the ocean.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get even a single drop of water on my body; Gerard Gain came to save me.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan immediately froze upon hearing Hela¡¯s words. ¡°...How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. I thought I was dead the moment I felt a huge shock, but Gerad was right in front of me. In fact, I even doubted whether I was already dead at that moment.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t feel even the slightest trace of Gerard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because of the Crack. Just before I fell into the water, I felt a strange distortion of space. Then the direction of my fall changed and the landscape changed into one I had never seen before. Then I saw Gerard after that.¡± ¡°Did you see his face?¡± ¡°His face was covered with bandages, but I could tell just by looking at his eyes¡ªafter all, those are eyes that I¡¯ve never forgotten. I couldn¡¯t even talk to him, since I lost consciousness almost immediately. I was already in General Nienna¡¯s barracks when I woke up after that.¡± ¡°Did Gerard take you to Nienna himself?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t meet in person, but General Nienna said that she received Gerard¡¯s message in her dreams. Thanks to that message, General Nienna was able to save me. That¡¯s why General Nienna believes that she can use me or the lives of others to get Gerard to show himself.¡± ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a possibility that he will show himself?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Juan quietly stared at Hela. Gerard was a child made by cloning Juan¡¯s own soul. Gerard was quite similar to Juan in many ways, including his way of thinking, his behavior, and his appearance. But there was one thing that was definitely different from Juan: Gerard was not a born emperor. He had been in close contact with humans on the lower rung of society. ¡°I feel embarrassed and sorry to ask this favor off of you, but can you first listen to what Gerard Gain has to say instead of killing him right away when you meet him?¡± Hela asked with a desperate look. ¡°I thought you hated Gerard,¡± Juan said. ¡°¡®Hate¡¯ is not a good enough word to explain what I feel toward him. How could I ever judge the severity of his crimes with my trivial thoughts? I¡¯d even like to kill him with my own hands considering the harm he did to the empire. But¡­¡± Hela continued speaking with a painful expression. ¡°I can¡¯t help but hope that he¡¯s still the man I used to know. His eyes that I saw in that moment inside the Crack have not changed the slightest bit from the past. I can¡¯t believe his eyes were able to shine like that even within the Crack that distorts everything.¡± ¡°You could be delusional due to your nostalgia, Hela. You might even have been agitated because you were faced with the fear of death.¡± ¡°Then I would like to leave the judgment to Your Majesty. I won¡¯t argue or protest even if you decide to cut off his neck, since it is true that he has committed terrible crimes. I just want you to give him some time to leave his last will.¡± Hela¡¯s tone was desperate. Juan didn¡¯t answer, but Hela saw him nodding slightly. *** It was hard to find a plain snowfield around the coast. The coast was full of sand, mud, traces of horse hooves, scattered footprints, and blood. As the survivors got closer to the beach, the messy traces of the tragic battle caught their sight. But when they finally arrived at the sea, the surroundings became cleaner than ever. However, the winter waves were still rough. The survivors of the northeastern rebels were gathered in one place with their backs facing the rough sea. They were no longer able to find a route to retreat and were almost dipping their feet in the cold seawater¡ªthey were completely cornered. The survivors who were not even dressed appropriately for the cold weather trembled in the cold sea breeze and the rising waves. Some unexpectedly ran out, as if they were looking for a gap to escape, but were immediately blocked by the cavalry. Unlike the warriors of Arbalde, the survivors stepped back as soon as the cavalrymen pointed their spears at them. ¡°You¡¯re all doing quite a good job at keeping them in one place.¡± The eyes of the survivors became even more desperate when they saw Nienna and the rest of the cavalry arriving at the scene. There were about ten thousand heavily armed cavalrymen behind Nienna. On the other hand, there were only about a thousand hungry survivors who were completely unarmed. What was even more devastating was the fact that the opponent was Nienna Nelben; there was no way she''d let any of them live. It was only a little over two hundred cavalrymen who were actually driving the survivors into the corner¡ªmost of the cavalrymen were just watching them from the hills surrounding the beach. But the fact that there was no room for them to escape didn¡¯t change. ¡°I don¡¯t think Gerard is here yet,¡± Juan said. ¡°Probably not. Don¡¯t you think we need to stimulate him a bit? I don¡¯t like killing people like this¡­ but he might not show himself if we go easy on them,¡± Nienna said as she tilted her head. The cavalrymen began to move forward upon seeing Nienna¡¯s signal. The survivors were gradually pushed out to the sea, almost as if they were being pushed by the tip of the spears. The survivors in the rear row were already waist-deep in the water. On the other hand, Nienna looked utterly uncomfortable upon seeing such a sight. ¡°Gerard, please show yourself quickly¡­¡± Nienna muttered. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill them anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Slow and painful deaths are only suitable for monsters, not humans. Although I¡¯m good at killing people, I¡¯m not a huge fan of murder, dad.¡± Complaints, screams, and cries broke out among the survivors. Juan felt like a villain upon hearing the cries of the children. In fact, Juan was willing to be a villain as long as he could achieve his goals. But that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel anything from seeing such a terrible sight. ¡®I¡¯m glad that Sina¡¯s not here.¡¯ Sina couldn¡¯t follow them to the sea; since Hela was coming with them, and at least one commander needed to stay and look after the fortress of Beldeve, it was decided that Sina had to stay. There was no way Sina would have been able to stay still if she had seen this situation. She would have constantly tried to think of ways to save the survivors and reverse the encroachment of the Crack. ¡®But that¡¯s impossible, Sina.¡¯ Anyone who understood the properties of the Crack knew that to be eroded by the Crack was like pottery being broken. They could be put back together, but the effect of the Crack in their soul would last forever. The worst thing was that those who were encroached upon by the Crack would also corrupt those around them. ¡®Maybe they can be saved from the Crack when ash can become wood again and rust can be turned into iron.¡¯ In other words, saving one from the Crack was impossible. Juan recalled feeling helpless about the Crack even during his time as the emperor. Juan had a feeling that the reason he relied so much on Nienna for issues related to the Crack might be due to that feeling of helplessness. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to want to come out at all¡­¡± Nienna muttered with a grim look on her face. Juan couldn¡¯t tell whether this was good news or bad news. Juan wondered whether Gerard was silently agreeing with Nienna¡¯s policy, or he was simply indifferent toward the fate of the survivors of Arbalde. ¡®He would have shown his face when the warriors of Arbalde were being wiped out if he really cared about them.¡¯ The survivors were now shivering in the sea with water reaching up to their chest. There were a few people who had lifted the children above their heads to allow the children to breathe while they themselves were almost drowning. But even the children who were being lifted had started to turn blue already. The rough sea waves and the harsh wind would end the lives of the survivors in just half an hour. More than a thousand people were bound to quietly disappear into the sea without even having a chance to bleed. ¡°He won¡¯t show himself, dad. I mean, I guess it¡¯s only natural that he can¡¯t show his face if he knew that this was a scheme. Let¡¯s just end it. I¡¯ll have to ask Hela for a difficult favor.¡± Nienna frowned and turned her head. As she raised her hand, the cavalrymen raised their spears and prepared to advance. Just when Nienna was about to give the order to the cavalry, her eyes turned toward a place. Juan also turned his head in that direction. Something was flying toward them from beyond the sky. Nienna¡¯s face distorted and she screamed. ¡°All troops, retreat! Get out of here as fast as you can!¡± At that moment, a huge shadow fell over everyone¡¯s heads. CH 128 The cavalrymen hesitated for a second at the unexpected order. However, soon, they too saw the huge shadow hanging over their heads. The cavalrymen were slightly disorganized due to being perplexed at the sudden situation, but they quickly reorganized themselves and ran away from the beach¡ªthe Northern Army boasted the best military discipline in the entire empire, and they were pretty quick. The survivors were perplexed to see the cavalry retreating so suddenly, but hurriedly crawled toward the beach as they looked up at the sky in fear. A huge creature that seemed to be at least hundreds of meters long was flying high in the air. The creature¡¯s wings were so huge that they covered the sun and tore the clouds into pieces. The fact that such a huge creature was flying in the sky itself seemed like a joke. The appearance of this phenomenal being that had been rarely seen for decades caused everyone¡¯s mouth to drop open and mutter only one name. ¡®A dragon.¡¯ Juan burst out laughing at the magnificent scene he was seeing for the first time in quite a while. The creature was clearly a ¡®real¡¯ dragon that was over a thousand years old. It was unknown as to how it had been able to survive, but the extinction of the dragons was led by the Order of Lindwurm and Gerard. Juan guessed that it wouldn¡¯t have been too difficult for Gerard to keep one of the dragons alive. Even the soldiers of the Fourth Division who were already familiar with Horhell¡¯s dragon looked frightened by the aura and dignity of the fully grown dragon. ¡°...His Majesty and the Order of Lindwurm made monsters like that extinct?¡± Someone murmured. Everyone had the same thought¡ªexcept Nienna Nelben, who had different ideas. ¡°Gerard.¡± The moment Nienna said Gerard¡¯s name out loud, the dragon turned its huge neck and looked down at the ground. There was clearly a long distance between the dragon and the humans, but everyone could clearly see the dragon¡¯s eyes. Just one glance into the dragon¡¯s eyes alone made ordinary people feel like they couldn¡¯t move. Then the dragon¡¯s chest started to swell up. Upon realizing what was about to happen, NIenna ordered everyone to retreat in a voice so loud that her vocal cords could be ripped apart. ¡°Everyone, fall back! Right now!¡± A huge wall of flames split the beach for a moment. Due to scorching light and heat, the soldiers covered their faces and quickly scrambled back. Flames that looked like they came from hell covered the entire beach in just an instant. The soldiers trembled with fear as they imagined all the survivors beyond the wall of flames to have already been burned to death. Nienna hastily looked around to confirm that none of her people had suffered any losses. On the other hand, the dragon¡¯s flames melted even the sand, but the survivors beyond the wall of flames were still alive with frightened expressions. Nienna clicked her tongue upon realizing that the dragon had breathed out a straight line of flames, almost as if he was cutting sand with a knife. ¡°He created a wall,¡± Nienna muttered. Juan¡¯s eyes shone at Nienna¡¯s words. ¡°So that we can¡¯t approach the survivors?¡± ¡°Yes. But it doesn¡¯t matter since he¡¯s here anyway.¡± Nienna dispersed the cavalry with a signal. The appearance of the dragon was unexpected, and there was no way for the heavily armed cavalry to deal with it. While it seemed like the dragon didn¡¯t want to directly attack the cavalry for some reason, the damage would be enormous if it changed its mind. The dragon was just hovering in the sky and still watching the situation. Both Juan and Nienna intuitively felt that there was someone standing on top of the dragon¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the situation here, so stay back, dad.¡± ¡°Your opponent is Gerard and he also has a dragon with him.¡± As far as Juan could remember, Gerard and Nienna were of similar strength¡ªGerard was just the slightest bit stronger than Nienna was. But Nienna replied with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s true that Gerad and I used to have similar strength when you were alive in the past, dad. But now he¡¯s got a dragon, the power of the Crack, and Elkiehl. He also has the ability to beat the Priests of the Crack,¡± Nienna said as she drew her sword. Juan could feel the air freezing around him. ¡°Those same things are also why Gerard will be defeated. After all, it is my specialty to destroy the Crack.¡± Nienna raised her sword high up in the sky and began to shout something. Juan noticed that she was casting a massive summoning spell¡ªNienna was summoning a Holy Beast that she had made a pact with. According to Juan¡¯s memory, there was only one Holy Beast that had made a pact with Nienna, the ruler of the winter and a daughter of the winter duke. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The clouds started pouring snow even more furiously. One snow crystal froze and started spreading in all directions. As the crystal continued to spread as if it were swelling, it formed the shape of a large frozen wolf. It was the beast that granted its name to Nienna¡¯s knight order. ¡°Fenrir, answer the call of your master!¡± A huge wolf came down from the sky, ready to devour the world. *** The dragon wasn¡¯t able to spot Fenrir, who was falling from the sky in time. The moment Fenrir bit on the dragon¡¯s neck, it was agitated and its gigantic figure shook greatly. But the dragon was not an easy opponent¡ªit would not fall to just one of Fenrir¡¯s attacks. The dragon struggled to avoid falling and immediately twisted its neck and spat flames toward Fenrir¡¯s leg. Fenrir¡¯s leg, which was made of ice, melted in an instant, but was reformed immediately. Then, Fenrir¡¯s claws scratched the dragon¡¯s stomach and tore it open. On the other hand, instead of spitting the flames again, the dragon folded its wings and curled up¡ªit was a posture used to prepare for an incoming shock. The dragon and Fenrir intertwined in the air and then crashed toward the sea. However, the dragon spread its wings and quickly escaped just before the crash. Only Fenrir slipped and fell without being able to bite onto the dragon. This caused huge waves to surge toward the survivors, but they weren¡¯t powerful enough to drag them back into the sea. Meanwhile, people couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of the bloody battle between the dragon and the Holy Beast atop the sea. It was hard for one to even get to see monsters in the current empire, let alone Holy Beasts. This just proved that the emperor had created a safe world for humans. But, there was certainly something fascinating about mythological beings. The dragon flapped its wings to fly up into the sky again, but it was clear that it had been injured. Furthermore, Pnelil¡¯s ability to freeze the opponent¡¯s wound was burdensome for even a dragon, beings who had such strong vitality. At the same time, Fenrir no longer had any other ways to attack the dragon which was flying in the sky either. Then people found a figure running across the sea. The surface of the sea froze everywhere Nienna¡¯s horse passed through, and a white cape that resembled a winter storm fluttered behind her back. Nienna jumped off her horse and climbed on Fenrir as soon as she got close to it. Fenrir rose above the frozen sea. The next thing people saw was Nienna reaching her hand out toward the sky from a distance. Oberon, the spear of ice, was clasped in Nienna¡¯s hand. But the Oberon currently in her hand didn¡¯t seem like the one she used when dueling against Juan. Thousands of ice spears rose above the sea, and countless spear blades that colored the sea white were aimed toward the dragon at once. The energy contained in the ice spears was a lot stronger than the energy contained in the steel spears. At the same time, the dragon flapped its wings in a hurry to try and accelerate, but wasn¡¯t able to do so due to the injury. Nienna finally threw the ice spear in her hand at the dragon. At the same time, the thousands of ice spears flew toward the dragon as well. The dragon belatedly breathed out flames to vaporize nearly half of the ice spears, but the remaining half struck exactly one of the dragon¡¯s wings. This attack caused the dragon to lose its balance and begin to crash into the sea. *** Nienna felt her insides reeling for the first time in a while. The Crack had been very quiet in recent years. The Crack had always been a threat, but Nienna hadn¡¯t really faced such a strong opponent that forced her to use all her might. The rapid consumption of mana made Nienna feel dizzy. But Nienna was laughing while breathing out a white breath. The giant figure of the dragon appeared over the sea. Its size was slightly smaller than that of Fenrir, but with the addition of its wings, neck, and tail, it was three times bigger than Fenrir. The dragon was still majestic even with one of its wings damaged. However, it wasn¡¯t the dragon that Nienna was interested in. ¡°Show yourself, Gerard¡­ I know that you haven¡¯t even revealed your full strength yet.¡± People might think that Nienna had been suppressing the dragon, but this was only due to the fact that Gerard hadn¡¯t even bothered to attack her so far. The children of the emperor were capable of easily catching a dragon. Nienna was beginning to feel impatient due to her urge to fight against Gerard. ¡°Come out, Gerard!¡± Nienna¡¯s roar resonated over the sea. At the same time, the surrounding sea froze with a cracking sound all the way to the coast. Nienna¡¯s eyes were burning with blue light. The dragon flapped its wings, slowly breaking the ice of the frozen sea. Soon, someone appeared between the two horns of the dragon¡ªit was a man covered entirely in bandages and wearing a ragged robe. No one knew for sure who he was, but Nienna was certain that he was Gerard. His posture, gaze, and the way he walked were all screaming his identity. Nienna grinned. ¡°You and I have similar achievements, but people somehow always think that you¡¯re stronger than I am. Let¡¯s set the record straight today.¡± Fenrir charged toward the dragon as soon as Nienna finished speaking. At the same time Fenrir¡¯s sharp teeth bit the dragon, the dragon also bit Fenrir¡¯s neck. Nienna immediately jumped at Gerald while the Fenrir and the dragon were intertwined with each other. Then, Nienna launched the most powerful attack she could use, while Gerard also quickly read the energy being emanated from her sword. The moment their two swords clashed in the air, the frozen sea was split in half. The shocking gusts of wind from the clash swept all the soldiers off the coast, and even the dragon and Fenrir were pushed back due to the shock. Nienna¡¯s sword was pressing against Gerard¡¯s sword as if she was pressuring him. Nienna¡¯s eyes became sharp upon seeing the bandages that were wrapped around Gerard¡¯s sword getting ripped to shreds to reveal Elkiehl¡¯s dark body. ¡°Is this all you¡¯ve got? This is the power you gained from selling your empire, betraying your knights and stabbing your own father? Huh?¡± Nienna roughly swung her sword and pushed Gerard. She wasn¡¯t using the Baltic Sword, but was basically only pushing Gerard with brute force. Gerard did not attack Nienna but just focused on defending himself. Nienna was getting angrier and angrier upon seeing Gerard¡¯s actions. ¡°Do you expect me to go easy on you if you look pitiful like that?¡± Nienna derided. Gerard remained silent. Gerard¡¯s silence as well as his heavy eyes were wearing away at Nienna¡¯s patience, and then her patience snapped. Nienna swung her sword with the intent to kill. The moment Gerard raised his sword in his attempt to block Nienna¡¯s overly simple attack, the space and time around them became distorted. Nienna¡¯s heart stopped as the air slapped against her flesh and started burning violently¡ªit was the heat from the friction of air rubbing against her body. Nienna had wrapped herself in cold air as she knew that this would happen, but she still felt as if she had turned into a fireball. Everything happened in just an extremely short moment, so short that even her shadow couldn¡¯t keep up with her. Gerard was unable to block Nienna¡¯s attack that was even able to freeze time. It was the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword: Fleeting Moment. Crack! The moment a short cracking sound was heard, Nienna¡¯s sword had already penetrated deep into Gerard. Gerard opened his eyes wide and looked at Nienna, while she glared at Gerard as she suppressed the burns all over her body caused by the heat. ¡°Keep your mouth shut¡ªI have no intention to listen to your last will.¡± Nienna tightened the sword in her hand with the intent to finish Gerard off. Then, at that moment, someone quickly appeared and pushed her to the side, causing Nienna¡¯s face to become distorted. It was Juan. ¡°Dad.¡± Juan sighed as he stood between Gerard and Nienna. It was the right thing to stop his children from fighting, but it wasn¡¯t easy for Juan to intervene when they were fighting so fiercely. Fortunately, Gerard was severely injured and Nienna was exhausted. Juan looked at Gerard¡¯s condition. Gerard looked surprised due to Nienna¡¯s attack, but he seemed to know what had happened. ¡®Gerard must have reached the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword as well.¡¯ It was natural that the side who used Fleeting Moment first was at an advantage when both sides had reached the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword. One might be able to notice and prepare a counterattack against it after they got used to performing the fifth stage, but neither Gerard nor Nienna had reached that level yet. ¡°Nienna, I know you had a hard time. But stop for a moment; I need to talk to Gerard. I promised Hela to hear him out before I punish him,¡± Juan said. ¡°Talk? Shouldn¡¯t you check whether his lips inside those bandages are sewn together, since he hasn¡¯t been¡­¡± Nienna¡¯s derisive remarks suddenly turned into a scream. With a short stabbing sound, a black blade stabbed toward Juan¡¯s chest. Juan even felt a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu at the familiar sight that was occurring in front of his eyes. Gerard was stabbing Juan in the back. CH 129 Blood spurted out of the wound caused by Juan getting stabbed by the black blade. For a moment, Juan couldn¡¯t understand the situation in front of him, and at the same time, he understood it better than anyone else¡ªit was the same as then. Juan was well aware that Gerard had betrayed him¡ªhe was the one who assassinated Juan. But at the same time, it was true that Juan was hoping for Gerard to have an excuse for doing what he did and hoped that he had a compelling and inevitable reason behind his actions. He hoped for that even more after his encounter with Ras. Juan still hasn¡¯t forgotten the gibberish that left the mouth of the frightened Gerard on the night of the assassination. Juan even had a feeling that Gerard might have been manipulated by some conspiracy or a curse. Not only did Gerard not attack Juan back in Hiveden, but he also saved Juan from being affected by the flame crown back in Durgal. The Gerard who had appeared to save the villagers of Arbalde was exactly how Juan remembered him being in the past. This fact made Juan emotional. Juan wanted to believe that Gerard might have been misunderstood too, just like Ras. Splat! But at this moment, Gerard had once again stabbed Juan in the back, almost as if he was laughing at Juan¡¯s hope. Splat! Crack! Squelch! Shunk! Elkihel repeatedly entered and exited through Juan¡¯s wound¡ªit was as if stabbing him just once was not enough. Juan flinched and was helplessly shaken every time Gerard stabbed him. Juan could see Nienna as she was desperately screaming and running toward him, but he already knew that he couldn¡¯t be helped even if she came. In fact, he intuitively knew this fact from the moment he was stabbed by Elkiehl. It was the same as the night he had been assassinated¡ªthere was no way out of this. Juan could feel his strength being drained whenever the black blade stabbed into his chest. ¡®What did I even expect?¡¯ Juan laughed in vain; he could clearly feel Talter¡¯s mana, Grunbalde¡¯s fog, Nigrato¡¯s essence, and the Evil Snake¡¯s curse leaving his body along with the pouring blood. Enormous amounts of mana disappeared from Juan in just an instant. Death was right before Juan¡¯s eyes and he could feel himself being dragged by Gerard¡¯s hand. At that moment, something tightly grabbed his wrist. When Juan opened his eyes, he saw Nienna¡¯s frightened eyes. Then the next thing Juan felt was himself floating in the air. *** Sina stared blankly at the black sphere that was placed on the table. She had never seen anything like this, but Sina knew exactly what it was¡ªit was Nigrato¡¯s essence. Juan used to call it Umbra. Ever since Talter¡¯s short sword was destroyed, Juan had been using Umbra as both an armor and a weapon. ¡°This was left behind by Ras?¡± Sina nodded blankly upon hearing Hela¡¯s question. ¡°...As far as I know, yes. That¡¯s what a Templar that I know from Hiveden told me.¡± Kamil, the former deputy of the Order of the White Crow, gave Sina a lot of information about Juan along with the holy sword. Among all that information was the information about Nigrato¡¯s essence that Ras had handed over to Juan. Besides, Sina had seen Juan fight using Umbra before. She wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that Umbra could be separated from Juan, but there was one thing she was sure of¡ªJuan would never have left the Umbra behind if he was still alive. After all, Umbra was the last thing that his son Ras had left him. Hela maintained her silence upon realizing just how meaningful Umbra was to Juan. The atmosphere of the fortress of Beldeve was quite strange. The official status of Juan should be that of a prisoner or that of a commander of the punishment unit. However, no one here considered him to be a prisoner¡ªthis was especially true for the punishment unit. The members of the punishment unit remained motionless with a frozen expression upon hearing what had happened to Juan. The situation was not too different for the other soldiers of the Fourth Division, especially when there had been a rumor circulating saying that Juan was the emperor who had returned. Ominous rumors spread all around. However, the atmosphere of the Fortress of Beldeve was still quite a bit more lively when compared to the atmosphere of the Northern Army. The Order of Fenrir and the Northern Army were so gloomy that people thought they were holding a funeral. This was because of the fact that Nienna had disappeared along with Juan. ¡°Did you say that Gerard Gain stabbed Juan?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Yes. I saw it myself. He had his face covered with bandages, but he definitely had the same face as the last time, when he saved me. I could tell just by looking at the dragon, his swordsmanship, the way he walked, as well as his eyes. He stabbed Juan several times in the back, almost as if he was trying to make up for his failure last time,¡± Hela laughed, dumbfounded. ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t want to give Juan room to resurrect this time around.¡± Sina shook her head in denial. ¡°There¡¯s no way that Juan was tricked by such a simple surprise attack. Besides, didn¡¯t you say that General Nienna had already defeated Gerard at that moment? Is there any possibility that Juan purposely fell for Gerard¡¯s trick to¡­¡± ¡°Well, General Nienna was also dragged into the Crack,¡± Hela said firmly. A search for Nienna and Juan was still underway at the coast. There was no way that Hela would ever find Juan and Nienna near the sea; everyone saw Juan and Nienna being dragged into the Crack right before their very eyes. But Hela was desperately searching for them; she had no way of controlling the Northern Army. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. None of the knights of the Order of Fenrir were able to give a concrete decision on the future measures that needed to be taken, since no one had thought they would experience such a crisis in the east. The northeastern rebels were nothing but chicks compared to the monsters of the Crack that the Order of Fenrir had been dealing with, and no one had thought they would lose their General in the fight against them. The knights grew more and more discouraged as time went by. However, Sina hadn¡¯t given up. ¡°He has a history of returning from death. So maybe he¡¯ll come back this time, too.¡± ¡°His Majesty only managed to return to the appearance of a child after nearly fifty years had passed, even with his omnipotent power. But this time around, he was stabbed several times, and he has been dragged into the Crack. You can¡¯t compare this situation to what happened in the past.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Sina,¡± Hela grabbed Sina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you know who wants to die more than anyone else here right now? It¡¯s me. I have lost my son, my husband, my loved ones as well as the ones I respected on this land.¡± Hela recalled asking Juan to talk to Gerard before punishing him. It had just been a trivial request, but Hela lost both Juan and Nienna as a result of her request. ¡°I thought about throwing myself off of the walls of Beldeve just so that Gerard would appear again to save me and explain to me what happened. But I can¡¯t even do that because I have too many responsibilities I must bear on my shoulders.¡± ¡°Your Grace.¡± ¡°You are a talent that His Majesty valued. I don¡¯t know what potential he saw in you, but I don¡¯t think he would have expected you to deny reality and be frustrated like the other ordinary people.¡± Sina bit her lips and Hela continued speaking with a determined look on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯m going to do from now on. So far, I had been tied up in the east, but the east was given another chance thanks to General Nienna and His Majesty. Besides, we also have a card called Suvole that¡¯ll help us put pressure on the capital. There¡¯s also a high possibility that the Northern Army will take our side if we are able to persuade them.¡± Hela¡¯s words were filled with determination. Sina immediately realized Hela¡¯s plan. ¡°I¡¯m planning to head straight to the capital now. I heard that the Church is starting to change around the current Saintess. Furthermore, it is said that the Helwin family is once again emerging in power. It won¡¯t be too hard for us to save our side. And when we gain enough power¡­¡± Hela grabbed Sina¡¯s hand. ¡°I will reinvestigate the case of His Majesty¡¯s assassination from the very beginning. Not only will the deep-rooted evils of the Church, but even the Regent will be thoroughly examined without exception. Other people might curse at me saying that I¡¯ve gone senile or I might even have to shed blood. But I think that¡¯s the only way I could ever repay His Majesty and General Nienna. Such a process requires a lot of talented individuals. I¡¯d like you to be there, Sina. What you want to know and what you want to get is exactly the same as me.¡± Sina bit her lips and remained silent. Hela pulled Sina¡¯s hand and hugged her to comfort her. ¡°Juan¡ªno, His Majesty was someone important to all of us. He was someone that would be able to make anyone devote their entire life to him. So, I believe that you can play a big role.¡± Sina stood quietly upon hearing Hela¡¯s words, but soon pushed her away slightly, causing Hela to be disappointed. ¡°I want to be there with you. But¡­¡± Sina opened her mouth with trembling lips as if she was hesitating. ¡°I don¡¯t think Juan is dead just yet. I¡¯d like to take some time to think about it until I can be sure of his death.¡± ¡°But it might take you forever until you can be sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me that he was someone who could make people devote their entire life to him, Your Grace,¡± Sina said with a sad smile. ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡± ¡®It must be His Majesty¡¯s karma to lead people around him into fate like that of a whirlpool.¡¯ Hela laughed bitterly at her own thoughts. People around Juan chased him and got dragged into the whirlpool of fate, but Juan acted as he pleased and cynically laughed at his own fate. The fact that Juan could maintain such an attitude often made Hela jealous. ¡°Tell me if you need anything, and keep in mind that you are always welcome to join me. Also¡­¡± At that moment, Sina and Hela heard a knock on the office door. Hela paused their conversation; she had told the others to come to the office in case of an urgent matter. The man who came into the room was Walter, a knight from the Order of Fenrir. Hela looked puzzled when she saw Walter¡¯s clean hands. After all, his hands should have been quite dirty, since Hela had left the clean up of the villagers of Arbalde to the Order of Fenrir after Gerard and Juan disappeared. But Walter''s hands didn¡¯t have a single drop of blood on them . Hela tilted her head in wonder; she had expected the knights from the Order of Fenrir to kill all the villagers. ¡°What is it, Sir Walter? Is there a problem with the mission?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Your Grace, we can¡¯t execute the villagers,¡± Walter answered with a complicated look on his face. ¡°What?¡± Hela doubted her ears. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Walter¡¯s answer made Hela even more confused. ¡°None of the villagers has been encroached upon by the Crack, Your Grace. General Nienna¡¯s order was to rescue those who had been encroached upon by the Crack, but there¡¯s no longer a reason to rescue them. I would like to ask General Nienna to reconsider her decision, but I must ask for your decision, since General Nienna¡¯s seat is vacant.¡± ¡°No one has been encroached upon by the Crack?¡± The villagers had not only lived in the northeast but they had been living alongside the warriors of Arbalde. It was only natural that they were all encroached upon by the Crack, even if it was the slightest bit. Hela even found traces that pointed to the villagers already having been encroached upon by the Crack when she ran into them in the middle of the battle several times. Hela suddenly got goosebumps as she belatedly realized that none of the villagers on the coast had been singing a song or mumbling a name granted by the Crack. If it turned out to be true that the villagers had not been encroached upon by the Crack, Nienna and the Northern Army would have slaughtered more than one thousand innocent citizens. Such a tragedy would have happened for sure if it hadn¡¯t been for Gerard¡¯s intervention. Hela didn''t know how to accept this situation. ¡°The execution will cease, but I want to ask the Order of Fenrir to investigate all the villagers. Don¡¯t forget to check who the villagers met and what they went through after being kicked out of the village.¡± *** The fog on the floor scattered with every step Juan took. The huge amount of fog made Juan feel like he was swimming in water. When Juan pushed the fog away by radiating some heat, the fog dried up in an instant and revealed the view around him. Around him were the walls of the magic tower, though they were not fully visible to him. The abyss wasn¡¯t quite big enough for the tower, especially when you considered all the things stored in the abyss alongside the tower¡ªthe magicians of the tower didn¡¯t wish to scrap any of their valuable research materials. The head of the magicians in particular had begged Juan to not destroy the magic tower. At that moment, Juan felt a faint presence¡ªit was the presence of the head of the magicians. Juan slowly walked toward the direction where he felt the presence from. The fog grew thicker and thicker as Juan walked. Juan tried to push the fog away using the heat, but the overwhelming amount of fog constantly covered Juan¡¯s view. At that moment, Juan further increased the amount of heat he was releasing. ¡°Please stop radiating heat, Your Majesty!¡± Someone said urgently from within the fog. Juan stopped increasing the heat, but didn¡¯t lower the amount of heat he was releasing either. ¡°Show yourself, Dormund. I believe that you must have something to say to me,¡± Juan said. A white-haired magician carefully appeared from within the fog with something wrapped in a large cloth in his arms. The magician knelt in front of Juan. ¡°I can withstand the heat, but this child can¡¯t. Please have mercy, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®A child.¡¯ Juan felt his stomach churning and recalled the heat he was releasing. Soon the fog filled the space between them, but Juan headed toward the source from where the fog was being released. A faint mass emerged within the fog. When Juan put his hand on it, the fog began to abate quickly. What was revealed beyond the fog was a statue of a human with an eagle head made with all kinds of materials and forms of energy such as ice, stone, fire, wind, wood, and metal. In the area where the heart would be located, the rising flame, as well as the raging ice, collided to seep the fog into its body. Juan quietly opened his mouth after looking at the body of a god for a while. ¡°What were you doing with the remains of Mananen McLeir?¡± CH 130 Mananen McLeir, the mana god, was the only god who submitted himself to and cooperated with Juan back when Juan was exterminating the gods in the past¡ªMananen McLeir even devoted his heart to complete the last step needed for Juan to become the emperor. Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart was still beating inside Juan even now, and Juan was the one who allowed McLeir¡¯s remains to be laid to rest in the magic tower. ¡°Back then you even took my hair without my knowledge.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Juan grabbed the magician by the neck. Dane didn¡¯t even realize that Juan had made a move to grab him until he was lifted in the air. Dane groaned with a low and suffocated voice upon being suddenly hung in the air. ¡°Tell me what you are playing at, Dane Dormund.¡± Dane trembled in fear, but still managed to open the cloth and showed Juan what was inside. Inside the cloth was a baby with blonde hair and bright eyes looking at Juan without crying even in the sudden situation. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan quickly scanned the baby¡¯s soul through his eyes and was shocked to find out the identity of the baby. Juan tightened the hand holding Dane up in the air, causing Dane¡¯s face to be instantly turned red. ¡°What crazy thing have you done, Dane? Is everything a joke in the eyes of the magicians? How dare you play with life!?¡± ¡°Keuk, huff. Y-Your Majesty¡­¡± Juan felt the strong urge to directly separate Dane¡¯s body from his head¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t do that. Dane was both a father figure to Juan and a teacher who had taken care of Juan ever since he was young. At the same time, Dane was also the one who made the greatest contribution to Juan being crowned as the emperor. Juan felt an even greater sense of betrayal, since Dane was the one who Juan relied on the most. ¡°It-it was for hum-humanity, Your Majesty. Keuk, humanity will be irrevocable if anything happens to you. I had to think about who would be your successor for the future of the empire.¡± Juan glared at Dane for a while and soon relaxed his hand. Upon falling to the floor, Dane hurriedly checked to see if there was any problem with the baby. On the other hand, Juan made a dejected expression. ¡°So that¡¯s your excuse for creating a clone of me without my permission?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you told me that you didn¡¯t want to have a biological child¡­ this was the only other solution I could think of¡­¡± ¡®That was the problem?¡¯ Juan did not wish to create a world where his descendants ruled the empire from generation to generation. Juan had experienced and recognized both the positive and negative aspects of humans through his relationships with his many colleagues, and thought that humanity had great potential. Due to this reason, Juan felt that ultimately the best thing to do would be to leave the fate of the world in human hands¡ªthis was the emperor¡¯s decision, the decision of the person who was full of love and respect for humans. Of course, there weren''t many people who understood his decision. But Juan had thought that at least Dane who taught him everything about humanity would understand his decision even if the others didn¡¯t. Yet Dane betrayed Juan in a way that Juan wanted to deny the most. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that humanity has great potential and that humans should be given a chance to make their own decisions, Dane? I¡¯m sure I made that clear to you,¡± Juan said. ¡°Your Majesty is a human too,¡± Dane answered with a cough. ¡°No. Your Majesty literally defines what a human is.¡± ¡°Dane.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s decision is the decision of a human and a step forward. But Your Majesty doesn¡¯t understand something¡ªyou don¡¯t understand how little this world cares about us nor how tiny the existence of humanity is. Without Your Majesty, humanity as a race would have already gone extinct a long time ago. If Your Majesty continues to lead us, we can even rule this continent¡ªno, this entire planet. Perhaps we can even rule the universe.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t understand what Dane was saying. Juan thought that it might really be like Dane said¡ªthat he was clueless about the way humans thought. Dane might be right about certain things, but one thing was certain. ¡°You went against my will, Dane.¡± ¡°I am well aware of my sins, Your Majesty. But my intent had never been to commit treason¡ªinstead, I was the one who was the most loyal to you, your empire and all of humanity. So please have mercy and¡­¡± ¡°I deprive you of your status as the owner of the magic tower. I also deprive you of the status of an Imperial Grand Magician. All records about you will be banned from the empire¡¯s history and all your research data will be destroyed. You won¡¯t ever be allowed to take even a single grain of wheat from this land, nor should I ever be able to sense your presence around me ever again.¡± Dane wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. But he also sighed in relief¡ªit seemed like he had been spared from the death penalty. ¡°I appreciate you for your generosity, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll be leaving with the baby as soon as¡­¡± But at that moment, Juan reached out and grabbed the baby wrapped in the cloth. Dane¡¯s face instantly turned pale as he remembered Juan¡¯s words that said that he would not be allowed to take even a single grain of wheat out of this land. ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please, I beg you. Please, not the baby! I¡¯ll live the rest of my life quietly, almost like I¡¯m a dead man. I promise to never take a single step toward the empire from beyond the border. Please, just spare the life of the baby!¡± Dane cried. Juan looked at Dane with a sad expression. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that your pleas are not due to compassion or your respect for life, Dane,¡± Juan continued speaking while holding the baby in his arms. ¡°This baby will continue to be safe. But he will never be allowed to find out how he was born, nor will he ever be allowed to find out about his real identity. He will never get to see you again either. Lastly, he won¡¯t be given the mission you wanted him to take on either. This baby will grow up with the same ideas and thoughts as me.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Juan shouted. Those short words that were filled with power was an order and it was like a magic that controlled one¡¯s mind. Dane couldn¡¯t even think about resisting Juan¡¯s words and immediately threw himself somewhere out of the empire as fast as he could. In just an instant, Dane disappeared, almost as if a fire on a candle had been blown out. Juan looked at the spot where Dane had disappeared from without saying a word and then he turned his gaze toward the baby. Juan had never raised a baby, nor did he ever think that he would be raising one. Juan flicked his finger in front of the baby¡¯s eyes, causing the baby to open his eyes wide and laugh upon seeing the small flame on Juan¡¯s fingertip. A strange feeling that Juan had never felt before started to brew inside him. *** Winoa Weaver, the captain of the Imperial Guard, was anxiously waiting for his master to come out of the entrance of the magic tower. The position of the captain of the Imperial Guard, the group which was meant to protect the emperor, was rather embarrassing to Winoa. ¡®Protecting His Majesty? No¡ªit¡¯s more like they are being protected by His Majesty.¡¯ Winoa had often heard such sarcasm countless times, and it was even a joke that even Winoa himself couldn¡¯t really deny. It would be impossible to hurt the emperor even if there were one hundred men like Winoa trying to attack him, and all the guards including Winoa himself knew this. Nevertheless, Winoa loved the position of the captain of the Imperial Guards; it was the only occupation in the empire where it didn¡¯t seem strange to constantly worry about the emperor¡¯s safety. But Winoa¡¯s list of concerns definitely did not include the emperor returning with a baby. Winoa Weaver was extremely perplexed upon seeing the emperor holding a baby in an awkward manner. ¡°Who is that baby, Your Majesty?¡± Winoa asked. ¡°I picked him up on my way.¡± Juan¡¯s calm answer seemed as if he was telling Winoa not to ask any more questions. Winoa sighed and approached the emperor, whom he respected so much, holding the baby. Then Winoa slowly taught Juan how to properly hold onto a baby in his arms. ¡°Babies can not hold their heads straight. You should support their neck with your hands like this.¡± Juan supported the baby¡¯s neck with difficulty, just like Winoa told him to. Then, the baby looked much more comfortable than before. Juan nodded his head; he recalled that Winoa was the father of two sons. ¡°It seems like I will be asking you for a lot of advice in the future, Winoa,¡± Juan said. ¡°Are you planning to raise him, Your Majesty? I can introduce you to a good family that is in need of a child.¡± ¡°I cannot leave him in the hands of others. I¡¯m going to have to raise him on my own.¡± ¡°I understand, Your Majesty. So, what¡¯s the baby¡¯s name?¡± Juan fell into silence. ¡®The baby¡¯s name?¡¯ The fact that he had to come up with a name for the baby was something that Juan hadn¡¯t considered. ¡°Can¡¯t we just call him a baby?¡± Juan asked. ¡°There are many rules to consider when giving someone a name, but the most important one is that the baby shouldn¡¯t be given a name that will cause them to resent you in the future, Your Majesty. The baby will one day become a boy, and the boy will one day become a man. Please keep that in mind,¡± Winoa said. Juan agreed with Winoa. Juan tried to think of anyone who had a good name among the people around him. Then Juan suddenly seemed to have thought of something. Back when he had just been a small child, before he met Dane Dormund, Juan used to have a different name. In the rural village where Juan was born, orphans were named after the valleys and the name of the villages around the area. Juan remembered a girl with whom he had spent his childhood at that time. When Juan was hesitant about leaving the village to become the emperor, she told Juan something with a firm expression. ¡®If you have to fight, then go out and fight. If you end up dying, then I promise to give birth to a baby and give him the same name as yours. Then you will be born again.¡¯ Only after hearing those words could Juan throw away the name he had used until then. And that was how he became the emperor, Juan Calberg Kennosis. Juan recalled his old name and who he used to be¡ªa child of Gain village in the Gerard Valley. ¡°Gain. Let¡¯s call him Gerard Gain.¡± *** Juan opened his eyes only to realize that his eyes were wet with tears upon touching his face. Juan roughly wiped off the tears on his face and looked around. He was inside a dark cave that had a low ceiling. There was a strong scent of the sea breeze. Upon looking at his surroundings, Juan noticed that animal skins and poorly made household goods were everywhere. There was a strong presence of someone who had lived inside the cave up until recently. Juan then looked at his own body. Although he still retained the form of an eighteen-year-old boy, his mana heart was close to being completely empty. All the mana that Juan had struggled to collect had disappeared at once; however, he didn¡¯t feel a sense of loss. Rather, he only had questions about how he was still alive after what had just happened. After seeing that the wounds on his back and chest had been bandaged, Juan got up and headed out of the cave. The sound of the roaring waves could be heard and the sea breeze stirred Juan¡¯s hair. The cave was located on quite a high location and was surrounded by sea in all directions. White coral reefs lined the island, almost filling the entire sea. Upon seeing this sight, Juan instantly realized where this place was. What Juan thought were white coral reefs were actually the bones of a dragon¡ªthe island was made up of dragon bones and located in the far eastern sea, beyond the boundaries of the empire. It was the Kaliduk Archipelago, the cemetery where the dragons met their end. *** [Stop zoning out and come down already if you¡¯ve come to your senses.] At that moment, an unknown voice belonging to a woman was heard. Juan didn¡¯t need to ask the voice where he had to go. If he was in the Kaliduk Archipelago, then there was only one place he had to go to. Juan could roughly guess who was talking to him. Juan could see a slippery road on the hillside¡ªit looked like it had been used countless times. Juan walked down the road and went down the valley. Below the valley were traces of something that had been broken using artificial means and was collapsed by something huge. The floor was flat because the rocks had been crushed under enormous weight. The first thing Juan encountered in the shaded cave located deep inside the valley was a dragon with huge golden scales who was cackling away, as if it found something to be extremely funny. In front of the dragon was a silver-haired woman. [Ah¡­ Who do we have here? Isn¡¯t it the sleepyhead VIP that we¡¯ve been waiting for,] the dragon sarcastically said as Juan approached them. The silver-haired woman soon turned her head when she heard the words coming out of the mouth of the dragon. Juan heaved a huge sigh of relief the moment he saw her face. ¡°Nienna.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Nienna ran over and tightly hugged Juan, lifting him up. Although Juan was taller than he was back in Tantil, his height was still not comparable to Nienna, who was quite tall. With his feet hanging in the air, Juan comforted Nienna by rubbing her back. Juan remembered that Nienna had grabbed his hand at the last minute. Juan had been concerned, since she was nowhere to be found when he opened his eyes, but he never would have thought that she would be talking to a dragon in such a calm manner. The dragon watched Juan and Nienna while licking its wounded right wing¡ªit was the dragon that had appeared alongside Gerard. The wound from being directly struck by Nienna¡¯s spear still remained on its shoulder, but it seemed to have already recovered to some extent. ¡°You two seem to have developed a pretty friendly relationship compared to the last time I saw you guys when you were trying to kill each other,¡± Juan said. Nienna put Juan down on the floor while laughing, almost as if Juan¡¯s words were funny. ¡°It has a funny way of speaking. It speaks as if it''s reading from a book or something,¡± Nienna said. The dragon stretched out its neck and looked closely at Juan. The size of its eyes were much bigger than Juan¡¯s body. But Juan didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare make me have to look up at you, dragon.¡± CH 131 The dragon quietly looked down at Juan, then soon disappeared. After a while, a woman with long golden hair and a curvy figure appeared from beyond the shadow. The colorful dress that revealed her curves seemed to be in a style that was at least from a hundred years ago. ¡°What a dramatic appearance,¡± Juan said. ¡°Pardon me, is it improper to show myself thus? Is the same not true for thy frivolous appearance, unbecoming of thine age?¡± Juan was surprised upon hearing the dragon¡¯s calm response. Although the dragon was acting a little cranky, she seemed completely calm, considering that she was talking to the person who had wiped out her entire race. The fact that the dragon had changed her appearance to that of an elf to have a conversation with Juan was also quite polite of her. But Juan didn¡¯t care about receiving the consideration of the dragon¡ªhis attention was focused elsewhere. ¡°Where¡¯s Gerard?¡± Juan asked. The dragon made an amused expression upon hearing Juan¡¯s question, while Nienna seemed perplexed. Seeing that, Juan couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind such a change in Nienna¡¯s expression. To be exact, it was the current situation that Juan couldn¡¯t understand. Juan clearly remembered being stabbed by Gerard several times. But he was still alive, and most of his wounds had even recovered. On the other hand, Nienna was laughing and having a pleasant conversation with the dragon that she had been so eager to kill before. The situation was so strange that Juan thought he might already be dead and that he was in the afterlife. The only reason he knew that this was not the afterlife was that he had already died once. ¡°He is not hither,¡± the dragon answered. ¡°Stop messing with me, dragon,¡± Juan warned in a low voice. At that moment, Nienna stepped in. ¡°She¡¯s not lying, dad.¡± Juan sighed when he saw Nienna give a helping hand to the dragon. He nodded; he knew that Nienna would have already tried to look for Gerard as soon as she opened her eyes. If Gerard had been here, the atmosphere would have probably been even more intense than it was now. Juan had a feeling that the situation regarding Gerard had already been explained, seeing that the dragon and Nienna were able to talk in such a friendly manner. ¡°It seems like you can¡¯t tell me where he is,¡± Juan said. ¡°I do not speak of things unknown to me, and I know naught but that he is not present hither.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Is the noble emperor asking for the name of such a humble being as myself? What an honor,¡± the dragon said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be the last dragon in this world, so I might as well remember your name.¡± Both Nienna and the dragon knew that Juan¡¯s words represented a threat. The dragon felt her lips twitching. ¡°Dost thou even have the power to kill me?¡± ¡°You can try me if you want.¡± The dragon glanced at Juan. He had lost most of his mana and his injuries were severe. In fact, his current state was extremely bad, to the extent that ordinary people would have already been dead. But his eyes, which were rife with murderous intent, pressured the dragon and made her feel numb. The dragon gave up on provoking Juan anymore. ¡°...I am called Entalucia.¡± ¡°Entalucia. How are you still alive? I thought Gerard exterminated your kind.¡± ¡°Thou knowest it well. Thou shouldst know the answer to thine own question.¡± Even Juan felt that he had asked a silly question upon hearing Entalucia¡¯s answer. ¡®Of course, Gerard was the one who saved her life.¡¯ Juan had ordered the complete eradication of the dragons ever since the beginning of the war against the dragons. There had been only one group of dragons excluded from this command: the Hatchlings that could be tamed. This was because even one dragon staying alive could cause enormous damage to the empire. But the fact that this adult dragon was still alive meant that Gerard had violated Juan¡¯s order long before the tragedy of Arbalde. ¡°So that¡¯s the reason you¡¯re serving Gerard?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Serving? ¡®Tis but association,¡± Entalucia grumbled, as if her pride had been hurt. ¡°He already owed a life to me, his savior; to him, sparing this life of mine amidst the war was the means of repaying his debt. To me, he was but a robber, ravaging mine abode whilst saying that I should be thankful that he let me live, but alas! Times were such that I had little thought to spare for such things as favor and spite. And neither am I one to brood over misdeeds of the past. Thus¡­it wouldst be better said that he and I are comrades who share a goal. Alas that now even such kinship be frayed.¡± Entalucia shrugged. ¡°What made your partnership turn so complicated? What¡¯s your purpose? Assassinating the emperor?¡± ¡°A bell by any other name chimes just as sweetly.¡± Entalucia burst out laughing, her clear voice echoing throughout the valley. ¡°Such a deed as slaying the emperor rang most pleasant to mine ears, but nay! That was not my thought. It was Gerard who thus connived, and not with my knowledge; and it was only when the matter had come to an end that we truly joined forces. Seeing the Hatchlings of the Order of Lindwurm slaughtered before mine eyes, I had sworn vengeance; yet Gerard pledged that he would save one of my kin, be it at the cost of life or limb, and thus he did.¡± ¡®Horhell¡¯s dragon.¡¯ Juan recalled Horhell saying that he was only allowed to keep his dragon on one condition¡ªhe had to betray the Order of Lindwurm, give up his position, and work for Hela. By following these conditions, he had managed to save the dragon¡¯s life, albeit placing numerous restraints on it. ¡°Gerard was involved in that?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I know no better than thee how he did so. Thence, Gerard and I have lived together on this island, observing the East. I, watching the dragon, and he Hela.¡± ¡°Hela? Why?¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°I did not bother asking. But dost it not stand to reason that he did so, since she is his companion?¡± While it was true that Gerard and Hela were supposed to get engaged, their relationship hadn¡¯t been official. This was the only reason why Hela was allowed to keep her life even after the incident where Gerard had assassinated the emperor. Hela later married another man and even had a child with him. Juan figured that Gerard had been watching it all from afar. ¡®That¡¯s probably why he was able to save Hela when she almost died after being thrown off the fortress wall.¡¯ ¡°Then you have no intention of attacking me?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Pray thee, why should I? Indeed, I can easily dispatch the weak and powerless emperor before me. To thine powerful self that I well remember, thou art naught but a grain of sand in the desert,¡± Entalucia replied with a smile. ¡°Yet, I also know that such sand canst verily burn my feet. I saw my own kin desire what they ought not to have, and I saw them thus perish. Mine ill fate with the emperor, let it end hither; for I have never forgotten, nor shall I ever forget the blood shed by my kin.¡± Entalucia saying that she would not forget the blood shed by her kind could be interpreted in two different ways¡ªit meant that she would not forget her grudge, but it could also mean that she would not forget the lesson that she had learned. Regardless, it meant that she had no intention of being hostile toward Juan. And that was enough for Juan to put his guard down. Juan reached his hand out to Entalucia first. The dragon was neither a monster, nor a god; Juan felt that compromising with her was enough. Entalucia looked at Juan, then took his hand. This cleared up the previous history of the emperor and the dragon. Now, all that existed between the two was a new relationship that was completely separate from their past. ¡°Then let me change the question. Why did you bring me here? Isn¡¯t that too much work to simply kill me?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I was only asked for a favor,¡± Entalucia answered. ¡°From Gerard? Where is he right now?¡± ¡°Shouldst thou not better ask that very person? He is thither.¡± Entalucia gestured behind Juan¡¯s back. Behind him stood a stranger who was wrapped in bandages and soaked in seawater, holding a large fish in his hand. *** The stranger brought out a huge pot and put it in front of Juan. The pot appeared to be a part of the collection of items that belonged to the dragon, but it was now filled with a black liquid that was boiling. Juan frowned upon seeing such a large fish being cooked in the soup. Juan had seen all kinds of terrible things in his life, but he felt utterly disgusted by this soup. The stranger then cut off some of the fish in the bowl and handed it over to Juan. ¡°You want me to eat this?¡± Juan asked. ¡°He would not be trying to show thee how fair it is, I presume,¡± Entalucia said as she giggled behind Juan. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat any?¡± Juan asked Entalucia. ¡°Boiled flesh doth not entice me. Thou canst eat however much pleases thee,¡± Entalucia answered. Juan looked at the soup in the bowl. He hadn¡¯t needed to consume any food until now, so he didn¡¯t care too much about the taste. However, he had no choice but to eat something now so that he could maintain his strength and form, since his mana was almost completely drained. Juan closed his eyes and took a sip of the soup with difficulty. Then, he immediately put down the bowl. ¡°Did you boil the seawater as it was?¡± he asked, after a long period of silence. The stranger nodded, causing Juan to show a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Dying due to excessive salt is a slow and painful death. Why didn¡¯t you just stab me to death already? Do you really want to see me die slowly and painfully?¡± At that moment, Entalucia slapped Juan in the back of the head. ¡°I find His Majesty¡¯s remarks rather boorish. Should the host prepare a meal, the guest ought to show uttermost gratitude, whether the food be poison or venom,¡± Entalucia said. ¡°I guess you do not deny the fact that I could die from eating this.¡± ¡°Thus I no longer indulge in such fine cuisine.¡± Nienna also took a sip of the soup, only to quietly put it away with a sour look on her face. She had gone through many hardships in her life on the battlefield, but this soup made by the stranger was hard for even her to handle. It was unknown whether the stranger was offended by the others¡¯ reaction to his food, but he showed no hostility at all. He was not even holding Elkiehl in his hand. In fact, Juan was the only person showing hostility¡ªagainst the soup in the bowl. Juan turned his head and looked at the pot hanging over the bonfire and sighed. He felt complicated at the thought that Elkiehl, the weapon that had almost killed him twice, was being used to cook fish. The stranger approached the bonfire as if he had noticed Juan gazing at Elkiehl. He took the fish skewered by the sword and handed it over to Juan. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t really looking at the fish. But¡­¡± Juan looked at the grilled fish with suspicious eyes; he couldn¡¯t believe that the stranger had actually been using Elkiehl to cook it. He had never once expected that the weapon used to assassinate the emperor would be used as a spit for grilling fish. Although the fish was a little burnt on the outside, it still looked quite delicious, with the oil flowing down the flesh. Juan carefully took a bite of the grilled fish. ¡°...Not bad.¡± The stranger hadn¡¯t reacted when everyone hadn¡¯t liked his soup, but he clearly seemed to be pleased upon seeing Juan enjoy the fish. Meanwhile, Juan felt a strange sense of regret¡ªhe felt that he should have given Gerard a little more advice on cooking instead of just swordsmanship or magic. ¡°To point out the small things, it¡¯s better to get rid of the scales before you grill fish. Also remove the internal organs too,¡± Juan said. Such advice was usually common sense, so Juan felt quite awkward telling all this to the stranger, but his interlocutor eagerly nodded. Juan pondered as he chewed on the fish scales and intestines in his mouth. He assumed that the stranger had been living here for a while. The fact that his cooking skills were so terrible despite him living on an island probably meant that he also didn¡¯t have to consume any food to stay alive, just like Juan. In other words, the stranger had attempted to cook, something that he had never tried in his life, just for Juan, who was no longer able to maintain his form without mana. Juan did not know how to interpret the stranger¡¯s act of kindness. ¡®I guess anyone would be confused if the person who stabbed them several times in the back was the one cooking for them and treating their injuries.¡¯ Juan finished eating the entire fish. While it wasn¡¯t very good, it was certainly better than the soup. The stranger offered Juan another fish, but Juan turned it down; he thought that one fish was enough for him to maintain his form. ¡°Gerard.¡± The stranger stopped moving upon hearing Juan¡¯s voice. Juan looked directly at him. ¡°Unwrap the bandages.¡± The stranger looked at Juan, frozen in place, but Juan didn¡¯t avoid his eyes. Juan could feel the stranger trembling under the bandages. As the stranger didn¡¯t move even after a while, Juan slowly reached his hand out toward the stranger¡¯s face, and he didn¡¯t avoid Juan¡¯s hand. Juan slowly loosened the bandage wrapped around the stranger¡¯s face. He stopped for a moment, but he then continued to unwrap the bandage¡ªonly to be left speechless as the stranger¡¯s face was exposed. ¡°...Who are you?¡± The stranger was a boy who looked a little younger than Juan himself, around fifteen years old. His face and hair were strikingly similar to Gerard¡¯s. He only had a single eye, but this eye was also similar to Gerard¡¯s, to the extent where Juan had mistaken him for Gerard for a second. However, the boy¡¯s left eye socket was so hollow and dark that it was probably more appropriate to call it a simple hole. The wound that had destroyed the eye crossed the boy¡¯s face diagonally, making him look almost as if he was wearing an eye patch. But the boy¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t matter to Juan. He looked closely into the depths of the boy¡¯s soul through his eye. ¡®This boy isn¡¯t Gerard.¡¯ Only then did Juan recall that Entalucia kept using odd expressions to refer to the stranger. He hadn¡¯t known her intentions, but she had succeeded in throwing him off. The boy bowed his head in front of Juan. ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty.¡± There was only one possibility that Juan could think of. He muttered dejectedly, ¡°You are Hela and Gerard¡¯s son.¡± CH 132 Juan recalled Hela telling him that she once had a son, but that he was killed on the battlefield by an arrow. Juan regretted not listening to her story properly. He had a feeling that he didn¡¯t focus on her story properly because he assumed that Hela had married another man. But the truth was that Hela had been pregnant with Gerard¡¯s child even before she married another man. ¡®She must have hurried to get married again to trick everyone.¡¯ It was highly likely that the man who married Hela had known the truth, since Gerard¡¯s relationship with Hela was quite famous in the East. Thanks to Hela¡¯s trick, Gerard¡¯s son was able to survive even after the assassination of the emperor. But Hela¡¯s son was killed by an arrow shot by the rebels. ¡®No, was he really dead?¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t tell if her story had been a trick from the beginning or not. It was clear what would have happened if the empire ever found out that Gerard¡¯s son was still alive, since Gerard¡¯s son would definitely resemble his father as he grew older. ¡°What is your name?¡± Juan asked. ¡°My name is Haild Henna, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®Henna¡­ I guess he had no choice but to follow Hela¡¯s last name.¡¯ While it was the custom of the empire for sons to follow the family name of their father and daughters to follow the family name of their mother, it was not a hard tradition that had to be followed. Juan understood that Haild couldn¡¯t use Gain as his last name, since he had to hide the fact that he was Gerard¡¯s son. Juan wondered if Hela had hesitated before giving Haild her last name rather than the last name of the man she married. ¡°I had thought you were dead.¡± ¡°It is true that I was pierced by an arrow. This eye is the result of what happened back then,¡± Haild said as he pointed toward his hollow eye that resembled a dark hole. ¡°That¡¯s when my eye was encroached upon by the Crack. I also thought that I was dead. But my father, who I had never seen before, was in front of me when I woke up. He told me that the arrow that pierced me was intentionally shot from inside the Crack, so he had to stop my growth in order to stop the encroachment of the Crack.¡± ¡®Father, huh.¡¯ Juan gulped with difficulty. After a moment of silence, Juan opened his mouth. ¡°Where¡¯s Gerard right now?¡± Haild hesitated to answer, but Juan patiently waited for him to open his mouth. ¡°He suddenly disappeared a few years ago. He left all of his belongings and disappeared without any word of whether he will come back. I tried to look for him everywhere, but couldn¡¯t even find a single trace of him,¡± Haild answered. ¡°Then were you the one who appeared in Hiveden?¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you reveal your identity until now?¡± Haild looked perplexed upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. He continued to answer with his head down. ¡°My father taught me how to use swords and how to deal with the Crack, including how to prevent the encroachment of the Crack from deepening. Out of everything, the thing my father taught me with the most zeal was teaching me what to do when ¡®he¡¯ appeared one day. I couldn¡¯t wander around the empire looking like this until then. Furthermore, I couldn¡¯t go and see my mother after learning who my father was,¡± Haild said as he touched the hole that was his left eye. ¡°When I felt that tremendous power back in Hiveden, I realized that ¡®he,¡¯ the person that my father taught me about, had finally appeared. But I had to approach him carefully.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°My father had told me that there will be two possible situations with ¡®his¡¯ appearance. One was that ¡®he¡¯ was the emperor. And the other was¡­¡± Haild looked straight at Juan. ¡°¡­the possibility that ¡®he¡¯ is a monster.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Juan smiled faintly. Gerard¡¯s assumptions did not seem to be wrong either way. If anyone put the existence and the concerns of the current empire as their priority, Juan really might be closer to a monster rather than the emperor. But ironically, it was Gerard himself who turned Juan, who used to be the emperor, into the monster he was today. Haild quickly continued to speak. ¡°Of course, I no longer have any doubts about Your Majesty now. I¡¯ve watched Your Majesty from afar for a long time, and I think Your Majesty has proven himself enough. In fact, I was planning to show myself before you after some more time, but I ended up meeting you all of a sudden like this.¡± ¡°You were planning to visit me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I knew what I had to do once it became clear to me that Your Majesty was indeed the ¡®emperor.¡¯¡± Juan glanced back at Elkiehl upon hearing Haild¡¯s words. ¡°Does that include stabbing me in the back with a sword?¡± Haild looked visibly perplexed as he waved his hand in denial. ¡°I know that there was room for misunderstanding, but the situation back then wasn¡¯t one where I could explain everything; I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I dragged all the junk inside Your Majesty¡¯s body into the Crack. And¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°...I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that Your Majesty had been contaminated by the Crack.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then tell me, what would have happened if I had turned out to be a ¡®monster¡¯? What would you have done then?¡± Haild was speechless. His silence alone answered Juan¡¯s question. Not only had Gerard directly stabbed Juan in the back, but he had also passed on his sin to his son. Haild had shown him that he had no intention of killing Juan. However, Juan felt very uncomfortable leaving his fate in the hands of another. Such discomfort wasn¡¯t something that could simply be tolerated. ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t know about the ¡®monster,¡¯¡± Haild managed to speak out an answer with difficulty after a long period of silence. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the ¡®monster¡¯?¡± ¡°My father talked about the possibility that Your Majesty is not the ¡®emperor,¡¯ but a monster called ¡®Qzatquizail,¡® a monster that will split the world in half and cause destruction. The word ¡®monster¡¯ is not just a metaphor when describing it. It is something that will really bring about the end of the world,¡± Haild explained. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a few times about that Qzatquizail before. Is that why Gerard stabbed me? What even is that thing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why my father stabbed Your Majesty. And about Qzatquizail¡­ everything I told you is all that I know as well. All I know is that the Thornbush Priest Organization worships him, and he is the one who created the Crack.¡± Juan glared at Haild. The black hole in Haild¡¯s left eye bothered Juan; it, too, had the mark of the Crack. The depths of the Crack were not measurable, and Juan wondered if the Crack had encroached deeper than Haild¡¯s eye, all the way into his brain. Juan shook his head to push such thoughts out of his head; Juan knew that once he began to doubt one thing, he would eventually end up doubting everything. But that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he would trust everything that Haild had said. ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± Juan asked. Without any hesitation, Haild lifted up Elkiehl with both his hands and showed it to Juan. ¡°My father left this for me. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Elkiehl before, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I have. I was told that it has the power to destroy everything, including curses and those that are physically untouchable.¡± ¡°While that is true as well, my father was more focused on one other effect of Elkiehl.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± Haild spoke with firm eyes. ¡°Elkiehl is almost certainly the only way to completely destroy the Crack.¡± *** Juan looked at the setting sun from atop the skull of a dragon. The flesh of the unknown dragon had already rotted and disappeared a long time ago, leaving behind only white bones. The area around the island was sandy, with pieces worn out from the dragon bones lying around. No matter how hard the bones of a dragon were, the years of rough waves hitting against the bones had turned them into fine sand. Juan felt that it was a pity that he was never given the time for his hurt feelings to be broken down like the dragon¡¯s bones. ¡°Dad.¡± Nienna¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°I know that your thoughts are all over the place and can¡¯t be easily organized. But¡­¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Juan asked. ¡°What?¡± Juan picked up a piece of dragon bone and threw it into the sea. ¡°About what that little boy said,¡± Juan muttered. ¡°That you might be the ¡®monster¡¯ that will destroy the world? I mean¡­ that can be true for anyone that is strong enough, isn¡¯t it? Even I could destroy the empire if I aimed to do that rather than dominating it. Such a prediction is the murmur of the gloomy and sympathetic losers stuck in the corner of their dark room.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think what the kid was saying was only related to the empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even a big deal in the eyes of ordinary people. To everyone, the world was going to end soon when you got stabbed to death, dad. But look. Everything is fine, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t that what life is all about anyway?¡± ¡°I think the kid has a point.¡± Nienna looked at Juan with suspicious eyes. ¡°Listen. Dad. I respect you, but don¡¯t you think you are overestimating yourself a little too much? Even I¡¯ve stopped thinking that I could dangerous enough to destroy the whole world ever since I was fifteen¡ªI humbly accept that at most I could be dangerous enough to destroy the empire, but not the whole world.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ve heard of the name Qzatquizail before,¡± Juan said. ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details, but I know there¡¯s something in the Crack that they serve and worship¡ªsomething that will split the world and destroy everything, blah blah blah. If such a monster did exist for real, the empire would have been destroyed a long time ago. Even gods wouldn¡¯t be a match for it.¡± ¡°If I really am that monster, maybe I deserve to be stabbed in the back.¡± Nienna frowned. ¡°Dad¡­¡± ¡°Do you think that was why Gerard tried to kill me?¡± Juan had asked Haild about the reason why Gerard had tried to kill him. But Haild only said that he didn¡¯t know anything and that his father had refused to answer him as well. Nienna snorted. ¡°If his reasons could be so easily justified, why would he have kept it all a secret? He would have probably told me first if you were something related to the Crack¡ªand I would have been the one to stab you in the back. It would have been hard for Gerard to find an ally as strong as me when it comes to dealing with the Crack.¡± ¡°...I guess that¡¯s true. But you two didn¡¯t really get along very well.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t believe me, then trust my eyes. Besides, you know nothing about the Crack, dad. If you really turn out to be a monster of the Crack, then I will make sure to end your life without pain.¡± ¡°I wish I could go back to the past and teach you again, this time spending a little more effort in teaching you manners. I should have listened to Harmon when he emphasized educating the children on manners and etiquette. Day by day, I am regretting being negligent about the things Harmon told me to do more and more..¡± ¡°Killing you with courtesy and manners won¡¯t change anything, dad. Everyone looks like shit when they die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Anyway, thanks for saying all that.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°What do you think I should do? I have no idea where my son who killed me has disappeared to, and my son¡¯s son is the only one that¡¯s here. To be honest, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯d do if I were to meet Gerard. I thought I¡¯d know when I got to meet him. But now¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s your grandson, dad.¡± Juan closed his mouth. He was avoiding the use of the word ¡®grandson¡¯ on purpose. ¡°To be upfront with you, that¡¯s the only grandchild you¡¯ll ever have. I totally forgot about this, but Dismas, that maniac declared celibacy for life and became a Priest after you were stabbed. I¡¯m rooting for you, but I don¡¯t want you to encounter that lunatic. And Ras¡­ didn¡¯t really have a chance to have a child. So that boy¡­ is my only nephew.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s been encroached upon by the crack. Is that okay with you?¡± Juan asked. ¡°There are many people around me who have been encroached upon by the Crack, but are suppressing it. Besides, you heard what the kid said about Elkiehl¡ªit¡¯s the only way to get rid of the Crack for good,¡± Nienna twisted her lips. ¡°It¡¯s hard to trust him just yet, but I think his words are reasonable. From what I remember, Gerard was frantically looking for a way to get rid of the Crack. If he found the way to get rid of the Crack at the end¡­ I don¡¯t know. To be honest with you, it¡¯s hard for me to disregard that boy¡¯s words.¡± Juan looked back at Nienna. Her lips were trembling. ¡°Dad. I¡¯ve been doing absolutely everything I could do to prevent the Crack from contaminating the empire. But how do you think I¡¯d feel to hear that there is a way to get rid of the Crack? And what if it had a pretty convincing basis?¡± ¡°Haild can¡¯t even get rid of the encroachment of the Crack in his eye. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°If we can remove any contamination by the Crack in the earlier stages, where it has not eroded too deeply into one¡¯s mind, that alone is enough. I wouldn¡¯t have had to execute so many of my people if that had been possible. Of course, we are not fully sure about this use of Elkiehl just yet, and there¡¯s a lot that we need to find out. But¡­¡± ¡°It is a concept that¡¯s hard to get used to.¡± Excluding all abstract expressions, Elkiehl was an object that could eliminate ¡®anything.¡¯ Juan nodded as he thought that it would have been easy for Gerard to kill him with such an object. Although Juan had been revived for unknown reasons, it was true that Juan had died by Elkiehl. In other words, Gerard really tried to kill Juan. But Haild¡¯s existence was constantly making Juan¡¯s conclusion even more complicated. ¡°Well, the matter of your grandson definitely is a problem that¡¯s hard to look over. I wish I could use Elkiehl to split you from the emperor and Gerard from the traitor.¡± Juan smiled upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words. Despite Elkiehl having the ability to cut even abstract concepts, it would be impossible to alter such a social relationship. Juan¡¯s expression hardened for a moment, and Nienna grew perplexed when she saw his face. ¡°Um, dad? I was only joking. If such a thing was possible with Elkiehl, Gerard would be wandering around the empire without any problems.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re only joking. Stop saying silly things.¡± Juan snapped at Nienna as if he thought she was being ridiculous, then jumped off the dragon¡¯s skull to head to the valley. Inside the valley was Halid still waiting for an answer from Juan. ¡°Haild,¡± Juan said. Haild flinched and raised his head. Juan glared at Haild and continued speaking. ¡°What your father did is unforgivable. But fortunately, your father was given a second chance from the man he stabbed to death by him coming back to life. So let me tell you a way to convince me.¡± Haild looked up at Juan with hopeful eyes. Juan looked into Haild¡¯s eye and whispered. ¡°The only person who can forgive Gerard is the emperor.¡± ¡°...Your Majesty?¡± ¡°The emperor must return for Gerard to be forgiven. Tell me with your own mouth what the ¡®emperor¡¯ should do to return.¡± CH 133 The next morning, Nienna, Haild, and Juan came out to the beach that was made up of the bones of dragons. ¡°Are you actually going to do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time anyway.¡± Juan was sitting on the sandy beach with his back turned toward Haild, who was looking down at him nervously. Nienna chewed on her nails, feeling half worried and half nervous. ¡°I understand that we gotta do what we gotta do, but it makes me feel uncomfortable to see you get stabbed again by the weapon that killed you. There¡¯s gotta be other ways to make you stronger, you know,¡± Nienna said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me that I have to do more than just simply winning against Barth Baltic in a fight. You told me that I should step on him like he¡¯s an ant and crush him.¡± ¡°...I guess I did.¡± Juan looked back at Haild. ¡°You said I can gain strength by doing what you told me to do, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. To put it bluntly, you can regain your original strength,¡± Haild swallowed a gulp. ¡°There¡¯s a thing called the ¡®crown¡¯ inside Your Majesty, and that¡¯s the thing you saw back in Durgal. I don¡¯t know what it is exactly, but the Thornbush Priest Organization has been frantically searching for it. They thought that my father¡­ I mean Gerard, had the crown with him until now, but it was confirmed that it is still within Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°We must bring out the power of the crown.¡± Juan stroked his chin with an unpleasant look on his face. ¡°I remember the state I was in when the crown appeared back in Durgal. At that time, I was completely out of control and had lost consciousness.¡± ¡°And Your Majesty will once again be put in a similar situation this time. But Elkiehl and I are here with you this time.¡± Juan looked at the black blade which absorbed even the sunlight. The matte blade with no luster was giving off an ominous aura that made Juan feel suspicious on whether or not he should trust such a suspicious item. ¡°Even if Your Majesty loses your mind, we can force the crown back in as long as we have Elkiehl. All Your Majesty has to do is try to control the power of the crown while trying to maintain consciousness. If you can handle even a small portion of that power, it will be much more useful than using the mana of trivial beings.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous?¡± Nienna intervened in the conversation. Haild looked at Nienna silently. ¡°It is. It¡¯s very dangerous, and that¡¯s why we are doing it on this island. This island is very far from the empire, so there¡¯s no need to worry about harming any of the civilians. The whole process will also be very harsh on His Majesty until he learns to properly control the power of the crown¡ªboth physically and mentally.¡± Juan stared at Haild. ¡°How much strength do you think I¡¯ll be able to regain if I could completely handle the power of the crown? Will I be as strong as I used to be as the emperor?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Your Majesty, you don¡¯t seem to understand this very well,¡± Haild spoke with a serious face. ¡°The crown is a huge dam and Your Majesty is kind of like a gate that lets the water escape. Of course, the gate is closed at the moment, but Your Majesty used to be able to let the water flow in large amounts. For your information, it is impossible to completely handle the crown.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting metaphor, Haild,¡± Juan smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Haild nodded. After looking at Nienna for a while, Haild carefully stabbed Elkiehl into Juan¡¯s back. *** Juan opened his eyes. Feeling his head that was throbbing due to the heat, Juan realized that the sun was setting. Juan managed to turn his head despite the extreme fatigue that could almost melt him. It seemed like a long time had passed, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything about what had happened after he was stabbed. Juan wondered if this is what a hangover that he had never experienced before would feel like. Although Juan had no memory, seeing the situation around him was enough to show him what he had done while he was unconscious. The sandy beach which was filled with dragon bones that were burnt and blackened, and Nienna¡¯s ice spears were scattered everywhere, making quite a mess. Juan blinked, seeing some parts of the island burning as a consequence. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡®If this pain is close to what a hangover feels like, should I consider myself to be drunk right now?¡¯ Juan tried to raise himself up while thinking ridiculous thoughts, but soon realized that his hands and feet were pierced through by ice spears. But Juan was so exhausted that he had no energy left to melt the ice. ¡°Dad?¡± At that moment, Nienna¡¯s nervous voice was heard from the side. When Juan turned his head, he saw Nienna, who was heavily armed and in a combat posture, aiming an ice spear toward him. Behind Nienna was a half-melted Fenrir that was breaking down and scattering away. Nienna had a fed-up look on her face and asked once again. ¡°Is that really you, dad?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Nienna let out a sigh of relief, lowering the tip of her ice spear. ¡°It seems like the whole process took quite a while. I didn¡¯t expect it to take the whole day,¡± Juan said. ¡°The whole day?¡± Nienna laughed, almost as if she was dumbfounded. Then Nienna pulled out the ice spears pierced through Juan¡¯s limbs one by one. ¡°Today was the third day. Haild, Entalucia and I haven¡¯t slept for three days and nights, all to fight against you.¡± Juan was taken aback by the unexpected words coming out of Nienna¡¯s mouth. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just glad that you didn¡¯t try to escape the island. If you did¡­¡± Nienna shook her head and shuddered; she didn''t even want to imagine what would have happened. Then Juan heard the sound of huge wings flapping in the air. Soon, Entalucia landed on the sandy beach. The water dripping down from her huge body implied that she had been somewhere deep in the sea, and Haild who got off of Entalucia was also soaked in seawater. Haild could barely open his mouth to speak with an exhausted expression. ¡°...It seems like you¡¯re finally back, Your Majesty. Thank goodness.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Aunt Nienna finally succeeded in restraining Your Majesty¡¯s hands and feet, and then I forced the crown back in with the help of Elkiehl. At that moment, Entalucia and I were thrown into the sea by a roar from Your Majesty.¡± Juan assumed that Haild and Entalucia must have been thrown quite far, considering that the sea they fell into was deep enough for an entire dragon who was hundreds of meters tall to drown. Juan looked at Haild as if he was dumbfounded and spoke. ¡°I thought you said you could get me under control as long as you had Elkiehl with you? Actually, while we are at it, this time was quite different from back when I was in Durgal. Back then, I was somewhat conscious and Swallan told me that you were able to restrain me with ease.¡± Haild also made an awkward expression as if it was difficult for him to explain. ¡°I think it¡¯s because of Elkiehl.¡± ¡°How is Elkiehl responsible for it now?¡± ¡°Back then, the crown was forcibly drawn out through the power of spells and prayers that only the Priests of Thornbush Priest Organization can use. The fact that Your Majesty¡¯s consciousness was at its peak due to the heat of the battle should also have contributed to you remaining somewhat conscious when the crown was drawn out. But it seems like Your Majesty¡¯s consciousness was instantly taken over this time, since the crown was taken out through Elkiehl in a completely stable state.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why this mess happened?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Maybe we should¡­ think of a better way that causes less harm. My father and I had only prepared this theoretically, so¡­ Another way to make this work is to use a spell. But that might attract the attention of the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization¡­ before that, maybe I should¡­¡± Haild stumbled and fell on the sand. ¡°...I need to take a nap¡­¡± Haild started snoring even before he finished speaking. Meanwhile, Juan looked at Haild with a dumbfounded smile. ¡®How defenseless.¡¯ Nienna sighed, recalling all the ice spears and the Fenrir she had summoned. ¡°So? How was it?¡± Juan asked Nienna. ¡°Terrible. It was so terrible that I highly doubt I will ever be able to kill you even if you were a monster of the Crack,¡± Nienna said with a shudder. Such words could almost count as a praise from Nienna. ¡°Right from the very first day, I tried to restrain your limbs with Oberon. But far from being able to restrain you, Oberon even immediately vaporized and disappeared as soon as it approached you. I tried to shroud myself in ice to protect myself as much as I could and get closer to you, but I could never get close to you. Even the sandy beach that we walked around on the first day melted down and turned into glass, so you can look around at it later if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°Walked around?¡± ¡°Yes. We were all exhausted from trying to get you back under control, but you just walked around the beach as if you were out strolling on a sandy beach. You looked like a kid who has never been on a beach before. Then, the second day was even worse. You were running all over the place and setting everything on fire. The heat was a little less intense compared to the first day, but there was no way for us to put out all the flames. Haild and I almost died several times.¡± ¡°Did I try to kill you guys?¡± ¡°No. And, that was a little strange. You didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of attacking us. You were just running toward us¡­ But you know, we wouldn¡¯t even be left with ashes if you had hugged us like that. Haild tried to take advantage of you running toward us to force the crown back in with Elkiehl, but he wasn¡¯t confident enough to withstand the heat,¡± NIenna sighed. ¡°Finally, on the third day, around the evening, your movements started becoming much slower and the flames died down enough to the point where I could stop you using Oberon. Maybe you were tired or something. I stabbed you with Oberon and Haild forced the crown back inside you, since that would be our only opportunity. Then the crown exploded so we thought that Haild was going to die. But, it turned out that the crown hadn¡¯t exploded¡ªit had simply bounced off.¡± Juan remained silent. Nienna then examined the wounds on the back of Juan¡¯s hands¡ªalthough it was slow, they were slowly but surely recovering. Juan also noticed that his back which had been stabbed by Haild had already healed. ¡°Dad. Your mana¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I got a small amount of my mana back.¡± Quite a large amount of mana had filled Juan during the time when the crown was drawn out, and it was what filled him with almost the same amount of mana he had after he absorbed Talter. ¡®Not bad. This is much more than I had expected.¡¯ Juan muttered, thinking that it was a relief that Haild was asleep. ¡°The ¡®dam¡¯ is much bigger than I thought.¡± But Juan couldn¡¯t be satisfied. His purpose was to learn how to completely control the crown¡ªhe didn¡¯t intend to be satisfied with just a cup of water leaking from the dam. *** Haild spoke firmly on the next day. ¡°Let¡¯s do it in a slightly different manner this time.¡± Neither Nienna nor Haild wanted to repeat what they had to do in the past few days. They were safe thanks to Juan not being hostile toward them, but no one knew what would happen if Juan lost consciousness again. ¡°I¡¯m going to try recreating an environment that¡¯s somewhat similar to what you encountered in Durgal and see what happens. I¡¯ll use both the spell and Elkiehl to have a duel with Your Majesty. I¡¯m hoping that Your Majesty will stay conscious while the crown is drawn out, since your consciousness seems to heighten during combat,¡± Haild explained. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°A duel, eh?¡± Juan asked with an interested look. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. While Aunt Nienna and Your Majesty are fighting, I will try to draw out the crown with Elkiehl¡­¡± ¡°No. Do exactly what you did the last time.¡± ¡°Pardon? But that¡¯s too dangerous. If Your Majesty loses consciousness again¡­¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work last time because I didn¡¯t expect things to go in such a different direction from what happened in Durgal. If it¡¯s just a matter of how much I concentrate, I¡¯m sure that I can handle it. Just do it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Do it. The fact that I¡¯m swayed by such an unknown item is so annoying that I want to split my skull and pull it out.¡± Seeing Juan''s firm attitude, Haild looked back at Nienna with a concerned look on his face. Nienna sighed and summoned Fenrir, preparing herself as much as she could for the upcoming duel. The sea froze white, and hundreds of ice spears were aimed toward Juan. Directly accepting Nienna¡¯s murderous intent, Juan calmly sat down on the sandy beach. Haild looked down at the back of Juan¡¯s head and hesitated to take out Elkiehl. Tension filled the atmosphere around the sandy beach. ¡°Here we go.¡± Just like he did last time, Haild stabbed Juan¡¯s back with Elkiehl. CH 134 Flames started soaring above Juan¡¯s head. Haild immediately pulled Elkiehl out and stepped back upon seeing the flames. Just like what had happened a few days ago, the flames fluttered in columns and took the form of an enormous horn. Halid widened the distance between himself and Juan as soon as he could, but the back of his hand still ended up becoming red due to the burning heat. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Haild cried out impatiently. But Juan stood still without answering Haild. Only then did Haild realize that Juan¡¯s arms were twitching as if he was convulsing. Juan gritted his teeth in pain; it felt like his brain was melting due to the heat. It wasn¡¯t long before his teeth cracked with a terrible sound and blood flowed down his cheeks. After that, even the blood running down his cheek started burning with red smoke. Juan felt as if someone had thrusted red hot iron inside his head. The pain he was feeling was beyond anything anyone could ever imagine. What he felt couldn¡¯t simply be described as pain¡ªthe flames were burning fiercely, as if it was to burn Juan¡¯s soul and nerves to make him lose his mind. Juan groaned and clenched his teeth even harder as he attempted to bear the pain. He thought that it was rather fortunate that his teeth cracked and broke earlier, since that meant that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about biting his tongue. The muscles throughout Juan¡¯s entire body began to swell and rip apart. It was clear that his body would break down and turn into a powder even before he was burned to death at this rate. Haild, who was watching the sight, could not believe his eyes. ¡®Is he actually controlling the crown?¡¯ Haild was doubtful about what was going on, and Nienna stood beside him with her mouth wide open. ¡°Haild. Is he really okay? No matter how I look at him¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in a good condition.¡± ¡°The fact that he is not freaking out or turning everything around him into ashes means that he¡¯s okay. Besides, he is restraining himself. If that¡¯s the case, his condition may actually be¡­¡± At that moment, Haild closed his mouth as Juan screamed and shook his body. At the same time as Juan let out a scream, his right arm shattered and scattered everywhere. Nienna¡¯s face turned pale upon seeing such a sight. Juan shivered with his back bent over. His consciousness was only narrowly maintained, as if he had tied a huge ship with only one extremely taut thread. Juan had almost lost consciousness several times, but his desire to find out about Gerard¡¯s intentions paradoxically allowed him to remain sane. ¡®Was it because of this crown that Gerard decided to stab me in the back? And did Gerard really think that I could handle this?¡¯ Juan concentrated on the crown. The crown was still burning as furiously as ever above his head. Then Juan wondered if the pain would be less if he were to transfer the heat concentrated on his head elsewhere. He couldn¡¯t be sure if it would work or not, but figured that it should be no different from controlling his mana. Crack! Nienna and Haild, who were observing Juan in silence, inadvertently found something strange¡ªthe flames which had been soaring above Juan¡¯s head in the form of a horn began to spread from Juan¡¯s forehead, almost as if they were taking root. The flame first invaded Juan¡¯s eyes, quickly burning his eyeballs. The ashes then scattered with a terrible sound and flames burst out of Juan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Shit!¡± Nienna tried to run toward Juan, but Haild quickly stopped her. ¡°Aunt, please stay still!¡± ¡°Does that look normal to you? Dad¡¯s body never burns in fire! That means that his body is not functioning properly!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what process the crown uses to calm down. I¡¯m not too sure whether everything is properly progressing right now, but His Majesty will recover once he loses consciousness. On the other hand, you won¡¯t be able to stay safe if you approached him so recklessly right now!¡± Haild was right, but it was hard to Nienna to stay still and look at Juan suffer. Nienna nervously chewed on her nails as she looked at Juan. ¡°I will hold you responsible if anything happens to dad,¡± Nienna warned. ¡°What if His Majesty gets completely taken over by the crown?¡± The flames from the crown began to intertwine with Juan¡¯s body like roots. Juan¡¯s skin burned down at every spot where the flames passed by. Juan¡¯s face looked no different from a fireball. Almost his entire face including his eyes, nose, and mouth was emitting flames, to the point that his face looked like charcoal due to bright flames. Juan¡¯s body, which had been twitching, almost as if he was suffering from convulsions, was no longer showing any movements now. The flames of the crown engulfed Juan, almost as if it was trying to encroach upon him. Nienna realized that the flames were flowing along Juan¡¯s blood vessels. The moment the flames reached his amputated right arm, they spread themselves as if there were blood vessels in the place of his non-existent arm. It continued getting hotter and hotter as the crown slowly encroached upon Juan. Nienna stepped back; she could no longer withstand the heat despite being quite far away from Juan. The same was true of Haild. Juan was now burning almost like a piece of wood and his blackened skin split in half, flashing the heat inside. ¡°How does it look?¡± Nienna asked. But Haild couldn¡¯t answer her; even he had no idea what was going on. Everything happening right now was out of his expectations. At that moment, Juan¡¯s left arm, which had still been intact, exploded and turned into ashes with a loud bang. Black ashes flew away in the heat, scattering all over the white sand. After that, a series of thunderous bangs rang out one after the other, and Juan lost balance and fell flat onto the white sand. Juan¡¯s body slowly turned into ashes and helplessly scattered away. The sound of his body crumbling down and scattering was quite gruesome. ¡°Dad!¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Nienna grit her teeth and quickly sent her ice spears toward Juan. Hundreds of ice spears were vaporized in just an instant, releasing huge amounts of steam. Even the steam that was being emitted was so hot that it could easily scald Nienna and Haild. While Nienna¡¯s view wasn¡¯t clear due to the steam, she didn¡¯t stop. Haild had no choice but to admit that the current situation was completely unexpected. ¡°Aunt, stay back!¡± Haild picked up Elkiehl and stabbed it into the steam. At that moment, the steam was scattering in a round shape, slowly allowing Nienna and Haild to regain their vision. The intense heat had also cooled down a little, thanks to Nienna¡¯s ice spears. But it was still quite hot. Haild felt his hands starting to deform due to heat, but he continued to put strength into his hand which was stabbing Elkiehl in the steam. Then he witnessed something unbelievable inside the steam¡ªJuan¡¯s body had turned into ashes and scattered away, but the crown was still at the spot where Juan had been standing, burning furiously. *** Juan had no eyes, but he could still ¡®see¡¯. He had no brain, but he could still ¡®think¡¯. Juan recalled the time when an unknown power was poured into him back in Hiveden. This was quite similar to that time¡ªbut unlike that time, Juan could still feel his body. The blazing flames themselves were Juan. He thought that he had experienced the same condition, even long before Hiveden. When he had just been revived as a scrawny boy, this was exactly how he had looked like. The only difference compared to back then was that he was conscious now. Juan realized that the crown was certainly related to his resurrection. The power fluctuating in the crown was enormous. Juan felt that he could easily burn down the entire empire in his current state. He could feel the amount of power that lay inside the crown. Upon feeling the amount of power inside the crown, he realized just how reckless he had been and how lucky he was to be able to survive from the last time he summoned the crown. Juan carefully moved his body that was made up of flames. His body felt very comfortable and light, without the slightest pain; one could only feel pain if they had a physical form. Most of his human needs had also disappeared. Being able to sense the surrounding environment was a system that consisted of rewards and punishments, and it was designed for the sake of survival. But Juan was now free from such matters and had no reason to feel such unnecessary things. However, Juan felt quite displeased for a moment. ¡®This is no different from being a god.¡¯ Juan preferred having a physical form. He liked to touch, feel, eat, sleep, laugh out loud and even feel pain. He hadn¡¯t felt any particular pleasure from any of it until now, but now he desperately wanted them more than ever. Then he got his body back. *** Juan slowly looked up. It seemed that his eye level was slightly higher than before. Juan looked at his own hands and examined his own condition. His skin was slightly pale, but it was clean and soft, almost as if he was a newborn baby. He had also gotten a little more muscular. His hair had also grown longer, reaching down to his shoulders. All in all, he looked to be around twenty years of age; Juan seemed to have grown a little older compared to before the crown was summoned. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to grow older.¡¯ At that moment, Juan stepped over something as he slightly moved¡ªthey were ashes. Juan realized that the ashes were from his old body. This was the first time that his original body remained after his new body had been reconstructed. This hinted at the fact that the scale of body reconstruction this time around was quite different compared to previous times. ¡®Rebirth¡¯ would be a better word than ¡®reconstruction of the body.¡¯ More mana than ever was flowing inside his body. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Juan could see Haild and Nienna hastily running toward him. Nienna hesitated for a moment upon seeing the growth of Juan¡¯s body, but she immediately took off her furry cloak and wrapped it around Juan. ¡°What happened? Are you able to control the crown now?¡± Haild asked. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know what happened. It seems like I am able to handle the crown better now, since my body was reconstructed right before my old body and soul turned into ashes. It¡¯s hard to explain in detail, but¡­ Hm. I can feel that my body is filled with the clean and pure power of fire,¡± Juan said. ¡°As much as before you died?¡± Nienna asked with delight. ¡°Not to that extent. But¡­ I can put this power to good use.¡± Haild made a disappointed expression. Juan inadvertently thought that his definition and Haild¡¯s definition of ¡®good use¡¯ might be slightly different from each other, but he didn¡¯t bother to point it out. ¡°Do you think you¡¯d be able to summon the crown again?¡± Juan nodded upon hearing Haild¡¯s question. ¡°Maybe. However, I don¡¯t want to go through that again.¡± Juan realized that Haild¡¯s use of the metaphor was correct. If the crown was a huge amount of water stored in the dam, Juan himself was the dam gate. The act of inserting Elkiehl inside Juan was like making a hole in the dam. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯d like to check some things a few more times in the future. While I do think that what aunt Nienna and I saw is enough to make some assumptions about the crown, it would be hard to confront the Crack until you can take full control of the crown,¡± Haild said. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to do it if I have to. I¡¯m sure it will be easier the third time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain this situation other than saying that¡­ it¡¯s a miracle. I can¡¯t believe that you learned how to control the crown even the slightest bit in just two attempts. It¡¯s a completely different result compared to the information I had collected about the crown before. I thought it would take at least another year,¡± Haild said. ¡°That¡¯s His Majesty. He¡¯s a genius at anything he does,¡± Nienna proudly said. Haild nodded at Nienna¡¯s reply. ¡°Genius¡­ surely it would be impossible otherwise. I feel like he was created to be perfect at everything he does rather than simply being a genius¡­¡± ¡°Haild, don¡¯t say such cheeky things,¡± Nienna shot back upon hearing Haild¡¯s mutterings, almost as if she was warning him. Haild quickly bowed his head. ¡°My apologies. I didn¡¯t think much before I spoke just now. I got a little too excited because everything went against my expectations.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Thanks to you, my plan has been expedited,¡± Juan said as he clenched his hands. ¡®Gerard. If you¡¯re alive, I want to give you a taste of this sea of fire.¡¯ Juan promised himself that he would make such happen. His lovely son had to be punished. CH 135 ¡°I intend to approach this from a different perspective starting from now.¡± The next morning, Haild said solemnly as he put down the pot. Juan also made a firm expression and glared at the pot upon smelling what was inside the pot. ¡°Are you saying that you will do everything you can to help me better handle the crown? It seems like you¡¯ve created something using the tricks and methods of the Crack. All right. I¡¯ve already decided that I will try my best to do whatever I can. Go on and open the pot. I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Huh? No, this is just breakfast.¡± Both Juan and Nienna looked shocked upon hearing Haild¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re pretty harsh with the way you are training me. Is this supposed to help me avoid getting poisoned?¡± Juan asked. ¡°No, I already told you. This is just breakfast.¡± Haild opened the lid of the pot, causing the faces of both Juan and Nienna to become further distorted. ¡°Breakfast? Are you sure this isn¡¯t just an offering meant to be placed on the altar of the evil sea god?¡± Juan asked. ¡°There must be a line somewhere in the Church¡¯s doctrine that prohibits one from eating such dishes under the name of the emperor, dad,¡± Nienna said. ¡°If there isn¡¯t one, I¡¯ll add that line myself. It will be one more reason to discipline those bastards of the Church for their negligence.¡± ¡°I know that you two aren¡¯t familiar with seafood, since you¡¯re both from inland, but your comments are a little hurtful,¡± Haild said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to it, Haild. Why do you eat this if it¡¯s not for the purpose of training?¡± Juan asked. ¡°What do you mean ¡®why¡¯? It¡¯s obviously because I get hungry if I don¡¯t eat.¡± Juan and Nienna looked at each other. Juan could easily recreate his body using mana, and Nienna had also reached the point of having to eat only once or twice a week to maintain her condition. But Haild¡¯s case seemed to be quite different. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that you cook often?¡± ¡°Of course. Doesn¡¯t it make sense?¡± ¡°You have been cooking for a few decades?¡± ¡°Huh? I mean, yes. To be honest, cooking is rather enjoyable for me. But as you can see, this island is not the best place to get ingredients and spices that are needed for cooking¡­¡± Juan had thought that Haild had never cooked before and had tried making food for the first time just to take care of Juan until his condition returned to normal. As such, it was hard to believe that Haild¡¯s food was the result of his many years of experience in cooking. Juan and Nienna just stared at the pot with a serious face and whispered to each other. ¡°Dad. Shouldn¡¯t we teach him how to maintain his body using mana?¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to take too much time. Rather than that, teach him how to cook before that.¡± ¡°Do you know how to cook, dad? Because I don¡¯t. I¡¯ve fried the corpse of a monster from the Crack and fed it to one of the prisoners, but I wouldn¡¯t really call that cooking. But looking at his food¡­ I have a feeling that the prisoners would prefer the monster from the Crack.¡± ¡°The only thing I¡¯ve ever cooked in my life are the bodies of my enemies. Damn it. I should have taught Gerard some more practical skills.¡± Then Nienna and Juan heard Haild clearing his throat. ¡°Your Majesty, Aunt. You don¡¯t have to eat this unless you want to. I know that both of you don¡¯t have to eat in order to maintain your conditions. I can see that His Majesty can now recover with mana, so don¡¯t worry about having to eat something you don¡¯t want to.¡± Juan and Nienna were delighted, but they couldn¡¯t easily answer Haild. Haild had obviously made food that was enough for three people. Haild¡¯s sincerity to cook three servings, even when he knew that Juan and Nienna didn¡¯t need to eat made it hard for them to refuse the food. Juan hesitated but tried to smile. ¡°...No, it¡¯s fine. Let me try a bowl.¡± Nienna¡¯s lips twitched as she glared at Juan. Alas, she had no choice but to grab a bowl as well. *** ¡°I¡¯m planning to draw out the crown without using Elkiehl this time,¡± Haild said. ¡°Without using Elkiehl?¡± Juan asked. Juan and Haild headed to the beach after eating. Juan crossed his arms and recalled what he felt when the crown had appeared. Juan only remembered feeling unpleasant when he was stabbed by Elkiehl, but he also remembered the situation when the crown had taken root in his body. Juan thought he could work things out if he reversed what he did last time. ¡°Let¡¯s give this a try,¡± Juan said. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. Drawing out the crown with the help of Elkiehl and summoning it yourself are completely different things, so¡­¡± Haild closed his mouth even before he could finish speaking; he noticed that flames began to burn above Juan¡¯s eyebrows. He quickly stepped back upon feeling the heat that began to spread in just an instant. Flames that came from Juan¡¯s eyebrows flowed above his head. Unlike the shape of a horn that rose from the middle of Juan¡¯s forehead last time, the appearance of the flames resembled a real crown this time around. Haild looked at the unbelievable sight with his mouth wide open. Then Juan immediately extinguished the flames. ¡°Huh? Your Majesty¡­ Why did you stop the flames already?¡± Haild asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t the crown,¡± Juan frowned. ¡°I was confused for a second, but this is just my mana. I have a feeling that this isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡± Juan shook his head; he thought that reversing the process of the crown taking root was the wrong approach. ¡°Can you stab me with Elkiehl one more time? I¡¯d like to recall what I felt the last time.¡± Juan never imagined that he would ask for such a favor. ¡®Asking someone to stab me with Elkiehl, huh.¡¯ Juan felt that it was quite ironic, but he had no choice; he had no better methods as of now. ¡°We¡¯ve succeeded in controlling the crown once already, so there¡¯s a high chance that we will succeed the second time as well. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to achieve some explosive growth again this time,¡± Haild said as he nodded. ¡°Ah. To be honest, I like the way you look now, dad. I don¡¯t want you to go back to looking like the muscular bearded man that you used to be,¡± Nienna grumbled as she watched Juan and Haild from afar. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll grow any older from this point on. My appearance in your memory was the result of me deliberately promoting aging with the help of magic. Harmon told me that people would trust me more if I grew a beard. I feel like my body will try its best to maintain the condition of its heyday, even if my mana reserves increase,¡± Juan smiled. ¡°I like the way I look right now too. There were some people who told me that I was being ridiculous, but they shut their mouths real quick when I pinched their cheeks,¡± Nienna, who was over seventy years old, but looked to be in her twenties, giggled. The way Haild got himself to look younger than his age was using a similar method, but in his case, it was the result of Gerard forcibly stopping Haild¡¯s growth to prevent the Crack from further encroaching upon his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll try stabbing you with Elkiehl again. Aunt Nienna, please get ready.¡± Nienna sighed and began to prepare herself. She didn¡¯t show any signs of nervousness, but she made sure to prepare herself perfectly; she knew that it would all turn into a disaster if Juan lost control over his consciousness again. Then, Haild raised Elkiehl, almost looking anxious. ¡°Then¡­¡± Haild carefully aimed Elkiehl toward Juan¡¯s back and stabbed him at once. At the same time, Juan started to focus on his consciousness in preparation. Haild pulled out Elkiehl almost immediately and stepped back. However, Haild soon stopped in his tracks, a dumbfounded expression on his face. ¡°Huh?¡± The crown was nowhere to be found. Everyone grew perplexed. Juan had clearly felt the unpleasant sensation of Elkiehl stabbing him in the back. But the crown did not appear. ¡°Um. I-I feel like I did something wrong. Should I try stabbing you again?¡± Haild stuttered, perplexed. On the other hand, Juan quietly looked down at his own body and then shook his head. ¡°No. You did exactly what you did the last time. Elkiehl makes no mistakes, does it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ but I don¡¯t know everything about Elkiehl. My father didn¡¯t teach me the details.¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan recalled the sensations he felt when he was stabbed by Elkiehl. The feeling of a foreign substance penetrating into the body was unpleasant, whether it was Elkiehl or any other weapons. Juan remembered feeling a soul-shaking shock when Elkiehl had pushed the crown out of his body the previous times, but he only felt the sensation of something metallic digging into his back this time around. ¡°What should I do?¡± Haild asked somewhat nervously. ¡°It would be no use to stab me with Elkiehl again. The crown has either disappeared from my body or¡­¡± ¡®It has become inseparable from my body.¡¯ Juan didn¡¯t bother speaking about the latter possibility out loud. Juan had felt like a god when he was conscious with the crown having complete control of his body. But Juan had quickly forced his body to recover, since he didn¡¯t like that unpleasant feeling. Yet, it was unknown as to whether or not he had actually reconstructed his body. Perhaps the inside of his body was still burning with flames. From Juan¡¯s point of view, he was no different from the ¡®monster¡¯ that Haild was wary of. ¡°I feel like we could make things a lot better, but it is already enough as it is.¡± ¡°Enough for what?¡± Juan answered Haild as if it was only natural. ¡°Enough to return.¡± *** Helmut, who was lying on the sofa at an angle, delightedly raised his upper body at the unexpectedly good news. ¡°That black-haired bastard is finally dead?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. The news of his death has been spreading in the east.¡± Perhaps because he could inform the Pope about a piece of good news after a long time, the Black Priest visited the office in person rather than sending in a report as usual. The smell of burning incense filled the office. The Black Priest felt like he could become intoxicated, but the Pope looked fine. ¡°What good news! I haven¡¯t heard one of those in months. Haha!¡± ¡°Congratulations, Your Holiness,¡± the Black Briest said, forcing his lips up. The Black Priest had reported the destruction of the Order of the Evil Snake and the loss of the holy items before reporting the death of the black-haired young man, but Helmut didn¡¯t seem like he cared about the former news at all. The Templars who had been sacrificed while confronting the apostatic rebels from beyond the border seemed to have completely disappeared from his mind. ¡°Alright. How did he die? Say it again.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. Although I don¡¯t know the exact situation, it was said that he was with General Nienna. General Nienna had deployed her forces to wipe out the remnants of the rebels, but then a dragon and a man assumed to be the apostate Gerard Gain appeared out of nowhere.¡± ¡°A dragon and the apostate¡­ what a perfect combination! The evil beast and the traitor! The world has been going crazy ever since that black-haired bastard showed up. So what happened next?¡± ¡°General Nienna succeeded in fatally wounding Gerard in a fight. At that moment, the black-haired young man blocked General Nienna. But then, Gerard suddenly stabbed the black-haired young man in the back. Soon, all three of them disappeared beyond the Crack.¡± ¡°Praise General Nienna for her heroic achievements! Haha. What a great Northern hero, wiping out the demon of Tantil and the apostate at the same time! So, have you heard anything about General Nienna¡¯s return yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. But, it is known that the atmosphere of the Northern Army is still quite gloomy. Most of the cavalry that had been sent to the east is on its way back to the north, although some of them have remained to continue searching.¡± ¡°Go ahead with the procedure to honor General Nienna as a Saint and contact the Order of Fenrir. We need to place some of our personnel in the Northern Army, since those who gain control of the Northern Army will hold the power of the empire in the future. Who knows what Pavan, that son of a bitch, will do. Also¡­ we must be careful of the Saintess,¡± Helmut gritted his teeth. Saintess Ivy Isildin, who Helmut had tried to use as his puppet, was forming a force within the Church with the support of Lenly Loen, the captain of the Imperial Guard, and it was a force that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. Lenly has long been respected within the Church for his devotion and faithfulness. On top of that, Ivy was popular among not only the civilians, but also the nobles. Helmut felt as if he was being driven to the edge of a cliff. ¡°Lenly Loen and Ivy Isildin won¡¯t be able to do anything stupid, since I¡¯m monopolizing the power of His Majesty anyway. But there is no reason for me to go out of my way to undermine my power¡­¡± Helmut muttered and laid down at an angle, almost as if he was trying to reassure himself. ¡°The death of the black-haired young man is a sign that things will go well in the future. The Saintess¡¯ popularity will wane, since her prophecy was wrong. I won¡¯t have to worry about anything unless the dead black-haired young man shows up again.¡± Helmut lit another incense as he dreamed of a rosy future. CH 136 Footprints were left behind on the snow that was piled up on the fortress walls. Hela looked around at the snow-covered fortress with complicated emotions in her eyes. At this moment only about a hundred soldiers remained inside the fortress, preparing to vacate the fortress. The fortress of Beldeve had played an important role in the war against the dragons as well as the war against the rebels from Arbalde until now, but now its job was done. Now, the duty left for Hela was to stabilize the eastern territory¡ªshe didn¡¯t have to fight any more battles. ¡°I heard you are planning to move to the south, Your Grace,¡± Walter, one of the knights from the Order of Fenrir, said as he approached Hela. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m planning to move to Orsk. Though I am a bit worried that my people won¡¯t be able to adapt there, since they¡¯re not used to getting the attention of the lord. I should take care of everything before spring comes, since there must be a lot of damage that has accumulated over time,¡± Hela answered. ¡°They might not welcome you, but it would still be better than letting the seat of the Lord remain vacant. Your Grace is a good ruler, after all.¡± Hela took a glance at Walter. The eastern territory was about to welcome the return of their ruler, while the northern territory had lost its ruler. Walter felt that this was quite heartbreaking. Majority of the Northern Army had returned, but a small number of them remained, forming search teams to look for traces of General Nienna. And Walter, who was the commander of the Northern Army, remained here. Hela had a hunch that Walter would continue to stay here even if Nienna didn¡¯t end up returning. ¡°I heard that the Northern territory is always occupied by a set of rulers,¡± Hela said. ¡°You are talking about the legend of the winter duke? Yes, it is said that the descendants of other winter dukes appear to inherit the position of the lord whenever the current lord dies. I am not sure if it¡¯s because of the fact that General Nienna has lived for a long time, but none of the people in my generation have ever seen a winter duke. And I don¡¯t even know if anyone could ever replace General Nienna anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a shame that a man as talented as yourself is planning to rot away in this tomb-like fortress,¡± Hela grumbled and continued speaking. ¡°My plan is to correct the things in the East that I couldn¡¯t pay attention to before this. But what I¡¯m going to focus on more than that is putting pressure on the capital. I must not only get more information about General Nienna and His Majesty, but I also gotta make sure that we find out about the conspiracy behind everything. General Nienna would also want you to lend your hand in it rather than rotting here while trying to find her.¡± ¡°I had made a pledge to be loyal to only one person. It¡¯s no use trying to persuade me, Your Grace.¡± Hela snorted instead of answering Walter. Even she knew that it would be of no use. ¡°I need more people by my side, but it seems like no one is willing to help me out. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m too old. Sina also left without¡­¡± At that moment, Hela suddenly stopped talking. Walter lifted his head up upon seeing Hela¡¯s gaze turn toward the middle of the fortress walls. There was a white wolf standing on top of the fortress walls that were covered with snow. It was a white wolf that looked like it was made of frozen snowflakes. Hela immediately noticed that the white wolf was quite extraordinary. On the other hand, Walter opened his quivering lips. ¡°...Fenrir¡­¡± ¡°Fenrir? That¡¯s Fenrir? It looks a little smaller than what I saw before¡­¡± Walter hastily ran toward the white wolf even before Hela could finish her words. Then, he immediately kneeled down in front of the white wolf and tried to ask where General Nienna was at the moment, and whether or not she was safe. Then the white wolf whispered something into Walter¡¯s ear. ¡°What?¡± Walter shot back, but the white wolf soon broke down and scattered, disappearing like a melting snowflake. The only things left in Walter¡¯s hand were snowflakes. At that moment, Hela finally caught up to Walter who was staring blankly into space. ¡°What the hell was that just now? Where did the wolf go? I thought it said something to you. What did it say?¡± Hela asked. ¡°...I don¡¯t know if what I heard is right¡­¡± ¡°Well, what did it say?¡± Walter muttered, almost as if he were dreaming. ¡°He said that the emperor is returning.¡± *** Ivy Isildin, the Saintess, was welcoming a troublesome guest. ¡°So, Miss Heretia, what you need is¡­¡± ¡°An official imperial document from forty-eight years ago, yes.¡± Heretia Helwin looked straight at the weak and delicate-looking girl in front of her. The girl that no one even knew the name of up until just a few months ago was now at the center of the storm that shook the entire Church. ¡®Saintess Ivy Isildin.¡¯ Heretia had never cared about the prophecy of a Saintess until now, since she knew just how fake and meaningless the position of the Saintess was. But the most recent Saintess had gained popularity by making a strange prophecy and even managed to get Lenly Loen, the Captain of the Imperial Guard who had been residing at the Imperial Castle, the place where the emperor was enshrined, on her side. Heretia didn¡¯t think that all of this was merely a coincidence. Everything was flowing with this young girl in the middle, and Heretia had no intention of missing out on the action. Ivy asked back with a confused look on her face. ¡°While I have no idea why you are looking for an official imperial document from so long ago all of a sudden, shouldn''t you visit the administrative office rather than the Vatican if that is what you want, Miss Heretia?¡± ¡°Old documents like the one I am looking for always end up getting destroyed, leaving behind only a part of them. What I¡¯m looking for is a secret document that was signed by His Majesty, and then stored in the Imperial Castle,¡± Heretia said while taking a glance at Lenly, who was standing beside Ivy. Captain Lenly Loen was a Templar who was reticent and quite talented, but lacked a political mind¡ªhe was everything that Heretia needed. However, Ivy Isildin was the key to manipulating the man in question. ¡°I don¡¯t know about your request, Miss Heretia. Isn¡¯t His Majesty the only person who could see the secret document signed by himself? Not only am I not allowed to hand over such an important document, but as far as I know, even if I do decide to give it to you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to open it¡ªonly His Majesty and the intended recipient of the said document would be able to open it.¡± ¡°To be exact, only the intended recipient and the one with His Majesty¡¯s Imperial seal would be able to open the document.¡± ¡°Right. But His Majesty¡¯s Imperial seal was lost, and¡­¡± Ivy suddenly opened her eyes wide and stopped speaking upon hearing Heretia¡¯s next words and seeing her nod. ¡°I have His Majesty¡¯s Imperial seal.¡± At that moment, Lenly Loen quickly turned his head toward Heretia, causing her to hastily raise both of her hands. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have it with me right now. I hid it in a place that no one other than me knows about. So, let¡¯s have a mature political conversation rather than talking nonsense.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something that should be under your possession, even for a second,¡± Lenly Loen snapped coldly. Heretia simply raised the corners of her mouth despite his murderous intent. ¡°And I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯ll hold on to it forever, Captain of the Imperial Guard. You should shut up and listen to the conversation of us humans like the watchdog that you are. It will be the Saintess who makes the decision,¡± Heretia derided. Lenly seemed to be a little dumbfounded upon hearing Heretia¡¯s words. While it was obvious that Heretia was bluffing, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Ivy opened her mouth with an upset look, as if she was offended by Heretia¡¯s remark toward Lenly. ¡°Miss Heretia. Captain Lenly is not only my guard, but also a friend. Please refrain from making such rash remarks.¡± ¡°...My apologies, Saintess. I would also like to apologize to Captain Lenly Loen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, Miss Heretia. I won¡¯t ask you about what means you used to get His Majesty¡¯s Imperial seal, since the more important matter is what you are planning to do with it. Hopefully¡­ it¡¯s not something that will be a nuisance for His Majesty, right?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s actually the other way around. You must know how the loss of the Imperial seal almost paralyzed the Imperial administration right after the beginning of the Eternal Rule. The shocking news of His Majesty¡¯s absence caused everyone to fail at doing their jobs properly, and the bloody wind of the purge made it even worse. There were a lot of documents that were sealed and couldn¡¯t be opened.¡± Heretia grinned, rubbing her fingers together. ¡°I have been collecting those sealed documents for quite a while. No one really considered them important, since those documents couldn¡¯t be opened anyway. However, recently the Imperial seal happened to fall into my hands and I got a chance to look at those sealed records.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ but those documents are from forty-seven years ago anyway. They wouldn¡¯t really be much help, would they?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°You might be correct about that if you looked at those documents separately. But the one who sealed and sent away those documents in the past was none other than my family¡¯s Harmon Helwin. If you analyze the traces of the documents that he sent at the time, we can infer whether or not he really planned to commit treason and what the whole process looked like.¡± ¡°Harmon¡­ you mean the apostate Harmon Helwin? It should have been quite hard for you to expose your own family¡¯s disgrace¡­¡± ¡°It really was, Saintess. However, after going through all the documents, I came to a slightly different conclusion. It is true that Harmon knew about the treason. But after recognizing the signs of treason on the horizon, he devised countermeasures and follow-up measures.¡± Heretia¡¯s remark was quite shocking. The story that Harmon Helwin, who was widely considered to be one of the Six Apostates, had in fact prepared for the countermeasures to the treason was something that could shake the capital more than mere gossip ever could. Ivy¡¯s face hardened a little as she realized the weight of such a story. ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, how can I be sure that you¡¯re not making up this story to cover up the Helwin Family¡¯s disgrace?¡± ¡°You would agree with me if you looked at the information stated in the documents¡ªthat Harmon is not an apostate,¡± Heretia said with a firm look. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°You may also feel one more thing¡ªthat Harmon would never have been caught or failed if he really ever intended to rebel.¡± Ivy looked at Heretia in silence. Meanwhile, Heretia leaned toward Ivy with an eager face and continued. ¡°But a crucial clue is missing from the documents. The data I can gather is only superficial. The really important documents are those that were written by Harmon himself, and those are the secret documents that remained in the Imperial Castle at the time of the incident. I guarantee that those documents contain extremely important information.¡± ¡°...So that¡¯s why you want it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity to solve the secrets of the incident of His Majesty¡¯s assassination. How can I not covet it?¡± Ivy stared at Heretia for a while and stood up. She wandered around the room as if she was in agony, then turned her gaze toward the outside of the window. Misty rain was falling from the sky¡ªthe first bout of rainfall since the start of winter was turning the capital into a mess. ¡°A lot of strange things have happened to me recently. I was nothing but an apprentice Priestess, but I suddenly became a Saintess. Then I recited a prophecy and met Captain Lenly Loen¡­ perhaps everything that happened was because I was expected to play a certain role.¡± Ivy turned her head. ¡°I can¡¯t fully trust you yet, Miss Heretia. To be honest with you, your reputation is not really that great within the Vatican.¡± ¡°I am well aware. I have tried my best to not show my contempt for the Church, but doing so isn¡¯t always easy when I live in the capital.¡± Ivy smiled bitterly. Ivy herself was also a member of the Church, but it was often difficult to feel any affection toward the Church. Only her faith in His Majesty motivated her to hold out. ¡°Please give me some time to consider this matter. It shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°I look forward to a positive answer.¡± Heretia smiled and approached Ivy to shake her hand. The moment Ivy was about to grab Heretia¡¯s hand, her eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head and she bent her back. Heretia was frightened and backed away, while Lenly quickly held Ivy up, stopping her from collapsing to the floor. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? Is the Saintess suffering from epilepsy or¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a prophecy,¡± Lenly said. ¡°A prophecy?¡± Lenly laid Ivy down in a comfortable position and supported her body¡ªit was as if he was already familiar with this kind of situation. Then, Ivy trembled and let out a sigh, followed by a voice. It was a short but clear message¡ªcompletely unmistakable. ¡°...returning.¡± Ivy cried out, almost as if she was announcing. ¡°The Emperor is returning!¡± *** ¡°You¡¯re an elf, right? We have quite the precious visitor here, huh¡­¡± Swallan looked quite puzzled upon seeing a woman in black clothing who recognized her race at just a glance. The woman looked a little gloomy with her black leather armor and slender figure, but she didn¡¯t feel like the notorious and infamous Captain of the Order of Huginn. The underground hideout in Hiveden, where the Order of Huginn was hiding, was dark but located somewhere more noticeable than expected. Swallan noticed the shadows of the people passing over the hole from where the sunlight leaked inside. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that the official enemies of the empire were hiding somewhere so close.¡¯ ¡°You can call me Anya. I heard that you have something that I might be interested in.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I do.¡± Swallan pulled out a black sphere from her pocket. The sphere had a hard texture and it seemed like it had flowing mist inside it. Anya carefully held the black sphere that was handed over to her. ¡°Can you recognize what it is? The person who asked me to bring this to you said that you would recognize it at just a glance,¡± Swallan asked. Anya stared at the black sphere for a long time, then suddenly started shedding tears. Swallan was perplexed upon seeing Anya suddenly burst into tears, since she couldn¡¯t figure out what the story behind the black sphere was. At that moment, the old knight with a burnt scar on his face sitting next to Anya cleared his throat and patted Anya on the back. The old knight consoled Anya, who was still sniffling, and spoke to Swallan. ¡°My name is Dilmond. May I ask who did you get this from?¡± ¡°Sina. It was from a knight named Sina Solvane. She told me that it was something left behind by Juan?¡± ¡°...Is Juan dead?¡± Swallan shrugged with an uncomfortable expression upon hearing Anya¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but there are a lot of such rumors in the east¡ªthat the black-haired young man who had a bounty of ten thousand gold pieces placed on his head by the Church died. Some say that General Nienna stabbed him to death herself, while some others say that the apostate Gerard Gain appeared and killed him. The rumors are so messy that it¡¯s hard to know the truth. But they all say that he is dead.¡± ¡°Did the knight named Sina Solvane say the same?¡± Dilmond asked with a serious face. ¡°Sina¡­ seemed to think that he was still alive. But she had the face of someone who had already attended his funeral. To be honest, I think he is still alive as well. I can¡¯t imagine Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces dying so easily,¡± Swallan answered. ¡°There was a time when I thought so too,¡± Anya opened her mouth as she wiped away her tears. ¡°There was a time when the person I thought would never die and continue to lead us forever, died. This item was left by him or Juan. And now, it has come back to me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Sina said that it would be better for you to keep it, whether Mr. Ten thousand gold pieces¡­ no, whether Juan, comes back or not.¡± Swallan recalled Juan using the black sphere. It had been in the form of an armor when she saw it, and Swallan had clearly seen with her own eyes just how enormous the power contained inside it was. It took Swallan a lot of courage to hand over such an item to the Order of Huginn, the official enemy of the empire. But Swallan couldn¡¯t refuse the request from Sina and Juan. ¡°I¡­ well, we¡­ haven¡¯t been able to do anything for a while ever since Juan left us. To be honest, I thought he would stay with us and lead us. But now that Juan¡¯s sphere¡ªno, Captain Ras¡¯ sphere is back, I can¡¯t just sit still and do nothing.¡± Anya put the sphere down on the table and stood up. Her dark eyes were blazing with indescribable anger and hatred. ¡°His Majesty had returned to save the empire, but the empire killed His Majesty instead. So, the empire will have no choice but to be ruled by His Majesty again. The empire will finally greet His Majesty when I cover the entire world with death.¡± Anya¡¯s eerie declaration sent chills down Swallan¡¯s spine. Both Dilmond and Swallan could see that Anya meant what she said. Dilmond glared at Anya for a second, but soon stood up to comfort her. ¡°I think you are too caught up in your own words. For now, you should go inside and calm down a little.¡± Anya didn¡¯t reply, but simply turned her back to them and walked away. At the same time, Swallan also rose from her seat. Dilmond looked back at Swallan and made a perplexed expression. ¡°Miss Swallan, thank you for coming all this way. If you are acquainted with His Majesty, you are also a friend to us. I¡¯ll get you a place to stay as well as a reasonable price for your hard work, so please come with me.¡± ¡°Oh, I already have a place to stay. More than that, I¡­¡± Flap! Dilmond and Swallan turned their heads at the sudden sound of a bird¡¯s wings flapping. Anya also stopped walking. There was a crow perched on the table, and the sight of a black crow that leisurely entered the underground hideout which had no entrance other than the sewer lid made of iron was quite strange. The crow tilted its head and flapped its wings one more time. Then another crow flew up from somewhere. Dilmond was stunned at the texture of the crow¡¯s feathers¡ªthe crow wasn¡¯t a living creature. Rather, its feathers resembled the look and the color of Umbra¡ªthe essence of Nigrato that was brought in by Swallan. ¡°He is returning!¡± cried one of the crows. The moment when everyone was perplexed due to no one knowing what the crow was talking about, another crow cried out. ¡°The emperor is returning!¡± Flap! Flap! More crows flapped their wings and appeared here and there inside the hideout¡ªthey kept appearing out of nowhere. The number of crows soon grew large enough to fill the entire room. It was due to Umbra, which was dividing and forming the crows. Even Dilmond and Swallan, who had been through all sorts of hardships in their life, were quite flustered. But Anya was different. Anya realized that the voices coming from the mouths of the crows belonged to Ras. Then, thousands of crows pushed against the ceiling of the underground hideout and flew out at once. The citizens of Hiveden became flustered when they saw a huge flock of crows filling the sky. The crows shouted only one sentence, all in one voice. He is returning! He is returning! The emperor is returning! *** Crunch! The sound of snow being stepped on was light. The man who was looking at the white snowfield turned his gaze toward a large city that had begun to appear at the end of the horizon. A storm that was created in the eastern sea was rushing toward the city. It seemed that a harsh winter that had not been experienced before would sooner or later invade the city. Juan¡¯s lips curled up into a smile as he muttered. ¡°I have returned.¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. CH 137 ¡°I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± Most of the nobles of the empire were the successors of the nobles from the old kingdoms or local natives that had gathered under the banner of the emperor. The emperor protected their wealth and honor in return for them obediently gathering under his banner in the name of mankind. While the administration of the capital was handled by electing someone from among the people selected by the Church, the local administration was handled by these people. If the Church was said to be the head of the current empire, it was no exaggeration to say that the House of Peers would be the limbs of the current empire. In the middle of such a House of Peers, Heretia shouted once more. ¡°I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± Rymer massaged his forehead with a troubled look on his face. This meeting was originally called in order to increase the internal crackdown against the chaotic rumors that had been shaking the empire internally, as well as to gain the strong cooperation of all the nobles. However, it was ruined very quickly when Heretia claimed that there was a controversy hidden in the incident of His Majesty¡¯s assassination. ¡°Miss Heretia Helwin, are you being serious right now?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t reliable evidence that would arouse suspicions come out from the Vatican already?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Chairman Rymer looked at Heretia, speechless. ¡°The matter of the Regent being involved with the assassination of His Majesty is not something that can be claimed so lightly.¡± Rymer honestly wanted to ask Heretia if she had about two more lives. The Regent Barth Baltic was not only the supreme commander of the famous Imperial Army and the former Grand General who represented the administration, but was also the strongest man in the empire based on his individual power alone. He did not sit on the throne of the emperor, but he was practically the emperor considering the fact that he held both power and authority in the empire. Heretia was basically saying that she wanted to point a knife directly at Barth Baltic. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not suggesting that the Regent is directly involved in the assassination of His Majesty. I¡¯m just asking him to explain something that I don¡¯t understand about some of the marching orders he gave to the military at the time,¡± Heretia said. ¡°Miss Helwin, even if there is something that you don¡¯t understand about what happened, that was forty-seven¡ªno, forty-eight years ago. How could the Regent remember what happened that long ago and explain it all?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he remember it? After all, it was the day of His Majesty¡¯s death. My father remembers that day quite vividly, and he was only an eight-year-old boy back then. He remembers what he ate for breakfast that day and he also remembers the moment when he heard the shocking news. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever forget it until I die either.¡± Helwin said and took out a letter and placed it on the table. ¡°This letter is a written order that I recently obtained by chance. I can¡¯t tell you how I acquired it, but what¡¯s written in here is a command for the troops to march into the Imperial castle. With the Regent¡¯s signature on it! Isn¡¯t it possible that the absence of the guards due to the marching order led to His Majesty¡¯s assassination?¡± The nobles thumped the table in agreement. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. On the other hand, Rhymer felt dumbfounded. The emperor had been moving toward the northern front at that time, and the order for the troops to march was nothing new. ¡®The opponent was none other than His Majesty. Who would even dare to try and harm him?¡¯ In Rhymer¡¯s eyes, Heretia only seemed to be throwing a tantrum. But then something suddenly passed through Rhymer¡¯s mind. ¡®This cheeky noble.¡¯ Heretia was by no means a stubborn young girl nor was she a fool. She was known to be so wise that she was called the reincarnation of Harmon Helwin, the heretic genius of the Helwin family. Heretia was not the type of woman to pick a fight with the Regent with only such a document that no one even knew the origin of. With such a thought, Rhymer began to observe Heretia¡¯s behavior differently. It was only natural for there to be factions, even in the House of Peers. There were first-generation founding nobles, who were all powerful people who worked for the emperor during the founding era. Then there were the second-generation meritorious nobles who were recognized as nobles for their contributions during the period of the empire¡¯s stabilization and foundation. Finally, there were the third-generation religious nobles composed primarily of Priests who were influenced by the Church or retired from the Church after the assassination of the emperor. Among these, the founding faction had the largest number of members in the House of Peers. However, they could no longer play any role other than being a show of hands during election processes once the Church began to gain ground. The meritorious faction resisted this trend, but they, too, became silent as their numbers decreased. The Helwin family was close to being a member of the founding faction, but they often worked with the members of the meritorious faction due to the presence of Harmon Helwin. When Harmon Helwin was executed and declared an apostate, the Helwin family hid among the founding factions while remaining silent. But the Helwin family once again started rising¡ªthis time as the leader of the meritorious faction. This happened after Heretia became the head of the Helwin family. ¡®What Heretia wants in order to gain a greater right to speak is¡­ to shake it up.¡¯ Rhymer realized that Heretia was planning to shake Barth Baltic¡¯s position. Oddly, Barth Baltic had no interest in politics at all, and therefore no one lined up behind him or flattered him. Nevertheless, there were still many people who supported him, considering that he was basically the current head of the empire. At the same time, many people were bound to support Heretia in her attempt to stand up against Barth Baltic. In the end, claiming that the Barth Baltic was involved in the plot of His Majesty¡¯s assassination was a good enough reason for Heretia to cause a stir. After all, Barth Baltic, too, was responsible for His Majesty¡¯s assassination, since he was nearby at the time. However, no one held him responsible because the sharp and bloody wind of the purge that took place immediately after His Majesty¡¯s assassination was so terrible. Besides, Heretia brought out a document that stated a command for the military to march at the time. It wouldn¡¯t even be a big problem for Heretia if things went wrong, since it was non-visualized, and Barth Baltic could easily ignore or simply apologize once regarding its content. But Heretia would gain a lot of fame with such a document. ¡°Here are the signatures of ninety members of the House of Peers asking for the Regent¡¯s explanation. The Regent Barth Baltic will have to appear and provide us with a convincing explanation!¡± Heretia shouted while presenting another document. Rhymer realized that his thoughts were correct when he saw that more people had signed the document than he had expected. The meritorious faction alone couldn¡¯t make up ninety people. Rhymer realized that not only the founding faction, but even a part of the religious faction must have signed the document. ¡®I guess everyone seems to be in favor of shaking up the Regent¡¯s position.¡¯ Barth Baltic had too much power in his hands when he didn¡¯t even do much for the empire¡ªit would be good for everyone to break down his power at least a little bit. Rhymer, the leader of the founding faction and the chairman of the House of Peers, noticed that this matter was in the interest of everyone, not just Heretia. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll take Miss Helwin¡¯s suggestion and place a request for the Regent to clarify and explain himself if this decision passes a vote.¡± The sound of people pounding the table in approval grew even louder within the House of Peers. This meant that most people were in favor of it with no need for a vote to be conducted. Only one person, Imill Ilde, the leader of the religious faction, was glaring at Heretia in silence. On the other hand, Heretia pounded on the desk and smiled coldly at him. *** ¡°A request for the Regent to explain himself? What nonsense are you talking about?! Can¡¯t you see that we are in the situation where we don¡¯t even know where the heretic who impersonated His Majesty will appear from!?¡± Helmut threw out the proposal which was approved by the House of Peers and requested the Regent to explain himself in regards to the matter of the emperor¡¯s assassination at the Priest. On the other hand, the Priest who brought the proposal fell to the floor with his hand over his head. Helmut didn¡¯t stop there¡ªhe then swept the books on the table to the floor. ¡°They want me to go to the Regent and tell him to explain himself and apologize for what happened forty-seven years ago? Damn it! I hate that horned bastard, but who the hell would ever be convinced by such a proposal?¡± ¡°Y-your Holiness, please settle down.¡± ¡°Stupid fools! Don¡¯t they understand? This is a trick to shake us up from the inside! Who was the one that proposed this matter? Heretia Helwin? From the Helwin family? She has the dirty blood of an apostate!¡± ¡°H-Helwin family not only made great contributions during the founding era of the empire, but also escaped the sin of His Majesty¡¯s assassination by directly punishing Harmon Helwin with their own hands. Since then, they have tried their best to be a great help to the empire to¡­¡± ¡°Who cares! That bitch is about to ruin everything at a time like this!¡± Helmut picked up a chair and threw it out of the window. As the huge window broke with a loud crashing sound, a refreshing wind entered the room and drove out the intoxicating scent of incense that had filled the room. Helmut felt a little calmer as he felt the cold wind. ¡°One month.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Holiness?¡± ¡°A month has passed since the prophecy¡ªno, the rumor saying that His Majesty will return started spreading. But there¡¯s no sign of that anywhere. His Majesty, who is sitting on the eternal throne still didn¡¯t even budge. I recently held a worship service and called in the scholars of the Magic Tower to investigate, but not a single clue was found.¡± ¡°Your Holiness¡­¡± ¡°But I can feel a sense of rebellion brewing on the outskirts of the empire. Flowers that bloom even in winter are evil against all reason,¡± Helmut said as he picked up one of the documents rolling on the floor. ¡°General Nienna had been sending letters everyday, asking me to explain what the rumor of His Majesty¡¯s return is about, and Duke Henna asked me to apologize for the incident where the Order of the Evil Snake attacked them. And Hiveden¡­ damn it! What¡¯s happening there is completely beyond me. And those supporting His Majesty? The Church is in control now, but they are organizing under another warlord using the emperor¡¯s name? And the rebellious ones in the Church are supporting the Saintess, and they even get involved in some mad bullshit in the House of Peers? What do you think all of this means?¡± ¡°I think they are bad omens, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In the end, their words that ¡®the emperor will return¡¯ does not mean that His Majesty, who is sitting on the eternal throne will return¡ªit¡¯s only a rumor that they have made up. They are talking about a fake emperor.¡± Helmut slumped on the sofa with his hands pressed against his forehead. ¡°Damn apostates¡­ There are only heretics and corrupted ones left¡­¡± ¡°Your Holiness. Do you want me to light up some more incense for you?¡± The Priest quickly approached Helmut and placed an ashtray in front of him. Helmut stared at the ashtray for a while, but then soon shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nice to breathe in some fresh air after a long time. I should think about this matter while my head is clear. It¡¯s not easy to defend the empire that His Majesty left behind from the apostates. Perhaps I¡¯ve lived way too comfortably until now¡­¡± Helmut stared blankly at the ceiling, then opened his mouth again. ¡°I should first clean up internally. I¡¯ll have to make amends with the Saintess, and then I will propose a definite investigation about this prophecy about the emperor¡¯s return. Everything will be better once I get rid of the source of the rumor.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°And ignore the request to demand an explanation from the Regent. Those damned noble bastards have no idea just how crazy the Regent is just because he has been quiet until now. They probably thought that I would like it if they decided to try and shake Barth Baltic¡¯s position; after all, there¡¯s the religious faction within the House of Peers. Go and send them a warning to come back to their senses.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness.¡± Then the Priest suddenly stopped as he picked up the documents sent in by the House of Peers. ¡°Um, Your Holiness. If the rumors turn out to be true¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I-I mean, there are a lot of people who babble like that. So, I was wondering what would happen if the people were to ignore the truth and worship one of the apostates as the emperor¡­¡± Helmut snapped back at the Priest as if he had just heard the most ridiculous question. ¡°If that happens, then I¡¯ll rip that apostate¡¯s head myself. That would make me feel quite good.¡± The Pope going out of his way to punish someone had never happened before. The Priest shuddered in fear unconsciously. Most incidents were taken care of just by sending some Templars from a knight order. If not, dispatching some Bishops was enough to handle the situation. But the Pope coming forward was a whole different story. The Pope, who directly administered His Majesty¡¯s Grace, held enough power to confront the entire Church on his own. It would be a catastrophe for his enemies if he decided to step forward himself. But in the end, the Priest couldn¡¯t bring up the question that he really wanted to ask. ¡®What if the real emperor is returning?¡¯ The Priest thought that it would be the Pope rather than the opponent who would end up facing a disaster if that time comes. *** Crunch! As soon as the crunching sound rang out, purple bodily fluids splattered over Juan¡¯s face. Juan wiped the bodily fluid off of his cheek and shook off the corpse of the Priest from Thornbush Priest Organization that had been pierced through by his fist. The Priest who had transformed into a strange mutation fluttered and scattered without his body remaining whole. Juan looked around at his surroundings. He was inside a cavity made by huge and bizarre monsters from the other world. The ceiling, walls, and floors were all made of corpses that were impaled and glued together, but none of them had a proper human form. Then someone showed up. It was Haild. ¡°I think that everything has been sorted out now. There¡¯s no one left here.¡± Juan made a surprised expression upon hearing Haild¡¯s words. ¡°Is the entire city clear?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The ones who had been controlling Kaleb were the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization, and the rest were visitors from the Crack. They all ran away as soon as they heard that His Majesty had appeared. They even blocked the door completely. As a result, the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization couldn¡¯t even escape. Most of them were hiding in this temple that Your Majesty just wiped out.¡± CH 138 ¡°Huh. Well.¡± It was the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization that Juan was going after, not the beings from the Crack. Juan didn¡¯t intend to deal with the intellectuals who ran away on their own if they weren¡¯t planning to intervene in the matters of this land. Even when he had been the emperor, Juan did not chase after the gods who fled to the Crack. ¡°Then this is the only one who is left.¡± Juan headed toward the center of the temple where dozens of tentacles the size of trees were rolling on the ground, almost as if they had been roughly torn apart. In the center of the temple was a Priest who had lost all his limbs. He was sobbing helplessly. ¡°Gerard! Gerard Gain that fucking bastard! He said that he killed the emperor!¡± the Priest cried. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m not dead,¡± Juan looked down at the man coldly and muttered. ¡°But unlike me, you will most certainly die.¡± The man¡¯s head exploded, with blood splattering everywhere as soon as Juan¡¯s feet touched his chin. It was hard to find even a single trace of the man in the blood scattered all over. Haild scratched his chin and then opened his mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to interrogate him? You must have had a lot of questions to ask.¡± ¡°I already did. But, it turns out that he doesn¡¯t know much¡ªnot to mention that it¡¯s been a long time since the Head Priest of the Thornbush Priest Organization showed himself,¡± Juan said as he looked around the temple. ¡°It¡¯s basically an abandoned group. They were only able to maintain themselves because of their hostility toward the empire and them having been encroached upon by the Crack. It seems like they¡¯ve tried lots of things, but nothing has gone right since their Head Priest disappeared about a year ago. I think they had more plans to resurrect other gods besides Talter¡­¡± ¡°Woah. Isn¡¯t that too dangerous?¡± Haild asked. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve achieved anything, since they haven¡¯t been properly managed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be relieved or frustrated. After all, we didn¡¯t end up getting any of the information that we were looking for,¡± Haild said as he sighed. ¡°This underground city of Kaleb was the largest gathering place for the Priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization. We destroyed all the gathering places of the Thornbush Priest Organization, but it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ve gained much from it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve gained enough just based on the fact that they won¡¯t be able to stab us in the back anymore,¡± Juan said, clicking his tongue. ¡°Besides, I had already decided to completely exterminate these bastards when they had thrown Hela into the sea. That resolution has now been fulfilled¡ªthat¡¯s it,¡± Juan said. Haild nodded. If Haild hadn¡¯t rescued Hela back then, she would have died. While Hela survived in the end, Juan had no intention of reverting the decision that he had already made. Juan was especially careful about keeping his word when they involved killing someone. ¡°Then¡­ are you planning to go back to the capital now? Aunt Nienna left first to prepare everything in the north, so I think this is enough.¡± ¡°Yes, this is enough. Let¡¯s go back.¡± *** Cold wind blew toward Juan and Haild in the snowy mountain valley when they came out. Due to the lukewarm wind blowing out from inside the cave, snow was not piled up at its entrance. The sunlight poured into the white snow field, causing Haild to smile joyfully upon seeing the natural sun that he had not seen in a long time. As Juan stared at the smiling Haild, Haild asked something as if he were curious. ¡°Is everything okay, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°...Yes, it¡¯s nothing.¡± For a moment, Juan felt as if it was Gerard who was standing in front of him. Haild had a large scar engraved on his face due to being pierced through by the arrow and being encroached upon by the Crack, but Juan couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that Haild really was Gerard¡¯s son. Juan nodded as he thought that blood really ran thicker than water. Juan couldn¡¯t understand what he was feeling. He was regaining the strength he had as the emperor with the help of Gerard¡¯s arrangement, and the Thornbush Priest Organization who had been encroaching upon the empire had been eradicated. But Gerard¡¯s intentions, as well as his whereabouts, were still unknown. If Gerard had no reason to be ashamed of himself, it would have been fine even if Gerard himself took charge of what Haild was doing right now. Juan felt that he might be able to forgive Gerard, though his relationship with Gerard would never be the same. ¡®Isn¡¯t that what reconciliation is all about anyway?¡¯ ¡°This cave has an exit leading to the north, so it will be close to the Winter Citadel. Would you like to visit Aunt Nienna, Your Majesty?¡± Haild asked. ¡°No. We are heading toward the capital right away.¡± ¡°Do you mean the Holy City of Torra?¡± ¡°The Order of Huginn, Duke Henna, and Nienna will all join me on my way.¡± Haild looked a little frightened when Juan mentioned Duke Henna. He had still not informed Hela Henna that he was alive. In fact, he didn¡¯t even know how he would explain it to her or where he should begin. After all, to explain why he was still alive, he would have to talk about Gerard first. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Hela first,¡± Juan said. ¡°...Maybe that¡¯s for the best. I¡¯ll follow Your Majesty¡¯s orders.¡± Juan began to walk through the snowfield and Haild followed behind him. ¡°Come to think of it, why did you stagnate for a month even after sending out the message that you are returning? Ah, of course, I also understand that it was important to destroy the Thornbush Priest Organization, but couldn¡¯t you have sent the message of your return now rather than a month ago, since you have now eliminated the Thornbush Priest Organization?¡± Haild asked. Juan took a glance at Haild. At this moment, he truly understood that Gerard really had stopped Haild¡¯s growth¡ªhe really was just like a young child, starting to ask so many questions right after saying that he would follow Juan¡¯s orders. ¡°I¡¯m just following Harmon¡¯s advice,¡± Juan said. ¡°Harmon¡­? Who is that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the most annoying man I know. But, he is also the most capable man I know as well. He used to have an attitude that screamed, ¡®I¡¯m a competent man and you wouldn¡¯t dare to kill such a talented man like me even if you¡¯re the emperor.¡¯ There was a piece of advice that he gave me when I had united all of humanity.¡± ¡°What was the advice?¡± ¡°Man is even more afraid of imaginary monsters than he is of real monsters.¡± Haild looked confused as if he didn¡¯t understand what Juan was saying. ¡°Did he mean that Your Majesty is a monster?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s what he meant. Back then, Harmon had placed a bait half a year before I met the leader of another kingdom. He made sure to let everyone know how ruthless I was to my enemies and about all the terrible things I¡¯ve done¡­ the process was so slow and there were so many intrusive rumors that I used to get really annoyed with Harmon.¡± ¡°Your Majesty was annoyed? That¡¯s kind of hard to imagine. So, what was his reaction?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even bother to listen to me.¡± Haild laughed at the absurdity. ¡°His idea wasn¡¯t wrong though. Harmon just wanted to create a morbidly tight community for humanity. Taking more time makes one firm, but acting hastily makes one see blood. Thank goodness I had already declared that I would never get married. If I had agreed to get married, with Harmon¡¯s arrangement, I would have had at least about twenty wives,¡± Juan continued to answer Haild¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s why I took a month. Attacking right after sending a warning is done only when you lack power or just as much power as your enemy. But I have overwhelming power and the flow is with me. Moving slowly is one of the ways to avoid having to shed blood.¡± Juan continued walking in the snowfield. ¡°If the opponent is scared of you, even taking one step forward is enough to make them fall. That moment is also when the enemies and allies get clearly divided. That¡¯s the way to do it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very generous of you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Generous¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the right word for it,¡± Juan smiled and looked back at Haild. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just acting like that because that¡¯s what I have learned. Or maybe I want to look generous so that the people that I care about won¡¯t be disappointed in me. But to be honest, I hope that my enemies will rebel and fight back with all their might.¡± Juan¡¯s tone was quite harsh. ¡°Then I¡¯d be able to see those bastards die of regret while rolling in bloody mud.¡± *** ¡°Do not dazzle the believers with fake prophecies!¡± Hemult had never imagined that he would have to shout these words out loud to the Saintess even once. The Saintess stood on the altar and bit her lips with a hardened expression. She looked pale, but determined. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Helmut couldn¡¯t understand such a look on the Saintess¡¯ face. The position of a Saintess was created by him, and she had no real connection with the emperor whatsoever. ¡®But what is with that rebellious attitude that she is showing me?¡¯ ¡°There is only one emperor, and that is His Majesty who is sitting on the Eternal Throne! How dare you babble out all that nonsense!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t nonsense!¡± Ivy said firmly. Helmut¡¯s face flushed. All the Priests and Bishops in the capital had gathered to attend the general assembly of the Church, but the Saintess had just refuted his words in front of all of them. ¡°His Majesty appeared in my dream and declared that he is returning. He said that the return would begin from the east.¡± Murmurs started to spread once again. Just like the prophecy she had made at the ceremony for the appointment of the Saintess, she had now made another concrete prophecy. Ivy¡¯s words were even more effective due to the rumors that had already started to spread around the empire. ¡°His Majesty said he would generously give a total of three warnings before his arrival, since his absence has been so long. First is to make us confront our own lies. Second is to break down our swords. Then the third is to¡­¡± ¡°Stop! Stop impersonating His Majesty¡¯s words with such a false prophecy!¡± When the uproar grew, Helmut slammed the floor with his staff as if he could not stand it. The entire altar vibrated with a rumbling sound while the floor began to break. Then, amidst the loud sound of something breaking, a loud scream was heard by everyone. Only then did all the Priests, including Ivy, closed their mouths. Most people didn¡¯t know just how powerful Helmut was, since it was rare for him to show himself in outside events, but he was the one who handled the most amount of His Majesty¡¯s Grace out of anyone in the Church. No one in the Church could dare to go against his unilateral dictatorship. ¡°I am the one who brought mankind together without splitting the empire after His Majesty¡¯s assassination! I have helped and maintained the Eternal Rule under His Majesty¡¯s values until now, do you understand? But how can all of you be shaken so easily by such a fake prophecy!¡± Helmut screamed. ¡°It is His Majesty that is great, not Your Holiness.¡± Helmut¡¯s face turned even redder at Ivy¡¯s remark. Meanwhile, Ivy¡¯s hands were shaking as if she was nervous, but she did not back down. The reason for her being able to stand strong was Lenly Loen, the captain of the Imperial Guard, who supported her from behind. Even the Pope couldn¡¯t beat her to death like he had once done in the past as long as Lenly was protecting her. Helmut, who had been silently glaring at Ivy for a while, opened his mouth. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. I am not His Majesty¡­¡± Helmut strode toward Ivy with his staff. Lenly Loen quickly blocked him as soon as Ivy flinched, but Helmut didn¡¯t even budge. Helmut just glared at Lenly and opened his mouth again. ¡°...And just as the nonsense that your flighty mouth recites is not a real prophecy, neither is the man you speak of the emperor.¡± ¡°I thought I made it very clear that¡­¡± ¡°If your prophecy was coming from the real emperor, why are Lenly Loen and the Imperial Guards here?¡± Ivy closed her mouth upon hearing Helmut¡¯s words. Then Helmut continued to speak sarcastically. ¡°His Majesty ended up dying because of the Imperial Guards not doing their job properly and moving out in vain. It¡¯s not like I expected them to protect His Majesty in the first place. Only if one of them had bothered to scream to warn His Majesty, then His Majesty would have been safe. But the Imperial Guards did absolutely nothing until the moment His Majesty was stabbed.¡± Lenly¡¯s hands began to tremble as Helmut continued to speak in a calm manner. Seeing this, Ivy quickly grabbed Lenly¡¯s hands in order to calm him down. Lenly¡¯s faith and loyalty toward the emperor were impeccable, which was why Helmut¡¯s criticism was completely unbearable for him. ¡°If the emperor is really out there, shouldn¡¯t you drag all your guards to go and protect him? But look at you, still lingering around here in Torra. Doesn¡¯t that alone prove that the Saintess¡¯ prophecy is fake? Though, I have nothing to say if it is the tradition of the Imperial Guards to guard the wrong place.¡± CH 139 ¡°...It is also important to protect His Majesty¡¯s body.¡± Ivy spoke, almost as if she was trying to find an excuse, but she was well aware that what she had just said was illogical. If it was the real emperor who was on his way to the Holy City of Torra, there would be nothing more important than protecting him. But it was beyond hard for the Imperial Guards who had been serving the emperor sitting on the Eternal Throne for decades to leave him behind to go and greet the ¡®real emperor.¡¯ ¡°You know that what you just said doesn¡¯t make sense, right?¡± Ivy remained silent and looked at Lenly with anxious eyes. Lenly was her strongest ally, but at the same time, he had also been made the biggest contradiction in her logic. ¡°Be humble, Saintess,¡± Helmut derided Ivy. Helmut¡¯s tone had become much more polite than before, but Ivy felt like she had been indirectly cursed at. Ivy was confident in her own prophecy. Nevertheless, she had never once thought that His Majesty, who was sitting on the Eternal Throne, was fake. Lenly also seemed to have no answer to Helmut¡¯s question. As the silence persisted, Helmut thought that he had won. Then, Lenly suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Juan Calberg Kennosis. Kennosis means ¡®god wears the human body.¡¯¡± Helmut frowned upon hearing Lenly¡¯s words. This was the very basics of the Church¡¯s teachings and what every Priest of the Church first learned on their path to becoming priests. When the emperor used to wander around the wasteland, the magicians, including Dane Dormund, had found him and taken him as their emperor. Then the emperor was given the title of ¡®Kennosis.¡¯ ¡°And?¡± Helmut asked. ¡°If His Majesty wore the human form, then his soul may be separated from the human body.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t that a theory that was refuted and buried a long time ago? Why are you bringing that up now?¡± This was a theory that was proposed by some of the extremists in the former Church. The theory stated that the emperor sitting on the Eternal Throne was nothing but a shell and that his soul was wandering around the world. The theory further suggested that the emperor¡¯s body must be destroyed in order to allow his soul to enter a new living body. However, the extremists¡¯ opinions that they should directly place their hands on the emperor¡¯s body and destroy it quickly disappeared without staying prevalent in the Church. Helmut was about to laugh at Lenly¡¯s words, but gradually all emotions disappeared from his face. ¡®Wait. A madman who insists on destroying the emperor¡¯s body is in charge of the Imperial Guards?¡¯ Lenly continued to speak. ¡°While I don¡¯t dare to touch His Majesty¡¯s body, the fact that His Majesty¡¯s body has been kept safe thus far could prove my words.¡± Helmut glared at Lenly in silence. Until now, Helmut had thought of the Imperial Guards as only people who were in exile. But just now he realized that they were pointing their weapons toward him. ¡®I¡¯ve done something rash.¡¯ ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that the words of the Saintess might not be nonsense. If His Majesty really is capable of wearing human bodies, then his soul might be able to wear a different body as well,¡± Lenly said. ¡°Why are you suggesting that now?¡± ¡°Because I was taught that His Majesty will return when the empire is on the verge of facing a disaster.¡± It was a fundamental statement, but it was difficult to refute. The Priests on the altar were now almost completely divided in two groups and arguing against each other. Helmut thought that while this situation was better than the beginning of the assembly when Ivy had humiliated him, it still wasn¡¯t a very pleasant situation for him. But he decided to settle for this. ¡°All right.¡± The altar became dead silent, and then Helmut spoke to Ivy. ¡°Saintess, this debate seems to be endless. Why don¡¯t you check the true nature of the rumor?¡± ¡°True nature¡­ of the rumor?¡± Ivy asked back. ¡°Let¡¯s have every knight order meet and judge the person who calls himself the emperor, one by one,¡± Helmut said, smiling. ¡°And each of the knight orders will greet him in their own ways.¡± ¡°If they do something beyond their duty¡­¡± Ivy said with a hardened expression. ¡°We all make mistakes, since we are imperfect human beings. But His Majesty would most certainly recognize his servants, don¡¯t you think?¡± *** Juan recognized at just a glance that his opponent was a Priest from the Church¡ªtherefore he didn¡¯t hesitate before swinging his hand. The Priest¡¯s neck turned in the opposite direction from just a single slap to the face. With a short cracking sound, the Priest fell flat on the ground. He was the last of the Priests and had tried to escape till the last minute. Haild who was following Juan belatedly exhaled a heavy breath. ¡°Are you all right, Your Majesty?¡± Haild asked. ¡°You should be asking that question to the people in that carriage over there, not me,¡± Juan said, looking at the overturned carriage. The carriage didn¡¯t seem to have received any serious damage due to the snow acting as a cushion, but the horse that was pulling it was dead. Around the carriage were the bodies of the masked Priests that Haild had killed and scattered everywhere. Their blood had turned the snow red. When Juan and Haild were on their way out of Kaleb, going to a nearby city, a carriage suddenly rushed into the middle of the road. Juan and Haild stopped upon seeing that the carriage was being attacked by masked men. There was no reason for Juan to save them, but he felt the power of the emperor from the masked men. Then the masked men attacked Juan and Haild, saying that they should not leave witnesses. As expected, the skills of the masked men were so terrible that Haild could take care of all of them without Juan even having to step out. At that moment, Juan heard a groan as he approached the carriage. There was a horseman with a broken arm lying in the snow. Juan frowned upon checking his face. ¡°He is¡­¡± ¡°Do you know who he is, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I saw him back in Hiveden. Get him out of the snow.¡± Haild pulled the young horseman out of the snow. The horseman who was dragged out as he let out a groan was unconscious. Fortunately, he had no injuries other than his broken arm. ¡®If this guy is here, then¡­¡¯ Juan climbed atop the overturned carriage and opened the door. Inside the carriage was a familiar face lying in an uncomfortable position while pressed against the wall. Juan sighed upon seeing that the person didn¡¯t seem to have any injuries. ¡°Juan, you¡¯ve grown a lot taller and more handsome since the last time I saw you. I told you I have good eyes, didn¡¯t I?¡± Juan smiled at the woman who was greeting him in a calm manner. ¡°Heretia.¡± ¡°Is it your preference to talk to a woman who is lying down? But I don¡¯t like doing it outdoors because it¡¯s quite dirty.¡± Juan reached out his hand and pulled Heretia out of the carriage. Heretia groaned and couldn¡¯t straighten her back as if she had hurt her back when the carriage was overturned. ¡°Looking at you groaning due to back pain, you look just like Harmon,¡± Juan laughed. ¡°That¡¯s because he had a job where he only sat in front of the desk. How¡¯s the horseman? Is he dead?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°He¡¯s still alive. Though he looks a little dizzy.¡± Heretia sighed with relief and carelessly sat down on the floor after hearing that the young man who had been beside Heretia in Hiveden when she first met Juan was still alive. ¡°I¡¯m glad I made it just in time,¡± Heretia said. ¡°What¡¯s up with all these Priests? Why were they attacking you with masks on?¡± Juan asked. ¡°These aren¡¯t ordinary Priests. They are a sanctioned group working directly for the Pope called the Black Priests. I¡¯ve been picking at a beehive recently¡ªmeaning that I¡¯ve been messing with Barth Baltic. The Pope gave a strange order at the Church assembly, so I thought it would be better for me to come and find you first. But it seems like the bastards from the Church thought this was the perfect opportunity to attack me.¡± ¡°How did you even know I was here?¡± ¡°Well you didn¡¯t really bother to hide, did you? Anyone with money and authority could easily find you if they wanted. I bet the Templars are on their way to find you as well.¡± ¡°Templars? Why?¡± Heretia stared at Juan. ¡°To check if you¡¯re really the emperor or not.¡± *** Juan and Heretia decided to first head to a nearby village, since there was a patient with them. Entalucia, the dragon, helped them to get to the village and disappeared as soon as she dropped them off of her back. Entalucia had not directly intervened in the battle against the Thornbush Priest Organization for the past month, but she had helped Juan and Haild by offering transportation like this. Juan had gotten used to riding on the dragon¡¯s back, but Heretia¡¯s face was quite pale even after they arrived at her room in the tavern. Heretia barely managed to lie face down on her bed with her shaky legs. ¡°Are you scared of heights?¡± Juan asked. ¡°A little bit. But did we really have to go that high up in the sky?¡± Heretia complained. ¡°We have to fly higher than the clouds to avoid being caught. We can use magic to make us invisible, but it¡¯s not really useful on snowy or rainy days.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m gonna be sick¡­¡± Juan stared at Heretia¡¯s back for a while and then opened his mouth. ¡°You said that you came because you thought you should see me before the Church finds me. What did you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Oh right. That¡¯s certainly something more important than my fear of heights or my motion sickness.¡± Heretia rolled over and looked at Juan while lying at an angle. ¡°First things first. How do you want me to address you? Juan? Or Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care either way. Both are referring to me anyway.¡± ¡°I see. So you really are the emperor.¡± Juan felt complicated upon seeing Heretia being convinced so easily. He felt that things would have been much more convenient if only people like Heretia, who was so easily convinced, were around. Heretia quickly continued to speak as if she could read Juan¡¯s feelings. ¡°Well I have my own reasons to be convinced. Like your relationship with the Order of Huginn, what happened right after I left Hiveden, and how calm you were about the Imperial Seal. Besides, the rumor that the new ¡®emperor¡¯ had black hair also played a part. There are two most famous people with black hair that I know, and you are much more likely to be the emperor compared to the other one.¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°There was a famous male prostitute in the Nuero salon that was sold to the Duchess of Rayette. He was not only expensive, but he also had extraordinary looks. All the noble ladies in the Holy City of Torra were upset to hear the news that he was sold.¡± ¡°...A prostitute, huh.¡± ¡°An emperor that has the history of being a murderer is much better than an emperor that has a history of being a prostitute. Besides, you have something in common with the former emperor¡ªlike how you embrace humanity with love. Anyway, that¡¯s not important right now.¡± Heretia quickly cut off the subject matter that was irrelevant and moved on to the main issue. ¡°I won¡¯t talk about the colleagues that His Majesty has been bringing around. You know, the likes of a bandaged man who gives off an ominous impression or a dragon, a beast that¡¯s labeled as the empire¡¯s evil beast by the emperor himself. While it¡¯s not a good look, people fear you more than respect you. So, it''s better to maximize that fear.¡± ¡°Of course, those who have sinned should be in fear.¡± ¡°Please tell me that you are not heading to the capital with just those two colleagues of yours, are you?¡± ¡°No. Duke Hela Henna¡¯s Eastern Army, the Order of Huginn, as well as Nienna Nelben¡¯s Northern Army have agreed to support me.¡± ¡°Whoa. Henna and Nienna? I guess it¡¯s not just your height that has grown since the last time I saw you. I can see that you¡¯ve built some interesting relationships throughout your journey. So what¡¯s your plan? Starting a civil war?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just going to bring them along to show the capital my force. There will be no civil war,¡± Juan spoke calmly. ¡°If there¡¯s gonna be any bloodshed, it will be in the form of a massacre rather than a war.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Heretia grinned instead of showing any signs of nervousness or disgust. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you know what you¡¯re doing. That sounds like a great idea. If there¡¯s gonna be bloodshed, then make it short and intense. The emperor shouldn¡¯t be ¡®fighting¡¯ against his servants. He should crush them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what Nienna told me.¡± ¡°But¡­ I prefer not to see blood as much as possible. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if no one had to shed a single drop of blood or sweat and you could simply claim that you are the emperor by whispering into their ears?¡± Juan stared at Heretia, who shrugged her shoulders as if she was happy just by imagining the scene. She then grew perplexed and stopped talking upon seeing Juan glancing at her. ¡°Heretia. I am not going back to the capital to become the emperor again.¡± ¡°Huh? Then why are you going back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find those responsible for my death and turn the empire that I created into the disaster it is today. There will be no situation where bloodshed can be avoided. I¡¯m not a light-hearted person who would show mercy to them. The one they will come face to face will neither be there to rule them, nor to save them.¡± Juan said as he looked at Heretia with gloomy eyes. ¡°I¡¯m visiting them as the one who will punish them.¡± CH 140 ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to say, Your Majesty. I like your firm attitude, and it is true that sinners must be punished. But¡­¡± Heretia carefully continued speaking. ¡°It would be best if the people who had only been used in the process are left unharmed, right? Those people are the power of the empire and the ones that make the empire what it is.¡± Instead of answering Heretia¡¯s question, Juan asked Heretia a question. ¡°What are you trying to say, Heretia?¡± ¡°Form an alliance with the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Magic Tower?¡± ¡°I forgot whether it was called the Magician¡¯s Tower or the Magic Tower. But I¡¯m talking about the group of freaks who live at the place where Mananen McLeir¡¯s body is buried. I suggest you form an alliance with them.¡± Juan looked at Heretia with surprised eyes, and Heretia frowned upon seeing his gaze. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like my suggestion?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just that Harmon Helwin had told me the same thing¡ªhe told me to first form an alliance with the Magic Tower back when I had yet to become the emperor. I had a close relationship with the magicians thanks to Dane Dormund, but it was my first time forming a formal alliance,¡± Juan said as he stroked his chin and tilted his head. ¡°But I heard that they have now turned into just a group of scholars. I was told that anyone who uses magic is labeled as an illegal mage by the Church.¡± ¡°That applies only outside the Magic Tower. No one knows and will never know what happens inside the Magic Tower. Magic Tower is a group older than the emperor or any other country in human history. There are stories about them that have existed since the mythological period and the ancient dragon period, you know? That¡¯s why they are so well respected and have so many talented people.¡± Juan nodded as his assumptions were confirmed. One of the reasons why Juan didn¡¯t bring the Magic Tower into his alliance was due to what happened between him and Dane Dormund. When Juan had expelled Dane Dormund from the empire, his alliance with the Magic Tower had slightly changed. While there was no reason for Juan to view them in a negative light, he would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t feel uneasy. ¡°But¡­ maybe it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I know someone from the Magic Tower anyway.¡± Juan recalled Opert from the Order of the Huginn. Opert¡¯s position as the vice tower master of the Magic Tower was only given to him due to the other older magicians being lazy, but Opert was quite a capable man. Juan thought that forming an alliance with the Magic Tower would be easy as long as Opert helped him out. Heretia smiled in delight upon hearing Juan¡¯s response. ¡°All right. Then I¡¯ll contact the Magic Tower. The Helwin family has been providing quite a bit of financial support to the Magic Tower, so they will be considerate toward me. Those with authority from the Magic Tower will come and visit us to¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll visit them myself.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you sure? That might not be a good look for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Besides, I have things I need to bring back from the Magic Tower anyway.¡± *** Two flags with white lotus and black lotus symbols respectively were flying side by side in the air. Dembel Dorkmel, the captain of the Order of the White Lotus, was quite unfamiliar with such a sight. It had been decades since the knight orders worked together. This was because the number of beings that threatened the empire had decreased over time, and just one knight order could easily occupy a city in just an instant. Even the so-famous Ras Raud and the Order of Huginn had been confronted by only the Order of the White Crow. As such, the current situation was very much abnormal. [What are you thinking?] Lianna Laos, the captain of the Order of the Black Lotus, sent Dembel a message using magic. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to have useless conversations with you. Shut up and focus,¡± Dembel answered with a frown. Lianna laughed with a strange sound. As she laughed, one could see that she didn¡¯t have a tongue in her mouth. [Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a reason why His Holiness sent us together? You and I have quite a bit of difference in the way we perform our duties.] Lianna was one of the most talkative people Dembel knew. In fact, she would have been even more talkative if she had a tongue. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Lianna continued to send a mental message to Dembel from his side¡ªit didn¡¯t matter whether he answered her or not. [Let¡¯s be honest here. You were recommended by the Saintess, and I was recommended by the Pope. Considering my usual duties, I think the Pope picked me to kill you if anything goes wrong. So, tell me why the Saintess picked you.] ¡°...How the hell am I supposed to know that?¡± [Well, well, well¡­ You ended up responding to me. I''ll have to keep talking to you, since I now know that you have been listening¡ªno, watching me. Good boy, Dembel. Good boy!] Dembel wanted to kick Lianna¡¯s ass, but she was much stronger than him. She had always been stronger ever since Dembel and Lianna came to the Church¡¯s orphanage at the age of five. Lianna and Dembel had gone through the same growth process and then graduated from the same knight school. Not only did they live in the monastery together, but they had also become Templars together as well. Dembel had always been overwhelmed just trying to chase after Lianna and catch up to her. ¡°Fuck you, Lianna. Fine, I¡¯ll tell you. I was recommended by Captain Lenly Loen, not the Saintess. She doesn¡¯t know much about the knight orders anyway. I was just told to go and figure out the truth of the rumor,¡± Dembel said as he grit his teeth. [I wish there were more interesting reasons, but I¡¯m convinced; after all, both the Saintess and Captain Lenly Leon are boring people. Why is it so hard to find interesting people like His Holiness?] The Order of the White Lotus was appointed by the Saintess, and the Order of the Black Lotus was appointed by the Pope. Both the knight orders were tasked with checking the validity of the rumors that had been circulating around the empire. But there was a slight difference in the ways they performed. Dembel looked at Lianna with anxious eyes. Just like the Order of the Evil Snake, the Order of the Black Lotus was a group that carried out the secret orders of the Pope. The only difference was that the Order of the Evil Snake focused on the assassination of an individual, while the Order of the Black Lotus focused on causing destruction¡ªutter destruction. The target to be destroyed could be a facility, a family, or maybe even a city. If the right environment and the conditions were met, the Order of the Black Lotus had the ability to devastate a small city without giving even a single person any time to scream. All the Templars of the Order of the Black Lotus had cut off their tongues in order to keep secrets, since most of their duties were classified. Ironically, their captain was more talkative than anyone else. [It¡¯s kind of strange if you think about it. I thought the Pope would recommend you since you guys specialize in hunting monsters. After all, we are going after a black monster who is impersonating the emperor. You would be perfect for enacting the orders.] ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, several knight orders have already been destroyed by this self-proclaimed emperor. So, it¡¯s about time to think about other plans.¡± [Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about that too. Both Ethan and Velkre died, huh? If two out of twelve knight orders led by Templars have been destroyed to the extent that they aren¡¯t able to recover, then who¡¯s recollecting all their equipment? No, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. So, are you saying that you aren¡¯t planning to fight, but planning to think of a different way?] Dembel sighed. ¡°You know nothing other than fighting. What we do is not only fighting, but also finding and rescuing the people who are faithful to His Majesty from the heretics. It is only natural that we should first distinguish if this self-proclaimed emperor is a heretic or not. Both His Holiness and Saintess have sent us with precisely that intention.¡± [What? You can tell the difference? I¡¯ve never done that before.] ¡°That¡¯s because your¡­¡± ¡®¡­your duty doesn¡¯t require you to do so.¡¯ It was the Order of the Black Lotus¡¯ job to kill those that the Pope wants to kill and destroy those that the Pope wants to destroy. ¡°At least give it a try, will you? We learned all this in the knight school. Besides, there¡¯s no way we wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize His Majesty. We would all be lying facing down in front of his brilliant halo the moment we encountered him.¡± Lianna didn¡¯t answer Dembel this time. She simply smirked without a word, then ran forward while laughing at Dembel. Dembel felt as if he could feel a lot of sarcasm. *** ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the Magic Tower?¡± Juan tilted his head upon hearing Haild¡¯s question. ¡°Have you never seen it before?¡± Haild shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve come so deep into the empire. It¡¯s much more interesting than I had imagined it would be¡ªhow can a tower even stand like that?¡± The Magic Tower was a huge, pointy tower that was tilted nearly forty degrees toward the western direction. Around the huge tower were other small towers, sticking out like twigs, while the surrounding ground was so dry that dust flew everywhere. Haild and Juan continued toward the Magic Tower. ¡°The Magic Tower was built when a huge tower from a long time ago crashed. Most of the old tower ended up being buried under the ground, and only a part of it is said to be the Magic Tower,¡± Juan explained. ¡°Only a part of it? That? No way,¡± Haild opened his mouth wide. ¡°If you think about the place down there, where Mananen McLeir¡¯s body was buried¡­ then yes, it¡¯s true. I actually have no idea how deep it is.¡± Juan recalled being so tired after walking for a long time that he threw Mananen McLer¡¯s body into a random hole around him in the past. It was unbelievable to think that Mananen McLeir¡¯s body hadn¡¯t even been buried properly. ¡°Then who made that old tower?¡± Haild asked. ¡°Some say that it was an ancient dragon that had nothing better to do, and some say that it¡¯s a relic left behind by the Hornsluine. Well, they¡¯re all dead now anyway.¡± Juan was not particularly interested in the origin of the Magic Tower. He had once looked at the records with interest, but most of them had disappeared now. This was understandable since, back then, humans were treated no better than bugs and proper human groups only lasted for about one hundred years. ¡°Why don¡¯t we hurry? If you have any academic questions, you can ask as many questions as you want inside the Magic Tower. We have to get our work with the Magic Tower done before Juan¡¯s allies arrive at the capital,¡± Heretia said. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Haild quickly followed after Heretia as she snapped. Haild¡¯s grotesque appearance with bandages all over his face often frightened people, but Heretia didn¡¯t seem intimidated at all. Rather, it felt like Haild was intimidated by Heretia, even though he was older than her. ¡®I mean, everyone would be intimidated by Heretia¡­¡¯ On the other hand, Haild was the type to be intimidated by everyone, even young children. Juan wondered how such a child managed to fight against Nienna in a battle. Around the Magic Tower was a village built for magicians and tourists. Because many people from all over the place that dressed in all kinds of clothes gathered here, Haild with bandages all over his body, and Juan with black hair didn¡¯t attract much attention. Juan could tell that a lot of people seemed to have come from beyond the boundary at just a glance, and he even saw races that he had never seen before. ¡°...Wait, that¡¯s¡­¡± Juan stopped upon arriving near the main gate of the Magic Tower. A proper entrance had been built separately due to the tower being tilted. Now, on both sides of the entrance stood a huge eagle-shaped statue. Dozens of magicians were looking at Juan from between the statues. ¡°They must have been waiting for us. I did send them a message in advance, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be so hospitable,¡± Heretia whispered, just as surprised. Hospitality from the Magic Tower didn¡¯t necessarily mean bad things, but Juan had many enemies in the capital. In Heretia¡¯s eyes, excessive hospitality was a reason to remain vigilant. Juan took a step forward first. At that moment, the huge eagle statues standing on both sides of the main gate of the Magic Tower began to move. A loud noise could be heard every time the joints of the stone eagles moved, and it was enough to make the entire village around the Magic Tower shake. In just an instant, everyone¡¯s eyes turned toward the Magic Tower. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Haild tried to step in, but Heretia grabbed him by the shoulder. At the same time, Heretia was chewing her nails with a nervous look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t step in. We need to know what their intentions are,¡± Heretia warned. ¡°But they might attack His Majesty!¡± ¡°If they do attack HIs Majesty, do you think they¡¯ll be able to beat him?¡± The eagle statues pounded the ground with their four legs as they approached Juan. Then pieces of stone poured down over Juan¡¯s head. Heretia couldn¡¯t help but grow even more nervous even though she knew that those trivial statues were no match for Juan. They were quite rare, but the statues were golems: the most powerful magic soldiers from the time when the emperor founded the empire. At this point, most of them were hidden, making it difficult to find traces of them. But it seemed there were still some golems that remained in the Magic Tower. The key was whether or not Juan had grown enough to deal with the Golems, which were said to be difficult to deal with even if an entire knight order attacked them. The eagle statues were about to attack Juan, causing screams to break out in the village. Of course, Juan had no intention of fighting against the Golems. Juan quietly muttered as he looked at the statues with a frown. ¡°Keep your heads down.¡± In an instant, the eagle statues quickly fell flat on their stomachs. CH 141 People couldn¡¯t really understand what happened when they saw the eagle statues lying flat on the ground. Juan looked at the golems with his arms crossed and shook his fingers to the side. ¡°Roll over.¡± The sight of the giant eagle statues rolling on the bare ground caused everyone to recall watching a comedy show. But Juan continued to give orders without laughing. ¡°Bellies.¡± The eagle statues flipped over and exposed their stomachs. Heretia thought that now was the perfect time to laugh out loud, but her lips couldn¡¯t move at all for some reason. ¡®He¡¯s controlling the Golems as he pleases?¡¯ Golems were said to be the thickest arms supporting the throne¡ªmagic soldiers that were supporting the empire. Most of them except for a few were now nothing more than legends, and they were made by the emperor to only obey him. But here Juan was, controlling them like puppies with his fingers. What this situation meant was quite clear. ¡°Head.¡± The eagle statues thumped their heads into the ground at Juan¡¯s order. Then Juan gently patted the eagles on their heads. Heretia wondered if Juan was complimenting the eagles, but he simply took out a stone piece from the wings of the golems with his bare hands. Inside the opening was something that was glowing blue. After confirming what was inside, Juan simply covered it up once again. ¡°All right, well done. You can go back now.¡± The eagle statues stomped around and returned to the entrance of the Magic Tower like well trained dogs. Then they once again took a dignified posture and stood still, just like before. But the people who were here today realized that they would never be able to look at the eagle statues the same way ever again. ¡°What trifling things they¡¯ve done,¡± Juan muttered. As Juan approached the entrance of the Magic Tower, one of the magicians jumped out in front of Juan and bowed his head. Just as Juan was about to complain out of annoyance, he stopped when he saw a familiar face. The person standing in front of him looked very familiar. ¡°Your Majesty, did your business in the east go well?¡± ¡°Opert, you were present in the magic tower?¡± It was Opert, the smuggler whom Juan had met back in Hiveden. He was also a magician and the vice tower master of the Magic Tower. ¡°I apologize if the behavior of the golems was offensive, Your Majesty. The senior magicians insisted on confirming your identity¡­ but I was able to change their minds and convince them to use the golems instead of directly asking Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You must have heard about what happened at the Ash Tower from Anya.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. She said that you controlled the golem from the Ash Tower, so I thought that everything would be fine this time as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the part that I found offensive. You played a little trick on the golems.¡± ¡°Sorry? Oh, yes¡­ we did carve it into the shape of an eagle to¡­¡± ¡°No, not that. You played around with the settings of the golems to omit their ability to detect mana. I could also see that you have added another name to the list of people who can command the golems. While your elaborate modifications are quite impressive, it¡¯s rather unpleasant that you tested me with something that originally belonged to me.¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know much about that part. As far as I know, it was one of the senior magicians who altered the settings. As you know, the golems attract the curiosity of many magicians, since it is Your Majesty¡¯s legacy.¡± Juan clicked his tongue; he felt that it was useless to argue about the golems with Opert. Juan took a glance at the people standing behind Opert. He felt that the hospitality of the magic tower was not as great as Heretia thought. ¡°These aren¡¯t magicians, are they?¡± Juan asked. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. Most of them are scholars. The real magicians have locked themselves up inside their rooms for a long time. Who knows what will happen if they come out and get caught recklessly using magic by the Priests,¡± Opert answered. ¡°I see. So, you¡¯re their representative?¡± Opert shook his head at Juan¡¯s question. ¡°No, Your Majesty. I¡¯m just an envoy who is here to serve Your Majesty. There is someone waiting for you.¡± ¡°And who is that?¡± ¡°Someone who sent me down exactly on time just before Your Majesty arrived. The master of the Magic Tower is waiting for you, Your Majesty.¡± *** Climbing up the magic tower was not too difficult, since the tower was tilted. But Heretia stopped several times as she gasped for air, since she couldn¡¯t handle it. Juan clicked his tongue and got Haild to help her. ¡°You don¡¯t really have to follow me to the top. Just go somewhere and take a rest,¡± Juan said. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m going. Do you even know how hard it is to meet the master of the Magic Tower?¡± Heretia answered. ¡°Then do as you please. But you¡¯d better hurry, because we are not going to wait for you. You can ask Haild for a piggyback ride or something.¡± ¡°Why would I do that when I can walk on my own two legs?¡± ¡°I wonder if you will be able to say the same thing when we get to the top.¡± Heretia grumbled and forced her legs to continue moving. Haild nervously wandered around her, trying to offer help, but Heretia refused his help¡ªit almost looked like she was about to bite him. Juan ignored the two and climbed up the stairs. The interior of the Magic Tower was originally quite simple, but became messy due to the mixing of the old structure with new stairs and spaces made due to the renovation. Almost as if confusion was the theme of the interior, there were stairs on the ceiling that should not exist and rooms without floors. It would be extremely easy to get lost without guidance, but Juan had already visited the Magic Tower several times. Opert looked at the back of Juan who was walking ahead of him. Juan soon arrived in front of a huge door. The wall which should have been the ceiling was tilted at an angle, but the door was still intact. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting out here, Your Majesty,¡± Opert said, stopping at the stairs. Juan nodded and entered the room without knocking. The room was so large that it even felt quite empty, and the entire top floor seemed to be devoted to just this room. The walls were tilted just like the other floors, but it didn¡¯t feel suffocating, since there were windows everywhere. ¡°Ah, the guest that I¡¯ve been waiting for has arrived.¡± A welcoming voice was heard as soon as Juan opened the door. In the center of the huge room, one could see an unknown black liquid bubbling in a hole the size of a small pond. On the outskirts of the hole, a small boy was stirring the liquid with a staff that was even larger than him. ¡°Welcome, emperor. It¡¯s been quite a long time, huh?¡± The look in his eyes and his manner of speech did not suit his age. Looking at the boy¡¯s round and curved eyes, Juan immediately realized who he was. Juan¡¯s face became distorted as he called out a name through gritted teeth. ¡°Dane Dormund.¡± Dane Dormund, Juan¡¯s teacher. The man who found him, protected him, and taught him magic until he became the emperor, as well as the Grand Magician who was expelled for bringing about the existence known as Gerard Gain. He was standing in front of Juan. *** ¡°Good, you still remember me. I was worried that you might not recognize me, since my appearance has changed. But I guess the same is true about you as well.¡± Dane Dormund, who looked like a child, giggled and continued to stir the pond. A group of glittering lights freely moved around and wandered inside the black liquid. ¡°I thought I told you to never appear in front of my eyes ever again,¡± Juan said with a firm expression. ¡°You sure did,¡± Dane winked at Juan. ¡°When you were the Emperor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still an emperor.¡± ¡°Harmon would have disagreed if he were still here. Well, it would only be a matter of time, but¡­ Anyway. Without Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart, you can¡¯t command me like you did in the past. The previous commands you had made were also canceled when your original body died. You no longer have his divinity.¡± Dane Dormund was right. Juan had been completed as the emperor with the help of Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart, and was able to reign over humans. Juan was quite powerful right now, but he was far weaker when compared to his time as the emperor¡ªthe time when he hunted gods. ¡°I can still make you disappear.¡± As Juan strode closer, Dane quickly took the staff out of the pond and used the black liquid to draw a long line on the floor in front of him. At that moment, Juan suddenly felt that Dane¡¯s presence had gotten several hundred kilometers away. In fact, Juan could no longer feel his presence at all. Dane Dormund was clearly standing in front of Juan, but the actual distance between them had increased by who knew how much. ¡°This line looks just like a random scribble, but it would take more than just a day or two to cross it. The bigger problem is that your body might even break apart trying to cross this,¡± Dane shrugged. ¡°...I can see that you¡¯re still using that trifling magic of yours.¡± ¡°You are definitely weaker than you used to be¡­ but you¡¯re still quite dangerous.¡± For some reason, Dane had a proud look on his face, and Juan didn¡¯t like such a look. Dane used to look at Juan with the same expression even when Juan was the emperor. Ordinary people looked at Juan with respect or fear, but Dane looked at Juan as if he was looking at a big puppy. Juan was much stronger and more powerful than Dane, but Dane didn¡¯t even seem bothered by that part. ¡°What is this? I¡¯ve never seen this kind of magic before,¡± Juan asked. ¡°It¡¯s the achievement I made after a decade of work. It¡¯s kind of like a microcosm¡ªI set the laws of physics to be the same as the macroscopic universe and added a few more settings that I can calculate and change. It¡¯s my own way of reducing the variables of quantum uncertainty and inducing macroscopic flows to come out within reasonable error margins, so that I can use this in different forms.¡± ¡°Stop playing with words. Why don¡¯t you just say that you are moving the position of the stars in the swamp of the sky to weave the thread of prophecy just like you used to before?¡± ¡°I like saying it like that too, since it¡¯s poetic,¡± Dane giggled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop trying to kill me and let''s talk about each other¡¯s business. So, how have you been after you were murdered by your own son? I¡¯ve always wondered what the afterlife looks like. I¡¯ve tried learning necromancy, but it¡¯s never really been helpful.¡± ¡°There was nothing, and I couldn¡¯t feel anything at all. Then, I suddenly came back to life¡ªthat¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying the same thing as the dead.¡± Juan dragged a chair in front of the black line and sat down. At the same time, Dane once again began to stir the pond with his staff. Meanwhile, Juan stared at Dane; he still couldn¡¯t get used to Dane¡¯s young appearance at all. ¡°Why do you look like that anyway? Were you resurrected as well or something?¡± Juan asked. ¡°No way. This is what I looked like in the first place. Well, I did get some parts from elsewhere. Ah, nevermind. I guess I can¡¯t really say that I originally looked like this. But, this is what I looked like for at least three hundred years. I did have a different body that I used for two hundred years before this, but I like the way I look now much better.¡± ¡°Then what about the old man that I saw before?¡± ¡°I had to look old and wise in order to win your trust,¡± Dane grinned and continued speaking. ¡°You know how hard it is to win respect or trust with the appearance of a child. It would have especially been hard since you were also a child back then. I had to look more like a reliable adult, and it worked quite well.¡± ¡®What a monster.¡¯ Juan murmured to himself. No one knew how long Dane had lived for¡ªeven Juan couldn¡¯t figure that out. ¡®Can someone who changes bodies and lives close to an eternal life even be called a human?¡¯ Dane continued speaking as if he could read Juan¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I may have changed my body, but it is true that I was human when I was born. All the bodies that I¡¯ve used were those of humans as well. I might have lived for a long time, but I haven¡¯t been around as long as this tower. So you can relax. This tower was already in place when I was born.¡± ¡°If you had that much power, you should have used it to fight against gods instead of me.¡± ¡°There is a limit no matter how strong I become. The threshold of the human race is limited, whether it be in terms of spirit or flesh. I wasn''t even able to reach the limit anyway.¡± ¡°The limit?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a big deal. Anyway¡­¡± Juan got a feeling that Dane was trying to avoid explaining further, but nodded anyway; Dane was right about the fact that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Juan didn¡¯t even want to be with Dane for any longer than he had to. ¡°The reason you came to the Magic Tower is to form an alliance with us, am I right?¡± Dane asked. ¡°Yes. But I¡¯ll have to reconsider my decision now that I know that you are here.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Don¡¯t be like that. I have even prepared some gifts for you.¡± Dane smiled and used his staff to split the pond in half. The black liquid split apart to reveal an interior filled with bizarre texture. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan had felt a strong sense of displeasure when he had seen the water in the pond. Considering the structure of the Magic Tower, the bottom had to be empty. However, the inside of the pond led to a huge and endless darkness. There was only a sense of emptiness and coldness. What soon appeared within the darkness was a small room. Juan noticed some simple bedding and a sword inside the room. At that moment, Juan saw a familiar figure on one side of the room¡ªit was Sina Solvane. ¡°I found her wandering around Durgal. She was looking for a way to enter the Crack,¡± Dane said. ¡°...To find me?¡± ¡°Maybe? It''s quite likely. I heard that the last time she saw you was right when you were dragged into the Crack.¡± Juan had thought that Sina might be looking for him, but he didn¡¯t pay much attention, since he believed that she would be fine on her own. But Juan hadn¡¯t expected to find her in the magic tower. Looking at the structure of the room, Sina seemed to be in a guest room somewhere inside the tower. At least it didn¡¯t look like she had been abducted. ¡°So? What do you think? Do you like the gift I have prepared for you?¡± Dane asked. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± CH 142 Dane muttered with a perplexed look on his face, almost as if he felt that it was a shame. ¡°I had thought that you¡¯d like my gift.¡± ¡°Sina is not some object that anyone can give as they please. I appreciate you for holding her back from stupidly crawling into the Crack, but that¡¯s all. Besides, she would have already heard about my situation if she had heard about the rumors that are going around. I bet you were just keeping her clueless on purpose¡ªtry and deny it, I dare you.¡± Dane laughed out loud upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°I just can¡¯t fool you, can I? You¡¯re right. I told her to stay here in the Magic Tower for a while, since I would have found you soon. But I did tell her that she was free to leave at any time she wanted. So, I guess it¡¯s really not fair of me to call her my ¡®gift¡¯ to you. But that¡¯s not the only gift I have prepared for you.¡± Dane pushed away, causing Sina¡¯s room to disappear. Then he scooped out something that was burning brightly from a deeper part of the dark, cold void. Dane used his staff almost as if he was fishing, and fished the object out from the void. Juan could feel the cold air around them disappearing in just an instant as soon as the item appeared before them¡ªit was a burning sword. ¡°It¡¯s Sutra,¡± Juan muttered. Sutra was one of the two weapons that Juan owned and used when he had been the emperor. It was a sword called Sutra. Its name had the meaning of ¡®the shame of the Gods.¡¯ ¡°It sure is. It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Sutra was a sword that Juan had made on his own with the power of his flames. Due to the fact that it was always covered in flames, no one else would dare to hold it. Juan recalled giving Sutra to the magicians as a reward for their help in stabilizing the empire after the formation of their alliance. Juan had tried to retrieve it for the war against the Crack, but he was stabbed by Elkiehl before he could do so. It seemed like Sutra had been stored inside the Magic Tower ever since then. ¡°I did come to the Magic Tower to retrieve Sutra,¡± Juan muttered as he watched Sutra which was burning fiercely. ¡°But it¡¯s not even funny that you are acting like you are giving me a gift, when the item you are giving me is already mine. That sword was made by me, and belongs to me. And you call it a ¡®gift?¡¯ Shame on you.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. You know, I could have handed over Sutra to the Church, right? You would be really surprised if you knew just how eager the Church was to find Sutra. Do you even know how hard it has been for me to keep Sutra safe until now? Think about it. Telgramm, the spear you had when you died is currently stored in the Church as a ¡®holy item¡¯, but Sutra is here, right in front of you.¡± Dane tapped Sutra with his staff and sent it toward Juan. Juan stared at Sutra for a long time, then carefully grabbed its handle. But then, a sharp shock immediately swept over Juan. For a moment, he almost dropped Sutra¡ªbut he clenched his teeth and tightly held onto it. He could feel his knees bending against his will. Dane laughed out loud. ¡°Sutra seems to be quite unfamiliar with its owner.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ Shut up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural that Sutra is pushing you away, since you made sure that no one else other than you would be able to use it. Your power right now is less than half as strong as it was when you had made Sutra, so you can only blame yourself.¡± Juan clenched his teeth even harder and supported himself by pressing Sutra against the floor, causing it to begin to burn even more brightly and color the entire floor red. Juan felt as if his insides were bubbling and seething, but he was already used to the pain caused by heat. Dane smiled bitterly. ¡°Stop being so stubborn. You don¡¯t need to suffer unnecessarily¡ªjust ask for my help to¡­¡± At that moment, flames suddenly appeared around Juan¡¯s eyebrows. Dane quickly erased the smile on his face and looked at Juan with a stiff expression. The white flames which began to burn around Juan¡¯s head soon turned Dane¡¯s room so bright that it was impossible to even find a shadow anywhere. Before he knew it, Juan noticed that he was gradually feeling more and more comfortable while holding Sutra. Eventually, he was able to stand up completely on his two feet without having to rely on Sutra. Stomp! The moment Juan stomped his foot, the flames that were burning around his head quickly died down. However, the bright light that colored the room did not disappear. The bright white light was not coming from the Sutra, but instead from Juan¡¯s head. It was so hot that even the stones on the floor melted down. ¡°I guess Sutra is ready to adapt to its new master,¡± Dane remarked. Juan exhaled a long breath and rubbed the sword with his hand. Almost as if it had never been burning, the bright light around Sutra disappeared in an instant and then it turned into an ordinary sword. Dane stared blankly at Juan, feeling both perplexed and excited at the same time. ¡°What, but how¡­ My goodness.¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? Did you think that I¡¯d give in to your temptation?¡± ¡°I thought you would need a period of at least one month or even up to half a year to adjust. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to tame Sutra on the spot, just like that.¡± Dane seemed to be in a good mood even though his predictions were proven wrong. ¡°As expected. The real emperor is certainly a different breed,¡± Dane smiled. ¡°What do you mean? The real emperor?¡± Juan frowned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. One of the idiots who visited the Magic Tower a few days ago claimed that he was ¡®the emperor.¡¯ It seemed like some insane Priest encouraged him to do so due to the rumors that had been circulating these days. But then he ordered me to give Sutra to him.¡± Juan was dumbfounded upon hearing Dane¡¯s words, but soon was convinced. It was only natural for lunatics to appear when the world was chaotic. It was also understandable how Heretia managed to find him so easily; after all, there was a person impersonating him around here. ¡°So what did you do?¡± Juan asked. ¡°What could I do when the Priest was being so stubborn? I showed Sutra¡¯s light to the Priest, who just held his eyes and ran away in a hurry. He then began to fool around by lighting up an ordinary metal sword on fire and calling it Sutra. I¡¯m sure that you can find him in the village outside.¡± Dane¡¯s tone seemed to be encouraging Juan to check what was going on in the village, but Juan had no intention of doing so. Juan felt that the lunatics would disappear on their own once he showed himself. ¡°Anyway. I can see that your progress is much faster than I expected, considering that you were able to tame Sutra so quickly,¡± Dane said with a smile. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Huh? Oh, nothing.¡± Juan spun Sutra and swung it, trying to split the black pond in half. The pond then burst into flames and was instantly instant in two halves. The flames then continued to burn, turning half the black pond white. Dane¡¯s expression hardened upon seeing such a sight. ¡°Here¡¯s a warning. I don¡¯t like the fact that you¡¯re planning something behind my back. I¡¯m sure you know why.¡± ¡°...Because of Gerard? It¡¯s not my fault that Gerard stabbed you. As you know, I haven¡¯t even seen Gerard since he was just a baby.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not because of Gerard. I simply didn¡¯t like you from the very beginning. I only let you stay by my side because you were like my teacher and father. But I¡¯m sure I told you that all of that was over when you created Gerard without getting my permission or even informing me.¡± ¡°...Right,¡± Dane smiled bitterly and continued speaking. ¡°Alright. I understand that you don¡¯t like me; after all, it¡¯s true that I wasn¡¯t honest with you. Then, what are you going to do about the matter of forming an alliance with the Magic Tower? Do you intend to give up on getting our support?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®give up your support¡¯?¡± Juan frowned. ¡°Are you seriously asking me that question? Do you not realize what it means for the Magic Tower to not support me? Are the magicians planning to lose their tower and wander around the empire without a lab for the rest of their lives, continuing their research by digging into some underground dungeon in the mountains? Are the magicians irrational enough to protect you at all costs?¡± Juan stabbed Sutra into the ground and continued speaking. ¡°I originally came here for support. But I have changed my mind after encountering you¡ªI don¡¯t need the support of the magicians. I need their obedience.¡± *** Opert was waiting for Juan to come out of Dane Dormund¡¯s room. As soon as he saw Juan, he bowed to greet him. ¡°How did your meeting go, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if Dane was satisfied, but I managed to get the result that I wanted.¡± Opert noticed the sword in Juan¡¯s hand, which he hadn¡¯t seen when Juan entered the room earlier. Opert had no idea what that sword was, so he tilted his head, wondering if Juan had received a gift from the master of the Magic Tower. ¡°Dane? Is that the master¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Yes. His name is Dane Dormund. He didn¡¯t tell you his name?¡± ¡°Nope. No one knows the master¡¯s name except for the elders. Everyone just called him master anyway. Oh! No, wait a second¡­ Dane Dormund¡­ isn¡¯t he that¡­ that famous Grand Magician¡­¡± Opert stuttered and tried to ask Juan more questions. However, at that moment, Heretia and Haild finally finished climbing up the stairs. Heretia was climbing up the stairs with her head down, an exhausted expression on her face. She looked like she could roll over at any time, but then she saw Juan¡¯s feet. Heretia helplessly raised her head, and muttered blankly upon seeing Juan¡¯s face. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Do I have to go down the stairs now?¡± ¡°Go down the stairs.¡± Juan nodded expressionlessly. Heretia collapsed on the stairs. She blankly stared up the ceiling, then stretched her arms toward Juan. ¡°I feel like my legs are about to fall off. Give me a piggyback.¡± Juan looked at Heretia as if she was pathetic, then sent a signal toward Haild. Haild walked down the stairs and stuck his back out to Heretia, who jumped on Haild¡¯s back without any hesitation. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan inadvertently remembered the story of the fake emperor that Dane told him about. He wondered if Heretia came to look for him after hearing such rumors. ¡°Heretia. What¡¯s the rumor about the emperor¡¯s return?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ There are rumors that crows fly around, making a fuss about the return of the emperor. There are also rumors that a dragon has been found in the eastern territory, and that Sutra has appeared once again. Oh, there¡¯s also a rumor about Gerard Gain and General Nienna Nelben fighting in the presence of the Northern Army. Then there''s also another rumor saying that a prophet has already found the emperor and is fathering the followers. And all these rumors are known to be reasonable. Isn¡¯t that quite unbelievable?¡± ¡°How did you know which rumors were real and which were not?¡± ¡°By collecting consistent information. But due to the current situation being as it is, a lot of lunatics who claim to be the emperor have appeared. That¡¯s nothing new though. I had a feeling that you were most likely to be around this area, but then the information about your whereabouts was conflicting, pointing in two directions.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®so?¡¯ When I heard that the emperor was wandering around with a Priest, I immediately concluded that he was fake. I¡¯ve always believed that His Majesty who is sitting on the Eternal Throne would stand up and crush the heads of the bastards from the Church if he were to ever encounter them.¡± ¡°Very reasonable,¡± Juan nodded. Facts and false information were mixed, but Heretia had moved according to her intuition. Of course, it was hard to expect such a level of intuition from the others. Juan already expected that there would be a group of people who would abuse the declaration of his return, but he had not expected anyone to be bold enough to claim themselves to be the emperor. He couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would do that, since such an action would only turn both the Church and Juan into their enemies. ¡®No. Perhaps it was organized by the Church, considering that a Priest was involved.¡¯ The Church could easily shake the situation if they moved faster than Juan. He thought that the matter of the fake emperor should not be taken too lightly. *** Half the black pond was still white, and Dane silently stared at the sight. Little stars were burning inside the black pond, and one of the planets that was engulfed in white flames was turning distorted and letting out a terrible scream. Then, the planet soon became silent. There was nothing that Dane Dormund could do about the flames which covered half of the ¡®universe¡¯. Even the planets in the black part of the pond dried up in the face of the light. Dane placed his staff inside the white part of the pond. The stave then dyed the surroundings black, almost as if he had dropped ink into the pond. Soon, the stars that had become silent were revealed. Dane then stirred the entire pond for a long time as if he was stirring a pot of porridge, and the universe which had been burning due to a sudden disaster soon began to be purified. ¡°What do you think?¡± A voice was heard from behind Dane. But Dane ignored the voice and remained silent. The mane came closer to Dane, almost as if he was anxious. ¡°Master Dane Dormund. Everyone is asking about him.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± CH 143 The man flinched and ground to a halt when he found a line in front of his feet that seemed to have been drawn with ink¡ªit was the black line that Dane had drawn earlier while blocking Juan earlier. ¡°Be careful if you don¡¯t want to end up losing your feet.¡± ¡°...There are many people waiting for Master Dane Dormund¡¯s decision. Can you tell me a little bit in advance?¡± Dane turned his head toward the man. The man looked into Dane¡¯s eyes and flinched as he bowed his head. Dane¡¯s eyes which seemed to have the experience of hundreds of years but ironically had the appearance of a child¡¯s eyes, gave an odd feeling that made it difficult for one to look at him recklessly. ¡°What is it that you want to know?¡± ¡°...Master, you already know what I want to know. Has the emperor really returned? After all, Aruntal¡¯s fate is at stake here.¡± Dane was silent for a moment. He shuddered in front of Juan and admired his potential. The possibility of Juan taking over the capital was close to one hundred percent. Although Barth Baltic was quite strong, it wasn¡¯t important to figure out who was stronger¡ªand that was why Dane thought that Juan wasn¡¯t ready yet. Dane spat out a reply. ¡°He is broken. He is no longer the emperor.¡± The man opened his eyes wide and looked at Dane, who continued to speak. ¡°I must make a new one.¡± *** Gallop! Gallop! Gallop! The horses covered in heavy armor trampled on the ground vigorously. Freaked out by the Templars crossing the middle of the boulevard, people quickly stepped aside. They wondered why the Templars were moving so hastily. They grew even more perplexed when they saw the two flags at the front. ¡®Two knight orders moving together at once¡­ are they planning to go to war?¡¯ Dembel, the captain of the Order of the White Lotus, rode on his horse fiercely. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Lianna, the captain of the Order of the Black Lotus, who was riding her horse right beside Dembel laughed a silent laugh through her tongueless mouth and slapped the thigh of Dembel¡¯s horse with her sheath. Dembel¡¯s horse stumbled in surprise and almost dropped Dembel, but Dembel managed to calm it down. ¡°Damn it! I told you we need to hear them out and not kill them right away!¡± Dembel shouted. [We can kill them first and ask later on if they are still alive.] ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting!¡± [Move faster if you don¡¯t want that to happen.] Even though it shouldn¡¯t be possible, Dembel felt as if he was hearing Lianna¡¯s laughter. Dembel and Lianna¡¯s race began shortly after finding the whereabouts of the self-proclaimed emperor¡ªthis type of forceful rapid march would have been impossible if they were ordinary knights. The Order of the White Lotus restored the horses¡¯ physical strength by using Grace, and they even endured their bodily desires like hunger and the need to excrete by overusing their Grace. However, despite their efforts, they were only barely able to keep up with the Order of the Black Lotus. Soon after the Templars crossed a hill, a huge structure caught their eyes. It was the ancient Magic Tower, which was tilted at an angle. *** [How can you be so certain that he¡¯s a fake emperor, Your Holiness?] Lianna asked the Pope early in the morning, before the Saintess and the Pope appointed the two knight orders to investigate. There were only two reasons why Lianna could directly ask the Pope such a question. First, she was crazy. Second, she never gave the Pope any room to doubt her loyalty. Helmut felt quite uncomfortable upon hearing Lianna¡¯s question, but he still opened his mouth to answer. Helmut was somewhat generous due to being intoxicated by the new incense that the Earl of Illde had gifted him. ¡°You¡­ no, most of the Templars have never seen the way His Majesty ruled the empire.¡± The Templars were only created by the Church after the beginning of Eternal Rule. Originally, most of them consisted of knights of the Imperial Army as well as retired Imperial Guards, but their positions were soon mostly occupied by orphans raised in the Church. The Church, which had only Bishops and Priests who had been granted a share of His Majesty¡¯s Grace, grew into another small empire within the empire, with the Templars acting as the physical power and the protectors of this small empire. As the Templars¡¯ authority grew greater and greater, reaching the peak, even children with parents were sent to the Church¡¯s orphanage if they were deemed to be talented. Due to these reasons, most of the Templars were under the age of forty even if they were old. ¡°I remember the time when His Majesty ruled, as well as the time when the gods were still walking on this land. At that time, humans weren''t the owners of this land¡ªthey existed only as minor states or tribes in the mountains and valleys, and were in a position to be exploited by other races,¡± Helmut explained. [I can¡¯t even imagine.] ¡°Of course you can¡¯t. If you look at the different races within the empire now¡­ At that time, each race had gods who protected them and blessed them, allowing them to enjoy many benefits. The elves were blessed with an almost eternal life and had the grace of the spirits under the care of Iolin, while the Arles were granted enough strength to jump over the mountains and pull out trees by drinking the blood of Arleyahir¡­ and there were many more. Well, it¡¯s all gone now.¡± Lianna somehow felt like someone had tickled her ears when she heard the names of the now old and unfamiliar gods who were now dead or missing. On the other hand, such names flowed out of Helmut¡¯s mouth as if he was quite familiar with them. ¡°Now, the number of different types of races has decreased considerably, but back then, there were dozens of times the number of races that exist today. Humans had no power among those races¡ªthey didn¡¯t even have gods to bless them, protect them or look over them. In other words, humans didn¡¯t even have gods they could pray to if things went wrong. They were treated as just some trifles or slaves.¡± Helmut smiled with his hand on his head. ¡°Oh, of course, there were some ¡®good¡¯ races¡ªlike the elves. They had overwhelming power and the blessing of eternal life, so they were able to afford the generosity of not trampling us crawling trifles. But as soon as they realized that they wouldn¡¯t gain anything by doing that, they betrayed us.¡± Helmut lifted the glass of alcohol and took a sip before continuing. ¡°At the time, I was¡­ on the very bottom of the food chain. No matter how poorly humans were treated back then, kings and nobles still existed among us at that time. However, I was born a slave child.¡± Lianna was unperturbed even after hearing about Helmut¡¯s origin. There were many rumors about Helmut, but no one exactly knew of his past nor mentioned it because there were many cases where they disappeared without a sound after carelessly speaking about his past. ¡°There were human parents above me, a human master above them, and an Arle master above him. Think about how miserable that life of mine would have been. Of course, I¡¯ve never even seen my parents. There was only a slave who was in charge of breastfeeding me. When I was about six years old, I was sent to the mine to work even though I was smaller than other children of the same age.¡± Helmut giggled, almost as if he was having fun talking about his childhood. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to explain that feeling in words. While I did not crawl through the mine on all fours like a baby, more often than not I was literally wriggling around like a bug in the ground, just trying to scratch the rocks and dig into the soil. When it was time to come out of the mines, I had to either push myself on my own or someone would pull the string tied to my ankle from outside the mine. What would happen if the mines collapsed? Obviously, we would just die. They treated me more like a trifling worm than a human being. There were hundreds of such ¡®worms¡¯ in the mine. That¡¯s how humans were treated back then.¡± Lianna did not answer. For a while, Helmut stared at the ceiling with heavy eyes, then suddenly opened his mouth again. ¡°Then His Majesty appeared.¡± Helmut smiled. ¡°Think about it, Lianna. A child who considered himself nothing more than a worm heard about a human who tore down the gods and exterminated other races while forming an army only for the sake of humans. How do you think I would have felt? I thought what I heard was a lie, since there were all kinds of delusional rumors being talked about amongst the slaves.¡± [It is also mentioned in the catechism that many people suspected the birth of His Majesty.] ¡°I tried not to pay attention to the rumors, since I was living in a world where the only thing you would get for being hopeful was pain. Yes¡­ But that was only until His Majesty appeared before me to kill our masters who were whipping us and freed us slaves.¡± Helmut still couldn¡¯t forget that moment. At the time, the human who was their master was rushing to pack something, while the Arle who owned him was scolding him. They weren¡¯t even preparing the slaves to send them into the mines. Something strange was going on. But before they could flee, His Majesty arrived there with eyes burning like the sun and fists that were like giant trees. ¡°Praise His Majesty,¡± Helmut quietly muttered. ¡°Just like that, His Majesty showed me the light when I was stuck in the darkness and brought us warmth. I was nothing but a bug digging through the soil, but His Majesty turned me into a human. Since then, I believe that he is the ¡®god of humans¡¯ without a doubt.¡± Helmut¡¯s voice trembled gently with excitement and agitation. He continued on without stopping. ¡°Of course, I begged to follow His Majesty¡ªbut His Majesty said that I was still too young to do so. Many ¡®worms¡¯, including myself, were left with some adults and were ordered to move to a safe place. But, the very first thing we did¡­ was to tear apart our human master.¡± [Did His Majesty spare his life?] ¡°He did, but only because that man knelt down and bowed his head while begging for forgiveness. His Majesty knew that he, too, was a victim of the system. Most importantly, he was a human as well. But I and all the others felt that he was more disgusting than anybody.¡± [So what did you do after that?] ¡°We went to the safe place that His Majesty told us to go to. But I couldn¡¯t wait until I became an adult to join His Majesty¡¯s army. So I¡­ created a special army¡ªan army that could punish the kindred races. An army that His Majesty would compliment for its bravery and gladly accept as his soldiers.¡± Helmut remained silent for a moment. He spent a long time in silence before muttering in a slightly subdued voice. ¡°We wanted to prove our loyalty to His Majesty by any means. I don¡¯t think what I did was simply a stupid thing I did due to being young, considering everything they had done to us first.¡± Helmut got up from the sofa and looked at Lianna, who was still on her knees, waiting for his next words. ¡°You see? His Majesty did not give superior power to humans, but blessed them by bringing all the other races down to the same level as humans. Without His Majesty, humans would have remained a race no better than bugs or even worse. After all, humans were nothing but imperfect, weak, and trifling bugs. Humans needed His Majesty. And because of that¡­¡± Helmut suddenly closed his mouth. Lianna was concerned about the way he suddenly stopped talking, but she didn¡¯t ask further questions. Then, Helmut clenched his fist and opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve talked too much. There are a lot of weird things going on these days that are bothering me.¡± [I¡¯ll get going now. Please make yourself comfortable.] ¡°All right. You may go.¡± Lianna stood up and walked out of Helmut¡¯s office. Just before she closed the door, Helmut¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Lianna, only His Majesty who sits on the Eternal Throne is the real emperor. Keep in mind that there will be no other emperors other than His Majesty who sits on the Eternal Throne.¡± *** Suddenly, Juan turned his head. Heretia followed his gaze and looked out of the window, but it didn¡¯t seem like Juan was simply enjoying the view outside the Magic Tower. ¡°What is it?¡± Heretia asked while hanging from Haild¡¯s back. ¡°The Templars are coming,¡± Juan answered. ¡°The Templars? Yikes, they got here faster than I expected. I guess it¡¯s only natural for the Church to be able to find you since even I was able to find you on my own¡ªnot to mention that the rumors about the fake emperor are getting more and more famous. But what are they going to do at the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°I feel like there were people who said similar things back in Hiveden too.¡± ¡°Hiveden is not your standard medium-sized city. On the other hand, the Magic Tower is well respected by people¡­ well, I guess that part is quite controversial. But it still has a long history with many dangerous people residing inside it. The reason why the Magic Tower obeys the magic ban enacted by the Church is due to the fact that the Church doesn¡¯t directly bother the Magic Tower.¡± Juan nodded his head. The Magic Tower had always been that way. The Magic Tower never paid much attention to humans even when humans were being persecuted, and they only decided to help out when humanity was on the verge of extermination. It was very much like the magicians to lock themselves up in a small room to study instead of entering political confrontations or struggling for freedom. But once the magicians decided to take action, it would be a piece of cake for them to deal with the Templars, even with just Dane Dormund. ¡°I don¡¯t think they are going for the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait. After all, we are the guests here.¡± Juan began to climb down the stairs again. Just as Heretia had said, there was no need for them to hurry just to run into the Templars. Juan felt that now was the perfect time for the Templars to visit. This was the first knight order that Juan would encounter after declaring his return. And from the looks of it, the seeds he had scattered were wriggling throughout the empire, ready to spout. Juan thought that it would be good to bring them all together. CH 144 Lianna and Dembel roamed around, trying to find a place to stay instead of entering the village near the Magic Tower. The Magic Tower had been obeying the Church¡¯s demands, but the way all the individual magicians felt toward the Church was a different matter. In fact, some of the magicians often became illegal magicians at the cost of leaving the Magic Tower. There was no need for Lianna and Dembel to enter the village and unnecessarily get on the bad side of the Magic Tower. ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to find a particular entrance to block, since it¡¯s an open wilderness everywhere around here.¡± [Should we set up a campsite or something?] ¡°If the person who claims himself to be the emperor has allied himself with the Magic Tower just like we were worried, then it''s likely that they will be staying inside the Magic Tower. Don¡¯t you think it would be better for us to increase surveillance to make sure that they don¡¯t leave the tower, spread out and infiltrate inside?¡± [You¡¯re being very passive; that¡¯s not like you at all. Are you usually this timid when you hunt monsters too?] ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t political beings. Why don¡¯t you try considering the web of political matters that is connected with our duty for at least a single second? I don¡¯t see you going inside the Magic Tower either.¡± [I will, but at night. I¡¯ll suddenly appear in front of him in the middle of the night¡­ and ask him about his identity.] ¡°Perfect plan to get yourself stabbed.¡± [I¡¯ll have the time to hear his answer if I get lucky enough.] ¡°Lianna.¡± Dembel grabbed Lianna by the arm, causing her to look back at him in wonder. ¡°Please take your time and seriously think about this. The opponent may or may not be His Majesty himself. We need to assume and act while considering both scenarios. If he really is His Majesty, you would basically be committing suicide. If he isn¡¯t His Majesty, then both of us have to work together and get rid of him. That¡¯s why His Holiness and the Saintess have sent us together.¡± [You think too much, Dembel,] Lianna giggled soundlessly and moved her hand. [His Holiness has always told us that ¡®His Majesty wants simple faith.¡¯ If His Majesty has really returned, why did he show up as two emperors, testing our faith?] ¡°Who are we to ever think we know of His Majesty¡¯s will¡­¡± [Don¡¯t think too hard. The answer is simple. One of the two is fake: either His Majesty at the capital or His Majesty near here.] Dembel remained silent. [You bet on this side, and I¡¯ll bet on that side. Then at least one of us will live, don¡¯t you think?] ¡°Then at least let me check his identity first.¡± [What? What do you mean?] ¡°I mean that I¡¯ll meet him before you do. It won¡¯t be too late even if we have to fight him after that, right? I¡¯d feel uncomfortable having a conversation with him after whatever fuss you make anyway.¡± Lianna stared at Dembel. It was unknown as to whether or not the opponent was the real emperor, and he was known to be hostile toward the Church. No one knew what he would do as soon as he encountered one of the Templars. Considering all that, Lianna thought that it would be better to ambush the opponent in a hurry¡ªespecially for a fool like Dembel. Lianna remained silent for a while, then slowly moved her hand. [Do as you please.] Lianna sent out a fist as soon as Dembel rejoiced at her answer. The moment Dembel flinched, Lianna opened her fist in front of his nose. Inside her hand hung a small rosary which had a small accessory with the figure of a strange monster attached to it. Dembel¡¯s expression hardened when he saw the monster. [His Holiness made sure to prepare everything to perfection. I don''t know if the Saintess has done so as well¡ªso my advice is to run away as soon as you think it¡¯s going to get dangerous. Or make the opponent prove himself to be the emperor.] ¡°Lianna, You¡­ if you use something like that in the Magic Tower¡­¡± [Everyone will die, yes. But wouldn¡¯t that be better than the whole empire being engulfed in a sea of flames?] *** Lianna disappeared somewhere as soon as the sun went down. Meanwhile, Dembel entered the village with only three other Templars. They had hoods covering their faces. While they still had their armors on, only the bare minimum equipment could be seen. For pilgrims who were traveling along His Majesty¡¯s footsteps, the Magic Tower was a must-visit place. For this reason, Dembel and the other Templars wearing a hood didn¡¯t seem particularly out of place. In fact, it was both an advantage and a disadvantage, since it would be hard to track down the stranger who had visited the Magic Tower recently. ¡®It was said that he was gathering followers somewhere in the village near the Magic Tower.¡¯ Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The Church was already actively collecting information on the returning emperor. There was a lot of unbelievable and ridiculous information, but the most reasonable one was the rumor about the man wandering around this village. This rumor was consistent with the sightings reported by Hiveden and the Fourth Division, which were known to provide reliable information. Besides, there were more than enough reasons for the returning emperor to visit the Magic Tower. ¡®If you really are His Majesty, why won¡¯t you go and look for your servants¡­¡¯ Dembel muttered to himself, but he already knew the answer. Amidst all the internal conflict of the Church, as well as the amount of fuss the people were making regarding the rumor that the emperor would be returning, hardly anyone would want to deal with them. Dembel didn¡¯t want to make any mistakes. He wanted to believe that the rumor was true as much as possible, especially because of the fact that Lianna was planning to take some extreme measures. ¡°Captain, it¡¯s somewhere around here,¡± one of the Templars whispered in Dembel¡¯s ear. Dembel could see a huge mansion over the big wall. It was in the middle of the night, but the lights inside brightened the surroundings everywhere. Seeing that it was still quiet around the mansion, Dembel figured that he had arrived earlier than Lianna. ¡°Should we enter through the front door? I¡¯m sure they would welcome us if we prove that we are servants who serve His Majesty.¡± Each knight order was strongly influenced by the thoughts of their captain, and Dembel noticed that his Templars were thinking in the same direction as him. Dembel also had a strong desire to be recognized and acknowledged by His Majesty, but refrained himself as much as possible. ¡°We are not sure who the opponent is yet. Let''s look around for a little longer.¡± Dembele started moving. However, it wasn¡¯t long before he stopped walking upon seeing a stranger standing in their way. Dembel was about to anxiously draw his sword, but simply placed his hand on the handle instead, just in case the person in front of him might be His Majesty. ¡°Who are you?¡± Dembel asked. ¡°That¡¯s my question. Who are you people?¡± The face of the opponent, who was dressed simply, was hard to see due to it being quite dark in the alley. However, the opponent¡¯s dominating aura itself told Dembel that he was no ordinary person. Dembel inadvertently saw a sword hanging at his opponent¡¯s waist. Then it occurred to him that the opponent might be another Templar who was performing individual duties, just like themselves. ¡°I am Dembel Dorkmel, the captain of the Order of the White Lotus. Are you a Templar?¡± There was no answer from the opponent. The opponent seemed to be hesitant to answer rather than refusing to answer, so Dembel decided to pressure his opponent a little more. ¡°We are carrying out the orders of His Holiness the Pope. If you interrupt our duties, I will treat that as you betraying the Church.¡± Only then did the opponent slowly step out of the alley. The bright light that lit up the mansion shone on her golden hair and blue eyes. A large burn scar covering her left eye was also clearly revealed under the light. ¡°...I am Sina Solvane from the Order of the Blue Rose. What are the Templars doing here?¡± Dembel and the Templars exchanged puzzled glances. If she was from the Order of the Blue Rose, it was highly likely that she was an ordinary knight from the outskirts of the empire that none of them had even heard the name of. Nevertheless, the energy she gave off was enough to mistake her as the captain of a knight order led by Templars. ¡°What is your relationship with¡­ the emperor?¡± Dembel asked carefully. Sina frowned upon hearing his question. ¡°Juan?¡± The Templars became agitated for a short moment. ¡®How dare she mention His Majesty¡¯s name just like that?¡¯ It could be that she was referring to someone else with the same name, but it was clear that the name referred to the emperor, given the situation they were in. So, Dembel¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Oh, excuse me. I have my reasons,¡± Sina answered quickly as if she was making an excuse. Dembel raised his eyebrows but decided to accept her apology. ¡°We are looking into the rumors about the return of the emperor. Is that what you are up to as well?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that. In fact, I don¡¯t know too much about the rumors, since I had been wandering around the remote areas for a while and then had been inside the Magic Tower. But I came out in a hurry to find out about the return of Juan¡ªno, His Majesty,¡± Sina said as she turned her gaze toward the mansion that Dembel and the Templars were looking around. ¡°Is His Majesty inside this mansion?¡± ¡°...We are in the middle of checking.¡± Sina and Dembel exchanged intense glances, as if they were trying to figure out the other¡¯s intentions. However, their goals were the same and the amount of information they had was also similar. Dembel was the one who opened his mouth first. ¡°Then I guess there¡¯s only one way to find out. I have no choice but to meet His Majesty in person.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. You¡¯ll be able to tell right away.¡± ¡°We will be able to tell right away? Are the signs that clear? I mean, I guess it would rather be strange if no one could tell his identity when he gives off such an extraordinary aura. That must mean¡­ Hmm. Has His Majesty really returned¡­?¡± ¡°Um¡­ that¡¯s not really what I meant¡­ but I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. I hope you will be able to acknowledge him.¡± *** There was a shadow hanging over the outer wall of the Magic Tower. Lianna moved quickly using the darkness caused by the tiled Magic Tower. It was quite steep, but Lianna and the Templars were moving at a speed similar to that of running. At the same time, they only made a barely audible tapping sound. The knights from the Order of the Black Lotus looked more like wolves with spider legs made of darkness rather than humans. Some people regarded their appearance as profane and misunderstood them to be users of dark magic, but it was actually a kind of a Grace. The one that serves closest to the light is often a shadow. When the light gets brighter, the shadow gets darker. The Order of the Black Lotus had served the Church as its most faithful servant for a long time. Not only did their strength and speed improve when they assumed the form of a shadow, but ordinary people could be mesmerized by them with just a simple eye contact with them. It was almost impossible to find them in the dark, but even if one did, meeting a knight from the Order of the Black Lotus only meant death. Thus, the secret of the Order of the Black Lotus continued to remain safe, and the only thing that remained was a pile of corpses that seemed to have been torn apart by beasts. [Stop.] Lianna, who was crawling with her nails stabbed into the outer wall, sent a signal to the Templars, causing the other Templars to stop moving instantly. Lianna looked into the window next to her; she could hear the loud voices of a young man and a woman who were talking inside. Lianna and Dembel had about the same amount of information regarding the return of the emperor. Neither of the two knew what he looked like, where he was within the Magic tower, or even whether or not he was actually in the Magic Tower. Lianna had a hunch that he was inside the Magic Tower rather than the village, and something that stimulated her senses was happening inside the window she was looking at; Lianna¡¯s senses were sharpened to the extreme level when she assumed the form of a shadow. Lianna stretched her neck and looked inside the window. ¡°Where¡¯s the emperor?¡± a woman with long straight red hair asked while leaning leisurely against a chair. Lianna¡¯s expression hardened upon recognizing who the woman was. The owner of the voice was Heretia, a famous noble who was active in the empire¡¯s politics and was known for her rebellious nature toward the Church in the holy city of Torra. The fact that Heretia was at the Magic Tower was surprising enough, but what was more surprising than that were the words that were coming out of her mouth. ¡®Did she just say the emperor?¡¯ ¡°Lady Heretia. Please refrain yourself from referring to His Majesty like that. There is a possibility that other people might misunderstand and¡­¡± Lianna turned her gaze toward the owner of the other voice¡ªit was a strange-looking man with bandages all over his face. Lianna couldn¡¯t tell who he was, but he gave off a gruesome energy. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Haild. Of course I¡¯m not going to refer to him like that in public. I¡¯m only calling him that because we all know each other here. Go ahead and set up a formal occasion and try to test me. You won¡¯t be able to find someone who¡¯s more polite toward the emperor than me.¡± The woman next to Heretia chuckled as Heretia grumbled. ¡°¡®Tis rather interesting how humans are obsessed with honorifics and convoluted oration. My, would those be of such momentous importance? ¡®Tis the wish of the emperor that all who are human be thus honored. He himself cared little about such trifles, so why must those around him trouble themselves?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Dame Dragon. Great people don¡¯t have to try so hard since people already know how great they are, but for ordinary humans, they desire to make sure that they are in a higher position than others by claiming that they are better.¡± Lianna was even more shocked upon hearing Heretia¡¯s sarcastic words. ¡®Did¡­ she say a dragon?¡¯ Only then did Lianna take another look at the man with bandages wrapped around his face. The dragons were originally situated in the east, and the east had been heavily encroached upon by the Crack. Lianna realized that the gruesome energy she was feeling from the man was none other than the aura of the Crack. A rebel against the Church, a man who had been encroached upon by the Crack, and a dragon, the official Evil Beast of the empire, were talking about meeting the returning emperor so casually. Lianna thought that she had to hurry up and let Dembel know about what she found out. She had no idea where the returning emperor was, but she either had to stop him before he ran into Dembel, or at least stop Dembel from fighting against him. However, due to her anxiousness, Lianna made a mistake before she even knew it. ¡°Huh?¡± The first person to react was Haild. As soon as he felt something suspicious, he immediately drew out Elkiehl and stabbed it into the wall. Elkiehl passed through the wall of the Magic Tower as if it was made of soft tofu, and then it penetrated into one side of Lianna¡¯s arm which was made of shadow. Most weapons wouldn¡¯t even be able to leave a scratch on Lianna, but her arm started disappearing without a trace as soon as Elkiehl touched her. As more and more of her arm continued to disappear around the affected area, Lianna quickly cut off her own arm. However, she still had seven shadow arms left. ¡°Who is it!?¡± Ignoring Haild¡¯s shout, Lianna sent instructions to the other Templars. [Kill them all.] Lianna couldn¡¯t waste a single second. Lianna left the rest to the Templars and quickly climbed down the outer wall of the Magic Tower. CH 145 ¡°But what have we done for His Majesty in return? Two of the four children he adopted ended up betraying him. Even the colleagues who His Majesty had trusted all his life were blinded by greed and betrayed His Majesty!¡± The sound of someone giving a speech in a loud voice was heard as soon as Sina and Dembel stepped into the mansion. A Priest was passionately giving a speech on the platform, and the pilgrims who visited the Magic Tower were intently listening to the speech. Sina and Dembel were wearing hoods to cover their faces, looking just like the other ordinary pilgrims. ¡°The reason why His Majesty sat on the Eternal Throne all this time and remained silent was not that he was injured. It is because His Majesty was disappointed in us humans! It is because he was tired of endless doubt, ignorance, and greed! Look at what¡¯s happening even now¡ªthe old vicious groups from the past are once again trying to take control of the empire in the absence of His Majesty!¡± People responded enthusiastically and recited the emperor¡¯s name every time the Priest rebuked the folly of humans in a loud voice. ¡°Heretics, different races, and the outsiders among us are dividing up the empire even at this very moment! And who is in the center of all that? Barth Baltic! Ladies and gentlemen, can you believe this? It is neither His Majesty nor His Holiness that has the most amount of authority in the empire, but it is the Hornsluine race¡¯s Barth Baltic! They have taken over the power of the empire from behind and are now enslaving us poor commoners!¡± Dembel smiled bitterly and opened his mouth. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m at one of those revival assemblies.¡± ¡°Is this the atmosphere of the revival assemblies in the capital?¡± Sina asked. ¡°This is definitely a little more intense. At least no one in the capital is brave enough to openly curse the Regent.¡± The pilgrims shouted and screamed out curses as if they were excited when Barth Baltic¡¯s name came out of the Priest¡¯s mouth. The Priest didn¡¯t stop them¡ªinstead, he even gave them time to curse all they wanted and the sound of curses died down. It was almost as if he was enjoying their reaction. ¡°Heretics, heterogeneous races, and the outsiders have stolen away our jobs, our money, and our power. And now they are conspiring to take the Church down as well! Their authority is too powerful. Do you know even a single person who can stand up to Barth Baltic? No one! Not even any of the Templars could ever stand up to him!¡± Dembel seemed a little offended upon hearing the Priest¡¯s speech, but still continued to listen to him in silence. ¡°It seems like I have come to the wrong place. There¡¯s no way that His Majesty would tolerate words like those,¡± Sina said as she shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Let¡¯s hear him out for a little while longer. It is true that Barth Baltic has even more power than the Church.¡± Sina looked at Dembel as if she was dumbfounded. ¡°Do you actually believe the ridiculous rumor that a heterogeneous race is controlling the empire?¡± ¡°The Regent is a member of a heterogeneous race, and I heard that the Order of the Capital often appoints knights from the heterogeneous race¡ªand it¡¯s not like they pick them from some publicly recognized knight school. Barth Baltic is only acting according to his own whims. He is obviously very suspicious from the perspective of the Church.¡± Sina wanted to tell Dembel that this was because Barth Baltic picked people based solely on their talent rather than their status as a noble or based on background. Pavan Peltere, the captain of the Order of the Capital, was an orphan from the eastern territory that was famous for being alienated from the empire. On the other hand, while Sina was from a knight school, knight schools were usually more focused on the Church¡¯s brainwashing lectures rather than swordsmanship. The pilgrims booed negatively when the Priest said that no one could stand up to Barth Baltic, almost as if they were disappointed. But then, the Priest smiled and waved his hand in a relaxed manner. ¡°But that arrogant man won¡¯t be able to last forever. This land belongs to us humans! This is the empire made for humans. This is the land His Majesty, the god of humans, founded and blessed! Now, Barth Baltic must be shivering in fear in a corner of his room!¡± the Priest cried as he slammed the platform. ¡°Because His Majesty the emperor has claimed that he will return!¡± The people cheered loudly and clapped. Then Sina saw Dembel clenching his fist in agreement. Sina found the situation ridiculous, but she inadvertently thought that she, too, would have also been excited by such a speech only a few months ago. The things she went through after encountering Juan had changed her completely. ¡°His Majesty will kick that horned monkey out from the empire and clean up the holy city of Torra! He will establish a pure empire for pure humans to rule in peace for the upcoming thousand years!¡± The cheers of the people reached an all-time high. Dembel raised his hands to clap without even realizing he had done so, but made an embarrassed expression when he felt Sina¡¯s gaze. ¡°What? He is saying that His Majesty will return to build a land for us humans. That¡¯s not a bad speech,¡± Dembel said. ¡°I think it¡¯s pure arrogance to think that humanity has the right to deserve all that. Was it Barth Baltic that stabbed His Majesty? No. It was Gerard Gain.¡± Dembel was speechless. The cheers surrounding the platform grew even louder, and people began to chant the emperor¡¯s name. ¡°Great and mighty Kennosis! Please save us!¡± ¡°Great Juan Kennosis! Please save the empire!¡± Dembel and Sina stopped and looked at the Priest¡¯s reaction. The Priest waved his hands up and down with a solemn expression as if he was trying to further excite the people. People called out the emperor¡¯s name much louder and even more earnestly upon seeing the Priest¡¯s actions. Finally, when the sound of the people¡¯s chanting couldn¡¯t get any louder, the door to the balcony on the second floor of the mansion opened and a bright light began to burn. ¡°There¡¯s Sutra! That¡¯s the light of the one and only Sutra!¡± someone from the crowd shouted. Sina looked up at the terrace with a stiff face. As people watched while holding their breath, a person soon showed himself from behind the railing. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The whole place fell silent. While everyone was feeling shocked, someone fell to their knees. ¡°His Majesty.¡± ¡°His Majesty has returned.¡± ¡°His Majesty¡­¡± Sina silently stared at the man standing behind the railing. The man who was holding onto a burning sword in his hand quietly looked down at the people in the yard without saying anything. The mysterious silence made people kneel down. Sina turned her gaze toward Dembel, and found his face slowly turning pale. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°He looks exactly like His Majesty¡­ doesn¡¯t he?¡± Dembel asked in a trembling voice. Sina realized why the man standing behind the railing was particularly eye-catching compared to the other lunatics and how he was able to get a Priest on his side. The man standing on the second floor of the terrace looked exactly like the portrait of the emperor. He had blonde hair, pale skin, a shaggy beard and sharp eyes¡ªhe looked exactly like the portrait of His Majesty illustrated on the first page of the Church¡¯s scriptures. ¡°...I mean, I am also a bit surprised to see what he looks like. But the portrait of His Majesty¡¯s face could be exaggerated and the subjectivity of the artist is very much included. Besides, a lot of people have said that the portrait looked more like the artist rather than the emperor. Above all, the artist didn''t actually draw that portrait while looking at His Majesty¡¯s face. It¡¯s even thirty years old.¡± ¡°Well, it is said that His Majesty appeared in the artist¡¯s dream and walked into the canvas himself. Even I hadn¡¯t expected the portrait to look exactly like His Majesty until now. But he is¡­¡± Dembel looked like he was completely possessed. Sina felt frustrated, but it was only natural for people to be agitated; the man looked like he had walked straight out of the Church¡¯s scriptures. Sina could understand why even the Priest took the lead to praise him. At that moment, the man standing on the terrace opened his mouth. ¡°I speak in the name of Juan Calberg Kennosis.¡± ¡®Oh my goodness, Juan.¡¯ Sina touched her head with her hand. Sina, who knew exactly what Juan was like due to the months she had spent with him, felt like leaving this place right away. ¡°I, Juan Calberg Kennosis, am recruiting a volunteer army to drive out the evil ethnic groups! Unite, humans!¡± *** The only reason why Sina didn¡¯t run up to the second floor to beat the heck out of the fake emperor or didn¡¯t leave the mansion right away was to keep an eye on Dembel. Sina knew how dangerous it would be if a captain of a knight order decided to follow the fake emperor along with the Priest, since the Templars were very influential within the empire. At that point, those following the fake emperor would already be beyond a simple group of lunatics. ¡°As I said, keep in mind that your job is to only check whether or not he is the real emperor,¡± Sina said. ¡°...I know. Do I look that stupid to you?¡± Some of the people who had gathered in the yard then went inside the mansion to wait for the emperor¡¯s reception. Those gathered were mostly people who had paid a lot of donations, the socially influential, or skilled men like Dembel. Among them, Dembel who revealed his identity as a Templar drew quite a lot of attention. Other ordinary people were chatting or praying in the yard, hoping and waiting for the emperor to show his face one more time. ¡°To be honest, you coming here would already not be considered wise,¡± Sina said. ¡°You hold too many suspicions. I think I can understand why you¡¯re not a Templar even with your skills,¡± Dembel said. ¡°I¡¯m not a child. Just because the Templars seem cool doesn¡¯t mean I wish to join them.¡± ¡°...You have a harsh way of speaking.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, Sina and Dembel saw a Priest coming down the stairs. Almost as if he was a different person from the Priest who was passionately shouting at the platform earlier, he came down with an elegant smile. ¡°You all are talented people who will take care of the future of the empire. Please come along. His Majesty is waiting for you.¡± People followed the Priest while whispering to each other. Sina also stepped up the stairs while thinking about the ways to destroy the reception. Then the Priest caught up to her side. ¡°You are quite beautiful. Is it your first time visiting here?¡± the Priest asked. ¡°Beautiful? You must have bad eyesight. I too have bad eyesight because I¡¯ve only got one eye.¡± Sina snapped and lifted her hair to reveal her left eye with its burn marks. People around her flinched upon seeing her scar, but the Priest didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°I already knew. It¡¯s a unique trait. As far as I know, you came here with that Templar over there. Are you a Templar as well?¡± the Priest asked as he pointed to Dembel who was walking ahead of them. ¡°I¡¯m not here with him. I only came here to stop him,¡± Sina scoffed. Then Sina looked back at the Priest and continued to speak. ¡°It seems that your goal is to become the next Pope, but please keep in mind that there had been no Pope when His Majesty ruled¡ªeven though there were generals, the Grand Duke, the captain of the Imperial Guards, and the grand magician. Also, please go and study the reason why His Majesty didn¡¯t establish a religion or something like that in the first place.¡± Sina quickly disappeared through the crowd before the Priest could even answer her. Sina wanted to tell the Church exactly what she just said, so it felt good to have the opportunity to say what she wanted to say. When Sina went up to the second floor, Sina could see the ¡®emperor¡¯ sitting on a small throne¡ªhe seemed to look exactly like the portrait. It also seemed as if the throne was made by imitating the Eternal Throne; it was gold colored with unknown letters engraved everywhere. Behind the throne hung two illustrations from the scriptures on each wall. Sina felt a little out of touch with reality upon seeing such a sight. ¡°I am Juan Calberg Kennosis, the emperor of this empire.¡± The people who were stirred by the emperor¡¯s deep voice carefully knelt down. Unlike before, when everyone was agitated due to his appearance at the yard, no one could feel the emperor¡¯s energy that they had expected. However, most of the people who had come this far were already persuaded¡ªor they were the ones who came to bet on him despite being aware of the truth. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± It was Dembel who stepped forward to speak first. Sina desperately wanted to drag him out. ¡°I command you in the name of Juan Calberg Kennosis, speak.¡± ¡®It seems like saying the full name has become a habit for him.¡¯ Juan had never tried to hide his identity in particular, but Sina wondered what would have happened if he acted like the fake emperor in front of her. Dembel bowed his head and carefully opened his mouth. ¡°I came here under the orders of the Church. With all due respect, Your Majesty is¡­¡± However, Dembel couldn¡¯t finish his words¡ªwith a loud bang, the glass on the terrace of the second floor suddenly broke as someone broke in. A wind surged in through the window and a dark shadow engulfed the emperor. Dembel quickly drew his sword and blocked the attack. A loud roar rang out. Dembel was pushed back but managed to prevent the emperor from being assassinated. People quickly stepped back in shock at the sudden intrusion. ¡°It-it¡¯s a monster!¡± There was a wolf with eight arms made up of black shadows, and inside the shadow was the face of a woman with a stiff expression, giving off an ominous energy. Dembel shouted in an angry voice. ¡°Lianna!¡± [Step back, Dembel.] ¡°What are you doing right now? Didn¡¯t you agree to give me time to speak with His Majesty first?¡± [I found evidence that he¡¯s a fake emperor. I¡¯ve witnessed the scene of someone encroached upon by the Crack, an Evil Beast, and a traitor uniting together. He is an evil created to take the throne of His Majesty.] Dembel was visibly perplexed. On the other hand, Lianna roared loudly and inflated herself as if she had no intention of further talking. People were busy running away in shock at the sight. The emperor sat down behind Dembel and blankly watched Lianna. [Tell everyone to get out of here if they don¡¯t want to be dragged into fight and die.] ¡°...Everyone, get out of here! I will protect His Majesty!¡± Most people hurried away upon hearing Dembel¡¯s shout. Nevertheless, there were some people who did not leave. The emperor remained motionless and Sina also remained in the room. Dembel shouted once again at those who did not leave. ¡°Come on! Get out of here before you get caught up!¡± ¡°Why? Just keep the show going. It¡¯s fun.¡± At that moment, Dembel heard a man¡¯s voice. Dembel, Lianna, and Sina all turned their heads to the voice. One of the people who did not leave the room brought out a chair and comfortably sat down, watching the scene with interest. Lianna asked Dembel as if she was dumbfounded. [Who the hell is that? Do you know him?] ¡°No, I have no idea who he is¡­¡± Only one person in the room, Sina, was looking at the man with an expression that looked like she couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter. A black-haired young man was looking at the scene as if he was watching a comedy. CH 146 ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Is that really important in a situation like this? We are in a situation where the ¡®emperor¡¯, a monster who¡¯s trying to assassinate the emperor, and a brave Templar who is stepping up against the monster to protect the emperor are all about to collide. Everything was just about to get interesting, but you just had to interrupt that by asking a bypasser¡¯s name?¡± The answer to the question asked by the black-haired young man was ¡®of course not.¡¯ Both Dembel and Lianna knew that the situation they were in at the moment was a very serious and dangerous one¡ªone where they might have to risk their lives. However, neither Dembel nor Lianna could ignore the presence of a black-haired young man for some reason. Sina Solvane, who had been laughing with her hand covering her mouth while shaking her shoulders, was bothering them as well, but now was not the time to pay attention to her. ¡°...Lianna. Did you really have to do this?¡± Dembel asked with a stiff face. [You¡¯re only saying that because you haven¡¯t seen what I saw. A man who had been encroached upon by the Crack, a Dragon, the Evil Beast of the empire, and Heretia, who is a famous politician that is known to be hostile toward the Church in the holy city of Torra¡ªthey are all here. And you know what they were doing? They were plotting something about the emperor.] Lianna¡¯s words were firm, and Demebel felt a little shaken by her reaction. He was almost fully convinced that the man standing behind him was the emperor, but Lianna seemed completely convinced by what she saw. Dembel knew that he too would have been suspicious of the emperor standing behind him if he had seen what Lianna had just mentioned. Nevertheless, Dembel found it difficult to believe Lianna¡¯s words just like that. ¡°How am I supposed to believe that?¡± [What?] ¡°You were already eager to kill the ¡®emperor¡¯ even before you arrived here. So how am I supposed to trust your words?¡± Lianna somehow looked hurt by Dembel¡¯s suspicion toward her. [Dembel, you asshole¡­ have I ever lied to you before] ¡°...No.¡± However, Dembel could not back down either. Due to these reasons, Lianna and Dembel¡¯s decision stood at the opposite extremes. Either the man standing behind Dembel would be killed or he would have his life protected¡ªit was a matter of their lifelong convictions. Lianna roared and trembled when she saw Dembel show no signs of backing down. It seemed as if she would charge toward Dembel at any moment. At the same time, Dembel also prepared for the upcoming battle. ¡°Your Majesty! This evil beast has come to assassinate Your Majesty! I will stop this Evil Best, so please make sure to keep yourself safe¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the emperor.¡± Dembel flinched and stopped talking upon hearing a sudden voice from behind him. Unlike the deep and heavy voice from before, the current voice was light and trembling. ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­ not some emperor¡­¡± ¡°What? What do you mean? You¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve heard a lot of people around me say that I look like His Majesty. M-my real name is Coba Camel, but the Priest kept telling me that I am certainly the returning emperor¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Suddenly, a loud scream came from the corner of the room. The Priest, who was lying on the floor ever since Lianna stormed into the room, was trembling as he yelled at Coba. ¡°With all due respect, what do you mean, Your Majesty? Didn¡¯t Your Majesty say that you have realized your fate and recalled the past after I found you living a secluded life? Did Your Majesty not promise to overturn this rotten world alongside me?¡± ¡°No, I only said that because you came and told me that I¡¯m the emperor¡­ and it was too tempting, since a lot of people told me that I looked very much like His Majesty¡­ I thought it would be good to go around the empire and make money by acting like the emperor. When would I ever get a chance to be treated like an emperor?¡± ¡°Why would you say such weak things!? Please realize and acknowledge your destiny, Your Majesty!¡± the Priest desperately screamed. Lianna quietly looked back and forth between the fake emperor and the Priest, then slowly approached the Priest. The Priest shouted and struggled in fear, but he couldn¡¯t stop Lianna from bringing one of her giant claws close to his neck. Lianna silently snapped off the rosary worn around the Priest¡¯s neck and gestured toward Dembel. [There was no Grace in this rosary. He was just wearing an ordinary rosary that had no blessings.] ¡°No Grace? Then¡­ does that mean that he¡¯s not even a real Priest?¡± [I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a fake Priest¡­ but he seems more like an excommunicated priest. Judging from his current condition, it is likely that he went insane from reading the scriptures for too long? A conspiracy to select and praise a fake emperor, huh? Of course he deserves to be excommunicated.] Dembel glared at the Priest as if he was dumbfounded, then turned his gaze toward the fake emperor. The fake emperor inhaled a short breath and cowered upon seeing Dembel¡¯s gaze toward him. Dembel felt disgusted upon seeing the man that he thought was the emperor was now acting so servile. ¡°What the hell¡­ I mean, do you not realize just how big a sin it is to impersonate the emperor? How could you simply think that you could make money off of impersonating the emperor and get away with it? How the heck¡­¡± Dembel was so dumbfounded that he couldn¡¯t even get angry. He knew that he had made a huge mistake. He had originally come here to determine whether his opponent was the real emperor or not in the first place. But he almost acknowledged the opponent as the emperor just because he had a face similar to that of His Majesty who was sitting on the Eternal Throne. ¡°What do we do with them?¡± Dembel asked with a complicated look on his face. [What do you mean? They impersonated His Majesty¡ªthere is only one thing to do with them.] Lianna swung her claws and pierced the Priest¡¯s neck without the slightest hesitation. The Priest¡¯s voice, which had been shouting something at the fake emperor even until that moment, stopped instantly along with the sound of blood bubbling from his throat. The fake emperor looked at blood flowing out of the Priest¡¯s pierced neck and stepped back in fear while taking a gasp. [There¡¯s no need to hand him over to the Church for the doctrinal trial, since he¡¯s an excommunicated Priest. And there¡¯s also the truth of that fake emperor.] Dembel realized that it was up to him to get rid of the fake emperor when Lianna handed the fake emperor over to him. He grasped his sword and turned around. The fake emperor screamed, stepping back. Dembel felt uncomfortable killing someone who looked so much like the emperor in the scripture, but he couldn¡¯t bear the fake emperor behaving indecently while assuming His Majesty¡¯s identity. *** After taking care of the matter of the fake emperor, Lianna reverted her transformation and once again assumed a human form. Dembel inadvertently found the fake emperor¡¯s sword rolling on the floor and noticed that the blade was covered in oil. He figured that there must be quite a lot of fake Sutras, since lightning up a piece of metal damages the sword quite quickly and makes it useless. ¡°Fuck!¡± Dembel couldn¡¯t believe that two knight orders that were led by Templars had been dispatched just because of a ridiculous fake emperor¡ªit was a huge disgrace for both the Templars as well as the Church. ¡°How do we even report this?¡± Dembel asked, [There¡¯s nothing we can do. The current state of the empire is so chaotic that it¡¯s only natural for all kinds of rumors to confuse everyone. Besides, this is not something that can just happen coincidentally. I bet there was someone controlling the whole situation from behind the scenes. The Order of the Black Lotus will soon come and bring the enemies. Why don¡¯t we move over there for now and¡­] ¡°What, is it over already?¡± At that moment, the voice was heard once again¡ªit was the black-haired young man who had been sitting on the chair, watching the whole scene. Due to his extreme irritation, Dembel glared at the black-haired young man with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Show some respect and courtesy, you barbarian bastard. Isn¡¯t there a single human being left beyond the border to teach you some manners?¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Good dramas always include at least one scene showing bloodshed, some affairs between men and women, and a bloodbath. But this drama was so disappointing. As expected, bastards from the Church have no talent for art.¡± Dembel felt that enough was enough. He instantly swung his sword toward the black-haired young man¡¯s leg at once. Dembel didn¡¯t intend to kill him but was going to make him regret deriding them for the rest of his life. However, Dembel¡¯s attack was blocked along with a sharp sound¡ªit was Sina who stopped him. ¡°You are the ones who need to show respect here.¡± Dembel raised his eyebrows. He had already known that Sina had an extraordinary talent, but he hadn¡¯t even been able to notice her unsheathing her sword. Dembel repositioned himself and swung his sword toward Sina again. Meanwhile, Sina began to leisurely counterattack. It wasn¡¯t long before Dembel started to sweat, feeling perplexed. He was even using a Grace to strengthen his physical abilities, but Sina was blocking his attacks with ease. Of course, Dembel had more experience fighting against monsters rather than humans. But he had never heard of a knight who was capable of fighting against the captain of a knight order led by Templars on an equal footing, especially when the captain was using a Grace. At that moment, Lianna intervened in their battle without a sound, since she had also noticed that their opponent was quite extraordinary. Dembel grit his teeth as his pride was hurt, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He had to consider the possibility of the black-haired young man and Sina being the ones behind the fake emperor. ¡°Ah!¡± Dembel saw Lianna make a sound for the first time in a few years¡ªhe figured that she must have been trying to say some kind of profanity. Despite the fact that both Lianna and Dembel were charging toward her, Sina was holding out pretty well. But it was impossible for one person to withstand the attack of two of the captains of knight orders led by Templars at once. Dembel decided to finish this boring battle as soon as possible. He winked and sent a signal to Lianna. The moment he stomped his foot on the floor, his sword blade turned white. At the same time, two shadow arms appeared from within Lianna, aiming for Sina¡¯s heart. At that moment, the black-haired young man stamped his foot on the floor. The attacks then crossed in the air. Bang! There was a powerful shockwave along with a loud explosion. It was Dembel and Lianna who were pushed back in the collision. The two looked at Sina with perplexed eyes. Sina¡¯s left eye which was distorted due to the burn scars was glowing brightly with an orange-colored rune. ¡°The emperor¡¯s watchdog¡­¡± Dembel muttered as he read the rune. He couldn¡¯t understand why a person with such a rune tattooed on her eye was protecting a black-haired person from beyond the border¡ªsomeone who wasn¡¯t even from the empire. ¡°People say that watching others fight is the most interesting thing, but nothing is more boring than a lame fight.¡± ¡°I should have just let you handle everything on your own.¡± Sina grumbled back upon hearing the black-haired young man¡¯s words. Dembel barely stood up with his legs that were trembling from the shock. He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. When his sword, which was blessed with the emperor¡¯s Grace, met with Sina¡¯s sword, he felt the power of an even stronger Grace from Sina. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t a Templar?¡± Dembel asked. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Sina answered Dembel¡¯s question calmly. ¡°She¡¯s right. She¡¯s just a knight.¡± The black-haired young man slowly walked out in front of Dembel and Sina. Dembel raised his sword, but the black-haired young man didn¡¯t even seem to care about it. ¡°She is my sword, my watchman, and my counterbalance.¡± Dembel couldn¡¯t figure out what he was talking about, but Juan grinned and continued speaking. ¡°At times, she can be a hard head and frustrates me, but that¡¯s the role I had expected her to play in the first place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a hard head and frustrate you?¡± Sina asked back as if she was complaining. Meanwhile, Lianna stumbled as she picked herself up from the floor and held out her sword toward the black-haired young man. [You punk¡­ who are you?] Lianna asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t really been hiding my identity all along. To be honest, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to reveal who I am with my own mouth right now. It would make me feel like I¡¯m making a joke,¡± the black-haired young man said as he looked at the corpse of the fake emperor Coba that was lying on the floor. ¡°So why don¡¯t you tell me who I am with your own mouth?¡± [What?] Lianna¡¯s face distorted; she thought that he was joking. But the black-haired young man took a step closer to Lianna and Dembel without a change in his expression. Both Lianna and Dembel faltered back even before they knew it. ¡°I beat the God of Blood and Madness in a bloody battle, brought death to the God of Death, and removed the cloak of the tower that was forever shrouded in fog.¡± The black-haired young man took another step. ¡°I was the ruler of all the swords, the master of magic, and I made all the kings kneel down before me.¡± Then he took another step. ¡°God decided to destroy Man and Man rebelled against God in retaliation.¡± Now the black-haired young man had passed Lianna and Dembel and was heading toward the terrace. However, for some reason, neither Lianna nor Dembel could move an inch. What the black-haired young man was suggesting was clear. His words came at the very beginning of the scripture and it was the most basic praise given to the emperor. ¡°I arose in this land as a result of the rebellion.¡± The black-haired young man stood opposite of Lianna and Dembel to look at the moonlight. Dembel felt a shiver running down his spine. Just facing him standing in the dark and looking at his black eyes made Dembel¡¯s legs tremble and made it difficult for him to breathe. ¡°I cut the gods into pieces and scattered them across the mountains, rivers, and fields.¡± The black-haired young man¡¯s presence was so overwhelming that Dembel wondered why he had not been aware of his presence until now. ¡®No. He had been hiding his presence until now on purpose, and he had been watching us from the very beginning.¡¯ Dembel realized that at least some part of the speech that the fake Priest had given earlier was true¡ªthe emperor had always been watching the humans. But, he was not coming back because he was disappointed in humans; he was now returning because the time had come. And the returning emperor held a sword in his hand. ¡°You already know who I am.¡± Dembel finally knelt down before the black-haired young man as if he had collapsed. ¡°Your Majesty. Juan Calberg Kennosis, the only ruler of the empire. Your Majesty¡­¡± The black-haired young man smiled. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s my name.¡± CH 147 At that moment, a loud bang rang out. It was Lianna who had jumped at Juan. Just like Dembel, she too was feeling the tremendous energy that was emanating from Juan as he spoke. Enormous power naturally crashed down upon Lianna without revealing itself, but feeling such power only further increased Lianna¡¯s hostility toward Juan. Sina blocked Lianna¡¯s way path to Juan once again and parried her sword. Sina was so powerful that she was only driven to a corner after both Lianna and Dembel charged at her at once. There was no way that Lianna could handle Sina on her own. However, Lianna called upon the power of the Grace granted to her and slowly began to transform her body into that of a shadow beast. ¡°Lianna, stop it!¡± Dembel shouted. [Don¡¯t be stupid, Dembel.] At the same time, Lianna¡¯s body began to turn into a dark shadow, and spider-like limbs grew from her body. Lianna curled up inside the fog-like shadow and glared at Juan with hostile eyes. [I¡¯ve seen the people who are behind this bastard at the Magic Tower! He is only pretending to be the emperor to blind our eyes! If such a powerful man is covered up with well-made up lies, then¡­!] ¡®Then everyone will be fooled.¡¯ Lianna thought that the Priest and the fake emperor they killed earlier were just a joke compared to Juan; after all, fooling the eyes of others just with appearances alone would eventually reveal the truth and it would only be a matter of time before their act failed. But if the fake emperor had enormous power and powerful strength behind him, the empire would soon collapse. [That¡¯s the real fake emperor who has come to destroy us! He is the Black Emperor!] Dembel flinched upon hearing Lianna¡¯s words. He had also heard of the rumors about the Black Emperor. The rumors about the Black Emperor and the Devil of Tantil were part of the prophecy that the previous Saintess had made. ¡®The one who will come to turn the empire into ashes.¡¯ Juan¡¯s black hair further added to the persuasive power of the Saintess¡¯ prophecy. ¡°The Saintess had also prophesied the return of the real emperor! If you believe in the Saintess¡¯ prophecy, then you should also consider the prophecy about the real emperor as well!¡± Dembel yelled at Lianna. [You can talk to him. But I¡¯ve already seen enough evidence to believe that he is fake. My Templars will soon kill those behind that bastard and come here.] Lianna attacked Sina with her sharp claws as soon as she finished speaking. Although Sina was a talented knight, it was difficult for her to hold out against the attack of the captain of a knight order led by Templars who was using the power of Grace. However, the situation was quickly reversed when the rune engraved on Sina¡¯s left eye began to burn. Lianna¡¯s claws broke and turned into ashes whenever they met with Sina¡¯s sword. Lianna stepped back with a painful expression. ¡°Lianna! If you have called your Templars here, I have no choice but to also call my Templars to¡­!¡± ¡°Templars? Are you talking about those out there?¡± As soon as Dembel shouted at Lianna, Juan suddenly opened his mouth as he pointed toward the terrace. At that moment, the outside of the terrace flashed with bright light. Lianna flinched and paused as she witnessed a huge fire burning along the surface of the Magic Tower. Something huge was flying and heating the surface of the Magic Tower in the dark. ¡°The Magic Tower itself is so big that Entalucia¡¯s breath feels warm rather than burning hot,¡± Juan said with a smirk. Lianna instinctively realized that the fireballs that were fiercely burning and falling from atop the Magic Tower were her Templars. Something had gone terribly wrong. ¡®No way¡­ there¡¯s no way that such a huge dragon still exists¡­¡¯ The only dragon Lianna had ever seen was the one that the centurion from the Fourth Division of the eastern army carried around. Thus the biggest dragon that she could imagine in her head was only about twice as big as the dragon that belonged to the centurion. However, the size of the thing moving dimly in the dark was beyond her imagination. Lianna stood still and stared blankly at the terrace, but soon charged toward Juan as if she was convulsing. The moment Lianna used the power of the Grace granted to her with all her might, the entire room was covered with shadows. Hundreds of murderous shadow claws shot toward Juan. ¡°Lianna!¡± If Lianna had a tongue, her roar would have been heard in the room. But both the attacker and the person under attack remained silent. Dembel trembled, since he couldn¡¯t tell what was happening in the dark. Then suddenly, the darkness which had covered the room disappeared without a trace. The moonlight shone into the room again, and the first thing that entered Dembel¡¯s eyes was the scattered blood as well as two severed arms lying on the floor¡ªthey were Lianna¡¯s arms. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Lianna was hanging in the air with Juan holding her neck at a twisted angle. A beast-like groan was coming out of Lianna¡¯s throat along with foaming blood. ¡°Two arms are enough to wield a sword. But you have too many,¡± Juan clicked his tongue. Lianna was bleeding so much from her shoulders that it was clear she would not last long. No matter how powerful the Grace granted to a Templar was, death couldn¡¯t be avoided in the case of major blood loss. Dembel quickly picked himself up and lied face down in front of Juan. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Juan looked down at Dembel. It no longer mattered to Dembel whether or not Juan was the real emperor. The mission given to him by the Church and the Saintess, as well as the teachings of the scriptures had long since disappeared from his head. ¡°Your Majesty, please have mercy and forgive her! She doesn¡¯t know any better!¡± Dembel desperately pleaded. ¡°Do you think that ignorance can be used as an excuse?¡± Juan replied. ¡°We have only lived our life to serve and die for Your Majesty ever since we were young. She had just been clueless until now. If Your Majesty teaches us the right way and direction, then both of us will be the best swords to serve Your Majesty!¡± Dembel was desperate. Blood began to run down from his forehead as he continuously slammed his head on the floor. ¡°Please have mercy on her!¡± Juan looked down at Dembel and turned his gaze toward Lianna. She was about to lose consciousness due to suffocation due to Juan choking her. ¡°What relationship do you have with this Templar?¡± Juan asked. ¡°She is my fri-friend¡­ no, no. S-she is my family. S-she is my fam-family that¡¯s been with me all my life, ever since I grew up as an orphan,¡± Dembel stuttered and barely finished his sentence. Juan stared at Dembel upon hearing the word ¡®family.¡¯ Juan had never liked the idea of Templars, especially ones that dared to point their swords at him. In that sense, it was the right thing for Juan to kill Dembel, just like Lianna. Juan looked at Sina as if he was asking her what to do. Sina nodded her head¡ªshe meant that he should spare Lianna and Dembel¡¯s lives. ¡®In fact, I should have already known that asking Sina for her opinion would mean that she would tell me to spare their lives.¡¯ Juan placed his hand over Lianna¡¯s severed shoulder. For a moment, the sound of flesh burning echoed throughout the room. Lianna tried to scream due to terrible pain, but all she could do was tremble without a voice, given that her neck was still being choked by Juan. Dembel managed to keep his head down on the floor so as not to raise his head. ¡°It seems like your ¡®family member¡¯ won¡¯t be able to wield her sword anymore with her injuries. Then how do you intend to serve me from now on?¡± Juan asked. ¡°...In the scriptures, Your Majesty said that holding a sword is not the only thing one can do to serve Your Majesty. We will serve Your Majesty by being sincere and exemplary imperial citizens.¡± Dembel was relieved at the thought that Lianna could live. It didn¡¯t matter that Lianna had lost both her arms, since he could take care of her for the rest of his life if she somehow managed to survive. Dembel believed that Lianna, who was optimistic and had a strong personality, could overcome the aftermath of losing her arms. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s see if you can keep your word.¡± Juan dropped Lianna on the floor. Lianna curled up and groaned as if she were in terrible pain. Dembel hurried to approach and examine her condition. ¡°Lianna, Lianna, are you okay? I¡¯m going to find someone capable of using a healing Grace right now, so you hang in¡­¡± Then Dembel stopped talking. The reason why Lianna was lying on her stomach wasn¡¯t because of the pain¡ªit was to bite off the rosary hanging on her neck with her teeth. ¡°No!¡± Despite Dembel¡¯s scream, Lianna looked directly at him with drowsy eyes as she cut off the rosary without any hesitation. With a small sound, the rosary¡¯s beads poured out onto the floor. Then the bizarre-shaped beast decoration that was hanging on the rosary helplessly dropped. Dembel saw Lianna puffing her mouth as if she was trying to say something to him. ¡®Sorry.¡¯ At that moment, Lianna¡¯s head disappeared along with a small tornado of blood. *** Dembel was pulled out from his stupor as soon as a loud roar rang out. Dembel stared blankly at the sight in front of his eyes. Juan had snatched the beast decoration on the rosary with a grim and distorted expression before it could touch the ground, and at the same time his fist was pressed down where Lianna¡¯s head used to be. Juan had slammed Lianna¡¯s head so hard that all that could be seen above Lianna¡¯s shoulder was only a blood-red mark. Juan was clutching his fist as hard as he could with cold sweat running down his forehead. Juan¡¯s fist was glowing with a reddish-orange hue and releasing so much heat that it was setting the surroundings on fire. Dembel could feel unbearable heat despite being quite a distance from Juan. Dembel couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on inside Juan¡¯s clenched fist. All he knew was that Juan was pressing down on ¡®it¡¯ with an enormous amount of heat and pressure. Crack! Crack! A grotesque sound rang out from Juan¡¯s fingers. Only then did Dembel realize that this was the sound of Juan¡¯s fingers being broken. It didn¡¯t take long for Sina to realize that as well. Sina hastily ran toward Juan to hold his hand. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Juan tried to shout at Sina that ¡®it¡¯s dangerous¡¯, but an orange flame rose from Sina¡¯s left eye as soon as her hand touched Juan¡¯s hand. This time there was no smell of flesh burning like when Juan cauterized Lianna¡¯s shoulders. Juan stared at Sina for a while and then quietly murmured toward his fist. ¡°Hurry and fuck off to your hell.¡± A little while later, the heat slowly began to die down. Juan stood up and opened his fist with an exhausted expression. The only thing left inside his fist were black ashes, which were scattered away by the blowing wind. Juan looked at Dembel. ¡°Do you realize what your friend¡­ no, your ¡®family¡¯, was trying to do?¡± ¡°...She tried to summon Kelegrenon.¡± Sina looked at Dembel with startled eyes, since it was a name she had heard before. Kelegrenon was the beast that Bishop Rietto had tried to summon back in Hiveden in order to destroy the city. ¡°That¡¯s right. Kelegrenon¡ªMananen McLeir¡¯s pet beast that eats up Mana. She tried to summon Kelegrenon at the Magic Tower, huh? Then you must know what your ¡®family¡¯ was trying to do by summoning Kelegrenon.¡± Juan approached Dembel and poured the remaining ashes over his head. ¡°Your family tried to kill the tens of thousands of people in the Magic Tower in exchange for my mercy.¡± Dembel did not give Juan a reply. After staring at Dembel for a while, Juan looked up into the air with a sigh. ¡°I keep trying to suppress my hatred and approach you humans, but I feel more and more tested. It¡¯s as if someone is continuously asking me ¡®Can you really forgive them? Even if they behave this way? Are you sure?¡¯¡± Juan¡¯s words were not only directed toward Dembel¡ªthey were also directed toward Sina and Juan himself. Juan stood silently for a long time. A heavy and oppressive silence was pressing down on everyone as Juan¡¯s eyes wandered in the air for a while. ¡°Go,¡± Juan opened his mouth and spoke to Dembel. Dembel raised his head, only to see Juan, who looked tired. ¡°I have already decided not to kill you. I won¡¯t change my decision to forgive you just because of the sin committed by your family. Take her corpse and go back to the holy city of Torra.¡± Dembel nodded in silence. Juan left Dembel behind and headed out of the mansion. Meanwhile, the Templars were rushing into the mansion after hearing the disturbance. Dembel crawled toward Lianna¡¯s cold body on the floor. Lianna had always been chatty, even after she had lost her tongue. But now she was completely silent. However, Dembel could hear Lianna let out a scream louder than ever in his ears. *** ¡°I thought you would kill him.¡± Sina opened her mouth on the boulevard to the Magic Tower. Juan looked toward Sina, and she looked back at him as if she was seeing someone unfamiliar. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t make the mistake of thinking that I am becoming merciful. You should know that sometimes it¡¯s more painful to be alive than dead. Besides, you already saw that Templars are no longer a threat to me,¡± Juan said. ¡°...You certainly do look quite a bit taller than you used to be.¡± Juan, who used to look like a scrawny nine-year-old child when Sina had first seen him, now looked like a twenty-year-old young man who was taller than her. It was difficult for her to gauge Juan¡¯s power at this point, since she had witnessed just how much stronger Juan would grow every time he grew older. Juan snorted. ¡°Yes, yes. I don¡¯t have to say ¡®it¡¯s nice to see you again¡¯, do I? You always follow me as you please anyway.¡± ¡°If someone heard that, they would probably think that I¡¯m chasing you because I have a crush on you,¡± Sina grumbled. Then, a sound of several horse hooves clattering was heard from behind. Juan looked back at the sound and noticed the Templars with a white lotus symbol running along the boulevard. With a loud roar from someone, a group of bluish lights wrapped around the entire knight order to form a huge spear blade¡ªit was a cavalry charge using the powers of Grace granted to all the Templars of knight order, similar to the one which had smashed the walls of Hiveden at once before. Sina flinched upon seeing such a sight. Even though Juan had gotten much stronger than before, there was no way that he could block such an attack. Juan focused his attention on the Templar riding a horse at the very front of the line. The Templar who was running toward Juan and Sina without even wearing any armor was Dembel. Dembel¡¯s eyes were hollow and contained no murderous intent. In fact, his murderous intent was all directed toward himself. ¡°So that¡¯s your decision, huh, Dembel?¡± Juan clicked his tongue and stood upright while facing the attacking knight order. ¡°Then I will fulfill your wish.¡± CH 148 Yulec Yuno, the captain of the gatekeepers who defend the holy city of Torra, was walking along the castle wall to check the status early in the morning. The Imperial Capital had never been threatened since the start of the Eternal Rule, but now was not the time to be immersed in such complacency. Even Captain Pavan Peltere of the Order of the Capital, Yulec¡¯s distant superior, was on edge these days and urged him to stay on his guard at all times. It was the first time that Yulec had seen Captain Pavan Peltere on edge like this ever since he joined the Imperial Army. As was usually the case in the military, the worse the mood of the superiors, the more sensitive the subordinates would become as well. The subordinates of the Imperial Army were also aware that the situation of the empire was quite unusual these days. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that His Majesty is returning.¡¯ Yulec shook his head unconsciously. The fact that His Majesty was returning felt so unreal that people had made a saying in areas that were distant from the capital: ¡®the emperor will jump to his feet.¡¯ There were even people making shallow jokes on the periphery of the empire. Most citizens of the empire were already accustomed to an emperor who sat on his throne in complete silence. For this reason, most ordinary people like Yulec were concerned that the empire might fall into chaos when the emperor returned. ¡°Yulec!¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Yulec heard someone call out his name from behind¡ªIt was Tyr, Yulec¡¯s colleague who joined the military at the same time as him. Unlike himself, who joined the gatekeepers, Tyr was a talented friend who joined the First Division of the Imperial Army, directly under the Order of the Capital. ¡°Long time no see. What¡¯s up? As far as I know, your position is way too prestigious for you to be keeping guard,¡± Tyr said. ¡°Long time no see, my ass. I saw you just a few days ago. And, I¡¯m not keeping guard; I¡¯m checking on the guards. The superiors are so on edge these days that any soldiers who are caught dozing around foolishly during guard duty might be killed.¡± ¡°Ah, because of that rumor about the emperor or something?¡± ¡°Yep. Have you heard anything about it?¡± ¡°Nothing other than the nobles wanting to punch the Regent and the Church dispatching two knight orders to figure out if the rumor is true.¡± ¡°Everyone knows that already. Come on, tell me if you know anything else. I need some room to breathe, man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much either. It¡¯s the same for everyone, including our superiors as well. That¡¯s why everyone is so nervous. No one is scared of a piece of glass that is easily seen¡ªit¡¯s the hidden pieces that people are scared of.¡± ¡°Hurry up and fuck off if you don¡¯t know anything interesting. Why did you even come here in the first place?¡± ¡°Oh. Because the Order of the Capital is planning to send soldiers to find out the truth about the rumor as well. While they have already sent out the knight order, both the Church and the Order of the Capital are confused, since both the knight orders stopped reporting all of a sudden.¡± Yulec¡¯s face distorted upon hearing Tyr¡¯s words. ¡°The Templars stopped sending reports?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± ¡°You dumbass. This is why the superiors are acting like dogs suffering from hemorrhoids! Do you think it¡¯s normal for the knight orders to stop reporting all of a sudden? Military is a place where people freak out even if an ordinary soldier is just an hour late!¡± Only then did Tyr make a perplexed expression. Upon seeing Tyr¡¯s expression, Yulec thought, ¡®how did this guy become a soldier of the First Division that is directly under the Order of the Capital?¡¯ Yulec figured that Tyr must have incredible talent to make up for being dumb. ¡°There¡¯s no way that a knight order led by Templars would be wiped out. Besides, the knight orders that had been sent were no ordinary knight orders. They were the Order of the White Lotus and the Order of the Black Lotus.¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely why the situation is even more chaotic. Damn it¡­ We are going to be hella busy for a while. You¡¯d better get it together as well¡ªat least until we know where the knight orders are at right¡­¡± Yulec couldn¡¯t finish his words; he noticed a group of horses approaching in the bright morning sun from the east. Being the captain of the defense force, Yulec was skilled enough to quickly figure out that there were about thirty horses in total¡ªa number that matched the numbers of Templars in a knight order led by Templars. ¡°You may not need to be dispatched. I think the Templars are returning,¡± Yulec said. ¡°Wait. Seriously?¡± Tyr joyfully asked and stuck his head out as well. Tyr could also see the group approaching the walls and smiled; he was glad he didn¡¯t need to be dispatched. Then Tyr tilted his head in wonder as he counted the numbers of the horses. ¡°Why are there only thirty of them? Shouldn¡¯t there be sixty since two knight orders were dispatched?¡± Tyr asked. ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯re right.¡± Yulec and Tyr¡¯s expressions changed from time to time as the horses got closer to the walls. The Templars weren¡¯t sitting on the horse¡ªrather they were lying on top of the horses like corpses. When the group finally came close enough to the walls that Tyr and Yulec could recognize their condition, Yulec pushed Tyr¡¯s back with a stiff face. Only then did Yulec and Tyr realize that they were the first ones to witness the worst news of the Capital. ¡°Tyr¡­ immediately go and report to someone¡­ be it someone from the Church or one of your superiors¡­ tell them that the knight order¡­ no, I don¡¯t even know who they are¡­ but tell them that thirty knights were turned into ashes and then loaded on the horses and sent back.¡± *** ¡°...All thirty of them are alive?¡± Helmut groaned. It was right before breakfast when he heard the news. It was good news that the Templars had returned, but they looked like human-shaped piles of ashes rather than humans. It was difficult to even identify who each Templar was, since they suffered from full-body burns while wearing armor. They would have certainly died if it wasn¡¯t for the Grace that had been granted to them. However, Helmut couldn¡¯t tell whether or not the fact that they were still alive was fortunate, considering their terrible condition. ¡°What about the Order of the Black Lotus?¡± The Priest who delivered the news shook his head at Helmut¡¯s question. The most terrible piece of news that the Priest had delivered to Helmut was that the Order of the Black Lotus that he had sent to kill the fake emperor did not even return at all. It was difficult to expect the return of the Order of the Black Lotus, given the condition of the members of the Order of the White Lotus, who were sent back relatively peacefully. ¡°Who the hell is this bastard!¡± Helmut shouted in anger. ¡°There was something that one of the Templars said; however, it was barely intelligible,¡± the Priest spoke cautiously. ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The Priest looked perplexed as if it was difficult for him to say anything. When the Priest told Helmut what the Templar had said after hesitating for a long time, Helmut made a dumbfounded expression, almost as if he had been hit in the head. The words that came out of the Templar¡¯s mouth were brief, but they were enough to shake Helmut¡¯s base beliefs as a Pope. ¡°Who else heard his words?¡± Helmut asked in a trembling voice. ¡°...the Saintess heard them and commanded me to report them to Your Holiness.¡± Hellmut collapsed on the sofa. It felt like his whole world was collapsing¡ªthe world that he believed would never be shaken no matter what type of crisis came to be. *** The news of the return of the Order of the White Lotus quickly swept through the Capital in just an hour. The Church tried to keep the news a secret, but the story about a knight order led by Templars being dispatched to find out about the returning emperor was one of unprecedented interest. The return of the Order of the White Lotus couldn¡¯t be concealed, and the Saintess Ivy Isildin moved faster than anyone else. ¡°Please hand me a new bandage.¡± The underground ward of the Church was full of Templars who were groaning in pain. Lenly handed over the cut bandage to Ivy. Ivy removed the old bandage that had wrapped around the Templar¡¯s wounds, causing thick pus and blood to cover Ivy¡¯s hand. But Ivy continued to replace the bandage as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Saintess, perhaps it is better to use a healing Grace rather than touching such a thing¡­¡± ¡°The healing Grace doesn¡¯t work well on burns anyway. Burns need to be kept especially clean.¡± The other Priests didn¡¯t seem to like Ivy¡¯s comments, since pointing out the limitations of Grace was the same as pointing out the limitations of the Priest who used that Grace. However, Ivy didn¡¯t even budge and even frowned upon seeing the Priests¡¯ reactions. ¡°Please go back if you don¡¯t intend to help.¡± The Priests hesitated but did not go back, since they were people who wanted to come under the banner of the Saintess who was growing in power. When Ivy scolded them, the Priests eventually began to take care of the Templars as well, despite their hesitation. Ivy sighed upon seeing such a sight. Sitting next to Ivy was Lenly, who was expertly wiping off the pus being released from the wounds of a Templar and replacing a bandage. Lenly already seemed to be accustomed to this kind of work that involved taking care of the wounded knights. ¡°Did you hear about what happened, Captain?¡± Ivy asked. Lenly listened to Ivy in silence. ¡°The knight order attacked the supposed emperor. No one knows how it happened, but their spears broke like canes and the power of their Grace turned into flames that engulfed them the moment they attacked.¡± ¡°It must have been terrible,¡± Lenly answered. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine what it would have been like. I¡¯ve seen the charge of a knight order led by Templars several times before, and to me, it seemed impossible for anyone to be able to block them¡­ I heard that all thirty of the Templars are suffering greatly from the burns. The Priests had been sticking around to try and heal them, but they say that the Templars probably won¡¯t be able to hold a sword ever again in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone already knew the risks and expected such injuries.¡± ¡°...I suppose so. They are Templars, after all. But I highly doubt that they expected their opponent to be the emperor¡­ the fact that the opponent injured the Templars to this extent, while still sparing their lives means that he is a man with a lot of power and skills. It also means that the opponent could have easily overpowered the Templars without hurting them so much like this.¡± ¡°Some people think that receiving mercy embodies weakness,¡± Lenly continued speaking quietly. ¡°The opponent probably could have sent the Templars back without such serious injuries. Maybe even a loud shout would have brought the Templars to their knees too, just like how His Majesty spoke through your voice.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the time I first met you at the Imperial Palace, Captain? I have no memory of that time.¡± ¡°At that time, His Majesty certainly borrowed your body and spoke to me¡ªthat¡¯s the reason I am standing by you to protect you.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t His Majesty do that again this time¡­?¡± Lenly fiddled with the handle of his sword and opened his mouth. ¡°His Majesty said that he would only give a warning three times.¡± ¡°You mean the prophecy about the lies, sword, and the walls? Back then¡­ it was a little different. I was still conscious and felt like I was speaking without even realizing that I am. Maybe that really was a prophecy¡­¡± ¡°I heard that the previous Saintess occasionally made such prophecies as well. Perhaps that¡¯s what happened to you, too. The two destroyed knight orders may have been referring to the first part of the prophecies.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the Templars are a lie?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the Church.¡± Lenly didn¡¯t even hesitate before claiming his suspicions about the Church. The Saintess was speechless since Lenly¡¯s meaning was very clear. ¡°You¡¯re not saying that we, who serve His Majesty, are wrong¡­ are you?¡± ¡°His Majesty didn¡¯t create the Church. Neither did he write the scriptures, nor did he teach the Templars. All he left behind was the empire, the knights, and the people. Maybe it¡¯s time that we go back to that era.¡± The Church and the Templars serving the emperor was something that was already rooted deeply throughout the empire. The people all over the empire were already used to the Priests wielding the power and the Grace granted by the emperor, and the Templars fulfilling their duties more actively than the Imperial Army. The world without the Church and the Templars mentioned by Lenly was something unimaginable to Ivy, who had just turned twenty this year. At that moment, Ivy was startled by someone who suddenly grabbed her hand¡ªit was a Templar whose face was severely damaged from the burns. However, Ivy was soon able to recognize the identity of the Templar. ¡°Captain Dembel? Captain Dembel, are you awake?¡± Ivy asked. Dembel mumbled some incomprehensible words. Ivy hastily brought a Priest to use a healing Grace around Dembel¡¯s chin so that he could speak. Because a Grace was only granted with the permission of the Pope, Ivy was not granted any Grace. Dembel mumbled while letting out a groan as soon as his tongue was recovered with the help of the healing Grace. ¡°I don¡¯t need slaves¡­ or thieves who take advantage of stolen power¡­¡± ¡°Dembel? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You must all stop imitating gods¡­ and put down everything that you have stolen¡­¡± Dembel murmured and barely managed to continue speaking. ¡°...Go back to being humans.¡± *** The traces of soot on the exterior walls of the Magic Tower looked as if ink had been sprayed on a white canvas. Juan looked at the traces left behind from a room located in the periphery of the Magic Tower. Juan had thought that innocent victims might have suffered from the flames earlier, but Entalucia¡¯s breath control was exquisite enough to minimize damage¡ªnot to mention the Magic Tower¡¯s walls were strong enough to provide some protection. The only victims of the flames were the Templars from the Order of the Black Lotus, who were all turned into lumps of charcoal. At the same time, there were no complaints or protests from the Magic Tower about the damage. Rather, they began to study the scorched traces on the walls with joy, since they felt that they had obtained rare research data. Juan turned his back against the window. Now that the warning has been sent, the Church would have no choice but to start moving. Juan had already sent a message to Nienna, Hella, and Anya. ¡°Then¡­¡± Juan found this situation funny. ¡°Shall we commit treason?¡± CH 149 Juan spread the map wide open. The north of the vertically long map was dark, like it was marked with black ink. That was a location that had now been encroached upon by the Crack, and no one remembered what it used to look like before. However, the countless mountains extending from the Crack indicated that it originally used to be rugged terrain. The huge mountain range which began from the Crack was divided into two. They were the ¡®Walls of Nulvin¡¯ toward the north and the ¡®Dilver mountains¡¯ toward the west. And in the huge plain that was snuggled by the surrounding mountain ranges was the holy city of Torra, the Capital of the Empire. The advancing mountain ranges and river streams became blurred as they met the eastern sea and the southern desert. The land that was divided into rivers and small mountain ranges was separated from the Capital by the four sides surrounding it. But the holy city of Torra was not the center of the empire on the map. Rather, it was slightly to the west. At the center of the empire was the Magic Tower. To be precise, the Magic Tower was bound to be at the center. Placing a compass where the Magic Tower was located on the map and picking a spot that was located at the extreme end of the empire to draw a circle would result in a line that was defined as ¡®the boundary.¡¯ The empire was defined by this boundary, and therefore the empire¡¯s territory formed a perfect circle with the Magic Tower as the center. The emperor¡¯s Grace couldn¡¯t be used beyond the boundary, and thus the barbarians and monsters that had fled from the empire lurked there. There was even a story that the surviving gods who had run away from the emperor were hiding beyond the boundary. Furthermore, black-haired humans lived there as well. The black-haired humans were unfortunate and disturbed people who refused the emperor¡¯s blessings and protection. Although there were countless threats and fears lurking beyond the boundary, the people living within the boundary were safe. ¡°Why was the boundary made around the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°That was because of Mananen McLeir¡¯s body.¡± Juan answered Sina¡¯s question apathetically. ¡°Walls and swords weren¡¯t enough to prevent those who fled to all directions from coming back. So a huge seal based on Mananen McLeir¡¯s body was built. But it was such a difficult magic to use that the seal wasn¡¯t able to perfectly block all of the threats.¡± ¡°If the boundary protects against external enemies, then why can¡¯t it block the Crack?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Because the Crack has the property of encroaching upon, eroding, and digging into absolutely anything. And that includes even one¡¯s mind. Thick walls are of no use. It is best to simply kill everything that¡¯s related to the Crack.¡± Sina nodded as she had also seen the terror of the Crack in the east. Sina and Juan were standing at the very top of the Magic Tower. It was difficult for Sina to even stand upright due to the tilted floor, but Juan strode around with ease. All Sina could see below them were the clouds. The clouds, ironically, seemed to be stable and fluffy to Sina, causing her to get goosebumps¡ªshe was afraid that she would suffer from the ridiculous temptation to jump on the clouds. ¡°Be careful, since it¡¯s quite windy up here.¡± A storm seemed to be approaching. A humid wind caused Sina¡¯s cloak to flap around. She sighed, since getting a storm in winter was not something ordinary. ¡°What are you going to do here?¡± Sina asked. ¡°The Magic Tower is not only the center of the empire, but also the highest place within the empire,¡± Juan answered. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°My point is that this is the best place to light a smoke beacon.¡± ¡°A beacon?¡± ¡®A smoke beacon in this cloudy weather?¡¯ Although the Magic Tower was the highest location and the center of the empire, there was a limit to the field of view. But Juan was not thinking of some normal-scale beacon. What he was thinking of was one that could be seen by anyone from anywhere in the empire. Juan finally climbed to the top of the Magic Tower. Where he was standing was the edge of the cylinder that was the Magic Tower. Juan then glanced down at Sina. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to follow me. You could have just seen it on the back of Entalucia like Heretia and Haild.¡± ¡°I have to watch everything you do from right by your side,¡± Sina said as she stared directly at Juan. ¡°That¡¯s what you asked me to do. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Juan smiled and didn¡¯t answer Sina. Instead, he began to mumble something with his hands on the railing. Sina was perplexed upon seeing the spot touched by Juan glowing a bright red shortly afterward but didn¡¯t take her eyes off of it. The red traces didn¡¯t last long; the railing melted and flowed down like blood, dripping onto the Magic Tower and covering it. The burning light could be seen rather clearly, since it was a cloudy day. Soon, the entire Magic Tower began to shine with red patterns. Only then did Sina realize that the light glowing under her hand didn¡¯t feel hot at all. Tsk. There was no sound. But Sina felt as if she had heard a sound. A red light pierced through the floor, going straight toward the ground located a little away from the base of the Magic Tower. The light that was as thick as the Magic Tower then penetrated the cloudy sky and the dark clouds, seeming like it would make the storm disappear. Sina couldn¡¯t even tell how far or how long it would continue to rise. She then looked at Juan with a perplexed expression upon witnessing a bright light that burst out of nowhere. ¡°This is where Mananen McLeir¡¯s body is stored. I used his mana,¡± Juan said while staring at the red light. Juan brushed his hands off and slid down toward the entrance. ¡°They will be able to come and find me after looking at that light.¡± *** Winter has always been Nienna¡¯s strongest ally and closest friend. The fierce northern cold turned the beasts into dry corpses and covered the thick Crack with snow and ice. Even if it wasn¡¯t for the cold weather, no beasts could hold out against Nienna¡¯s abilities in the winter breeze. Nienna¡¯s strength doubled in a cold snowstorm, and the Northern Army gained strength by watching her run like a goddess on the battlefield. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°The smaller Cracks are all frozen, and the medium and larger ones are showing no signs of activity due to the past purging.¡± Nienna nodded upon hearing the report. Recently, the Crack was getting quieter and quieter without an issue¡ªsuch a thing was unprecedented. Thanks to the Crack being calm, the North was enjoying an unexpected period of peace. But this peace caused Nienna to somehow feel uneasy. ¡®Maybe I¡¯ve gotten too used to war.¡¯ Nienna¡¯s plan was to retire and meet a suitable partner to give birth to a suitable successor when the peaceful time finally came. Now might be the perfect time for her to implement her plan, but the war had just begun in the south this time instead of the north. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s happening at a good time anyway.¡± Nienna rose from her seat and headed straight toward the terrace. The door to the terrace was wide open and a snowstorm was pouring inside. She could see the countless people of the Northern Imperial Army that filled the outside of the winter citadel. Those were warriors with shaggy beards and faces scarred by the harsh winter wind and the claws of monsters. Even the armor they were wearing was not in an ordinary imperial style¡ªit was made using the hide and claws of the monsters. They did not seem to be wearing uniforms at all. However, Nienna felt proud when she saw them. They were Nienna¡¯s kindred people, her admirers and her warriors. They were the most powerful troops in the Imperial Army. Nienna quietly raised her hand to the side. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Ah-hoo!¡± The entire mountain range trembled due to the short but loud cry that rang out suddenly. The cry was so loud that it even caused a small avalanche and the echoes of the cry rang out for a long time. Nienna pondered for a moment about what to say. The opponents that they were about to fight from now on were not monsters nor were they human rebels. Rather, it was the object of their loyalty until now. ¡®Would it be okay for me to suddenly order my men to swing their swords at the opponent and make the opponent bleed?¡¯ Nienna¡¯s agony didn¡¯t last long. Nienna quietly extended her raised hand toward the south, where the red light was shining. ¡°Ah-hoo!¡± With another short cry, the army began to move in unison. The master of the North did not make a speech, nor did she ask for anyone¡¯s understanding. When the master of the North gave the command, their swords executed the order. The responsibility and the guilt were all borne by the master of the North. Therefore, the weight of the responsibilities felt by Nienna was as great as the weight of the entire army. *** A crow sat on Anya¡¯s wrist as she reached her hand out. The crow¡¯s red eyes resembled the red light that could be seen toward the north. ¡°Anabelle. The people of the emperor¡¯s army have also agreed to cooperate,¡± Dilmond, who had followed the outer path of the wall, spoke to Anya. Anya looked back at Dilmond. Dilmond flinched the moment he looked into Anya¡¯s eyes. Unlike before, her eyes were dark red¡ªthis was a change that occurred within Anya when she wore the Umbra to maximize her abilities as a necromancer. Dilmond had once been worried that she might end up being eaten by Nigrato, but never once did anything he feared occur. Rather, her loyalty toward the emperor had become frighteningly strong. This also seemed to be a change that occurred when she heard of Juan¡¯s death. ¡°That¡¯s great news. At least I don¡¯t have to go out of my way to persuade them.¡± Anya flapped the hem of Umbra¡¯s long robe. For a moment, Dilmond felt as if he could see countless skeletons under the black robe. Among the numerous corpses left behind after the tragedy of Hiveden were those of the Templars. One day, their bodies had suddenly disappeared and no one knew what happened to them¡ªexcept for Dilmond and Anya. Dilmond wondered if it was okay to take advantage of the bodies of the Templars, but Anya¡¯s answer to his concerns was clear. ¡®It¡¯s better for the dead to die once more than for the living to die.¡¯ Although it seemed evil, Anya¡¯s intentions did not go against the will of the emperor. At least Dilmond wished to believe so. Anya, who had now brought out the Umbra¡¯s ability to the maximum extent, was just as powerful as Ras. Back then, Ras had no choice but to devote part of his power to suppress Nigrato. But Anya had no such restrictions. If Anya decided to act against the will of the emperor with such power, the empire would be faced with a new disaster. Dilmond could guarantee that such an end would most definitely be terrible for everyone. ¡°Then shall we get going, Sir Dilmond?¡± Anya asked. ¡°Sure¡­ I mean, yes, Captain.¡± Anya, the captain of the Order of Huginn, did not have to directly give commands to her knight order. As soon as Anya conveyed her will, the crow on her arm loudly fluttered its wings and flew high up in the sky. Then, the army of undead under Anya¡¯s feet began to march toward the North. The knights of the dead, which belonged to the Order of Huginn, rode atop dead horses, and the Dragon Blood Soldiers that were created by Juan took the lead. At the very front of the line walked Urkel, the one who used to be called the Revenge King, with dozens of skulls clattering on his body. Anya calmly thought that all she could do was ask her enemies to surrender. And whether they decide to surrender or not, they would eventually become a part of the emperor¡¯s army. *** It was once a demerit, but now, it was a merit, that the East was without a leader. Hela expertly dominated the east with the little imperial influence she held. The mercenary guilds that flourished in the east offered Hela some highly-skilled warriors to do the duties of the soldiers during their absence. The mercenaries were the best at smelling the scent of war and money. Above all, they were well aware of which direction would eventually achieve victory. A large number of troops gathered together, filling the route to the west. The war against the warriors of Arbalde could have been quickly cleared up and settled if such an amount of troops had gathered back then, but everything was already in the past. Besides, there was no way that such a huge number of troops would have gotten together like this in the past. ¡°Hury.¡± Hela spoke to Hury, the former leader of the Punishment Unit, who had now become the Captain of the Special Forces Guerilla Unit. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t hear any more whispers?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± Hury nodded. ¡°The same goes for the other troops. But we can still exert the power of the Crack.¡± All of Hury¡¯s troops were people who had been encroached upon by the Crack to some extent. They were constantly tempted by the Crack and felt the urge to cry out the name granted to them by the Crack. In return, they gained far more power and strength than ordinary people. Hury used to be one of the warriors of Arbalde and one of the people who had been most influenced by the Crack. However, the whispers of the Crack that used to make him suffer had gone quiet for some time now. ¡°That¡¯s good news. The power of the Crack is evil, but we need that power at a time like this,¡± Hela said. ¡°...What you said the other day must be true, right?¡± Hury asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Hela nodded as she looked at the red light rising from the west. ¡°His Majesty said that he had found a way to permanently protect the empire from the Crack. He also said that you will all be able to get your normal lives back.¡± To the warriors of Arbalde who had been encroached upon by the Crack unwillingly and then volunteered to be prisoners because they did not want to turn into monsters, there was no better reward for them compared to getting their ordinary lives back. Hela promised to give rewards to all those who were gathered here, ready to fight. For some, she promised them gold, success to some others, indulgence for some, and a future for the rest. The Special Forces Guerilla Unit had a different purpose compared to the Northern Army, who were ready to risk their lives to follow commands, or the Order of the Huginn, who rose from even death to carry out the commands given to them. However, they were the most human-like Army. CH 150 It all began with just one old woman. Early in the morning, an old woman who was wearing a hood limped to stand in the middle of the square in front of the Vatican. The old woman easily caught the eyes of the crowd due to the fact that the middle of the square was empty¡ªthere were not many people there. The old woman stared at the Vatican for a long time, then slammed the cane she held in her hands onto the floor as she shouted. ¡°I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± It was a voice so loud and sharp that no one could believe that it came from an old woman. The eyes of the crowd who were about to start their morning routine at the edge of the square turned toward the old woman at once. At the same time, the guards who were guarding the Vatican exchanged perplexed eyes. ¡°I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± When the old woman shouted the same slogan once again, the guards figured that they had to pull her out of the square. ¡°Come on, ma¡¯am. Don¡¯t do this here and¡­¡± ¡°Let go of me, you punk!¡± The old woman swung her cane and slapped the guard on the head. The guard was wearing a helmet for protection but still stepped back while feeling dumbfounded due to the tingling sensation he felt on his head. Then the old woman shouted in a loud voice once again. ¡°I stood on the front lines alongside His Majesty! I have much more experience than you do! How dare you try and touch me!?¡± The old woman didn¡¯t stop there but continued to hit the guard in the back and the waist with her cane. The guard retreated with a perplexed expression and then ran into the Captain of the Guards who hurriedly came to the square upon hearing about the disturbance. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°This crazy old lady is saying that she was in the same army as His Majesty¡­¡± The Captain of the Guards noticed a familiar old iron brooch on the old woman¡¯s chest. This was the brooch that many soldiers received when they were discharged from the military at the end of the Founding era and the beginning of the Emperor¡¯s era. Looking at the old woman¡¯s wrinkled face, the Captain of the Guards figured that there was a high probability that what she was saying was true. But he had no choice but to say the same thing as the other guard. ¡°Um, ma¡¯am. Please don¡¯t do this here¡­¡± ¡°I said let go of me, you punk! You want me to stay still and do nothing when the empire that I built with my own hands is teetering on the verge of collapse in the hands of the bad guys? What do you or the Pope do other than hiding inside the Vatican and eating up all the food every day?¡± The faces of the Guards turned pale upon hearing the old woman¡¯s words. If such impious words were spoken right in front of the Vatican and were heard by a Priest or a Templar, they would immediately be punished. Not only the old woman, but even they, the guards themselves, would be punished. ¡°This crazy old woman¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and drag her out. Ma¡¯am, you¡¯ll be in big trouble if you say such things so recklessly.¡± ¡°Let go! I said let go, you bastards! I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± the old woman screamed. At that moment, someone firmly grabbed the shoulder of one of the guards¡ªit was the owner of a butcher shop in a nearby shopping square. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s not be too careless with this old woman. From what I heard, she sounds like a war veteran.¡± The guard¡¯s face distorted upon hearing the words spoken by the owner of the butcher shop. ¡°You know nothing. So, you¡¯d better fuck off and stay out of it unless you want¡­¡± The guard couldn¡¯t finish his sentence properly, since merchants and residents from the nearby shopping square had gathered due to the disturbance that occurred while he was talking with the old woman. The guard¡¯s trembling eyes turned toward the hand on his shoulder. The knife held in his hand was dripping blood and pig fat as if he had been cutting meat until just now. The guard quickly read the atmosphere in the surroundings. None of the people were looking at the guards favorably. The guards had never been viewed in such a negative light in the past decades. Flaming discontent and hostility began to engulf the entire square. ¡°Get back¡­ Get back, everyone.¡± The Captain of the Guards fumbled and grabbed the sword hanging at his waist. However, he could not draw his sword; he could clearly tell what would happen to him if he did. To make matters worse, the guards further away were escaping the square on their horses, since they assumed that the Captain¡¯s words were an order directed toward them. There was nothing more the Captain of the Guards could do at this point. All the guards withdrew, and then the owner of the butcher shop grabbed the hand of the old woman who was lying on the floor and raised her up. The old woman shook off her skirt and stood up, once again shouting toward the Vatican, just like earlier. ¡°I demand justice for His Majesty!¡± This was followed by the thunderous roar of all the people in the square. ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± *** ¡°...What the hell is going on? What¡¯s this sound?¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Helmut murmured as he stood in the corridor that overlooked the Vatican square, looking at the scenery outside the window. The voices demanding justice for His Majesty were loud enough to resonate throughout the entire city. The protest that had been going on for half a day already drew residents from all over the holy city of Torra to fill the entire square and even other streets. Even the buildings around the square were filled with people that were shouting the slogan. ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± ¡°They are demanding justice for His Majesty? Then are they saying that His Majesty¡¯s justice is not here? Who the hell started this whole thing? What kind of apostate instigated this protest!¡± Helmut shouted in anger. ¡°As far as I know, it all began when an old woman started shouting alone in the morning. We are trying to figure out who¡¯s behind this whole incident, but we have yet to find out¡­¡± a Black Priest cautiously reported by Helmut¡¯s side. Helmut pressed his hand against his head, almost as if he had a headache. ¡°...What about the Templars?¡± Helmut asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Were there any Priests or Templars who came forward to stop the crowd when the apostates were moving so openly like that?¡± ¡°...Well, that is¡­¡± Then a man¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°The Templars won¡¯t step forward.¡± Helmut¡¯s head swung back upon hearing the voice. It was Lenly Loen and Ivy Isildin, who had a pale face. Seeing them, Helmut¡¯s face distorted in an instant. ¡°Are you bastards the ones who instigated this ridiculous protest?¡± As Helmut approached them while shaking his fists at them, Lenly stood in front of Ivy to protect her. ¡°Please don¡¯t get us wrong, Your Holiness. We know nothing about this incident. In fact, the Order of the Black Lion had hurriedly come to see me to discuss what to do about this situation. So, I just told them to act according to their own beliefs about justice for His Majesty,¡± Ivy, who was behind Lenly, stuck her head out and said. Helmut¡¯s expression hardened. The Order of the Black Lion was a knight order that had the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the Vatican and the Priests with authority. ¡®But they asked the Saintess for her opinion and made a policy based on that?¡¯ Ivy continued speaking as she looked at Helmut¡¯s face. ¡°You misunderstood again, Your Holiness. It¡¯s not like the Captain of the Order of the Black Lion is following orders given by me. He only decided on a policy based on his own thoughts and beliefs. He figured that the slogan being shouted by the people of the empire doesn''t go against the will of His Majesty.¡± ¡°Why, you bitch¡­¡± Helmut couldn¡¯t properly hear Ivy¡¯s words, since the only thought in his mind was that he had left this arrogant thing unattended for too long. Lenly felt something unusual from Helmut and placed his hand over his sword. Upon seeing Lenly place his hand over his sword, Helmut grew even angrier. Then, Helmut¡¯s head calmed down rather than getting heated due to his extreme anger. ¡°Lenly. You being so hostile towards me makes me think that you might kill me.¡± A powerful energy started soaring from Helmut¡¯s hand, and the face of the Black Priest watching all this from behind turned pale. Helmut was the Pope. Not only was he the only one who could grant the Grace provided by His Majesty to others, but he was also the one who held the strongest Grace within the empire. It was said that one knight order led by Templars along with one bishop could easily take over an entire city. But the Pope¡¯s power was on an entirely different level. ¡°They are demanding justice for His Majesty? I will show them that justice already exists here.¡± ¡°Your Holiness.¡± Ivy suddenly stood in Helmut¡¯s way. Helmut tried to blow Ivy¡¯s head while disregarding her, but she hurriedly raised her hand and pointed to the square outside the window. ¡°Your Holiness should listen to their voices too. They aren¡¯t trying to insult or bring down Your Holiness.¡± ¡®Of course, there are people who want to do that.¡¯ Ivy swallowed those words with difficulty. ¡°Your Holiness. Do you know where that slogan even originated from?¡± Helmut flinched and looked at Ivy with suspicious eyes. Then, Ivy took a short deep breath with a trembling heart, and continued speaking. ¡°It started with Heretia Helwin at the House of Peers when she told everyone to bring down Barth Baltic. Those people aren¡¯t demanding justice for His Majesty from Your Holiness¡ªthey want to bring down Barth Baltic, a man from a heterogeneous race and the person who holds the real power within the empire. Does Your Holiness intend to go down with Barth Baltic by trying to protect him?¡± *** The atmosphere of the House of Peers assembly was darker than ever. The reason for this was the protest that broke out inside the holy city of Torra despite three sides of the empire getting ready for war. Everyone could see that the empire was on the verge of disaster. However, only one person did not think so. ¡°What is everyone so concerned about? Are those who are protesting right now a group of evil gods or heterogenous races that are full of hatred? No. Those are our own people who belong to the empire. And what they want is very clear.¡± Heretia Helwin raised her hand and pointed toward Helmut, who was standing on the platform. ¡°To bring down Barth Baltic and get justice for His Majesty.¡± Helmut glared at Heretia with bloodshot eyes; he realized that he had left the seeds that she scattered unattended for way too long. Helmut had thought that Heretia¡¯s actions were just a way to gain the attention of the nobles and the citizens, but now, it looked like she genuinely intended to bring down Barth Baltic. ¡°One of the knight orders that had been dispatched to check on the rumors about the returning emperor came back in a terrible condition, while the other one never even came back at all. What do you think that means? Does it mean what they encountered was the devil?¡± Heretia shook her head. ¡°No. It¡¯s not the devil that they encountered¡ªit was His Majesty¡¯s wrath. That¡¯s the reason why there are voices demanding justice for His Majesty from the east, north, south, and now even the capital of the empire.¡± The murmuring between the nobles slowly grew louder. Rhymer, the head of the founding faction, raised his hand with a tired look and asked for everyone¡¯s silence. ¡°Miss Helwin seems to have already concluded that the self-proclaimed emperor is the real emperor who is returning. I heard that you left the Capital for a while. Did you get to meet him in person or what?¡± ¡°Yes. I actually did,¡± Heretia said proudly. The murmurs grew even louder upon hearing Heretia¡¯s answer. Her remark was one that could be counted as treason if something went wrong. However, Heretia continued to speak in a calm manner. ¡°And I have also met a lot of people who follow him. Others could say that I fell for the devil¡¯s trick if I was the only one who saw him, but even trustworthy people such as Duke Hela Henna and General Nienna Nelben have acknowledged him. Are you going to say that they are wrong too?¡± Duke Hela Henna had many admirers among the nobles of the capital. The nobles couldn¡¯t help her out in the open, since she wasn¡¯t well-liked by the officials in high positions, but her struggling on her own in the east was a perfect example for the nobles to follow. People¡¯s respect for General Nienna Nelben didn¡¯t even have to be mentioned, since she was the eldest daughter of the emperor. One nobleman rose from his seat and shouted. ¡°I agree with Miss Helwin. They are not coming to start a war¡ªthey are only taking a desperate step to ask the empire for justice.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Slowly, voices filled with empathy started to come from everywhere. Rhymer looked at Helmut with anxious eyes, while Helmut continued to silently listen to the nobles¡¯ agreements. The atmosphere had already tilted in the favor of one side. Helmut had to oust Barth Baltic; otherwise, he too would be placed in a position where he would be dragged down. ¡®I did always dream about stabbing him with a knife on his back one day, but¡­¡¯ Helmut also had just as much hatred for heterogeneous races as ordinary people of the empire. However, back then, the empire couldn¡¯t rely on anything other than the power of Barth Baltic, who took command of the Imperial Army at that precarious time. But there was nothing Helmut could do at this point. Helmut and Barth had no choice but to remain politically separate for the greater good. Helmut quietly raised his hand, causing the interior of the House of Peers to become quiet. ¡°If it is justice for His Majesty to bring down the Regent, then¡­¡± The moment Helmut tried to declare in a quiet voice, the door of the assembly hall of the House of Peers opened wide with a thud. The eyes of the nobles turned toward the door in unison¡ªeveryone¡¯s eyes widened with surprise when they saw the person standing in front of the door. ¡°There is no need to put your dirty hands on me; I decided to come here on my own.¡± It was the Regent of the empire, Barth Baltic. CH 151 The first thing that people felt when Barth Baltic entered the assembly hall of the House of Peers was a weird sense of alienation. The assembly hall of the House of Peers was quite large, with extraordinary splendor; after all, it was where the people who held authority in the empire and were considered the empire¡¯s limbs gathered. However, it was a place that was made for humans. The mere presence of Barth Baltic, a four-meter tall giant who had a soaring horn that could almost reach the sky and a white beard that came down to his chest, turned the assembly hall into a completely unfamiliar space for the nobles. Even the chairman Rhymer, who had made numerous speeches at the assembly hall for decades felt like he was back in the old mythological era upon seeing Barth Baltic enter the assembly hall. Rhymer swallowed a gulp with an uncomfortable expression. ¡°Regent Barth,¡± Helmut opened his mouth with a stiff expression on his face, since he hadn¡¯t expected Barth to show up in person. ¡°When did you come to Torra¡­¡± Barth Baltic ignored Helmut and walked toward the platform. It felt as if the entire assembly hall shook every time his thumping footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Many nobles had their mouths wide open, since it was their first time seeing Barth Baltic. This was only natural, since Barth rarely showed himself in public. At most of the events, he was represented by Pavan Peltere, the Captain of the Order of the Capital. The only time Barth Baltic made a public appearance was when he occasionally trained the army. Most people who saw Barth Baltic had similar thoughts. ¡®He looks much older than I had thought.¡¯ He seemed a little different from the rumors about his appearance: he had a long white beard, wrinkled face, age spots, and a slightly bent posture. Many people would say that he looked quite old even if he was a human, not from a different race. However, the muscles wriggling under his exposed skin showed that he was still quite active as a swordsman. Following Barth, heavily armed knights entered the assembly hall with expressionless faces. The symbol of sun engraved on the fluttering cloaks behind their backs suggested that they belonged to the Order of the Capital. The knights of the Order of the Capital were the most talented people that Barth Baltic had carefully selected from within the empire, regardless of their descent, region or race. If the Order of the Capital¡¯s intent behind entering the assembly hall was to take over the House of Peers, the nobles would have no choice but to die at their hands. However, rather than being frustrated upon seeing Barth Baltic, Heretia quickly noticed that Captain Pavan Peltere was absent amongst the Order of the Capital. ¡®It¡¯s strange that Pavan Peltere isn¡¯t here when Barth Baltic has made a public appearance¡­¡¯ Barth Baltic stood on the platform, and Helmut quietly stepped down to let him speak. At this point, Helmut¡¯s relationship with Barth Baltic was completely over. Barth glanced at the nobles and opened his mouth. ¡°I remember when I once kicked a dog to death.¡± The nobles were perplexed by the rather absurd remark made by Barth Baltic. They blankly stared at Barth, since the first thing he said after showing his face in such a serious situation was about him killing a dog. But the following words spoken by Barth were enough to make the nobles shut their mouths real quick. ¡°That dog was the very last dog left in the country where I lived. That dog was eating my mother¡¯s face. I knew that it had no choice and that it was desperate, but I still ended up kicking the dog out of anger. The dog soon died while bleeding through its mouth.¡± Barth glanced around at the nobles with furious eyes. ¡°Have I ever mentioned how my parents, my race, and my country were destroyed?¡± He had never said it out loud, but it was all recorded in history. Hornsluine was the last race to resist the gods, but failed. There was no other race who challenged the gods and failed after that, since a human succeeded in resisting the gods and wiped out all the gods. And that man was the emperor. According to the records, the gods destroyed the Hornsluine using rain. ¡°Red rain poured all over my country for seven days and nights. Those that were soaked by the red rain turned into monsters as their bodies twisted or new body parts grew. Everyone killed each other, since they couldn¡¯t even recognize their parents or children, and the only thing remaining was an endless desire to kill. That happened all over the country. The mutation began as soon as even a single drop of the red rain touched those of my race.¡± Barth, the last surviving member of the Hornsluine race, tilted his head to reveal his neck which was full of indelible tooth marks and scars. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I¡¯ve never told anyone how I survived, have I? The only reason why I didn¡¯t die there along with my own people was to become an entertainer for the amusement of the gods. They wanted to leave at least one witness to watch the price of rebellion¡ªbecause punishment without any witnesses is meaningless.¡± Barth calmly talked about the destruction of his own people. Not a single noble could open their mouth in absolute silence. ¡°I, and my kind, were dogs that were kicked to death by the gods. We bled to death just because we bared our teeth against the gods. I didn¡¯t think that what we did was worthy of our entire race being destroyed, so I thought about the reason why the gods would destroy us like that. And I came to just one conclusion¡ªit was the same reason why I kicked that dog to death.¡± Barth flanked around at the nobles once more. ¡°Because I was angry, and because I could.¡± Barth came down from the platform and began to walk in front of the nobles. ¡°Then the emperor appeared. The emperor killed the gods like they were dogs because he could. How could I not admire someone like him? I followed the emperor around and worshiped him like a hero and a king¡ªin exchange for mocking the dying gods. I willingly protected him behind his back, even taught races that had nothing to do with me, and took the position of the Great General of the Imperial Army when he asked me to.¡± At that moment, the knights of the Order of the Capital inside the assembly hall stamped their feet in unison. Barth Baltic slowly walked in front of the nobles and came to a standstill right in front of Heretia. Barth Baltic then looked down at Heretia, who was so short that she couldn¡¯t even reach his waistline. ¡°I¡¯m old and exhausted, but I still have the power to kick and kill dogs who can¡¯t even acknowledge the favor I have done for them.¡± Heretia tried her best to not be overwhelmed by Barth Baltic, but it was not easy to do so. ¡°You let the empire fall apart despite your power,¡± Heretia said. At that moment, one of the knights from the Order of the Capital took a step forward. It was Ledna Loen, the Deputy of the Order of the Capital. Heretia frowned upon seeing Ledna¡¯s face. Like her brother Lenly Loen, her hair was also a dazzling white color. However, Lenly and Ledna were walking on completely different paths from each other. ¡°Regent Barth Baltic is just a soldier, and it is the rule for the soldiers to not intervene in politics of the empire. That¡¯s why we have left it to the House of Peers and the Church. We don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever gone against our duty as soldiers. But have you all done your duties?¡± Ledna asked. ¡°The Regent Barth Baltic is also the Grand Duke,¡± Heretia answered. ¡°And that is not a position the Regent had asked for. It was automatically passed down to the Regent as the next person in the hierarchy, since Harmon Helwin, the Grand Duke at the time, was involved in treason. At that time, the Regent cleared up the mess and severely convicted those who were involved in the treason. Since then, the House of Peers has always had the authority to elect a new Grand Duke at any time.¡± But the House of Peers had never done so. Ledna skipped a few words, but Heretia could easily tell what she wanted to say. Ledna¡¯s words were not wrong, but those who were under the slightest suspicion at the time after the emperor¡¯s assassination had no choice but to remain quiet, since they would be swept away like autumn leaves whether they were nobles or not. Anyone who dared to mention the election of a new Grand Duke would have already been killed by then. It could be said that the House of Peers had no fault, since such a situation had lasted for forty eight years. ¡°Didn¡¯t he spill the blood of the innocents on the imperial soil?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°Spilling blood to prevent the division of the empire is something that was done by His Majesty as well. You¡¯re not going to deny the fact that many kingdoms had been overthrown during the founding of the empire, are you?¡± ¡°He moved the military in favor of the Church¡¯s private sanctions.¡± ¡°The empire serves His Majesty, and everyone who serves His Majesty serves the Church by agreement. Is it wrong to put His Majesty¡¯s will before everything else? Don¡¯t you know what will happen if a soldier makes his own judgment and takes care of things in their favor?¡± Ledna Loen¡¯s answer was without any holes. Heretia¡¯s face became distorted, since she felt that Ledna¡¯s excuses were all sophistry¡ªLedna was distorting the history of Barth Baltic not doing anything and the Church worshiping false values as if it all had a noble meaning. Heretia grit her teeth, since she knew that dirty deeds had been done through the Order of the Capital, who held the second highest amount of power within the empire. So, Heretia threw a rather provocative claim that was impossible for Barth Barthic to avoid. ¡°He tricked the Captain of the Imperial Guards to move the army at the time of His Majesty¡¯s assassination.¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. It was a straightforward remark that did not leave any room for Barth to avoid or ignore. The nobles watched with bated breath. Heretia¡¯s remark was a dangerous one, one that might get her killed for being involved in treason. ¡°We looked through all the letters that were sent and received at the time. We even looked at the secret letters that had been stamped with His Majesty¡¯s Imperial seal. Written on the letter that only Winoa Weaver could open was Barth Baltic¡¯s order to move the troops for¡­¡± ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that? The Regent had the authority to command the entire military. The Order of the Capital was moving, and I bet there are more than a hundred stamped letters commanding the troops to march. But in the end, the direct responsibility for His Majesty¡¯s security lay with Winoa Weaver¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± However, at that moment, Barth Baltic suddenly opened his mouth. Baltic Barthic spoke as he glared at Heretia with his decrepit eyes. ¡°That was my order. I helped Gerard Gain to enter the Imperial Palace.¡± The entire House of Peers fell into silence. Even the sound of hearts beating seemed to have stopped. Not only Heretia, but even Ledna Loen hadn¡¯t expected Barth Baltic to suddenly say such words. However, Barth¡¯s expression remained completely unchanged. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you were involved with His Majesty¡¯s assassination, and¡­¡± ¡°I knew that Gerard Gain, that bastard, would stab the emperor to death. I had been watching him for a long time.¡± Heretia looked at Barth Baltic in silence, fear slowly taking root inside her. She couldn¡¯t figure out with what purpose Barth Baltic was saying this. Considering the way he had dealt with those involved in His Majesty¡¯s assassination case so far, Barth Baltic should have nothing to say even if he was killed on the spot. ¡°It would have been nice if I could end him with my own hands, but I thought it would be better for him to be stabbed to death at the hands of his own child.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± One of the nobles from the meritorious faction stood up and shouted as if he was having a seizure. Barth Baltic glared at the noble, causing the noble to immediately collapse into his seat while breathing heavily. That marked the end of the nobles¡¯ resistance. With everyone remaining silent, Barth Baltic glanced around the House of Peers. The nobles felt as if they were being cut by his sharp eyes. Heretia bit her lips when she felt the atmosphere of the Order of the Capital. ¡®Barth Baltic insulted His Majesty and confessed his crime of treason, but there is no agitation among them?¡¯ Only Ledna Loen was calmly placing her hand over the handle of her sword. The Order of the Capital was already showing their loyalty toward the Regent, not the emperor. ¡®I guess it¡¯s only natural.¡¯ Many people went on and on about loyalty to the emperor, but it has already been almost fifty years since the emperor died and turned into a corpse. Most of these people were those who had never even seen the emperor when he was alive. Just like the Templars, they had only been educated with techniques that were close to brainwashing. ¡°I pity you all,¡± Barth Baltic said. People were taken aback by Barth¡¯s words. ¡®Pity us? All of a sudden?¡¯ Barth Baltic continued to speak with trembling lips. ¡°I wonder if all of you would still be able to worship the emperor like you do now even after his identity is revealed. I want to make all of you suffer by telling you just how meaningless your loyalties are, but it would be quite entertaining for me to see you realize that for yourselves.¡± Barth Baltic turned his back on the nobles after only leaving those ambiguous words behind. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Heretia shouted hastily. ¡°To do what a soldier has to do. Haven¡¯t you heard that the foreign enemy that is threatening the empire is coming?¡± ¡®He is planning to stand up against Juan? As the Regent?¡¯ Barth Baltic¡¯s decision meant that the Order of the Capital would fight the forces of the east, south, and north. It would only be a matter of time before it spread to a large-scale civil war. Heretia, who had tried to bring Barth Baltic down politically before such a situation came to be, started becoming desperate. Heretia followed after Barth in a hurry. It was not like she had any plan, but the only thought she had in her mind was to prevent a civil war. However, loud roars and shouts were heard as soon as Barth Baltic opened the door of the assembly hall. Heretia flinched and stopped. Outside the assembly hall were the citizens of Torra, who were gathered together to shout a slogan. ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± ¡°A bastard from the heterogeneous race who betrayed His Majesty!¡± Splat! Crack! Food waste such as tomatoes and eggs flew toward Barth Baltic¡¯s feet. The Order of the Capital seemed to feel that it was unpleasant and uncomfortable, but no one moved without Barth¡¯s order. Barth glanced at the crowd and whispered to Heretia who was standing next to him. ¡°Do you see anyone amongst them who is truly demanding justice for His Majesty?¡± Heretia remained silent. ¡°I spent almost fifty years helping the emperor create an empire for the humans and spent yet another fifty years defending it. I¡¯ve been fighting for all of you for a total of one hundred years.¡± Barth Baltic picked up a bruised apple that was rolling at his feet and took a bite. ¡°But the only thing that I got in return is a label and an insult about me being from a heterogenous race.¡± CH 152 Helmut stepped out of the assembly hall with an exhausted look on his face. The steps he took along the hallway were heavy but busy. He was rather relieved that things had worked out unexpectedly well. Barth Baltic and Helmut were rivals who had maintained a hostile, yet symbiotic relationship ever since the start of the Eternal Rule¡ªHelmut served as the spiritual anchor to unite the empire under the Church, while Barth succeeded in uniting and leading the army that could have become a threat to the empire. Without either one of them, the empire would have been torn apart with bloodshed. Thus, Helmut acknowledged and admired Barth Baltic¡¯s abilities, despite hating him. So, Helmut was glad that this incident was resolved quite smoothly, unlike what he had expected. After all, the Barth Baltic that Helmut knew was a man who could have easily turned the Capital into a sea of blood. At the same time, Helmut wondered why Barth Baltic acted in such a way. ¡®Did he really just do what he had to do as a soldier?¡¯ Helmut shook his head. Both Helmut and Barth had seen each other¡¯s weaknesses. Helmut was very well aware that he was not an innocent man, and the same was true of Barth Baltic. They were both covered in the same filth. Helmut sometimes thought that perhaps the reason why they couldn¡¯t stand each other was that they smelled the same. ¡®Whatever he is up to¡­ I wish the returning emperor could just disappear along with Barth Baltic.¡¯ Barth Baltic was already done for. The people of the empire had completely turned their backs on Barth Baltic, and this expedition would be his last¡ªwhether he killed the returning emperor or rather got killed by the returning emperor. ¡°Your Holiness.¡± Helmut stopped upon hearing the voice coming from behind him. The voice belonged to Imill Ilde, the head of the Ilde family who had been silently sitting at a corner of the assembly hall the entire time. Not only was he the head of the religious faction, he was also the heir to a wealthy business. However, it was said that he suffered a huge loss recently when Hiveden, his largest source of income, was suddenly overturned. ¡°Mr. Ilde,¡± Helmut greeted him briefly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put aside the complicated and unnecessary words, considering the situation we are in. What are you going to do with the Church?¡± Helmut was wary that Imill might petition to help Barth Baltic out of his desire for revenge. Helmut couldn¡¯t afford to do so now, but Imill Ilde was making too many donations to the Church for Helmut to simply ignore him. ¡°...The holy city of Torra is so loud and messy that I¡¯ll have to clean up on the inside first,¡± Helmut said. ¡°I think that¡¯s a marvelous idea.¡± Helmut became even more wary when he heard Imill say something completely unexpected. ¡°But looking at the current situation and how you behaved when the Regent showed up at the assembly hall earlier, you don¡¯t seem to have any specific plans to take care of the situation.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Helmut¡¯s face became distorted; after all, no one enjoyed their mistakes being pointed out. ¡°The Church is being too indulgent, Your Holiness. A mere soldier, a noble from an apostolic background, and even morons are insulting the Church. This is all because the Church has failed to gain enough authority,¡± Imill said with a determined face. ¡°...That I can¡¯t deny. I admit that I was complacent. But things will be different from now on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough, Your Holiness. We need the powerful authority of the Church that you showed during the early days of the Eternal Rule. Didn¡¯t Your Holiness show us His Majesty¡¯s will through a proxy back then?¡± ¡°...We are living in a different time compared to the bloody era when¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not different, Your Holiness. If the Regent is defeated and the rebel¡¯s army reaches Torra, both the authority of His Majesty and the authority of the Church will be completely destroyed.¡± Helmut didn¡¯t think of himself to be a good man. He also knew well that Imill Ilde¡¯s words were crazy. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t help but think that Imill Ilde¡¯s crazy words were quite tempting. ¡°Are you telling me to show the authority of His Majesty by exerting my power?¡± Helmut asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need to shed too much blood, is there? Power enough to unite the holy city of Torra is more than enough. If the Regent gets defeated, the army will eventually become nothing but a sword without an owner. Your Holiness needs to show everyone that you¡¯re qualified to wield that sword.¡± ¡®A pope who is also the commander of the armed forces, huh?¡¯ Imill Ilde¡¯s suggestion didn¡¯t sound too bad in Helmut¡¯s ears. ¡°If you are capable of uniting the power left behind by His Majesty in the form of Grace and the power of the empire into one¡­ then, it won¡¯t be too difficult to defeat the traitors. It would be an honor, almost as if the emperor had returned.¡± ¡®The emperor¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t say anything that might cause people to misunderstand,¡± Helmut said. ¡°I have made a slip of the tongue, Your Holiness. I am just a faithful believer who has dedicated my wealth as well as my youngest son to the Church. Please don¡¯t misunderstand my loyalty.¡± Helmut inadvertently remembered that Imill Ilde¡¯s youngest son used to be a Templar, and that he made a huge donation so that he could join the Order of the White Crow, but was then killed by the devil of Tantil. The returning emperor who was now running toward the Capital was the same devil of Tantil. ¡®Is he seeking revenge?¡¯ Imill¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. What the empire needed at this time of foreign invasion was a commander who could unite them all under a single banner. Barth Baltic wasn¡¯t an adequate candidate for that, since he was from a heterogenous race. On the other hand, Helmut himself was able to exert the power of His Majesty in the form of Grace. ¡°Mr. Ilde,¡± Helmut whispered to Imill in a low voice. ¡°Do you have anything in mind?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we try to learn from the history of glory that the Church has walked through? Hasn¡¯t Your Holiness shown the non-believers that His Majesty¡¯s power remains undiminished in the western Cabragh?¡± ¡®Cabragh.¡¯ Helmut¡¯s face hardened. But Imill kept whispering to Helmut. ¡°Your Holiness, the people are foolish and are constantly looking for targets to blame. Your Holiness will become their next target after the Regent gets defeated. That¡¯s when Your Holiness needs to show that His Majesty¡¯s justice lies in your hands. Then the people will finally know who they should be serving.¡± *** ¡°Honestly, I feel like I¡¯ll be the person with the least sway on the result among those who have expressed their intention to participate in this war.¡± Hela said to Horhell with a grin. Horhell looked back upon hearing Hela¡¯s words. They were climbing the Yult Mountains, which separated the east and the capital¡ªthe road was crowded with soldiers and mercenaries from the east. They still had to march for two more days before they could reach the Magic Tower. The thin red light now seemed to have gotten quite a lot thicker. ¡°We have the Fourth Division of the Imperial Army that has been strengthened through battle, the United Mercenary Unit, the Punishment Unit that was trained by His Majesty himself¡ªno, they are called the Special Duty Guerrilla Unit, right? Anyway, we also have a dragon on our side.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to emphasize only one of our biggest strengths rather than emphasizing several of our small strengths. Well, it¡¯s not like we are going to fight a war to show off our strengths, but¡­¡± Horhell calmly brushed the neck of the dragon he was riding, Orca. Orca had already been scouting the surroundings for nearly half a day and had come down to rest its wings. Ever since Juan had removed all the restraints placed on it, Orca has been growing much faster and was now able to travel longer and longer distances day by day. ¡°But I don¡¯t think our army will be any weaker than the others.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ We do have the highest number of soldiers, so we¡¯ll definitely play our part. Though, I¡¯m planning to focus more on politics rather than on the military. It¡¯s stupid to think that we are stronger just because we have larger numbers. But, we might be able to shake things up once the balance of power gets tilted.¡± Only very few among the eastern troops felt uneasy about the fact that they were marching toward the Capital. The rumors about the appearance of the dragon that swept the eastern territory of the empire, the annihilation of the Arbalde rebels, and the ¡®emperor¡¯ who led them were rampant. It was rather encouraging and thrilling that they were marching to help His Majesty make history once again¡ªalthough Hela was happier about the fact that she could finally punch the bastards at the Capital in the nose. ¡°To be honest, I bet that there must be some among our men who are against the fact that we are rebelling against the Capital. There will also be some who¡¯ll run away as soon as the battle begins, and that¡¯s inevitable. There might even be a few who think that there¡¯s no need for us to go all the way to the Capital when the north and the south are already pressuring them,¡± Hela said. ¡°Such is a war. We have no choice but to lead even those people,¡± Horhell answered. ¡°You idiot. We are doing this to avoid war.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°We need to give the impression that the north, east, and south are going against the Capital all at once. That way, the west will be shaken up as well. I don¡¯t actually think that the fanatics would be shaken by whatever we do, but at least they will get the message.¡± Horhell had good swordsmanship skills, but lacked the brain needed for strategy and tactics. Hela always thought that to be quite a shame. Hela chuckled unconsciously before she said one last thing to Horhell. ¡°And even if the Capital gets occupied, wouldn¡¯t they be more willing to surrender to human-like people rather than the fanatic warriors from the north or the Order of Huginn?¡± This was the reason why they gathered as many troops as they could, despite the fact that they ended up looking like a group of riff-raff who was assembled in a hurry. ¡°I just hope that our men don¡¯t run into the rest of our allies first and run away due to being scared¡­¡± Then Hela suddenly stopped talking. Her eyes were fixed on the slope of the mountains. ¡°Your Grace?¡± Horhell asked with curious eyes. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be¡­ The guards patrolling the mountain range have already been bought, and the Capital Army probably hasn¡¯t even left yet¡­¡± Hela hastily ordered Horhell. ¡°Horhell! Fly up right now and start scouting around!¡± Horhell immediately signaled Orca without asking Hela what she meant again. The moment Orca flapped its wings, something glistened on one side of the mountain. Crunch! At that moment, one of Orca¡¯s legs was pierced by a huge arrow with a terrible crunching sound. ¡°Orca!¡± Orca¡¯s body convulsed with a painful roar. The arrow pierced its leg accurately, but there was no problem for it to fly up into the sky. When Orca soared into the sky, a huge ballista was dragged out using the chain. At the same time, the Capital Army soldiers who were hiding in the snow and fallen leaves stood up all at once. ¡°It¡¯s an ambush! Everyone, get ready for combat!¡± Hela hurriedly gave her orders, but there was already a scream coming from the back. At the same time, an arrow passed right by Hela¡¯s face. Before she knew it, the adjutant who was walking right beside her screamed and collapsed to the ground. ¡°Damn it, how did they get here so quickly?¡± It was only yesterday that Hela heard the news of Barth Baltic¡¯s decision to lead the subjugation himself. Hela couldn¡¯t believe that Barth Baltic had been waiting for her, who was farther away from him compared to the Northern Army or the Order of Huginn, in a meticulous ambush. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Then Hela found a familiar silhouette standing on the hillside of the Yult Mountains. Hela¡¯s eyes burned with rage. ¡°Pavan!¡± Pavan Peltere, the Captain of the Order of the Capital, was quietly looking down at the Eastern Army as they were being slaughtered. Pavan was born in the east, raised in the east, and taught by the lord of the east, but he didn¡¯t have the slightest shred of mercy. Instead of answering Hela¡¯s roar, Pavan silently knocked an arrow on his bow. The arrow narrowly passed by Hela¡¯s face again. Hela grit her teeth as she saw Orca frustratedly hovering in the air, not knowing what to do. Orca had already breathed out flames toward the hillside several times, but its flames were not very threatening to the soldiers that were hiding under the snow-covered trees. Hela realized that the Capital Army¡¯s ambush attack was not as intense as she had thought. In fact, the screams were mainly coming from only the back. Then Hela noticed Pavan¡¯s plan¡ªhe had come in and cut the Eastern Army¡¯s line like a snake, since he noticed just how long it was due to the many soldiers. Not only was Pavan¡¯s goal to stop Hela, but it was also to pause the movement of the Eastern Army itself. This was Barth Baltic¡¯s first strategy. He made it seem like he was only going to war because he was pressured by the Capital, but that was a trick¡ªBarth Baltic had sent his troops with Pavan Peltere before anything even happened. ¡°Horhell! Head toward the Magic Tower!¡± Hela shouted, hoping that Horhell could hear her amidst all the chaos. ¡°Damn it, Pavan, that asshole, is planning to stop the Eastern Army from getting to the Magic Tower! If the Eastern Army fails to fill the void, the rest of the allies will be defeated by Barth Baltic one by one! Go ahead and deliver this message!¡± Horhell couldn¡¯t leave the scene easily and hovered in the air upon seeing the Eastern Army getting slaughtered, but soon got Orca to flap its wings, since he couldn¡¯t help but follow Hela¡¯s order. Seeing this, Pavan aimed his bow at Horhell. At that moment, Orca breathed out flames on the chain hanging from the bridge, causing a ballista larger than a human to fall only an arm¡¯s length away from Pavan. Despite the loud sound, shock and snow falling over him, Pavan remained focused. However, he couldn¡¯t dodge the blade that flew into his face. A silver flash penetrated Horhell on Orca¡¯s back. Red blood splashed. CH 153 At that moment, Orca roared a long roar and flew toward the west at a high speed. Seeing this, Pavan clicked his tongue, as if he was upset that he couldn¡¯t tell whether he had injured Horhell heavily enough for him to be killed. At the same time, he bounced off the sword being swung toward him with his bow. Hela roared with a voice full of rage. ¡°Pavan, you fucking son of a bitch!¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t changed one bit, master.¡± Hela slaughtered all the soldiers on the slope with her only hand and ran toward Pavan. The fact that Hela could handle so many soldiers from the capital was quite unbelievable, considering her age and physical condition. However, Pavan drew the sword hanging at his waist in a calm manner. ¡°A commander going out of her way to charge against the enemy herself. That¡¯s not quite like you, master.¡± ¡°You seem to have changed a lot over the years. I¡¯ll kill you at once!¡± Hela couldn¡¯t do much with the rest of her troops blocked by the Capital Army. The only thing she could do was to stop Pavan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you, but I guess I have no choice. The enemy commander decided to walk right up to me, so how could I miss the perfect opportunity to make contributions to the war, right?¡± ¡°Stop talking bullshit and come at me! I can see that your tongue has gotten a lot longer by licking Barth Baltic¡¯s asshole.¡± Pavan only laughed upon hearing Hela¡¯s words rather than getting angry. He had heard much worse insults when Hela taught him swordsmanship and tactics in the past. ¡°Why would I fight with my master in a direct manner?¡± Instead of lifting the sword, Pavan lifted his empty left hand. The many archers from the Capital Army who were targeting Hela pulled their bowstrings tightly upon seeing Pavan¡¯s gesture. ¡°Both you and I have a lot of hands that can do the fighting for us.¡± ¡°You son of a¡­!¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± Along with Pavan¡¯s command, the arrows left the hands of the soldiers. *** Horhell couldn¡¯t see clearly, but he could feel the movement of Orca fumbling and trying its best to flap its wings. Horhell fell unconscious numerous times during their long flight. Upon seeing some trees appear here and there, Horhell realized that their altitude was quite low. Horhell braced himself for the upcoming shock. Orca landed on the plain as if it was falling by spreading its wings as wide as possible in order to prevent Horhell, who was hanging on its back from rolling off. A long trench was left in the ground due to Orca¡¯s body being dragged. ¡°Well done, Orca¡­ well done.¡± It was the second time that they had crashed, but it was still better than the first time they had crashed. Orca wheezed and breathed heavily. It didn¡¯t seem hurt, but looked extremely exhausted due to its injuries and from the long flight. On the other hand, Horhell¡¯s condition was much more critical. The arrow that pierced Horhell had injured him so badly that he wouldn¡¯t even be able to last ten minutes due to excessive bleeding if it was pulled out recklessly. ¡®How long will it take until we get to the Magic Tower? Will I be able to make it?¡¯ Horhell forced his head up and looked for the red pillar of light. The red pillar of light was certainly getting closer, but there was still a considerable amount of distance between it and him. At that moment, someone appeared here with a loud thud. Horhell opened his weary eyes to look at the opponent who was approaching him. However, he could neither see his opponent well nor hear the opponent¡¯s buzzing voice. But, he could tell that the opponent had black hair. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Horhell opened his mouth, trying to stay conscious. ¡°The Eastern Army is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± It was Juan¡¯s voice. The location where the Eastern Army was stopped by the Capital Army was quite far from the Magic Tower. But Hohell felt relieved as soon as he heard Juan¡¯s voice. ¡®The Eastern Army and Duke Henna are safe.¡¯ Horhell had no doubt about his beliefs. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone there,¡± Juan whispered in Horhell¡¯s ear. Horhell finally lost consciousness upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. *** Even before Pavan ordered his subordinates to aim their bows at Hela, Hela knew that the arrows were aimed at her legs rather than her torso. ¡®They want to capture me alive and hold me hostage¡­¡¯ The hostage operation wouldn¡¯t really affect Juan, but it would be more than enough to undermine the Eastern Army¡¯s morale. However, Hela had no intention of being a nuisance to Juan. ¡°Go to hell!¡± Hela jumped into the rain of arrows flying toward her with the intention of cutting her own throat with a sword once she was pierced by an arrow. However, she couldn¡¯t move as she wanted¡ªthe moment she took a step forward, she felt the view in front of her eyes get distorted. The black darkness spread even faster than the arrows, and then the dozens of arrows flying toward Hela disappeared into thin air. Hela found this situation to be quite familiar¡ªit was almost like she was suffering from deja vu. Then, hands wrapped in bandages protruded out of the distorted space in the air in front of her. The bandaged hand broke the remaining arrows at once and then pulled itself out of the distorted space. The elite soldiers of the Capital Army couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed when they saw a man with bandages wrapped all over his body and wearing a black hood suddenly appear out of nowhere. A toxic smell of tar and an unidentified black fog also spread out from within the distorted space. ¡°Who are you?¡± The question came from Hela, who was standing behind the man wrapped in bandages and not from Pavan or the Capital Army. Haild couldn¡¯t look back or answer her. However, he intended to show Hela that he was not an enemy with his actions. ¡°Miguel, Jose! This way!¡± Pavan was the only person who immediately realized just how powerful the newly arrived opponent was. He hastily called over some knights from the Order of the Capital who had come with him. At the same time, Haild charged toward the Capital Army. Pavan lost track of Haild for a moment and was only able to see the black light piercing through the Capital Army. The sword wielded by Haild wasn¡¯t really sharp, since it was wrapped in bandages. The soldiers from the Capital Army standing nearby were flung into the air as if they had been hit with a club. However, Haild¡¯s attack ruptured all of their internal organs and led to their deaths even before they fell back to the ground. Haild moved through the Capital Army like he was stirring up the fog. Pavan immediately realized that Haild was using the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword. ¡°All the soldiers, stand back!¡± In any case, the main force of the Capital Army was actively holding back the Eastern Army. Pavan knew that a small number of people from the Capital Army would be of no help in a fight against the man wrapped in bandages. As soon as Miguel and Jose, the knights from the Order of the Capital, arrived, Pavan formed a squad with them in order to attack Haild in unison. The three, who had worked together thousands of times in close combat training, were able to push back Haild right away. Haild frowned at their unexpectedly powerful retaliation. Miguel and Jose were powerful, but Haild had no problem dealing with the two of them. However, Pavan was not an easy opponent by any means. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®I thought no one would be a match for me other than Barth Baltic or my father¡¯s brothers.¡¯ Haild could tell that Pavan was either on the same level as him, or even more skilled than him. He considered using the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword, the Instant Impermanent. However, it was too dangerous, considering the aftermath. Instead, he decided to use all the weapons he had, even though he didn¡¯t want to. The bandage that wrapped around Haild¡¯s sword was slowly torn by Pavan¡¯s attacks. The bandage fluttered, revealing the black blade of Elkiehl. As soon as he saw the black blade, Pavan could sense that the blade was an immense threat. ¡°Get back!¡± Pavan shouted at once. Haild¡¯s first target was Pavan, but he failed to attack him. Pavan managed to roll on the ground and bounce back, dodging Haild¡¯s attack. However, the other two couldn¡¯t run away in time. The tip of Elkiehl narrowly brushed against Miguel¡¯s side and cut the back of Jose¡¯s hand as they tried to avoid suffering from critical injuries. But that was all that was needed. Miguel and Jose immediately fell flat on the spot. Pavan could immediately tell that both Miguel and Jose were dead. Haild had used neither poison nor magic¡ªMiguel and Jose were killed just due to being grazed by Elkiehl once. Pavan felt chills running down his spine, but at the same time, he was pleased that he survived despite the weapon¡¯s powerful ability. ¡°You must be quite disappointed that you couldn''t kill me immediately.¡± Haild didn¡¯t answer Pavan¡ªhe really was disappointed, just as Pavan had said. However, Haild wasn¡¯t the type to wallow in regret for his mistakes for a long time. Haild locked swords with Pavan. While it was difficult for Haild to buy time when the Eastern Army was being unilaterally attacked, Pavan was also in a situation where he couldn¡¯t let his guard down in front of Haild. ¡°I would step back if I were you,¡± Haild opened his mouth first as if he was conciliating. ¡°So it turns out that you weren¡¯t mute after all, huh?¡± Pavan whistled and derided. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to repeat myself.¡± ¡°Are you that confident that you can beat me? The sword you are holding is quite unique, but it¡¯s of no use as long as I don¡¯t let it touch me. I don¡¯t even have to attack you. The numbers of the Eastern Army will continue to go down even if I just defend myself against you,¡± Pavan said as he gestured toward Hela, who had collapsed to the ground behind him. ¡°I have no idea what relationship you have with my master, but I¡¯ll allow you to run away with her. I don¡¯t want to fight someone so ominous like you anyway.¡± ¡°Bullshit¡­¡± Hela¡¯s face became distorted as she tried to raise herself up. Haild faced a dilemma. He was able to come help Hela so quickly only because he used magic to connect with and detect whether Hela was in danger at all times. This was power that he had borrowed from the Crack, but it was worth the risk, since she was his mother. If Haild used Instant Impermanent, but failed to kill Pavan at once, Hela would immediately fall into danger. As such, Pavan was quite a difficult opponent. Of course, Haild was a tough opponent for Pavan as well. ¡°Let Hela go¡­¡± The moment Haild was about to agree to the compromise, a giant shadow fell over their heads. Pavan raised his head, wondering if it had suddenly become the middle of the night. It felt as if the clouds were falling down upon them, and the soldiers of the Capital Army broke out into a scream. Haild grinned under the bandages. ¡°I¡¯ll allow you some time to lead your trifling army and run away. I don¡¯t like to perform massacres anyway.¡± A giant dragon was hovering over their heads. *** ¡°Do you think Entalucia will arrive there on time?¡± ¡°She¡¯s quite fast to begin with, but she even used magic on top of her speed. She¡¯ll be there soon. It¡¯s just a shame that Haild can¡¯t open the Crack wide enough to let Entalucia get in and out of it. However, I¡¯m sure that he can buy some time.¡± Being almost unconscious, Horhell heard two voices¡ªthey belonged to Sina Solvane and Juan. It took some time for Horhell to understand what was going on, but he soon opened his eyes wide upon remembering Hela¡¯s face. The moment Horhell tried to get up, someone pushed him back to lie down again. ¡°Lie down.¡± It was Juan. Horhell realized that he was in an unusual building with slightly tilted walls. There was only one building like that throughout the entire empire. ¡°Is this¡­ the Magic Tower? What happened to the Eastern Army? What about Duke Henna?¡± ¡°I sent Haild and Entalucia. You don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± Haild¡¯s name felt familiar to Horhell for some reason, but his consciousness was not clear enough to recall who he was immediately. However Horhell was relieved upon hearing Juan telling him not to worry. Horhell examined his wounds. His wounds were wrapped in bandages, but he didn¡¯t feel much pain. ¡°I used healing magic but I didn¡¯t use too much of it, since treating wounds in a hurry eventually reduces the overall healing ability of the body. The reason why you have a bad headache is probably that you lost too much blood.¡± ¡°Pavan Peltere¡­ the Captain of the Order of the Capital led the Capital Army to ambush us on the path of the Yult Mountains,¡± Horhell elaborated and reported what he was supposed to tell Juan before he fainted. Juan frowned. ¡°Is that so? I was definitely caught off guard this time. Barth Baltic made it seem like he was being pushed to go to war unwillingly, but had already sent the troops in advance. It seems like he sent the troops based just outside the capital rather than the troops from within the capital.¡± In Juan¡¯s opinion, the reason why Pavan attacked the Eastern Army that was the furthest from him was rather simple¡ªnot only was the Eastern Army the weakest of the three forces supporting Juan, but Pavan was quite familiar with the East. ¡°He must have considered the dragon as well as his relationship with Hela. After all, there are a lot of knights from the Order of the Capital who feel guilty and apologetic toward Hela.¡± ¡°The Eastern Army was a force to make up the numbers anyway¡­ I¡¯m not worried about General Nienna at all, but the Order of Huginn¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already been attacked.¡± Horhell¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I received a message from the crows of the Order of Huginn before you arrived. As far as I know, three thousand soldiers from the Eighth Division of the Capital Army attacked you, and five thousand soldiers from the Second Division, including the Deputy of the Order of the Capital headed toward the Order of Huginn,¡± Juan continued. ¡°Is the Order of Huginn safe?¡± Juan made a strange expression upon hearing Horhell¡¯s question. ¡°They¡¯ve been wiped out.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°The Capital Army has been completely wiped out, not the Order of Huginn.¡± CH 154 ¡°Deputy Ledna Loen.¡± Anya whispered, looking into the eyes of a woman gritting her teeth. ¡°I am well aware of your reputation as the Deputy of the Order of the Capital and the reputation of your brother as well. In fact, I have quite a bit of respect for both of you. But it is very unfortunate that I met you at a time like this. I am sure your brother will be quite proud to hear how you played an active role on the battlefield.¡± The woman didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to say this, but neither do we have enough food to feed the prisoners, nor do we have the time to escort you all. And, it¡¯s not like we can let all of you go either¡­ I¡¯m sure you can understand where I¡¯m coming from. The members of our forces tend to eat¡­ very little.¡± If any of the members of Anya¡¯s forces needed to eat, they tended to supplement themselves directly from the enemy, rather than eating food on the table. In fact, such was happening all over the battlefield even now. The crows flying over the entire battlefield were particularly enjoying their feast. Anya and the Order of Huginn had suddenly encountered the Capital Army during their march. The number of the enemies estimated by the crows was about five thousand¡ªand those were the numbers counted while excluding the supply base there. Anya and the Order of Huginn had killed nearly three thousand five hundred of them, after which the rest of them had fled. The result was countless corpses covering the hills, crows hovering over the corpses, and scattered war chariots. There was not a single human victim from the Order of Huginn. ¡°But don¡¯t you worry. There are ways to solve our issues related to food, troop escorts, possibilities of insurrection or escape of the enemies. It might bother you a little bit, but there¡¯s no better way than this.¡± Anya waited for Ledna¡¯s reaction, but Ledna still gave no reaction other than clenching her teeth. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s a bit too late to ask for your opinion. I wish I had met you a little earlier.¡± Anya dropped Ledna Loen¡¯s severed head on the floor as if she regretted it. Just like when Anya had first discovered it, Ledna¡¯s head rolled back into the remains of countless Undead. One of the knights from the Order of Huginn, who had been watching the whole scene by Anya¡¯s side, asked with a fed-up look. ¡°...Why were you seeking an answer from a severed head?¡± ¡°I have heard that humans remain somewhat conscious for a while even after their head is severed. I thought about summoning her soul, but I feel like that¡¯s a little too rude. But it¡¯s okay to ask her while she still has her soul, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Um, I guess¡­¡± Anya raised one hand, and a crow immediately sat on the back of her hand. As she slowly lifted her hand up, the crow¡¯s eyes shone red, almost as if they were burning. Soon, the entire hill began to vibrate, and the collapsed bodies of the soldiers rose up. Anya muttered with a satisfied expression. ¡°Now we¡¯ve got more soldiers to serve His Majesty.¡± *** ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say other than that I am ashamed of myself.¡± Haild bowed his head in Juan¡¯s room inside the Magic Tower. Haild had succeeded in rescuing Hela, since Entalucia had been able to arrive just in time, but Pavan had already achieved his goal by then¡ªhe had managed to cut off the Eastern Army¡¯s numbers in half, incapacitate Horhell and his dragon, and destroy the path through the Yult Mountains with the help of the soldiers of the Eighth Division. As a result, the arrival of the Eastern Army to the Magic Tower was inevitably delayed. Haild felt his face turning red out of embarrassment when he recalled telling Pavan to run away because he didn¡¯t like massacres. Pavan had already strategically won at that point. ¡°It¡¯s okay. How¡¯s Hela doing?¡± Juan asked. ¡°She is resting. She did say that she would like to report to Your Majesty in person, but she is blaming herself too much¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to visit her with Horhell later. How long do you think it will take to recover from the damage done by the enemy¡¯s ambush?¡± ¡°The number of troops who are able to continue the march are already on their way, but they are just going to increase the numbers. Since it¡¯s impossible to transport supplies at the moment, it will probably take at least a month for them to be able to function like a proper army¡­¡± And that was under the assumption that the Eighth Division that had ambushed them in the Yult Mountains did not interfere anymore. After all, Pavan had fled while leaving behind the soldiers from the Eighth Division, but even that seemed to be part of his plan. In reality, the Eastern Army could already be considered incapacitated. ¡°I already told you this, but it was inevitable. I guess we exchanged surprise gifts with the enemy.¡± Juan stood up with an expressionless face. ¡°But I¡¯m glad that the Order of Huginn did well. I heard that the Second Division was exterminated, with their Deputy being killed. The number of Undead has also been replenished on a large scale¡­¡± Haild muttered bitterly. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean much.¡± It was a good achievement that the Order of Huginn was able to kill the Deputy, but this was only possible because there were no Templars among the enemies. Juan¡¯s goal was to get everything done as fast as possible while preventing the civil war from spreading too much. But if the Templars decided to join the Capital Army as a result of the Eastern Army being cut off, there was a high possibility that Anya would not be able to achieve her goal the next time. ¡°The bigger problem is Barth Baltic.¡± It was the Captain and the Deputy of the Order of the Capital that had attacked the Eastern Army and the Order of Huginn. However, Barth Baltic was nowhere to be seen. According to common sense, Juan thought that Barth Baltic would be targeting Nienna, who had not been attacked yet. But he also wondered whether Barth Baltic would really act in such an obvious manner. It was clear that Nienna would be extra wary now, so it was too late for Barth Baltic to ambush her. Sina tilted her head and asked a question. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s on his way to the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. Now that it has become clear that the Magic Tower has become our ally, there would be no one better than Barth Baltic to destroy the Magic Tower if he decided to attack.¡± Upon seeing Haild and Sina¡¯s clueless expressions, Juan realized that they had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°Does no one know about the abilities of the Hornsluine race?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Barth Baltic is a great commander and warrior, but what does that have to do with him attacking the Magic Tower?¡± Sina asked. ¡°The horns of the Hornsluine race have strong magic resistance. Magic that would kill anyone else can be dispelled in a second by a Hornsluine. And even among the Hornsluines, Barth Baltic is an exceptionally strong one.¡± Juan recalled Barth running wild on the battlefield while directly facing the magicians¡¯ attacks. Magic that was powerful enough to exterminate a whole army poured on to Barth Bartic, but he slaughtered the magicians with his bare hands and then walked out of the battlefield drenched in their blood. Juan remembered the way Barth Bartic¡¯s horns were almost burning as they emitted light whenever he was attacked by magic. ¡°In return, there are no magicians among the Hornsluines. However, there are scholars¡ªI heard that they use magic through sculptures and architecture in a unique way. I think they called them ¡®magic formations,¡¯ but I¡¯ve never seen it myself.¡± ¡°So he might be running directly toward the Magic Tower right now,¡± Haild said. ¡°Who knows? Maybe he¡¯s thinking exactly the same things as me.¡± ¡°Exactly the same things?¡± Juan simply shrugged at Sina¡¯s question. ¡°Sitting in the back and waiting for all the traitors to gather in a single place.¡± *** ¡°Ledna Loen was killed on the battlefield?¡± Pavan asked back as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. He had blocked the path in the Yult Mountains using a part of the Eighth Division and was leading the rest of the troops toward the south. It was only when he ran into the defeated soldiers from the Second Division who were retreating that he heard the news. ¡°Yes, Captain. Deputy Loen had taken the high ground and fortified it just as planned, but the enemy¡¯s Undead were too strong. Especially the Red Skull Soldiers and the monster that had dozens of heads¡­¡± Pavan fell into deep thought upon hearing the report of the defeated soldiers. The original plan was for Pavan to use the Eighth Division to strike the enemy from the back while Ledna Loen led the Second Division to stop the Order of Huginn and prevent them from joining the other forces. Pavan hadn¡¯t expected her to be so easily beaten. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect the Order of Huginn to be that powerful¡­ I thought they would be easy prey now that Ras is gone. But I guess they have gotten themselves a good commander who is capable of necromancy.¡± ¡°Their troops were overwhelming. Not only were their numbers overwhelming, but they had the Knights of the Dead, Red Skull Soldiers, and the countless crows, enough to cover the entire sky¡­¡± The defeated soldiers trembled as if they were getting chills even while reporting to Pavan. Pavan nodded and instructed the other soldiers, ¡°Feed them well and get them to rest. They fought valiantly.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The defeated soldiers, who were afraid that they would be disciplined for their failure, followed the soldiers with a sigh of relief. As soon as they left, Pavan called Kilt, his Deputy. ¡°Take them all out of sight and kill them all without letting anyone else find out,¡± Pavan whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll follow your orders, but why? They didn¡¯t run away from the enemy¡­ They just lost.¡± ¡°And that is totally fair. Besides, I can understand their defeat if the opponent were the Undead. But they are completely out of their mind due to fear. We can¡¯t let them spread fear among the other soldiers, not to mention that they can¡¯t be of any help to us in their current state. Our soldiers are suffering from low morale anyway because of the dragon.¡± The Capital Army was more powerful and had superior weapons compared to the enemies, except for the Northern Army. However, the huge dragon the soldiers had witnessed at the Yult Mountains was shocking, since they had believed that all dragons were the size of Orca, Horhell¡¯s dragon. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. The only reason why none of the soldiers of the Eighth Division had run away from the battle was that the dragon hadn¡¯t breathed fire. ¡°And are there any Templars nearby? I heard that the Order of the White Crow was destroyed around here. Anyway, find either a Templar or a Bishop who can help. We will need their help if our opponent is a necromancer.¡± Kilt nodded in understanding and went outside the barracks. Inside the empty barracks, Pavan tapped the table impatiently. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m back in the mythological era. The undead, a monster, gods, and even a dragon.¡± ¡®And the emperor.¡¯ Pavan wondered how the humans had been able to fight against such beings in the past. History books said that humans had been treated even worse than slaves until the existence known as the Emperor appeared. ¡®If so, did the humans achieve a victory with just the appearance of the emperor?¡¯ Pavan couldn¡¯t imagine it. Barth Baltic was also said to have made many great achievements while staying by the emperor¡¯s side, but his own species had gone extinct at the hands of the gods. ¡®If it is true that the emperor has returned¡­¡¯ Victory was no longer the issue. Pavan had to worry about whether he could survive or not. ¡®I guess all I can hope for is for the Regent to do well.¡¯ Pavan wasn¡¯t too worried. Barth Baltic was the Regent and the supreme commander of the Imperial Army. And Barth Baltic had never once been disloyal to his position. *** The south was the first to move. Since Barth Baltic had made his move long before he declared his expedition, the news had reached the south already. There was a rumor that the whole of south was united and supporting the Order of Huginn, but that was not true. The only group against the Capital was the Order of Huginn, and the rest of the south was still loyal to the Capital. The sandstorm of the desert began to rise. The west had also received a message. Dismas Dilver, the emperor¡¯s third son, who was serving as both a Bishop and a general at the same time, was furious at the rumors about the returning emperor. He wrote a short note to the Pope, saying that the emperor sitting on the Eternal Throne was the only real emperor, and everything else was nothing but lies. Of course, he didn¡¯t just send a letter. The Order of Surtr and a considerable number of troops also moved in unison. The Capital Army that was carrying out local defense and orders from the Church also responded to the Regent¡¯s call. The local branch of the Church protested and there was a backlash from the Templars, but no one from the Capital Army cared¡ªthey prioritized the Regent¡¯s order to defend the empire over anything else. A huge number of soldiers flooded in from all over the empire like rivers, smaller groups merging to form larger ones. Then, they merged with other superior forces, and a knight from the Order of the Capital took the lead, making them a huge stream of water. And when they finally got to where they were headed, they had become a massive sea. At the center of it all was Barth Baltic. ¡°The sword is honest.¡± Barth Baltic murmured as he looked at the red light soaring from the Magic Tower from beyond the horizon, where there was a plain huge enough to accommodate all the Imperial forces of the Capital. ¡°It is the rank and discipline that moves the swords and soldiers. Your Majesty, this fact doesn¡¯t change and never will. It is a beautiful system that you and I have created together.¡± A total of three hundred thousand Imperial troops were gathering at the Albron Palains. CH 155 ¡°Three hundred thousand?¡± Horhell asked back in disbelief. Getting such a reaction from him was quite rare when you considered the fact that he usually showed hardly any emotional agitation. ¡°That was the message sent by Miss Heretia. According to the intelligence she has gathered, Barth Baltic is sending messages throughout the empire to gather troops, and the estimated number of the troops is at least three hundred thousand,¡± Haild nodded and said with a complicated expression, while pressing at his throat to force out a harsh voice instead of his usual voice. Horhell was an old man who had been by Hela¡¯s side even before Haild¡¯s birth. Although such a long time had passed that Horhell probably couldn¡¯t remember him, Haild was still concerned that Horhell might recognize his voice. Fortunately, Horhell didn¡¯t seem to notice Haild¡¯s identity. ¡°Isn¡¯t the total number of troops in the Imperial Army only about a million? I can¡¯t believe that almost one-third of the Imperial Army agrees with that bastard.¡± At that moment, they heard a familiar voice. ¡°The military is always conservative and follows a strict system,¡± Hela Henna said as she approached them. ¡°Your Grace! You should be resting!¡± Horhell stood up from his seat and shouted. ¡°You have far worse injuries than I do, but you are walking around without any problem. So why should I be stuck in my sickbed when the only injury I have is a sprained ankle? Do you think I¡¯m that weak just because I¡¯m old?¡± Hela limped into the room, prompting Horhell to rush over to help her. Hela had injured her ankle while she was fleeing from the Yult Mountains. It was fortunate that she only received a minor injury, since a lot of people had expected her to die. However, Hela didn¡¯t seem to think so. Hela stood by the table and stared at Haild, whose face was covered in bandages. Meanwhile, Haild remained silent, for fear of Hela realizing who he was through his voice. ¡°You¡¯re that young man who saved me. I appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me. Is your face bandaged due to injuries?¡± Haild flinched upon hearing Hela¡¯s question, then lowered his voice just like he did when talking to Horhell. ¡°Yes, something like that.¡± Hela tilted her head for a moment when she heard Haild¡¯s answer. Seeing this, Haild became nervous, since he thought that Hela might have recognized him. He was not yet ready to reveal his identity. However, Hela didn¡¯t pay much mind to it and continued speaking right away. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ do you have leprosy? Even if you don¡¯t, people might feel uncomfortable. If you have to wear a robe, at least wear a nice one. Someone wearing a black robe with bandages all over his body standing next to His Majesty¡ªyou might end up being misunderstood, you know.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes, Your Grace.¡± Hela took her eyes off of Haild and turned her gaze toward Horhell. ¡°If the Regent sends the order to convene, of course the Imperial Army will follow his order. Even so, three hundred thousand is a little too much. That¡¯s almost every reserve except for the soldiers who are guarding the border right now. And that number doesn¡¯t include those from the North and the East, those who are observing the situation and those who agreed to stand by our side. There was even a unit on the Eastern side that received a message.¡± ¡°Even the Eastern Army?¡± Hela nodded at Horhell¡¯s question. ¡°Part of the Imperial Army guarding the Eastern Orsk said that they received a message from the Regent. That bastard who was in charge there refused to talk to me before he went to war, but he confessed everything when I started interrogating him.¡± ¡°Then the Regent must have sent a message to the north as well.¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know that. General Nienna is the object of worship within the Northern Army. Even if commanders who are out of their minds ordered them to follow the Regent, the commander would be found dead the next day. I highly doubt that any of the commanders there would follow the Regent¡¯s order in the first place. Barth Baltic probably knows that too, so he might not have sent a message at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great show of loyalty.¡± ¡°Loyalty, my ass,¡± Hela snorted. ¡°I respect General Nienna, but what her subordinate officers do is create a private army¡ªa perfect environment for a rebellion. That will eventually come back to bite those arrogant bastards in the ass. Anyway, that¡¯s not the point.¡± Haild handed over the letter sent by Heretia in a stiff motion, which Hela received with a heavy expression. Then, she sighed as she read through the letter. ¡°There¡¯s no problem with supplies since the harvest season has passed. It looks like only one hundred thousand of those three hundred thousand troops will actually be fighting, while the rest of them are supply units. I guess that even those who responded to the Regent¡¯s call felt quite uneasy about taking an active part in this battle. They probably want to wait and see which way the situation will tilt before choosing which side to join,¡± Hela said. ¡°Even so, their troops outnumber ours. Besides, the members of the supply unit can always draw out their swords and join the battle, since they are trained in combat as well,¡± Horhell said. Hela folded the letter and began to chew on it with her teeth upon hearing Horhell¡¯s words. ¡°How many troops do we have on our side?¡± Hela asked. ¡°The Eastern Army has been cut off, so approximately¡­¡± Horhell hesitated for a while, then carefully opened his mouth again. ¡°About thirty thousand, including those of the Capital Army who just recently agreed to join us.¡± ¡°Thirty thousand¡­ even if the Eastern Army weren¡¯t cut off by Pavan, we would have only had about seventy thousand. Either way, we would have been outnumbered, so it makes me feel less pressured.¡± ¡°But we have General Nienna, the dragon, and the Order of Huginn. Most of all¡­¡± Horhell tried to mention Juan carefully, but Hela stopped him. Her eyes expressed how unpleasant she felt. ¡°Of course, their numbers will not matter if His Majesty decides to step forward. But then, the problem we would need to be concerned about would change into a whole new one. How would we deal with the aftermath if we do end up killing all three hundred thousand troops?¡± Hela looked at the Imperial map with a heavy expression and continued speaking. ¡°We need to wrap everything up on our own before His Majesty needs to step forward. If that madman, Barth Baltic, really tries to kill all of us using the lives of three hundred thousand men, His Majesty will have no choice but to step forward. But don¡¯t forget. Currently, His Majesty is no longer the person he used to be¡ªhe won¡¯t show any mercy.¡± Hela looked around at the others with cold eyes. ¡°Right now, His Majesty has returned for revenge and to give out punishment. To be honest, I am very much in favor of doing just that. But it¡¯s better to spill as little blood as possible when considering the future of the empire.¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Horhell asked. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure yet. We¡¯ll have to safely join the Northern Army and the Order of Huginn first. If the Magic Tower is attacked, then our plan will break down. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s doing it on purpose or not, but I¡¯m glad that Barth Baltic is only focusing on gathering more troops. He¡¯s probably doing that because of His Majesty.¡± Then Horhell and Haild looked at each other, causing Hela to feel that something was strange. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Now that I think about it, where is His Majesty?¡± Hela asked. Horhell hesitated for a moment, and then opened his mouth. ¡°Well¡­¡± *** Pavan raised his hand. His face and hands were coated with charcoal and were barely visible in the dark, but the reddish light at his fingertips moved in a specific shape. A red light flashed and moved in a similar shape from the other side of the mountain. It was a sign that everything was ready. Pavan looked down at the bottom of the mountain. The army of the undead did not need a break, but the Order of Huginn who controlled them had to eat and rest in between their march. Pavan decided to take advantage of that. The Templars from the Order of the Blue Moon had decided to cooperate with him and participate in the ambush operation. Unfortunately, some of them were excluded from the mission as they had been dispatched for a different mission already. But Pavan didn¡¯t worry too much, since he was able to get the help of Bishop Ilmero from the Yult Monastery. If ordinary soldiers were blessed with a Bishop¡¯s grace, a unilateral slaughter like the one done by the enemy before this could be avoided. ¡°As I said,¡± Bishop Ilmero whispered quietly to Pavan. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to cooperate with you for a long time. I¡¯m only cooperating with the intention of eradicating the group of undead that are acting against His Majesty¡¯s will.¡± Ilmero looked at Pavana with a contemptuous look. Most of the high-ranking officials were already aware of Barth Baltic¡¯s bombshell remarks at the assembly of the House of Peers¡ªand it was only a matter of time before the ordinary people of the empire became aware of them too. Pavan thought that this war needed to end before that could happen. Instead of answering Bishop Ilmero, he put his finger on his lips to remind Ilmero that they were in an ambush operation, causing Bishop Ilmero to exhale loudly in anger and shut his mouth. Bishop Ilmero wasn¡¯t happy with the situation he was in. After all, the Imperial Army had always followed orders of the Church until now, but now the Church was following the Imperial Army¡¯s orders. Pavan raised his hand high and quickly lowered it. The soldiers who received the signal began to walk down the hillside immediately. Their plan was a simple feint¡ªthe Templars would attack the army of the undead when the enemy forces gathered after the Imperial Army¡¯s initiation. However, that was the plan Pavan told the Templars. The Order of Huginn would also assume that this was their plan, since they knew the only ones who could fight against the army of the undead were the Templars. However, Pavan¡¯s plan was different from what he had told the Templars. ¡®That¡¯s not enough¡­¡¯ The Templars too, were nothing more than a feint. The real plan of attack was different¡ªwhile the army of the undead was engaged by the Templars, Pavan and a few of his trustworthy subordinates who had been blessed by Bishop Ilmero intended to attack Anya, the Captain of the Order of Huginn. At that moment, Pavan heard the sound of his army¡¯s vanguard colliding with the army of the undead. The same signal that was sent by Pavan came from the other side of the mountain as the Templars began to move as well. Pavan did not doubt the success of the operation for even a second. He bypassed the troops to strike the Order of Huginn. However, his movement was blocked even before he managed to reach the bottom of the mountain. ¡°Pavan Peltere. I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time.¡± It was Blacksmith Dilmond, the Deputy of the Order of Huginn. Dilmond was looking at Pavan from among the undead while standing in the grassland. At that moment, Pavan realized that the Order of Huginn was already aware of the ambush. Pavan couldn¡¯t even wonder how the enemy found out about his plan. His only thought was that this civil war would become much more terrible than he imagined. *** Juan was facing the wind on top of the hill. The darkness was swept away as the sun rose, and countless bodies hidden in the shadow of the night were revealed. The crows swarming the battlefield looked similar to living maggots. Neither was it a pleasant view nor did it have a refreshing smell. Juan felt some complex feelings upon seeing the bodies of those who died fighting valiantly or those who fled in a cowardly manner. ¡®I don¡¯t feel sorry for them. Why?¡¯ The soldiers had no fault¡ªthey only obeyed their superior¡¯s orders. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time; Juan killed countless soldiers such as these. Even then, Juan was surprised at the fact that he barely had any emotional agitation. ¡®Is it because they are my enemies? No, that¡¯s not true.¡¯ When Juan had been the emperor, there had been many times when he had no choice but to kill humans because of disagreements or misunderstandings. Juan recalled how he mourned their deaths and prayed that such a thing would never happen again. But this time, he felt no emotional exhaustion. There was only a simple arithmetic calculation that told him that he had killed five thousand one hundred forty two out of the seven thousand seven hundred sixteen enemies. ¡®Will I feel something else if the number increases? Would I be a little shaken up if I killed three hundred thousand of them?¡¯ Juan shook his head; he didn¡¯t think that the number would matter. ¡®If that number is not enough to make me feel something¡­ what about killing everyone except for the few people who understand me?¡¯ It was just a silly question he asked himself. He knew that those who understood him would never agree with his plan to wipe out all of humanity other than the very small number of people that are trusted by him. Juan liked such people: those who were affectionate and faithful. Because of that, Juan couldn¡¯t help but think that he might be broken somewhere. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Juan saw someone approaching him while waving their arms. It was Anya. She seemed quite excited. Upon seeing Anya approaching him on the back of crow skeletons, he wondered whether it was a comfortable ride. ¡°I won us a great victory by doing exactly what Your Majesty ordered me to do! I had thought that we would suffer great damage when Pavan Peltere led the Templars and the Eighth Division, but what a come-from-behind victory! We would have never won if Your Majesty hadn¡¯t stopped the Templars in time!¡± Juan smiled bitterly. Pavan Peltere, the Captain of the Order of the Capital did a great job. However, he didn¡¯t know that Juan was with the Order of Huginn. The result was a crushing defeat that resulted in the loss of two-thirds of his troops. ¡®Although I don¡¯t think the results would have changed even if he knew.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the result of the chase?¡± ¡°We were able to kill roughly about six hundred more. Oh, we succeeded in capturing Bishop Ilmero as well. Just like Your Majesty said, the undead named Urkel was strangely resistant to the effect of Grace!¡± ¡®Because he was created by mixing the corpses of many Templars.¡¯ Urkel was recreated with a force close to an entire knight order. It was only natural that he wouldn¡¯t be affected by most types of Grace. ¡°Well done, Anya. But Pavan won¡¯t stop the attack. Now that he knows that ambushing us won¡¯t work, watch out for arson and other tactics¡ªespecially the pollution of drinking water. You''re a great necromancer, but you are still human. Tell Dilmond to be careful as well,¡± Juan warned. Anya smiled. ¡°Destruction and guerrilla operations are the Order of Huginn¡¯s specialty, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I guess I gave you unnecessary advice.¡± Juan looked at Anya leaving as she was flown away on the crow skeletons with a smile on her face. Then someone came close to Juan, causing him to turn his head. It was Sina. ¡°She¡¯s probably the only person who can laugh in this terrible landscape.¡± CH 156 Sina looked down at the bodies from atop the hill, her hand covering her mouth. The sight of the corpses stabbed by the rusty spears and swords used by the undead reminded her of memories from the not-so-distant past. The face of Ossrey, her deputy in the Order of the Blue Rose, came to her mind. This situation on this battlefield was more than a hundred times worse than what the Order of the Blue Rose suffered from. ¡°...Doesn¡¯t it occur to you that Anya is enjoying this situation a little too much?¡± Sina asked. ¡°She said that she will make an army that will never betray her,¡± Juan answered in a calm manner. Sina turned pale upon hearing Juan¡¯s answer. ¡°She will definitely not be betrayed if she turns all one million Imperial Army soldiers into the undead. Then, there will no longer be a need for provisions, no unnecessary loss of forces nor any violation of military rules,¡± Juan continued. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s not what you want, is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Juan replied with a smile. ¡°It is true that Anya¡¯s words are quite logical. Getting a powerful army that will forever be loyal to you in return for forgetting your conscience for a moment would be attractive to all rulers. Besides, it also means that I will not have to take any disciplinary actions.¡± Seeing Sina¡¯s pale expression, Juan approached her and lifted her hair up to reveal her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to do all that. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m going to stop Anya from doing that. What she¡¯s doing isn¡¯t revenge¡ªit¡¯s war. There¡¯s nothing we can do about the victims resulting from the war.¡± Juan stared into Sina¡¯s left eye, which still had clear burn marks that he had engraved with his own hands. ¡°I bet that you never imagined the black-haired kid you saved from being killed in the slave colosseum would turn out to be like this,¡± Juan said as he bent his head to the side and looked at Sina with a smile. ¡°That makes me wonder again. Sina, do you regret what you did back then?¡± When Juan had first slaughtered the guards at the Tantil Colosseum, Sina stopped him but did not try to kill him. Rather, she even helped him. Sina quietly looked up at Juan. ¡°Do you want to see me suffer from regret? Do you wish to see me curse you in pain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this to bother you, Sina. I¡¯m just doing my job. I just wanted to let you know that I have been like this from the very beginning and that there is a huge gap between who you think I am and who I actually am. ¡®His Majesty¡¯ whom you worship and admire only exists inside your head.¡± ¡°I know that. I¡¯ve abandoned that fantasy a long time ago,¡± Sina said as she twisted her lips. Juan felt curious upon hearing Sina¡¯s answer. ¡°Then why are you still following me around? There are a lot of strong people, and there are even more of those who want to become the emperor. I¡¯m sure that there are some among them that fit your ideal definition of the emperor. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to cling on to them instead of me?¡± Sina couldn¡¯t answer Juan¡¯s question. Of course, it would be impossible for any of those strong people that Juan mentioned to beat him. But neither would it be possible for her to get Juan to change his mind. Juan was a massive being that Sina would never be able to move. ¡°Or it might be better for you to become the empress. You¡¯re the most ridiculously good person I have ever seen. And to a certain extent, you also have the power needed to accomplish your ridiculous ideals. Your accomplishments in the Baltic Sword have improved so much that it¡¯s not even comparable to when I first saw you. You are closer to your definition of the emperor than I am¡ªso why are you so obsessed with me?¡± Juan¡¯s words rang true, causing Sina¡¯s mind to be shaken. However, she still had a stubborn belief that no other than Juan could be the emperor. Sina could clearly see the limit of her own stupid and stubborn belief. Suddenly, Sina felt disappointed¡ªrather than being disappointed in Juan, she was disappointed with herself. ¡°Why am I so obsessed with you¡­¡± A teardrop ran down Sina¡¯s cheek. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°I wish I knew the answer to that as well.¡± *** Sina staggered over the countless corpses on the battlefield. The battlefield that had become muddy with blood and body fluids continued to stick to Sina¡¯s ankles, while large crows that were big enough to reach her knees stared at her with glowing red eyes. The suffocating stench made her dizzy. Sina had been following Juan and observing him for a long time. Juan showed the qualities of the emperor sometimes, but returned to being the little boy she saw at the Colosseum whenever he was faced with the enemy. Sina wondered if she had to give up on him at this point. Juan had already grown to the extent where her help was no longer necessary. His tasks ought to be completed even if she wasn¡¯t around, and the empire would eventually be reconstructed. The process might be very difficult, but Juan would eventually get what he wants in his hand, whether it be broken or intact. ¡®Ossrey.¡¯ Sina wished she had her subordinate to discuss her concerns with. She always thought that she had to convince Juan to walk the right path for the sake of her dead comrades. But Sina was exhausted. Juan¡¯s strength, as well as his alliance which was getting stronger day by day, were telling Sina that he was on the right path. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m wrong,¡± Sina muttered with trembling lips without even realizing it. ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± At that moment, she heard a familiar voice. Sina flinched and looked back in the direction where the voice came from. There was nothing but an old ash tree, causing Sina to be taken aback. ¡®Has there always been such a big tree here?¡¯ Sina was perplexed by the fact that she wasn¡¯t able to recognize such a huge tree even when it had become a habit for her to familiarize herself with the terrain of the battlefield. At that moment, the voice was heard once again. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Sina. The emperor is someone who is kind and full of love.¡± A little boy was sitting inside a big hole in the middle of the ash tree. It didn¡¯t take long for Sina to recognize the boy¡¯s face. He was the magician who had dissuaded her when she was looking for a way to get into the Crack from Durgal. Sina asked, looking at the face that she still hadn¡¯t gotten used to. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the master of the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± Dane Dormund, the master of the Magic Tower and the Grand Magician, jumped off of the ash tree and approached Sina. ¡°And I am also a magician who is very much interested in you and your emperor.¡± *** Pavan felt fed up upon seeing the endless array of flags leading all the way up to the horizon. He has been in charge of division-level training of the troops numerous times as the Captain of the Order of the Capital, but it was his first time such a large force that was ready to move. Pavan shook his head; he felt that moving this many people was no different than a disaster. The fields would be ruined and the army would eat up everything around them like a swarm of grasshoppers. Pavan got a headache just by thinking about the problems of the supply of drinking water, the garbage disposal, the sleeping facilities, and the disturbance caused by violations of large and small military rules. But none of the uproar he expected occurred. The layout of the tents was elaborate and accurately divided. ¡®He is controlling three hundred thousand people with no problems?¡¯ Pavan clicked his tongue. Three hundred thousand¡ªthat was a ridiculous amount of people. In fact, it was enough to make up a small city. At the same time, cities built over hundreds of years were usually full of problems, but a small city that was built overnight under Barth Baltic¡¯s call was running just fine. There was no sign of decrease in morale among the soldiers or fatigue. ¡®Is the Regent a monster or what?¡¯ Pavan inadvertently felt fearful of Barth Baltic. He was already well aware that Barth Baltic¡¯s capabilities as the Regent and as a warrior were incredible, but this was even more than he had imagined. Pavan really couldn¡¯t understand why Barth Baltic didn¡¯t try to become the emperor. At the heart of all the tents was Barth Baltic¡¯s tent. Pavan opened the flap of the tent and entered inside. Barth Baltic, the knights from the Order of the Capital, and all the nobles who responded to Barth Baltic¡¯s call were gathered inside the tent as if they were having a meeting. Most of the nobles here consisted of those who used to be knights in the past, as well as the young nobles who wished to establish connections with Barth Baltic. Unlike Pavan who looked quite messy with blood and dirt all over, their appearance was neat and clean. Then, they approached Pavan without any hesitation and removed his dirty cloak with their bare hands to help him get dressed into a new one. Pavan then saluted Barth Baltic. ¡°Glory to the empire. Regent, I have just returned after performing my duties.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± It was a short compliment, but Pavan was moderately satisfied, since Barth rarely praised anyone in the first place. However, Barth Baltic didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°Everyone. We were able to buy time until all of our troops gathered thanks to Captain Pavan. Let¡¯s give a round of applause to Captain Pavan Peltere.¡± The knights from the Order of the Capital clapped as loudly as they could. Meanwhile, Pavan was quite surprised at the unexpectedly big compliment, but bowed his head to express his modesty. ¡°And, for a moment, let¡¯s pay a silent tribute to Deputy Ledna Loen, Miguel, Jose, Katrina, Citrine, and Rhinelant who died honorably on the battlefield. I shall remember them forever.¡± After the applause, Pavan and the knights from the Order of the Capital paid a silent tribute. Barth Baltic never forgot about the knights from the Order of the Capital who died. Pavan had a feeling that Barth Baltic probably remembered all the retired knights as well. ¡°Let¡¯s begin our meeting in earnest, now that the Captain of the Order of the Capital has returned from his mission. Go ahead and make your reports,¡± Barth Baltic said. ¡°The Order of Huginn has just joined the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°General Nienna¡¯s Northern Army is also quite close to the Magic Tower. But we received a report saying that Viscount Colter succeeded in destroying the bridge in their path.¡± ¡°I was worried, since Viscount Colter had left the army quite a long time ago, but it seems like he¡¯s performing the mission just fine. Still, General Nienna is completely freezing the river right now to cross it. So their expected arrival is either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest. I personally think that it would be better to attack before General Nienna arrives, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. General Nienna might change her mind about supporting the enemy when she sees our troops.¡± Barth Baltic could easily win by simply stomping and pressing down on the enemy using their numbers, considering the fact that they had three hundred thousand troops. But there was no way that Barth Baltic would conduct such a simple and ignorant operation. Pavan also felt that annihilating the enemy using a siege would be optimal when considering their overwhelming number of troops. Just surrounding the enemy with countless soldiers would bring down the enemy¡¯s morale even if they didn¡¯t fight. There were better ways to achieve victory than to fight. Most of the knights from the Order of the Capital had similar thoughts. They also seemed a little excited and thrilled, perhaps due to the sense of exaltation that they were leading such a huge number of troops. The only one that remained silent was Barth Baltic. Meanwhile, Pavan did not miss the sight of Barth Baltic quietly listening to the others speak. ¡°Do you have any other thoughts, Regent?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what to do if the opponent really turns out to be the emperor.¡± The tent fell in silence for a moment. Everyone inside the tent had also heard the rumors about who they were dealing with. Some of them were also those who had attended the assembly at the House of Peers when Barth Baltic made his remarks about the emperor. Pavan hadn¡¯t been there at that moment, but he knew that Barth had always held a subtle hostility toward the emperor. ¡°If the opponent turns out to be the emperor¡­ but we¡¯re not even sure if he is the emperor or not?¡± The Order of the Capital was called ¡®the Sword of the Empire¡¯. However, it was only natural for them to trust Regent Barth Baltic, who had led them for a far longer time than the self-proclaimed emperor who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. In fact, their allegiance to Barth Baltic originated from something entirely different. ¡°So what if the opponent is the emperor? Haven¡¯t you all seen the numerous misdeeds that the Church has been doing under the name of the emperor? Also, are we supposed to worship the emperor who is leading the army to start a civil war?¡± ¡°We will not let a mysterious man who suddenly fell from the sky and started performing magic with a burning sword become our object of loyalty. It was, is and always will be the one who served our empire and led us for a long time.¡± All these people were thinking of using this situation as an opportunity to blow a new wind into the empire¡ªmany within the empire were already very dissatisfied with the negligence of the evil deeds done by the Church, despite Barth Baltic holding more authority. They took Barth Baltic¡¯s declaration as a sign that he would be cutting ties with the Church and the emperor. ¡°The emperor is already dead. We must stop worshiping a corpse now!¡± ¡°The new emperor of the new empire should be Regent Barth Baltic!¡± At long last, such words came out of people¡¯s mouths. The knights from the Order of the Capital shouted for ¡®the new empire,¡¯ as if they had already reached a consensus among themselves. The desire to build a new empire was already widespread among the young knights. The knights thumped on the desk and waited for Barth Baltic¡¯s response. Meanwhile, Barth silently made eye contact with the knights one by one. Then finally, his eyes met with Pavan who had remained quiet while sitting at the end of the desk. ¡°Pavan Peltere.¡± ¡°Yes, Regent.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Pavan smiled vaguely upon hearing Barth¡¯s question. This civil war was most likely going to get way nastier than what anyone could imagine, especially when considering the people he had met and fought with so far. Above all, the so-called emperor had not even revealed himself yet. ¡°It seems to me that the younger knights are being quite hasty. If the opponent really turns out to be the emperor, it is too hasty to think about what we should do next. Even if we win, it is not very likely that General Nienna or General Dismas will accept our views. Everyone¡¯s opinions will be split again.¡± The atmosphere inside the tent quickly cooled down. The knights from the Order of the Capital alternatively looked back and forth between Pavan and Barth with perplexed expressions on their faces. Then Pavan added a few more words. ¡°But I mean, it¡¯s nothing new for humans to fight and destroy each other. So, let¡¯s do it. I suggest ¡®The Baltic Empire¡¯ as the name of our new empire to come.¡± All the knights rose to their feet with cheers upon hearing Pavan¡¯s words. Pavan simply smiled as he heard their cheers. The upcoming battle will not be an easy one, but there would be nothing good about lowering the morale of the army when the enemy was just around the corner. Pavan had no doubt about their victory, considering that a legend such as the Regent Barth Baltic was leading three hundred thousand soldiers. However, he expected the victory to come at a heavy price. ¡°The Baltic Empire!¡± ¡°Emperor Barth Baltic!¡± Barth quietly rose from his seat. At the same time, the knights thumped on the desk and waited for him to open his mouth. On the map in front of him was the continent. And in the center of the map was a red dot which symbolized the Magic Tower. Barth Baltic looked at the map and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°If we win this battle and return to the empire, I will become the emperor.¡± The cheers of the knights reached a climax. Pavan also smiled and clapped with the other knights. ¡®Emperor Barth Baltic.¡¯ It was the title that Pavan had longed to hear. However, Pavan felt quite uneasy about Barth¡¯s eyes, which made reading his emotions quite difficult for some reason. CH 157 The wind was blowing toward the west. Juan stood outside the city at the base of the Magic Tower and observed the direction of the wind flow. At this point in time, Barth Baltic¡¯s Imperial Army was so close that they could be seen from the Magic Tower. The countless number of flags filled Juan¡¯s sight. The Magic Tower was almost as big as a city, but its walls and security forces were only at the level of security service guarding the ordinary public places. Their allies included roughly three thousand soldiers from the Eastern Army, eight thousand undead from the Order of Huginn, and two thousand soldiers from Hiveden; Nienna¡¯s Northern Army had yet to arrive. On the other hand, the enemy forces consisted of three hundred thousand Imperial soldiers who were fully armed and had abundant supplies. Juan¡¯s troops would be no match for them even if they didn¡¯t draw out their swords. The Magic Tower was likely to collapse if the enemy used their siege weapons. ¡°But we have Your Majesty on our side¡­ so it will be alright, right?¡± Juan smiled upon seeing Anya¡¯s nonchalant attitude. ¡°There¡¯s no way we will be able to win. If I had reasonably judged the situation, I would have ordered you to retreat immediately.¡± Everyone who gathered at the table grew perplexed at Juan¡¯s words. Horhell, Hela, Anya, Dilmond, and Haild were with Juan, but Sina was nowhere to be seen. They had set up war strategies and formation with only fifteen thousand soldiers outside the city at the base of the Magic Tower, but they all wondered if it would even mean anything against three hundred thousand enemies. Horhell asked in a low voice. ¡°But I thought Your Majesty might have some kind of a genius strategy to¡­¡± ¡°No matter how good my strategy is, there¡¯s no way it will work against a force that is almost thirty times larger than ours. Such a genius strategy only works if our enemy is either a chick or a puppy. If you have a genius strategy that can take us to victory against three hundred thousand troops, then let me know,¡± Juan answered in a firm voice. ¡°...We have the dragons and General Nienna will be arriving soon as well, right? The enemy might not be a chick, but I think we are good enough to¡­¡± ¡°Entalucia will not be fighting with us.¡± The voice came from Haild this time. Everyone¡¯s gazes turned toward him, since Entalucia was absent. ¡°She had made a promise to not get involved in the reckless killing of the empire¡¯s humans. That was the reason why she didn¡¯t kill anyone back in the Yult Mountains. I¡¯ve been keeping it a secret until now, since I thought that it would only bring our morale down if the information was leaked out.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t she attack humans when the Templars attacked us at the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°She had no choice but to attack, since we were the ones who were attacked first. But it¡¯s hard to expect her to actively participate in a full-fledged war. And I do not want the dragons to be labeled as the Evil Beast responsible for mass genocide by the people of the empire.¡± Haild was adamant. At the same time, Horhell made an expression that showed that he somewhat sympathized with Haild. However, most of the allies, especially Hela, looked quite dissatisfied. ¡°None of that would matter if everyone here dies in the war.¡± ¡°She said that she is willing to help those who decide to run away.¡± But of course, there was no one who intended on running away from the war. ¡°I heard that the Northern Army would either arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest. What is taking them so long?¡± Hela asked with her hand on her forehead. ¡°Apparently, one of the nobles that was discharged from the Order of the Capital knows how to fight a pretty messy battle quite well. It is said that they never allowed their enemy to leave despite suffering from terrible damage once they got into a fight.¡± Everyone commented words of concern. ¡°Nienna is doing well. I don¡¯t want her to join the battle right away when she and her troops are exhausted from the harsh march. I also had no choice but to stay with the Order of Huginn. Everyone is doing well, but it can¡¯t be helped that the enemy we are dealing with is too strong,¡± Juan said. ¡°True. I wonder if the Northern Army¡¯s arrival would even have any value, considering the scale of the troops gathered by that horned cow. So our plan to pressure the enemy from three directions of the empire has gone down the drain¡­ who would have thought that the Regent would be able to instantly gather almost one-third of the Imperial Army?¡± Everyone exchanged glances with a somber look on their faces upon hearing Hela muttering. ¡°What¡¯s the Magic Tower doing anyway? They¡¯re also our allies.¡± ¡°Preparation of supplies and providing accommodation for soldiers to eat and sleep. There is only one magician who would be able to join the battle, so I rejected their help,¡± Juan replied. Juan decided to accept the alliance with the Magic Tower, but he no longer wanted Dane to intervene in whatever he did. However, none of the magicians except Dane Dormund were able to properly demonstrate their magic skills on the battlefield, since they were banned from using magic for forty-eight years. Hela sighed as she had no choice but to follow Juan¡¯s decision. ¡°Then I guess we have no choice but to rely on Your Majesty. Do you have any other plans?¡± Juan tilted his head toward Hela. ¡°Besides mass massacre?¡± ¡°I mean, it will be difficult to exclude mass massacre from our options if we are in a desperate enough situation. No matter what anyone says, the lives of my colleagues and I are the most important to me. But, is mass massacre even possible?¡± Juan laughed in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you have heard many stories about the emperor. A question would have naturally occurred to all of you after hearing that the emperor was so strong. ¡®If he is such a strong being, does he even need an army?¡¯ Just try and deny it.¡± Everyone made an awkward smile, since they had all had that thought at least once. The emperor¡¯s achievements and his powers that they learned about from the epics and the history books were so mighty that it was quite hard to believe. But it was also true that everyone thought that he might really be as strong as described when considering what Juan had shown them so far. They couldn''t help but wonder whether they were even necessary for the battle. ¡°To answer your question, the answer is ¡®yes.¡¯ Of course, an ordinary army made up of ordinary soldiers can¡¯t stop me. The formation would immediately collapse as soon as they are hit by the heat emitted from my body as I move closer to them. But I can¡¯t stop everyone by myself, since I only have two hands. What would be the point of killing ten thousand enemies while the enemies kill all of my allies? Besides, we can¡¯t let our guard down against one of the opponents among our enemies.¡± ¡®Barth Baltic.¡¯ Hela frowned. ¡°Is that horned giant that strong?¡± ¡°Barth Baltic was a difficult opponent to deal with before I was completed as the emperor. He couldn¡¯t beat complete gods, but he was strong enough to beat half-gods or quasi-gods. His physical abilities were superior to mine as well. I can¡¯t imagine just how much stronger he has gotten by now,¡± Juan said as he glanced over everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°If it¡¯s hard for you to imagine just how strong he is, think of him to be as powerful as Nigrato who appeared in Hiveden. Nigrato was a half-god who failed to become a complete god. However, neither fire nor magic work on Barth Baltic.¡± ¡°...So we have no choice but to hold out until General Nienna arrives here.¡± ¡°From a strategic point of view, we will have no choice but to either retreat or seek a comeback later on. But¡­¡± Juan said as he swept his hair. ¡°¡­whether Nienna arrives in time or not, I will move when the Imperial Army starts to move. At that time, everyone should stay back if it seems like we are about to crash into each other. I will take care of it.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Quiet, Hela,¡± Juan glared at Hela. ¡°I have come here to dish out punishment, not to fight a war. But if I have to go to war, I will no longer show any mercy.¡± Everyone fell silent. At the same time, Hela looked around to search for Sina. ¡®Sina has always been the one to say something to Juan in situations like this¡­ I kind of miss her.¡¯ But Sina was nowhere to be seen. Hela had a hunch that Sina might have left so as not to see what was about to happen. Then the Imperial Army began to march around noon. *** Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! The footsteps of the Imperial soldiers slowly advancing were quite loud. It was also the first time for the soldiers to see an army of this size march at once. It looked like the ground was melting down, and the soldiers felt as if they were out of breath for some reason. The soldiers¡¯ hearts were beating fast with overwhelming energy. But the soldiers were somehow feeling nervous. They didn¡¯t know why they were so nervous even though their numbers would overwhelm their enemy. As they knew that the purpose of their march was battle this time around instead of just the movement of forces, the soldiers began to search for their enemy. They could see a small group ahead of them but couldn¡¯t be sure if it was the enemy or not. ¡°The right wing is marching too fast. Slow down.¡± The flag bearer promptly waved the flag in his hand at Barth Baltic¡¯s short command. The slightly distorted formation was quickly and neatly organized again. Barth looked down at the battlefield with decrepit eyes. He had never thought that he would have such a large-scale battle in his life ever again. However, he didn¡¯t think it would be a waste if the opponent really turned out to be the emperor. ¡®The emperor¡­ huh?¡¯ Majority of people were still doubtful about whether the opponent was the real emperor or not, but Barth Baltic had a hunch that his opponent really was the emperor. Barth could tell even though he had not yet met the man¡ªhe had already instinctively felt it several times. The huge battlefield in front of him, the smell of the wind, the sensation of his sweaty hand touching the handle of his sword, the sweet taste in his parched mouth, and the loud footsteps of the soldiers all moving toward one thing. ¡®The emperor. The emperor. The emperor.¡¯ The soldiers were already terrified by the warm air being carried over by the wind¡ªit was an instinctive fear of going against something that should not be opposed. Meanwhile, the officer-level knights were excited, since they misunderstood the fear of the soldiers as them being excited for the battle. Barth Baltic couldn¡¯t tell how many of them would be able to survive until the end. ¡®I have no idea why he¡¯s leading an army instead of coming at me directly.¡¯ Barth Baltic grit his teeth so hard that they almost shattered. The flag bearer turned back with a perplexed look on his face upon hearing the gruesome sound. ¡®Today is the day I finally kill the emperor. If I can¡¯t kill him, then I will turn him into a criminal who killed three hundred thousand humans with his own hands.¡¯ Barth Baltic knew that the people of the empire would never be able to accept a man who was involved in the carnage of three hundred thousand humans as their emperor. Fear may hold them back for a while, but the hatred will not disappear that easily. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The Imperial Army gradually encircled the Magic Tower. The soldiers could now see the enemy¡¯s troops gathered in front of the Magic Tower. The distance between the soldiers and the enemy was less than four hundred meters. The soldiers were perplexed at the sight of the undead, but none of them stopped marching. Marching in such a large group gave them the courage to push through even if they knew that death was right in front of them. There were less than two hundred meters left. The soldiers noticed some human soldiers standing in line in between the undead who were giving off a terrible smell. Their figures forming a line with the undead looked somewhat strange and eerie. The soldiers suspected that those might be pale-faced necromancers. However, the enemy¡¯s soldiers looked just as frozen and nervous as themselves. Then the march came to a sudden halt. ¡°Archers!¡± The archers walked out in unison from among the soldiers, and knocked an arrow on their bows. The soldiers even felt sorry for their enemies, looking at the countless arrows that would soon fall upon the enemy¡¯s heads. ¡°Get ready to shoot when¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± The moment the order to shoot was about to be shouted, a sudden suspension order came out of nowhere. The suspension order was then spread by the soldiers shouting in unison, causing the archers to hastily put down their bows. At first, the knights were perplexed; they thought the suspension order had come from Barth Baltic or Pavan Peltere. But it didn¡¯t take too long for them to find out that no one from their side had given such an order. ¡°Who was it? Who ordered the suspension!?¡± One of the knights angrily shouted from atop his horse. He wondered if the enemy was playing a prank on them. However, for some reason, the voice that gave the suspension order was hard to resist. ¡®It was almost like following the order was the right thing to do¡­¡¯ The knights couldn¡¯t waste more time looking for the culprit. As soon as they were about to order the archers to shoot again, a voice was heard once again. ¡°Stop! Stop the battle!¡± It was a knight who was holding a blue flag and riding a horse toward the soldiers. The knight was approaching at a furious pace from the right side of the Imperial Army while shouting. ¡°What the hell? Who even is that lunatic¡­?¡± The knights from the Order of the Capital were perplexed by the sudden intrusion, but they could see why their soldiers didn¡¯t try to stop the knight. The knight was wearing neat armor and held a neatly embroidered flag. The knight was perfectly following the standards of an Imperial Knight. However, the symbol engraved on the flag was unfamiliar to the knights from the Order of the Capital. ¡°Who are you!?¡± The knights from the Order of the Capital immediately stepped up to block the approaching knight¡¯s way. But the opponent ignored them and drove their horse straight toward Barth Baltic. The knights from the Order of the Capital almost bumped into the knight and almost succeeded in making the knight fall off the horse. Nevertheless, the knight desperately crawled and tried to approach Barth Baltic. ¡°Stop the battle, Regent! You are breaking the Imperial Army system right now!¡± Pavan felt no need to put up with the knight anymore. He immediately drew his sword and swung it twice to split the opponent¡¯s helmet. The face of a blonde woman was revealed through the split helmet. Pavan frowned upon seeing her face. ¡°Who even are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sina Solvane, the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose. Please stop the battle! Your opponent is His Majesty, the Emperor of this empire. I ask you to stop this unjust battle, return the army to where they came from, and return your right to command to His Majesty!¡± Sina Solvane shouted while tightly clutching a flag embroidered with blue roses. Her eye was not directed at the knights holding her arms and legs, or at Pavan who was holding a sword in front of her. Her eye was only directed toward Barth Baltic, who opened his eyes wide behind the knights. Pavan felt that he shouldn''t keep this female knight alive for a long time. However, the moment he hastily raised his sword to end her life, he heard Barth Baltic¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°Pavan.¡± Pavan closed his eyes tightly; he realized that it was too late. ¡°Bring that knight to me.¡± CH 158 ¡°Who are you?¡± Sina was dragged in front of Barth Baltic with her arms tied behind her back. The knights seemed to be full of dissatisfaction, since they were suddenly stopped just when they were excited and ready for the war. But no one could resist Barth Baltic¡¯s order. ¡°I am Sina Solvane, the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose. Regent, I am¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking you.¡± Sina looked at Barth Baltic. She felt an unbearable pressure just by facing Barth Baltic¡¯s cold eyes. Being an early graduate from the knight school, Sina had seen Barth Baltic¡¯s face several times in the past. Of course, it was the first time for her to see him this close. ¡°I am asking about your relationship to the emperor.¡± Sina couldn¡¯t understand what Barth Baltic meant. The Imperial Army and the emperor¡¯s army were so close that they could see each other¡¯s faces now. They were at such a short distance that no one would be surprised if they began to shoot arrows and charge toward each other. Such a situation was only stopped because of one person¡ªSina Solvane. The resumption of the battle was up to her, just as it was when it was stopped. Sina clenched her teeth and raised her head. ¡°I am Sina Solvane, His Majesty¡¯s watchdog.¡± Laughs of absurdity broke out among the knights. Several knights made scornful comments and expressions in the midst of an uproar. The knights¡¯ pride was already hurt due to the advance of the Imperial Army being stopped by an intruder, but the fact that the intruder was a mad woman made everything even worse. Some of the knights were clearly showing murderous intent toward Sina. Pavan quickly approached Barth Baltic and urgently whispered into his ear. ¡°Regent, the soldiers are getting anxious, since they don¡¯t know when the battle will begin. Why don¡¯t you decide on the disposition and questioning of this knight later and deal with what¡¯s more important first?¡± Barth Baltic did not answer; he just continued to stare at Sina. Then, at that moment, he suddenly stood up and walked forward toward Sina. ¡°You¡¯re the emperor¡¯s watchdog?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. His Majesty has entrusted me with the job himself,¡± Sina answered. ¡°Why would the emperor need a watchdog? After all, he has claimed himself to be a perfect being.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± When Sina hesitated to answer, Pavan immediately stepped up. ¡°Regent, there¡¯s nothing more to hear. It¡¯s just the crazy nonsense spoken by a lunatic.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t nonsense!¡± Sina sharply shouted. Pavan glared at Sina like he wanted to kill her. If Sina was still a knight trainee from the knight school, she wouldn¡¯t even have been able to make eye contact with Pavan, who was sitting at a high position. But now she was not intimidated at all. ¡°His Majesty asked me to watch him and judge whether he is a mad murderer or the emperor that I believe in. I think he made me his watchdog in that context.¡± ¡°So, you believe that the person I am about to have a war with is the emperor in your view?¡± ¡°...Yes, I do. You don¡¯t have to start an unnecessary war and shed blood. War isn¡¯t necessary; after all, it¡¯s just that the real owner of the empire has returned.¡± Barth Baltic did not answer Sina. Sina knew that what she was doing was incredibly stupid. If problems could be solved simply by coming forward and shouting for legitimate rights and justice, no one in the world would have had to shed blood. However, she couldn¡¯t help but step forward. She couldn¡¯t understand why the empire had to bleed so much from the civil war. Sina wondered if she could come forward and convince at least a small part of the Imperial Army¡ªand if that included the knights or the deputies, the victims of this war could be reduced even a little. Barth Baltic reached out his hand toward Sina¡¯s forehead. A slight flick of his finger could easily smash her head. Sina clenched her teeth and looked at Barth Baltic¡¯s fingertips. Then, Barth¡¯s fingertip tapped her left eye which was distorted by burns. ¡°You are lying.¡± Sina¡¯s pupils shook. ¡°You have no certainty in your own words, Sina. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason for me to believe in something that you¡¯re not even sure about yourself.¡± Sina hastily stood up and tried to speak, but Barth tightly grabbed her cheeks with his two fingers to press her down. Sina couldn¡¯t even budge. Then Barth brought his face close to Sina¡¯s ear and whispered. ¡°But I can see that you have the emperor¡¯s essence.¡± Sina¡¯s shoulders trembled. ¡°I have the emperor¡¯s essence?¡± Sina couldn¡¯t understand what Barth Baltic was talking about. It was a known fact that only the children of the emperor, like Gerard Gain, had the emperor¡¯s essence. But Barth Baltic¡¯s words were strange. ¡°I have no idea what your identity is, but you certainly seem to be an important person to the emperor. And that¡¯s all I need.¡± Barth Baltic took his fingers off of Sina¡¯s face and raised her up. Sina and the knights surrounding her seemed perplexed. Then, Barth turned Sina around toward the direction of the Magic Tower and slightly pushed her back. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°But Regent, this war is¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. There is no need to shed so much blood.¡± Barth continued to speak without any expression. ¡°Shedding the blood of only one person is good enough. I will let you go back alive, so go and tell the man you believe to be the emperor to come out here.¡± *** The knights from the Order of the Capital remained silent for a long time after Sina left. They trusted and followed Barth Baltic until this time, and their loyalty for him remained unchanged. However, Barth Baltic¡¯s current behavior was hard for them to understand. Barth was a soldier and a commander¡ªa person who avoided being a good man on the battlefield. But not only did he stop the battle, but he also let the suspicious intruder go without asking any further questions. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to take her hostage?¡± Pavan asked Barth Baltic. He already knew who Sina was from the reports he had received several times before. Although it was his first time seeing her face, he could immediately tell that she was the female knight who was known to be either tracking or accompanying the black-haired young man. Most people around the black-haired young man died, but the fact that she was still alive and even claimed herself to be his watchdog meant that she was an important being to him. ¡®Then it would have been wise to hold her hostage.¡¯ Barth Baltic¡¯s answer was short. ¡°The opponent is not a man who would care about the hostage.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°...So you trust what that knight said¡ªthat the opponent is the emperor.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you?¡± Pavan didn¡¯t answer. He was aware that there was someone powerful behind Hela, Nienna, and the Order of Huginn. He had never met the opponent before, but he knew that the opponent¡¯s presence was just as huge as Barth Baltic. It was still hard to be sure whether the opponent was the real emperor or not, but it was also hard to imagine him to be someone else at this point. ¡°Do you believe that the opponent will come out? That would be like committing suicide.¡± ¡°He will,¡± Barth answered. ¡®He will show himself in front of three hundred thousand Imperial soldiers on his own and face the enemy?¡¯ Pavan thought about whether he could do that himself, and then shook his head; he didn¡¯t think that he could do so. Even a person who had decided to die would have a hard time coming forward in the face of three hundred thousand enemies. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just see someone who did?¡± Barth muttered upon seeing Pavan¡¯s face. Pavan closed his mouth as he recalled the young female knight. At that moment, the line formed by the soldiers standing in front of the Magic Tower began to split apart, revealing a person. Seeing this, Pavan looked at the man who walked out¡ªhis eyes wide open as if he could not believe it. A black-haired young man was trudging forward without a single piece of armor or protection. He did not show any hostility or tension, almost as if the three hundred thousand swords pointed toward him were toys. ¡°So he really did come out. Then I¡¯ll go ahead and command the archers to¡­¡± At that moment, Barth Baltic jumped up from his seat. Pavan was perplexed upon seeing Barth Baltic¡¯s expression. ¡°The emperor,¡± Barth Baltic muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°Um, sorry? The emperor? That young man is the emperor?¡± Barth Baltic ignored Pavan¡¯s question and began to stride forward. Seeing this, Pavan panicked and tried to stop him, but couldn¡¯t slow him down at all. Instead, he lost his balance and stumbled. The other knights quickly stepped forward to stop Barth as well. ¡°Regent! There is no need for you to step forward yourself! We can face him first, then¡­¡± But Barth didn¡¯t even bother to listen to the knights. The knights tried to grab Barth Baltic by the hem of his clothes in a hurry, but they rather ended up being dragged with him. Pavan knew that it was no use trying to stop Barth at times like this. ¡°Back off! Don¡¯t disturb the Regent!¡± Eventually, Pavan ordered the knights to step back. But he was also very anxious. He quickly hopped on his horse and shouted as he ran along the lines of the soldiers. ¡°All troops, get ready for battle!¡± The soldiers tightened their grip on their swords and spears once again as they prepared to advance. At the same time, Pavan bit his lips and looked at Barth¡¯s back. ¡®If I read any strange signs, I will order the soldiers to charge immediately.¡¯ Pavan muttered to himself quietly. *** Juan stood in the middle of the battlefield. Barth got close enough to Juan that he could see Juan¡¯s fluttering hair being blown by the wind. Juan¡¯s somewhat long hair, black eyes which had an unknown depth, and his loose posture even right before going to war was the same as the day Barth Baltic first met the emperor. ¡°You¡­ haven¡¯t changed a bit, emperor.¡± Barth Baltic opened his mouth first. At the same time, Juan smiled at Barth. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite old, Barth.¡± Barth realized just how old he was upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. Barth recalled his long beard, stretched wrinkles and bent waist. He felt as if he had aged, something he had hardly felt until now. ¡°Aren¡¯t you about halfway through your life in terms of Hornsluine¡¯s age? Why do you look so old?¡± Juan asked curiously. ¡°I see that you¡¯re still talking nonsense. What does my age have to do with anything?¡± Barth replied as if he was annoyed. ¡°I guess it really doesn¡¯t matter. Then let¡¯s talk about something that we all know.¡± Juan drew the sword he was wearing around his waist. As soon as the sword came into sunlight, it began to glow red and burn softly. Barth recognized that the sword was Sutra, the sword Juan had used when he was the emperor. Sutra had never been burning when Barth was dueling against Juan for training purposes. ¡°Gared Gain killed me.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Were you involved in that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At that moment, a red trajectory cut through the air toward Barth Baltic. In response, Barth swung the greatsword that he carried on his back as hard as he could. Dust blew in all directions with a shock that shook the ground. Seeing this, the Imperial soldiers stepped forward in unison, causing a loud sound of footsteps to echo through the battlefield. ¡°Stop!¡± But, at that moment, Barth shouted in a voice so loud that it was even louder than the sound of the soldiers¡¯ footsteps. The Imperial Army came to a stop at once. Barth¡¯s greatsword was pressing down upon Juan¡¯s Sutra. Barth, who was four meters tall, was handling his two-handed greatsword quite freely with just one hand. Meanwhile, Juan was holding out against Barth¡¯s sword, but couldn¡¯t push it away. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be able to handle you since you have gotten old. But I guess I still can¡¯t beat you in terms of physical strength.¡± ¡°I see that you are still shameless enough to say such weak things.¡± Juan and Barth slowly brought down their swords. A murderous tension could be felt between the two, as if they were both ready to once again swing their swords at each other at any moment. ¡°You killed me and then shamelessly took over the position of the Regent. Why didn¡¯t you just steal the throne instead? Why are you still sitting in the position of the Regent and getting old like that?¡± ¡°I have no interest in the residue that you left behind. I am content with living the rest of my life as a warrior.¡± ¡°A warrior? You call yourself a warrior after instigating Gerard¡ªinstigating my own son to stab me in the back?¡± At that moment, Barth¡¯s eyes shook. CH 159 Juan realized that his words had touched a sore spot for Barth. ¡°I used to trust you enough to leave my back to you, Barth. You were my very first comrade and a friend. I had even helped you avenge your race, and you had thrown yourself in the way of danger to save me several times. So, why did you betray me like that?¡± Juan lowered his sword and approached Barth. But Barth took a step back, frowning. ¡°If you were dissatisfied with me, you should have just directly come at me with a sword instead of getting my son to stab me in the back! Just like now!¡± Juan shouted angrily. ¡°You know nothing about me!¡± Barth shouted as he swung his sword at Juan. At the same time, Juan quickly turned around and dodged Barth¡¯s attack. At that moment, Barth¡¯s sword bent at a strange angle¡ªBarth used the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword, Fog Solution and pressed down upon Juan. A powerful attack that could split Juan in half as soon as it touched him continued to move toward him. Seeing this, Juan drew his sword and directly faced Barth and dug into his gaps. Juan¡¯s face became distorted as he slammed Barth¡¯s sword as hard as he could. Clang! With a sharp sound of swords meeting in the air, Barth staggered back. ¡°Barth, what the hell are you doing right now? Are you messing with me?¡± Barth remained silent at Juan¡¯s question. ¡°Why are you using the Baltic Sword? It seems like you are confident enough to think that you can beat me quite easily without even using your own skills.¡± These words caused Barth to glare at Juan with clenched teeth. On the other hand, everyone who heard Juan¡¯s words had puzzled looks on their faces. ¡®Why is he asking Barth Baltic ¡®why are you using the Baltic Sword?¡¯ Isn¡¯t that only natural?¡¯ Barth Baltic was practically a master in the Baltic Sword performed by the Imperial Army. Those who knew that the inventor of the Baltic Sword was the emperor thought that Juan was being sarcastic. However, Juan was pointing out a completely different part. ¡°The Baltic Sword was made for humans. In fact, the Baltic Sword doesn¡¯t suit you in the first place. After all, as far as I know, Hornsluines have their own swordsmanship.¡± And Juan was right about that. Hornsluine had their own swordsmanship that was created based on the characteristics of their strength and size. That swordsmanship used by Hornsluines was completely different from that of humans. Barth Baltic has been using the Hornsluine¡¯s swordsmanship techniques when fighting against countless numbers of strong enemies until now. This caused Juan to frown. Although Barth was extremely skilled with the Baltic Sword, he was no match for Juan, who was the creator of the Baltic Sword. Barth just stood silently and repositioned himself. ¡°...I must have spent way too much time among the humans,¡± ¡®Hornsluine¡¯s swordsmanship techniques, huh?¡¯ Barth clicked his tongue; he thought that he would have to rummage through his memories to recall how to perform Hornsluine¡¯s swordsmanship techniques. After all, he never had to fight with all his might in the past forty-eight years. The only swordsmanship he performed during that time was the Baltic Sword, since he had to teach his knights. Barth Baltic inhaled a heavy breath, then raised one hand to send a signal to Pavan. The knights who recognized Barth¡¯s signal turned toward Pavan with perplexed expressions. At the same time, Pavan was frowning as well. ¡°Captain, what should we do? That signal is¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean what should we do? It is the order from the Regent.¡± Pavan was not convinced of Barth¡¯s order, but he couldn¡¯t resist it either. Pavan shouted at the Imperial Army in a loud voice. ¡°Imperial Army! Take one hundred fifty steps back!¡± The knights repeated Pavan¡¯s orders and gave instructions to the subordinate soldiers with unconvinced looks on their faces. Pavan looked at Barth with worried eyes. He had several opportunities to see the Regent¡¯s power in the past. Even though Pavan had never seen Barth fight with all his might, he learned what a great hero who had fought against gods looked like¡ªand also learned that he would never be able to reach Barth¡¯s level even if he trained for the rest of his whole life. Pavan knew that the vast plain would be too small of a stage for Barth to use his full strength. He knew that Barth¡¯s order to make the troops step back was to ensure that the troops didn¡¯t get caught up in the upcoming battle. He felt his shoulders getting tense without realizing. ¡®Is that black-haired young man that strong of an opponent?¡¯ *** When the Imperial stepped back, Juan also signaled his army to retreat. His army had to watch Juan and Barth¡¯s battle from between the buildings because the Magic Tower did not have outer walls. Juan tilted his head from side to side. ¡°I think we still need more space.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just settle for this, since it would be hard to find a different place now. If you don¡¯t want your men to get involved, you should¡­¡± ¡°Be extra cautious. I know,¡± Juan smiled and continued to speak. ¡°I won¡¯t use magic. Magic won¡¯t work against you anyway.¡± ¡°I will kill you with all my might, even if you say that you will fight using only one hand and one leg.¡± Juan nodded upon hearing Barth¡¯s answer; he already knew that Barth would say something like that. When they thought that enough space had been created, Barth and Juan made eye contact. Before they even finished taking a short breath, the two clashed again in the air. The members of both armies tried to keep their eyes on Juan and Barth as they fought, but ended up closing their eyes and turning their heads due to the shockwaves caused by their collision¡ªat that moment, even the ground was shaking, as if an earthquake had struck the area. Barth¡¯s sword, which had been struck first, split the muddy ground at once. His attack was so strong that his sword was stuck in the ground. Most ordinary knights would consider this to be quite a big mistake, since it would take time and force to pull the sword out of the ground again. However, this wasn¡¯t the case for Barth. With the sword still stuck in the ground, Barth tilted and raised the sword over Juan¡¯s head, taking some of the ground with it. Hard ground poured upon Juan, almost as if it were water or air. The sand and gravel that was pouring down on him along with Barth¡¯s charge were so harsh that he was bruised by them even if they just slightly brushed against him. Juan curled his body up to minimize the damage, but then, a shockwave powerful enough to push him back repeatedly struck him. However, he immediately jumped off the ground and charged toward Barth through the dust and the wind. At the same time, Barth quickly swung his sword to push Juan off, almost as if he already knew how Juan would act. Then, Juan threw himself into the air to widen his distance between him and Barth. Juan clicked his tongue. ¡®Well, he is making me feel like a kid again.¡¯ Juan felt like a little child whenever he dealt with Barth Baltic¡¯s enormous size, sword, and strength that even most other Hornsluines couldn¡¯t handle. Fortunately, he had been experiencing something just like this up until very recently. But at this moment, it wasn¡¯t Barth¡¯s strength or ability that bothered Juan. ¡®Why, Barth?¡¯ Barth growled with murderous intent, but he waited until Juan repositioned himself, almost as if he was waiting for Juan to approach him again. Juan was quite bothered by Barth¡¯s attitude, since it hasn¡¯t changed even the slightest bit compared to when they used to duel with each other for training purposes. His attitude was as if he was being generous toward Juan. ¡®Why did a fair and dignified warrior like you betray me in such a dirty way?¡¯ Juan fixed his position, then raised Sutra as he charged toward Barth once again, while Sutra¡¯s flames heated up the surroundings. The heat could even be felt from hundreds of meters away, and it was so hot that the dead trees on the other side of the plain suddenly burst into flames. The snow that covered the plain was beyond the point of melting and becoming muddy, and had now dried up and become crusty under the fierce heat. Directly faced with this intense heat, Barth roared loudly. His short roar swept through the entire plain and dissipated the heat in all directions¡ªBarth had just shaken off Sutra¡¯s energy using a short roar and his own momentum. Juan felt dumbfounded upon seeing Barth¡¯s ability, but soon raised the corners of his mouth as he recalled the old days. The reason why Juan had always been fond of Barth was because of his crazy warrior-like spirit, which was the same even now. The moment Barth¡¯s huge sword and Sutra met in the air, Sutra¡¯s flames shook to the point that they were almost blown out. The sword that Barth was holding in his hand was made with a lump of iron, and had no special ability. Nevertheless, his energy alone was enough to make it seem like a magic sword with countless special abilities. ¡°Come at me!¡± Directly facing Barth¡¯s loud roar that could rip one¡¯s face apart, Juan jumped toward him. A shockwave continuously shook the ground and the air. The heat of soaring flames and the shockwaves from the swords being struck against each other made the people around the plain tremble. The soldiers looked at the sight with breathless expressions. ¡°Oh my goodness¡­ His Majesty the Emperor¡­¡± ¡°What the hell even is that¡­¡± The knights from the Order of the Capital watched the fight while muttering the emperor¡¯s name without even realizing it. Not only was the opponent fighting on the same level as Barth Baltic, but his spirit and energy felt like they were far beyond that of humans. Despite the fact that no one could take their eyes off of the battle, the soldiers couldn¡¯t keep up with Juan and Barth¡¯s movements as the flames soared up from one side and then to the opposite side in just a second. None of the soldiers could see their attacks, but slashing marks were suddenly engraved on the ground and flames were soaring into the air. Swords, violence, death, and flames were all swirling in a narrow space. The knights shuddered and truly came to understand why Barth had ordered the soldiers to step back. This battlefield was far too small for Juan and Barth. Even taking a single step toward their battlefield could easily cause hundreds of them to be cut into pieces simply from their sword swings. ¡®Regent Barth Baltic¡­¡¯ Pavan watched the scene with clenched teeth. None of the knights had ever seen Barth fight with all his might. Even Pavan, the strongest one among the knights, had only seen his skills during a duel for training purposes. Pavan had never been ashamed to call himself Barth¡¯s student, though he felt that it was hard to catch up to Barth. However, Pavan realized that he had been under quite a huge illusion. Both Barth Baltic and his opponent in front of him were already far beyond human beings. In fact, it was impossible to compare them with humans or to gauge their skills in the first place. The two men were those who had ended the mythological era that had continued for thousands of years. Barth and Juan were showing them what the truly desperate battles were like at that time. Bang! Juan tried his best to dodge Barth¡¯s attacks instead of confronting them directly. Barth¡¯s attacks were so powerful that his feet almost got stuck to the ground when he had to directly block a blow from above, and his body would be thrown into the air whenever he was blocking the attack from sideways. Juan began to sweat even before he knew it. He couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since he had fought using only his sword, without any magic or strategies. However, such a thing was normal for Barth. He had killed demons and gods alike with no magic or deception¡ªwith only his power and skills. He could use any of the weapons, since he was good at handling all of them. If there were no weapons, he used his fists to punch his opponents and then used his horns to trample upon them. He always stood on the front line of the battlefield, leading the troops. Although Barth Baltic had confessed that he was involved in the emperor¡¯s assassination, Juan couldn¡¯t understand why such a man was involved in such a plot. If what Barth said really was true, then Juan wanted to hear the reason why Barth did what he did and what his reason to betray Juan was. ¡°Barth.¡± Juan looked into Barth¡¯s eyes, then he briefly muttered Barth¡¯s name as he stuck Sutra into the ground. Seeing this, Barth was startled for a second, but then he struck his sword toward Juan¡¯s head, since he was in the midst of a fierce attack already. Crack! A scream broke out from the soldiers standing around the Magic Tower upon hearing a grotesque cracking sound. ¡°You had the perfect opportunity to kill me, but ended up failing. You really have gotten old.¡± Juan had raised his arm to block Barth¡¯s sword. If Barth hadn¡¯t tilted his sword to the side, Juan¡¯s arm would have been cut off at once. It was a close call, but Juan was confident that Barth didn¡¯t really intend to kill Juan. ¡°Did you really want to die that badly? If that¡¯s what you want, then stay still. I¡¯ll end your worthless life for good this time.¡± Barth raised his sword with a growl, while Juan just stared at Barth. ¡°Barth, O Barth¡­ just tell me. How did you get so old?¡± ¡°Are you making fun of me? I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d end up looking so trivial in your eyes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not as strong, as agile, or as good as you used to be in the past. But I know that you¡¯re not the type to be lazy to stop training. You have literally become too old. No matter how much you train yourself, you can¡¯t help but run out of energy as you age. But you are a Hornsluine, a being that doesn¡¯t age that fast. What really bothers me is your bizarre aging.¡± Barth glared at Juan in silence and slowly lowered his sword. Juan stared into Barth¡¯s eyes for a long time. ¡°Are you feeling guilty?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I did expect you to say some bullshit, but this is even worse than I thought.¡± ¡°Then tell me with your own mouth. Go ahead and convince me. The Barth Baltic that I know is a man who would use his own hands to kill me rather than borrowing someone else¡¯s hands. I wondered if I had been mistaken about you or if you had become a different person over time. But no¡­ I am certain about my thoughts now that I have fought with you. What the hell are you hiding from me?¡± Barth bit his lips at Juan¡¯s question. He looked conflicted as to whether or not he should wield his sword against Juan. However, he couldn¡¯t bear to raise his sword as he looked at Juan¡¯s firm and honest eyes. Barth muttered, almost as if he was in pain after a long period of silence. ¡°Either just die or kill me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be doing either until I hear your answer.¡± Barth glared at Juan with murderous intent in his eyes. ¡°You are mistaken if you think that I didn¡¯t intend to kill you. My desire to kill you is more real than anything. If you come back to life, I¡¯ll kill you as many times as needed, over and over again. But¡­¡± Barth gritted his teeth. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I wasn¡¯t determined enough to do so back then, because I didn¡¯t know if my desire to kill you was sincere or not.¡± CH 160 Juan realized that ¡®that time¡¯ referred to when Gerard Gain had stabbed the emperor. ¡°So you weren¡¯t certain, but still wanted to kill me. Why? Is it because I was worshiped like a god among the humans? That¡¯s what Nienna told me¡ªthat your hatred of gods led to you developing a hatred for me as well.¡± Juan recalled Nienna telling him about the theory that Barth is fine with dead gods, but not a living god. In fact, Barth didn¡¯t really care whether the people of the empire worshiped dead gods with indigenous faith. His hatred was only focused on living gods. Barth snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s completely unrelated to that. However, if that was all, I might have just left your side in the first place, since there are still many gods to kill beyond the boundary and in the Crack. But¡­¡± At that moment, Barth stopped¡ªhe seemed quite hesitant to continue answering. ¡°If I committed an injustice against you, don¡¯t hide it and just tell me. Doesn¡¯t a sinner deserve to know his sins?¡± Juan asked as if he was rushing Barth. ¡°...The biggest problem is that you didn¡¯t do any injustice against me. You are innocent.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I guess you can be considered a sinner if being born into this world itself is counted as a sin. Your sin wasn¡¯t committed by you¡ªjust like Gerard Gain.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t understand why Barth mentioned Gerard Gain¡¯s name in this situation. He looked at Barth, expecting an answer, but Barth just shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. I respected and admired you, emperor. You¡¯ve done me a great favor that I will never be able to repay you. But¡­ you also gave me a reason that forced me to kill you. It¡¯s probably for the best that you don¡¯t know. Consider it my last act of loyalty toward you. I do want to kill you, but the loyalty I had given you wasn¡¯t fake. Hah¡­ It¡¯s complicated to explain.¡± Juan felt frustrated, since he couldn¡¯t tell why an honest warrior like Barth had no choice but to feel complicated and hide the reason for his actions. ¡°I opened up the door for Gerard to enter the Imperial palace because I had no way of organizing my complicated mind back then. I guess that¡¯s how I made up my mind. After all, I had known for a long time that Gerard was looking for an opportunity to kill you,¡± Barth said as he looked into Juan¡¯s eyes. ¡°You knew that Gerard was trying to kill me? What was his reason?¡± ¡°It¡¯s similar to my reason, but at the same time, it''s completely different as well.¡± ¡°I have no intention of playing games with you!¡± Barth laughed out in a low voice when Juan shouted in an angry voice. ¡°Anyway, I thought I had made up my mind by killing you through Gerard. But I guess I was wrong. Day by day, I grew older as I watched your worshippers ruin the empire that was established by you. And here I am, looking so old today. I actually didn¡¯t have to live this long anyway.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re planning to hide why you did what you did until the end?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, emperor. Do you want me to give you a hint if you are really that desperate? You would deny it, but you¡¯re a god. You are a human god that humans have never had before in their history. That¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re cursed and that¡¯s the reason why I want to kill you. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Juan sighed. It seemed like scolding Barth wouldn¡¯t help to open his mouth. Instead, Juan chose another way to get an answer out of him. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you a chance you didn¡¯t have forty-eight years ago.¡± ¡°A chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to kill me today.¡± Barth frowned, almost as if he couldn¡¯t understand what Juan was talking about. Juan twisted his lips and continued to speak. ¡°But, if you are unable to kill me, you lose. Then, you¡¯ll have to tell me the whole truth.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Barth burst into laughter as if he was dumbfounded by Juan¡¯s offer. A smile slowly spread over his face, and then eventually he laughed a laugh so loud that it echoed throughout the entire battlefield. ¡°What a ridiculous bet. I¡¯ve already declared that I¡¯m going to kill you. But you think you can just ask for something in return?¡± Barth slammed his sword into the ground. ¡°Alright. I guess there¡¯s really no reason for me to refuse your offer.¡± Barth snapped his fingers and strode toward Juan. For a moment, Juan felt like Barth had gotten much younger. His beard and the wrinkles on his face were still there, but his eyes were shining brightly like those of younger warriors. Juan looked at Barth as if he was curious. ¡°I just told you that I will give you a chance to kill me. Why would you put down your weapon when¡­¡± Juan couldn¡¯t even finish his words. Instead of answering Juan¡¯s question, Barth Baltic just swung his fist as hard as he could. The moment Juan blocked Barth¡¯s fist that was coming toward him, it felt like the thing he blocked wasn¡¯t a fist but an iron club. Juan quickly staggered back, his vision blurring for a moment. He realized that Barth really meant it when he said ¡®I will kill you.¡¯ Barth had swung his fist with all his might with the intention of killing Juan for real. ¡°Damn it. Why the hell were you even using a sword in the first place?¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Just because I had it with me,¡± Barth answered joyfully. Barth once again swung his fist as Juan faltered and failed to reposition himself properly. At that moment, Juan suddenly took a posture to dodge Barth¡¯s attack and dug into the gap revealed by him to punch his chest, causing Barth to gasp for air and curl up in pain. ¡°I might be much smaller than you, but¡­¡± Juan smirked. ¡°I had never been bigger or stronger even when I fought with gods.¡± *** Bang! Pavan remembered hearing this sound when he once destroyed the gates of a castle gate with the help of a siege weapon. However, there were no castle walls or siege weapons around¡ªonly a wide plain, countless soldiers, and two men who were clashing into each other with their flesh and blood body. Pavan couldn¡¯t really figure out how such a sound could be made by the collision of bare fists. It had been a long time since the sun went down. However, Pavan lit up the torch and instructed the soldiers to watch out so that they could be prepared to join the battle at any time. And the same was true of the emperor¡¯s army. However, the area around Juan and Barth was already bright even without a single torch around them. Crack! Crack! ¡°I have no idea how that sound can even be made from two people bumping into each other¡­ but I¡¯m scared even more by the fact that they don¡¯t seem to be the slightest bit tired even after facing each other¡¯s attacks since earlier in the day,¡± Raul Riort, the elite knight of the Order of the Capital, muttered to himself. ¡°They might end up fighting forever if they are left alone,¡± Pavan answered with a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Regent? I understand him charging at the front line, since everyone knows that no one can stop him, but dueling before the battle? With his bare hands, too?¡± ¡°The enemies are chasing the illusion called the emperor. Those people are only united under that illusion, so their unity might collapse quite easily if that illusion is destroyed. This whole thing won¡¯t end with us just killing the army gathered around the Magic Tower¡ªwe might even have to deal with Nienna.¡± Pavan came up with a reasonable answer, one which he had thought about for a long time on his own. ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Raul asked back with a frown. ¡°No. To be honest, it just seems like the Regent has gone crazy.¡± ¡°If the opponent has shaken the Regent in such a way and is powerful enough to be able to hold out against him¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Pavan knew what Raul meant to say. Most of the soldiers and knights probably had similar thoughts as well. The legend of the emperor was often mentioned along with the legend of Barth Baltic. It was said that Barth Baltic was on par with the emperor when it came to strength, and was the most trusted comrade of the emperor. There was only one person who could fight on the same level as Barth Baltic. ¡°Do you think the Regent will win?¡± Raul asked as he tried to pretend to be calm. However, Pavan didn¡¯t know the answer to this question either. Raul looked back at Pavan when he didn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°If the Regent ends up being killed in action, you will naturally be assigned the next commander, Captain. If the time comes, you will have to command three hundred thousand Imperial troops, as well as one hundred sixty knights of the Order of the Capital. You should probably think about what decision you¡¯re going to make in advance.¡± Once again, Pavan didn¡¯t answer Raul. At that moment, raindrops started to fall from the sky. Pavan raised his hand as he looked up at the sky. The heat emanating from Juan and Barth¡¯s fight was creating clouds in the sky. The clouds waved every time Juan wielded his sword, while a small cloud was wrapped around Barth whenever he swung his fist. Pavan had a hunch that they were in for heavy rain. *** Sutra¡¯s fiery flames followed a chaotic trajectory in the dark. Juan dug into Barth¡¯s gap by performing the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword. Sutra¡¯s flames spread around the surroundings like a fog made up of flames. The ruthless trajectory left by Fog Solution that penetrated the opponent was well-suited for the heat. Barth looked as if he was about to be engulfed by a ball of flames. However, the fierce flames that had been pressuring Barth were blocked in just an instant. Crash! With a loud crashing sound, Juan realized that Sutra had been blocked by Barth¡¯s counterattack. Then, Barth swung his fist toward a small gap in Juan¡¯s defenses created by him retrieving Sutra. Juan blocked Barth¡¯s attack with Sutra, but the shock of the attack penetrated Sutra and slammed against Juan. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± It was said that among the martial arts of Hornsluine, there was a technique that penetrated the opponent¡¯s outer defense and attacked their insides. Barth was using this technique with ease, almost as if he was simply breathing. Hornsluine¡¯s martial arts, which had a history of thousands of years, were holding out quite well against the Baltic Sword. ¡®Even if I ignore his martial arts, I still can¡¯t believe that he is blocking Sutra with just a bare fist.¡¯ Juan almost felt as if he was clashing against a sword that was as powerful as Sutra, rather than bone and flesh. Usually, the person holding a weapon was at an advantage over a person using their bare fists due to the distance between the two. However, Juan couldn¡¯t get any of the advantages of using a sword, considering Barth¡¯s huge size that was unique to the Hornsluine. Juan inadvertently recalled ¡®Magic Formations,¡¯ a type of magic unique to the Hornsluine. Hornsluines were naturally a magic-resistant race that couldn¡¯t directly use magic. Instead, they created a method to bring out magical effects through sculptures or architecture. It was a dangerous magic because ordinary people might be caught up in the power, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal to Hornsluines who had such a high magic resistance. ¡®What if his body and skeleton have naturally become suitable for magic formations through more than one hundred years of training?¡¯ Juan had never thought that such a thing was possible, but Barth¡¯s strong body couldn¡¯t really be explained otherwise. Juan also thought that perhaps his innate traits have helped the development of his body to some extent, since Barth was an unrivaled figure even among the Hornsluines. ¡®He isn¡¯t giving me the time to perform Instant Impermanent.¡¯ Instant Impermanent, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword, would still be a threat to Barth Baltic despite his power. However, its precursor movements were necessary in order to produce a magical effect with the Baltic Sword. Barth¡¯s attacks were cleverly preventing Juan from making those precursor movements. Barth Baltic was fighting like a fair-hearted simple warrior, but he was also a clever strategist at the same time. ¡°Are you planning to fight all night?¡± Barth asked in a quiet voice as Juan stood in front of him as if he was measuring something. It was true that Juan was injured by Barth¡¯s attack which penetrated through Sutra. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to bring him down. ¡°It is quite a bad look for me, since I¡¯m fighting with a weapon, while you¡¯re fighting with your bare fists.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little too late to say that? I prefer using bare hands to weapons. It¡¯s better to use my bare hands to use all my skills anyway. And¡­¡± Barth continued to speak as he pointed to Sutra. ¡°It seems that you haven¡¯t even fully drawn out all the power from Sutra yet. As far as I know, Sutra doesn¡¯t give off such red flames when you¡¯re using it to fight. It seems like I¡¯m not the only one who has gotten old, am I?¡± Juan smiled bitterly. Sutra normally burned with white flames, just like it did when Juan successfully tamed it in front of Dane Dormund. However, the current Sutra was only giving off a calm red flame. ¡°It¡¯s such a difficult weapon to tame. It seems like my current condition is still insufficient to be able to properly use it,¡± Juan answered. ¡°That¡¯s no better than me using my bare fists then.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t have to feel guilty about using it.¡± ¡°You speak as if you¡¯ve been going easy on me all this time.¡± Juan smiled bitterly as he looked down at Sutra in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re fighting with the intent to kill me, but I¡¯m fighting to keep you alive and hear your answer.¡± Barth lifted up the corners of his lips. Suddenly, Juan felt as if Barth was moving faster than he was during the day. And this wasn¡¯t just an illusion. Some of Barth¡¯s white hair had turned black here and there, and his wrinkles had shrunk as well. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m at an advantage now. Keep in mind that you won¡¯t be able to hear my answer if you end up dying.¡± CH 161 Barth Baltic grinned and disappeared from Juan¡¯s sight. Barth quickly threw his left fist directly toward Juan. At the same time, instead of facing his fast but weak fist, Juan decided to dodge the attack under the assumption that Barth would use his right fist for an even stronger attack the moment Juan took on his left fist. As expected, Barth pushed himself close to Juan as soon as he dodged the attack. Juan clicked his tongue, since Barth¡¯s movements were unbelievably fast for his huge size. Barth¡¯s fist, which was the size of Juan¡¯s chest, passed by with the sound of air being torn apart. The mere wind caused by Barth¡¯s attack passing by someone would be enough to destroy any ordinary person''s upper body. It was not easy for Juan to attack or counterattack, since his movements were bound to be bigger than Barth¡¯s given the fact that he was holding a sword. The moment Juan tried to widen the distance between them to search for a gap in Barth¡¯s defenses, Barth¡¯s stride changed and started following a strange pattern. Despite Juan widening his distance from him, Barth reached out his hand in a calm manner. His arm moved so fast that it seemed to have disappeared for a second. Juan tried to twist the direction he was falling toward as soon as he realized his mistake, but his feet had not yet touched the ground. A loud roar rang out. Upon hearing the sudden loud sound, the people who were watching the fight covered their ears without even realizing it. Some of those who were standing closest to the fight collapsed to the floor, with the sound still ringing their ears. The shockwave from the collision also penetrated Barth¡¯s body, leaving behind many torn wounds on his arms. The same was also true for Juan, since he also received the shock from the very front. He hadn¡¯t suffered any major injuries, but that was not the problem. ¡®I can¡¯t hear anything.¡¯ Juan¡¯s sense of balance became distorted and he felt extremely nauseous. While he recovered from the shock quite quickly, he was inevitably exposed to Barth¡¯s attack in the short second he took to reposition himself. And just as he had expected, Juan could see Barth quickly running toward him through blurry vision. He figured that he was left with no other choice. ¡®He¡¯s not an opponent I can fight without becoming serious.¡¯ Juan placed Sutra on his shoulder and waited for the right interval as Barth approached him. Then, it happened. It was only a short moment, but it felt terribly long. All of Juan¡¯s muscles spasmed and his heart thumped, pumping blood throughout his body. Juan blocked out all his senses that had been destroyed by the battle¡ªhis sight, hearing, and sense of smell were gone. Juan was in an extremely dangerous state¡ªthus his remaining senses were more sensitive than ever. His extremely sensitive senses allowed him to even feel the rain clouds in the sky that seemed ready to start pouring rain at any moment. The hot air then condensed into the clouds and gathered them into one, then finally the first droplet of water began to form. At the same time, Juan could also feel Barth¡¯s muscles beginning to tighten up. ¡®Now.¡¯ Juan immediately performed Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of Baltic Sword, while dealing with the shock that could almost break all his bones. He kept his eyes closed, since he felt that it would be better for him to picture Barth¡¯s movements in his head when none of his senses could be trusted. At that moment, Barth¡¯s fist was right in front of Juan¡¯s nose, but was stopped without being able to touch Juan in the world of Fleeting Moment. Juan quickly swung Sutra in a way that almost looked like he was dragging it. He could hear all his muscles being torn apart and felt his heart spasming as it demanded oxygen. He could also hear the sound of Barth¡¯s laughter. Barth had already expected Juan to use Fleeting Moment. In fact, he had lured Juan into doing so. Barth¡¯s fist began to slowly move in a world that had gone still¡ªin a world where even the shadows were paused. At that moment, Juan realized that Barth¡¯s fist would land his sword. Hornsluine¡¯s Magic Formations, their magic resistance, and their martial arts were breaking the strange magical effect of the Baltic Sword. The thousands of years of Hornsluine¡¯s history was about to crash upon Juan, who had only lived for decades. Barth¡¯s fist then struck Juan¡¯s head. *** Neither Juan nor Barth could pay any attention to the surrounding situation. As soon as Barth tore up time and space that Juan had stopped with the help of Fleeting Moment, the ground moved along with the movements of Barth¡¯s fist. An earthquake that shook the entire plain caused the Imperial Army¡¯s tents to collapse. Heavy rain began to pour down at the same time as screams broke out everywhere. Pavan quickly gave out an order to take care of the situation, but his voice was drowned in the sound of rain and his order could not be properly delivered to the troops. The emperor¡¯s army standing by the Magic Tower were also perplexed at the situation unfolding in front of them. Juan and Barth could not be seen properly due to the sudden rain. On the extremely chaotic battlefield, they both stood facing each other. Juan looked at Barth with bloodshot eyes while bleeding from both ears. The flames released by Sutra had been extinguished before anyone knew it. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Barth muttered as he looked down at Juan. ¡°Did you know this would happen?¡± Juan barely managed to make a voice after puffing his lips. ¡°I just guessed. But, I got lucky.¡± Barth looked down at his right hand, which had been split from between his middle finger and ring finger all the way up to his wrist. His fingers were broken here and there as if they had been smashed with a hammer. While Juan¡¯s condition was terrible as well, Barth¡¯s right hand was much worse. Barth reflected on what had just happened a moment ago, since he couldn¡¯t easily understand it. Barth had clearly foreseen his victory when he managed to punch through Juan¡¯s Fleeting Moment. However, absurdly, what he failed to take into account of were the raindrops. Barth could also use Fleeting Moment if he used the Baltic Sword. Swinging a sword while in the state of Fleeting Moment caused the body of the one swinging the sword to burst into flames due to atmospheric friction. If the performer¡¯s body is unable to resist the flames and fails to hold out, they are bound to get full-body burns as soon as they swing their sword. Barth had swung his fist just as fast as the sword, and thus received a devastating shock when his fist hit one of the raindrops that were fixed in time. Of course, his fist hadn¡¯t been stopped by that small raindrop. However, his fist had been terribly damaged when he penetrated the raindrop to hit Juan¡¯s head. Nevertheless, Barth was confident that he had broken Juan¡¯s neck. ¡°I know that your sword did not touch my body. But, then how¡­ when did you cut me?¡± Barth asked. ¡°I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat you by simply using Fleeting Moment,¡± Juan murmured, while examining Sutra which was now black and no longer usable. ¡°So I had to try performing the sixth stage¡­ no, the seventh stage of the Baltic Sword. Actually, my plan had been to cut off your arm. But I failed to perform the seventh stage, since I still can¡¯t handle Sutra to the required level.¡± The Baltic Sword became more and more dangerous as the stages went up, and high-quality equipment was necessary to use them properly. Juan¡¯s failure to use the seventh stage of the Baltic Sword was natural to some extent, and so he was satisfied enough with the fact that he was still alive. Juan¡¯s current condition was also terrible. He might have a chance to achieve victory if he brought out the power of the flame crown again, but he would just feel like he had lost if he relied on its power. ¡°The sixth stage, huh?¡± Barth Baltic muttered briefly. Barth was certain that Sutra was still far away from his body right when his fist touched Juan¡¯s head. However, then he suddenly saw his fist, which had been completely intact other than a few small cuts even after being slashed by Sutra, split apart by just passing through space where there was nothing. ¡°It¡¯s the sixth stage of the Baltic Sword, Negating Causality,¡± Juan replied with a pale face. ¡°It seems like you need to train more.¡± Barth tore his top with his teeth and began to wrap it around his right hand. The temporary bandage made with his clothes quickly turned blood red under the pouring rain and blood, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. Seeing this, Juan looked at Barth as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°You still want to keep going?¡± ¡°Neither of us is dead yet. We can still fight.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to fight properly with your fist looking like that. While I can¡¯t use Sutra anymore, you should know that I¡¯m still in decent condition.¡± ¡°That just means that I am at an advantage. Hurry up and get into the position. I can¡¯t wait to use some of my new skills.¡± Barth acted as if he was ready to fight again at any moment. This caused Juan to smile, dumbfounded. However, his smile soon turned fierce and cold. ¡°Fine. Then let¡¯s fight again, using what we learned from each other.¡± Juan stabbed Sutra into the ground and clenched his fist. Then, instead of facing Barth¡¯s fist using his own left fist, Juan slammed his forehead against Barth¡¯s fist. Boom! The collision instantly caused Barth¡¯s middle finger to be bent in the wrong direction. The shock from the collision pushed Juan back as well, but Barth suddenly reached out his hand to grab Juan¡¯s head. Then Barth put strength into his hand with all his might, as if he wanted to crush Juan¡¯s head. Barth didn¡¯t stop there¡ªhe also slammed Juan¡¯s face with his right hand. The temporary bandage that was made with his top in order to prevent further bleeding was of no use. Despite the fact that his right hand had been split in half, Barth continued to slam Juan as hard as he could. The bones in Barth¡¯s hand ruthlessly slashed Juan¡¯s skin. Juan held back a scream, clinging to Barth¡¯s arm and trying to bend his hand in the wrong direction with all his might. In just an instant, Barth¡¯s left arm was twisted in the wrong direction along with a terrible cracking sound. Thus, Barth had no choice but to let go of Juan¡¯s head. As soon as he fell to the ground, Juan quickly rolled away to widen the distance between him and Barth. Barth chased after Juan and stomped on the ground, but Juan, who was swiftly rolling around on the ground, was not caught easily. Juan curled up and then quickly bounced back, kicking Barth¡¯s shinbone. The force of this kick was enough to break the bones of any ordinary person, but it only caused Barth to stumble for a short moment. After regaining his balance, Barth threw himself at Juan, intending to press down on Juan with his right hand. Then Barth began to crush Juan¡¯s thin neck with his thumb. While Juan couldn¡¯t breathe, his body didn¡¯t need to breathe in the first place. Then, Juan grabbed Barth¡¯s thumb and bent it completely in the wrong direction. Even though Barth had tremendous power and was unbelievably strong, the power of his thumb alone was not comparable to the power of Juan¡¯s whole body. Barth had no choice but to step back, since both of his hands were injured. At the same time, Juan started gasping due to his poor physical condition. ¡®I feel dizzy.¡¯ Juan realized that he had gotten a concussion due to Barth¡¯s fist attack. Not only was Juan¡¯s neck bone damaged, it might have ended up being completely crushed if Juan had not bent Barth¡¯s thumb just in time. However, the most severe wound was on Juan¡¯s face, which had been grabbed and slammed down by Barth numerous times. His right eye was blurry, almost looking like it was completely crushed, while his left eye was filled with blood. Above all, his failed attempt at using the seventh stage of the Baltic Sword, which was immediately followed by the use of Fleeting Moment and Negating Causality caused him to suffer from massive internal injuries. ¡°It seems like your eyes have been damaged pretty badly,¡± Barth murmured in a low voice. ¡°Speak for yourself. Can you even fight with your hands looking like that?¡± Juan snapped at Barth, deriding him. Their fight was getting more and more intense. Both Barth and Juan were walking on a tightrope. Although Juan¡¯s stature was small, his strength and speed resembled a sharp blade. Barth¡¯s body was now full of cuts, muscles that had become necrosed, as well as scorched wounds. Furthermore, his hands that had been broken and split apart made fighting normally almost impossible for him. Both Barth and Juan looked chaotic as they were covered in mud and rainwater. Barth quietly assessed the condition of his broken left arm and then put as much strength into it as he could. Then, with a grotesque cracking sound, his bones were forced back into place. ¡°Hah, what the hell is that nonsense¡­ how is that even possible¡­¡± Juan murmured as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would also be able to do it once you learn to freely control the muscles of your entire body. Bones being broken is no big deal.¡± Even though Barth was being cocky, Juan knew that he must be suffering from unbearable pain. Barth strode toward Juan as if he didn¡¯t care about pain. At the same time, Juan quickly entered a fighting posture while still covering his right eye that was bleeding. However, Barth didn¡¯t seem to care to aim for Juan¡¯s weakness at all. At the same time that Barth threw himself to slam against Juan, he aimed for the blindspot created by Juan¡¯s right eye to fire a fatal attack. However, as soon as Juan took his hand off his right eye, Barth could see that Juan¡¯s eye was perfectly normal. Only then did he realize that he had made a mistake. Juan blocked Barth¡¯s attack and then jumped close to his face, taking advantage of the gap that had just been created. He grabbed Barth¡¯s beard, and then started punching his face non-stop. His fist was so strong compared to his small size that from Barth¡¯s point of view, it was no different than a sharp awl stabbing against his face. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere as Barth¡¯s cheeks were ripped apart and his teeth were exposed. On the other hand, Barth didn¡¯t mind getting his beard being ripped off, and grabbed Juan and threw him to the floor. This caused Juan to back away while coughing blood. ¡°You¡¯re the one doing nonsensical things here,¡± Barth snarled at Juan. ¡®How the hell did his crushed eyes recover in such a short time?¡¯ Barth felt that Juan¡¯s ability to recover so quickly was quite unfair. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°You should already know that I am built like this,¡± Juan shrugged. Barth laughed furiously. Then he leaned his arm back and swung it at Juan¡¯s head as hard as he could. Juan faced Barth¡¯s fist just like that, and then kicked Barth in the stomach with all his might. The two repeatedly exchanged attacks several times and fell back. Juan felt like his skull had already been crushed at multiple places. However, he didn¡¯t feel too bad when he saw Barth, who was vomiting blood. Juan and Barth gasped for air as they widened the distance between each other. The mud around them had already turned red due to their blood. ¡°We might really end up staying up all night at this rate¡­ there are a lot of people watching us too,¡± Barth muttered with a sigh. Juan nodded as he agreed with Barth. Their battle had been going on for hours. It would be no exaggeration that both of them might end up dying if the battle continued at this rate. Juan would have an advantage if the battle turned into a long-term battle of attrition, since he had the ability to recover his body. However, Juan¡¯s goal was to get an answer out of Barth rather than killing him. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be too late to kill him after I hear his answer.¡¯ Both Juan and Barth¡¯s breathing began to slow down. Barth murmured in a quiet voice. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this at once.¡± CH 162 Juan was puzzled by Barth¡¯s words; he wondered if it had really been necessary for Barth to take a short break and let his breath be stabilized just to say that. In fact, Juan was the one who would be at an advantage after taking a short break rather than Barth; after all, while Barth¡¯s recovery speed was far beyond a human¡¯s, his recovery speed was nowhere close to Juan¡¯s. ¡°Fine. If you¡¯re still alive after this, that means I win and¡­¡± Barth kicked off the ground and jumped even before Juan could finish speaking. For a moment, Barth disappeared from Juan¡¯s sight. Juan inadvertently turned his head toward the sky; he had become accustomed to Barth¡¯s attack pattern of pressing down on him from above. The very next moment, a heavy blow struck Juan¡¯s body. Barth had lowered his body, almost as if to lie flat on the ground and then slammed Juan with the horns on his head. Barth¡¯s horns, which were usually high enough to pierce the sky, penetrated Juan¡¯s stomach and protruded all the way to his back. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Barth vigorously shook his head like an angry cow, scattering Juan¡¯s blood in all directions. As the wounds from their previous battle were further aggravated, blood spewed out of Juan¡¯s mouth. He bit his lips as he belatedly realized what had just happened. Barth had been pushing for this situation for a long time. Due to their previous battles, Juan had become used to looking up, since he was so much smaller than Barth. The fact that Barth kept approaching him from above also helped with making Juan become accustomed to such an attack pattern¡ªso Juan missed it when Barth lowered his body all the way to the ground and charged at him from below. Barth had been gathering strength for this final charge at the risk of letting Juan recover from his injuries. ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± Juan opened his eyes wide and tightly grabbed Barth¡¯s horns that were digging through his wounds. This attack was fatal, since the magic restraining property of the horns of Hornsluine were hindering his recovery. He was bound to really die at this rate. ¡°Keuk, ugh¡­ Ahhhhhhhh!¡± At that moment, Juan grabbed Barth¡¯s horns and pushed them deeper into his stomach. Only then was he able to wrap his legs around Barth¡¯s neck. Meanwhile, Barth continued to shake his head with all his might, but Juan refused to let go of his horns. Juan knew that due to his exhausted state he would only be ruthlessly trampled to death once he fell off. Crack! Crunch! Juan tightly held on to Barth¡¯s horns and began to twist them to the side. Doing this also meant that he was digging through his own wounds, but Barth¡¯s head slowly started to turn to the side. Juan intended to twist Barth¡¯s neck, since his desire to hear Barth¡¯s answer or his desire to win had left his mind a long time ago. The only desire controlling Juan right now was his desire to survive. ¡°Arghhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Barth grabbed Juan¡¯s head and tried to forcibly tear it off when his own neck began to turn. However, the moment they were both trying their best to completely end each other¡¯s lives, Juan felt as if he heard a voice inside his head. ¡®Wear the crown.¡¯ ¡®Bring out the primal fire.¡¯ ¡®Show this arrogant man the power of the king.¡¯ Upon hearing the voices that were trying to mess up his head, Juan screamed¡ªit almost looked like he was convulsing. ¡°Fuck offfffffff!¡± Crack! It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. At that moment, Juan was thrown into the air with a loud and grotesque noise. He rolled around for a while and barely managed to stop himself after spraying blood all over the ground. After that, Juan staggered to his feet with difficulty. Both of Barth Baltic¡¯s broken horns were clasped inside Juan¡¯s pale hands. He looked at majestic crown-like horns that symbolized the Hornsluines, and then he looked up at Barth. Meanwhile, Barth was staring at Juan with an expressionless face. ¡®I failed.¡¯ Juan had tried to break Barth¡¯s neck, but his attempt had only allowed him to break Barth¡¯s horns. Juan no longer had any strength left. He knew that he would have been able to make a comeback if he had decided to use the power of the flame crown. However, he had decided not to use magic or other kinds of sorcery before he started fighting Barth. If Juan used the power of the flame crown now, there would be no meaning in his victory over Barth. ¡°You won¡­¡± At that moment, Barth suddenly stumbled and collapsed to the side. A loud roar rang throughout the plains. The three hundred thousand Imperial troops sprang to their feet as they witnessed their Regent falling. The knights from the Order of the Capital, including Pavan, clenched their fists in astonishment. While everyone was holding their breath, Juan blankly stared at Barth and stood up to approach him. ¡°Are you dead?¡± Barth did not answer, but Juan could see that Barth¡¯s body was still moving faintly. Juan once again looked at Barth¡¯s horns that were held in his hand. Juan didn¡¯t know what these horns meant to the Hornsluines, but it didn¡¯t seem like Barth was dead yet. Juan recalled the fact that animals with horns would feel an enormous amount of pain when their horns were recklessly cut or broken, since they were connected to the skulls. But that wasn¡¯t important. The important thing was that Barth had collapsed while Juan was still standing on his feet. Juan lifted up Barth¡¯s broken horns. At that moment, loud cheers came from the Magic Tower, while heavy silence engulfed the Imperial army. At the same time, Juan slowly collapsed to the ground while thinking that it was fortunate that Barth was still alive. *** As soon as the battle was over, people rushed out from both sides. The Imperial Army¡¯s line fluctuated¡ªit looked like they were ready to charge at any moment when people came out of the magic tower, but soon came to a stop as if they were given a command. Five knights, including Pavan, then rode their horse to approach Barth from the Imperial Army¡¯s side. At the same time, the first ones to come out of the Magic Tower were Hela, Horhell, Sina, and Haild. Both sides maintained a brief period of silence, then agreed to remain peaceful for the time being. Pavan hurriedly examined Barth Baltic¡¯s condition and came to the conclusion that he was still alive and had not suffered any fatal wounds. The five knights then hastily carried Barth onto the cart they had brought with them. ¡°Your Majesty, are you all right?¡± Hela examined Juan¡¯s condition, but got no response from him. Anyone could tell at just a glance that Juan¡¯s injuries were very severe; after all, the hole in his stomach was as big as Hela¡¯s palm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. His Majesty won¡¯t die from a wound like this one. I¡¯ve seen him recover from even worse injuries,¡± Haild whispered from beside Hela. Hearing this, people sighed in relief. However, Sina grabbed Juan¡¯s wrist and then shook her head with a pale face. ¡°His body temperature is too low. I¡¯ve never seen Juan¡¯s body get this cold before¡­¡± Juan¡¯s body temperature only ever grew hotter when he was injured, never colder before. Sina¡¯s words caused agitation to spread quickly, but Juan could not be left as he was. Horhell hurriedly wrapped Juan¡¯s wound with a cloak that he was wearing around his shoulder and then carried Juan on his back. When Sina was just about to quickly follow Horhell, she found Barth Baltic¡¯s horns rolling around on the ground near where Juan had been. She picked them up and put them inside her pockets just in case. ¡°Contact the Magic Tower right now and tell them to send everyone who has the ability to treat injuries!¡± *** ¡°Someone is coming.¡± The sun had once again risen after the passage of the strange night. When he heard the report from the guards, Pavan looked at the person running toward them from the Magic Tower. Although he had expected someone from the emperor¡¯s side to visit him, he frowned upon seeing that it was the person he wanted to avoid the most. Hela Henna was riding a horse while holding a flag with the sun in her hand¡ªthe sun was the symbol of the emperor. She then stopped right in front of the Imperial Army¡¯s line. She had come alone, almost as if she was confident that no one here could harm her. She was facing three hundred thousand Imperial soldiers all by herself, but she showed no signs of despondency. It was not long before the Imperial soldiers quietly opened a path for her. Then, Hela got off her horse and walked forward without hesitation. Seeing the old commander of the East, some of the people had complicated emotions in their eyes. Some knights from the Order of the Capital avoided eye contact with her with a guilty look on their faces, while some of them glared at her as if they wanted to kill her. Those who were avoiding eye contact with Hela were the ones who had once been trained to become a knight in the East under her patronage. However, Hela didn¡¯t even bother to take a glance at them. When Hela arrived at Barth Baltic¡¯s tent, Pavan quickly stood in her way to stop her. He then politely greeted Hela with a bitter smile on his face. ¡°Master.¡± Hela smiled, revealing her teeth. ¡°Long time no see, Pavan. It¡¯s my first time seeing you after what happened at the Yult Mountains, huh?¡± Pavan knew that Hela was purposely acting like she had forgotten about their brief encounter last night. What she wanted to say was already clear anyway. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you look healthy. Is your injured leg okay?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°Ah, yes. In fact, it will only get stronger as long as it isn¡¯t chopped off. Thanks to you, I feel like my neck has gotten stronger and thicker as well.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. You know that I had not meant to hurt you. I was just trying to escort you, since I was worried that you might get in trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting better and better at talking bullshit day by day. You should tell Barth Baltic to stop feeding you greasy food. I¡¯m gonna slip on your tongue and fall to my death before I have a heart attack.¡± Pavan smiled bitterly and tried to lead Hela to a different place other than Barth¡¯s tent. However, Hela stood still and refused to move. ¡°Barth Baltic!¡± Hela shouted at the top of her lungs. When the loud voice echoed throughout the silent Imperial Army tents, dumbfounded eyes of the troops turned toward Hela in an instant. At the same time, Pavan¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Don¡¯t play tricks with me and come on out! You know that we have unfinished business!¡± ¡°Master, let¡¯s not make such a fuss here. How about we go to my tent for a cup of tea and¡­¡± ¡°Master, my ass. Since when have you ever treated me like your master anyway? You only call me your master when you need to. Do you have a death wish? Have you ever been slapped by someone with a single arm before?¡± Pavan backed away with a perplexed look when Hela pushed on his chest with her short left arm. Hela¡¯s arrogant and eccentric actions were all calculated¡ªshe knew that Pavan and the Imperial Army would be against using violence against her. ¡°Barth Baltic! Did you go deaf when your horns broke? If you continue to keep quiet like that, I will¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The question came from behind Hela¡¯s back rather than from inside Barth¡¯s tent. When Hela turned back, she saw Barth there standing shirtless, with only a towel wrapped around his neck; it looked like he had just washed his face. His torn and scorched beard had been cleanly shaved, and his exposed skin was full of scars and bruises. Above all, his arms which suffered from the fierce battle had been tightly wrapped with a thick bandage. His horns, which symbolized his identity, were broken off disproportionately. Barth immediately noticed what was going on upon seeing the faces of Hela and Pavan. ¡°Are you a messenger sent here by the emperor? You came earlier than I thought you would. I had to clean up a little because of the messy fight we had yesterday. After all, I couldn¡¯t greet an envoy looking like that. Give me a second while I get dressed.¡± Barth quietly disappeared into the tent. At the same time, Pavan bit his lips. *** After having a brief conversation with Barth, Hela smiled derisively at Pavan and returned to the Magic Tower. Pavan felt quite anxious upon seeing Hela¡¯s smile. When Pavan walked into the tent, he found Barth sitting still while rubbing his forehead. ¡°Regent.¡± ¡°Yes, Pavan. I was just about to call you in.¡± Pavan¡¯s eyes shook nervously. Barth¡¯s strangely calm appearance after his defeat last night made Pavan utterly anxious. ¡°Do you have any orders?¡± ¡°Command the Imperial Army to go back to the home base. Tell them that I appreciate their hard work, but it¡¯s all over. As for the nobles, I will talk to them myself. And¡­ get ready to head back to Torra.¡± CH 163 Pavan felt like his entire world was collapsing. ¡®He brought together a third of the Imperial Army, but is now going to disperse them without even trying to do anything?¡¯ With a force of three hundred thousand troops, it was possible to even overthrow the current empire and establish a new country. However, Barth was now saying that he wanted the troops to return to their home base just because he lost a duel. Such a thing had never been seen before. ¡°Regent!¡± Pavan clenched his teeth and knelt down before Barth. ¡°Please, you cannot give up like this! Everything happened too quickly last night, in just an instant. You were unconscious for just a short moment. Aren¡¯t you still alive and well now?¡± Barth Baltic¡¯s decision would be no different than a declaration of political suicide. Barth Baltic¡¯s position in Torra had already become extremely unstable. Not only were the people hostile toward him, but he had turned the Church into his enemy by insulting the emperor right in front of them. Pavan closed his eyes; it was clear to him that Barth wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for even a minute if he didn¡¯t return with the army. The Pope or the Templars who held grudges against Barth may immediately point their swords toward him. ¡°It¡¯s not only your own destruction, Regent! What are you going to do with those who have trusted and followed you until now, and what about your knights? Are you going to abandon your desire to make a new country and a new system just because you lost a duel?¡± ¡°Pavan,¡± Barth quietly replied upon hearing Pavan¡¯s words that were filled with frustration. ¡°I¡¯ve already abandoned all of you once.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You must have felt it too¡ªthis civil war could have gotten much more disastrous than anyone expected. The empire could have lost three hundred thousand soldiers, a huge number of military officers, and even the emperor. I tried to drive the emperor to his destruction even at the risk of losing you all.¡± Pavan did not answer, only his lips continued trembling. ¡°You guys were nothing more than a weight I was going to tie to the emperor to sink him to the bottom of the sea.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t care even if that¡¯s true! Don¡¯t you already know that humans are so terribly stupid no matter how many of them gather? Numbers are meaningless. The only thing that matters is the one person who can lead them all. We chose you as that one person! If the emperor sinks and you are able to rise in return, we are willing to¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything that you don¡¯t truly mean, Pavan. You just don¡¯t want your political ambitions to end here like this.¡± Pavan looked directly at Barth with his trembling eyes. ¡°And is that really so wrong? I abandoned my master and my hometown to achieve success. Are you going to tell me that it is bad for you to abandon the emperor and three hundred thousand Imperial troops now? Those people are loyal to you, just like I am. If this was an ordinary army, they would have already charged at the enemy last night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Pavan. In fact, I quite like how ambitious you are. You remind me of myself when I used to be young¡ªwhen I was a young officer among the Hornsluines.¡± Pavan remained silent upon hearing Barth¡¯s words. ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this¡ªnot just for myself, but for you as well. I know of at least one man who is in a terrible situation due to pointing his sword toward the wrong opponent, someone who shouldn¡¯t be messed with, only for the sake of pursuing ambition.¡± Barth Baltic, the last survivor of the Hornsluines, continued to speak with a face more lonely than ever. ¡°I asked Hela to take care of you and the Order of the Capital. Her answer to my request was ambiguous, but no one is as good as her at recognizing talents. The purge will not be as severe as you think.¡± ¡°Then why are you going back to Torra? If your purpose is just to surrender, joining the enemy¡¯s army will be enough. Why would you go out of your way to go back to Torra and be humiliated¡­?¡± Barth smiled bitterly. ¡°I unfairly stole this empire from the emperor.¡± Pavan closed his mouth. ¡°So I want to try as hard as I can to return it to him in its original state. The emperor will return amidst the cheers of the people of the empire, and he will make the vicious leader of the heterogenous races kneel down and then take back the throne. I think it will be quite a sight.¡± ¡°But¡­ but why would you¡­¡± Barth stared at Pavan without answering. Pavan felt chills running down his spine upon seeing Barth¡¯s calm gaze. ¡°Is it for all of us?¡± ¡°Pavan.¡± ¡°Are you planning to sacrifice yourself in the most humiliating way just in order to protect the Order of the Capital and the Imperial Army from the purge?¡± Barth did not answer. *** Half an hour ago. Hela was glaring at Barth Baltic. She tried to figure out if Barth was lying or joking, but all she could see from him was the confidence and the modesty of a loser. ¡°Is that all? Just explaining why you wanted to kill His Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what our bet was.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t about sending back the Imperial Army or you crawling in front of His Majesty if you lost?¡± ¡°No. There were no such things. Besides, it was a private duel. We can¡¯t make bets on such public matters.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s true. But¡­¡± Hela clicked her tongue as if she didn¡¯t know what to say. Originally, she had no doubt that Juan and Barth were fighting that fierce duel for something very important, and assumed that the duel was the reason why the Imperial Army didn¡¯t make a move even when Barth and Juan collapsed almost at the same time. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous of His Majesty. Did he not know just how high the stakes were in this war?¡± ¡°He had no choice but to obsess over it. And don¡¯t worry about the troops. The Imperial Army will disband.¡± Hela opened her eyes wide. ¡°Are you serious? Why?¡± ¡°I thought about the reason why I started that duel yesterday.¡± Barth Baltic was silent for a moment. Meanwhile, Hela was bothered by the prolonged silence, but patiently waited for Barth to open his mouth again. The silence continued for a long time, but Barth soon opened his mouth. ¡°I like you damn things, and I don¡¯t want all of you to die.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°Um¡­ do you mean our army?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about humans. There¡¯s no reason for three hundred thousand soldiers to bleed on this land. I think that was why I was relieved when the emperor decided to step forward.¡± ¡°...Why? You aren¡¯t a human, and there are so many humans that hate you. So why?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Hornsluines have already been destroyed, and it¡¯s not like I can have children either. All I have are the knights that I¡¯ve taught, as well as the loyal army they have nurtured. I made a ridiculous declaration yesterday¡ªthat I will become the new emperor of the new empire with them, when all I am doing is pushing them toward their deaths.¡± Hela snorted with a distorted expression upon hearing Barth Baltic¡¯s words. ¡°That really is quite a ridiculous declaration.¡± ¡°I felt good when I made the declaration. But I think that was my mistake. After all, I could never abandon my knights and the army. Here I am, thinking that it would be nice for them to live a little longer.¡± Hela leaned her back against the chair and tapped her fingers on the table, annoyed. Soon, she grumbled as if she was bothered. ¡°If you¡¯d constantly been shaving to get rid of your horns, I might have wanted you to become the new emperor from this war. Ah, and if you hadn¡¯t destroyed my family, stolen the knights I trained, or driven countless people from the Eastern territory to their deaths by blatantly isolating the East.¡± ¡°What sarcasm.¡± Hela leaned over and glared at Barth. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some conditions. After all, just the dissolution of the Imperial Army is not enough. Last night, you showed everyone that you can fight on an equal footing with His Majesty. Of course, I highly doubt that anyone who saw yesterday¡¯s duel would dare to raise their voice against His Majesty even as a mistake, but the fact itself may spread in the form of rumors¡ªthat there was a man who is just as strong as His Majesty. The existence of such a strong man itself is a threat to the empire.¡± Hela¡¯s words and intentions were clear. ¡°You want me to give my head to the emperor?¡± ¡°...And that¡¯s what the public opinion wants. The return of His Majesty after he kills the monster from the heterogeneous race. It¡¯s messy, but that¡¯s just politics.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already lived long enough, so I don¡¯t care if I die. But I¡¯d like to limit the bloodshed to myself. If that is possible, then I¡¯ll accept your offer.¡± ¡°...I will request His Majesty to have mercy on your knights and the army under the condition that the Imperial Army is disbanded immediately. But keep in mind that His Majesty will be the one to make the decision in the end.¡± ¡°We have a deal. The emperor that I know will make a wise decision.¡± Barth leaned his back against the chair with a calm expression. On the other hand, Hela stared at him for a while, then opened her mouth. ¡°So why did you want to kill His Majesty anyway?¡± ¡°Tell the emperor to come and listen to my reason in person. There¡¯s no reason for me to tell such things to a trifling envoy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m nothing but a trifling envoy. I would also like to know if you still want to harm His Majesty?¡± ¡°I want to kill him,¡± Barth answered without the slightest hesitation. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t beat him. I regretted that back then, I couldn''t kill him with my own hands, but I once again failed to do so even though I had the opportunity. The emperor was not at his peak strength physically. He didn¡¯t make use of magic, and he didn¡¯t have Telgramm. He couldn¡¯t even use Sutra properly. Even so, I still failed to beat him. Now, the only thing I can do is surrender in order to protect my knights and the army.¡± ¡°How ridiculous. However, I can relate to you in a sense that I desperately want to kill you, but don¡¯t have the power to do so. It¡¯s pretty frustrating when you can¡¯t kill someone when you really want to. Hey, wait. Did you say that His Majesty was not at his peak physically?¡± ¡°Yes. And it¡¯s not related to the fact that he doesn¡¯t have Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart right now. He was not even as good as he was before he got Mananen McLeir¡¯s mana heart¡ªand I¡¯m talking about his peak, right before the empire was just found.¡± At that moment, Hela frowned as if she had just made a mistake. While she immediately restored her calm expression, Barth realized that Hela was hiding something. Barth bent down toward Hela. ¡°What is it? Did something happen to the emperor?¡± ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just concerned that he is still sleeping when the Imperial Army is about to be disbanded at any minute. I¡¯m afraid that we will be scolded by His Majesty if you decide to run away while he is asleep.¡± ¡®She¡¯s definitely hiding something.¡¯ Barth could immediately notice that Juan was in bad condition. Hela¡¯s acting was perfect, but she couldn¡¯t fool Barth. Knowing Juan, he would have been the one to run and visit Barth to demand an answer on his own instead of sending an envoy. Hela stood up from her seat as she realized that Barth had noticed that something was going on. She refused to release any more information. ¡°Then hurry up and disband your army. Go home, wash yourself, and sleep.¡± ¡°Tell the emperor that I hope he gets well soon¡ªand that I will be looking forward to meeting him in Torra, alive and well.¡± Hela¡¯s face distorted, but she left the tent without looking back. *** Opert opened the door of the ward. Seeing him, the people who had been waiting impatiently jumped up from their seats and tried to approach Opert. However, Nienna¡¯s shout stopped all of them immediately. ¡°Sit back right now!¡± There was no one who could move an inch after Nienna¡¯s harsh order. Nienna had arrived early in the morning with the Northern Army, and was told about Juan and Barth¡¯s duel. The news that Juan beat Barth, but was in critical condition made Nienna nervous. Nienna asked the question that people were the most curious about. ¡°Is His Majesty all right?¡± Opert shook his head with a heavy expression. ¡°The bleeding is not stopping, and the wound itself is too big.¡± ¡°Is it that serious?¡± ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a wound that would have instantly killed any ordinary person just from the shock. But not only is His Majesty holding out, but he also seems to be trying to recover his own wounds. Nevertheless, he is still bleeding too much. I wonder where all that blood is even coming from.¡± Nienna bit her finger with a nervous look on her face. ¡°His Majesty has the ability to recover his body. I¡¯ve seen him recover from even worse wounds before. Furthermore, he has other abilities on top of that which help him recover in critical situations. So why isn¡¯t he getting better?¡± All those who had joined Juan¡¯s side, including Sina, Dilmond, Anya, Haild, and Hela were gathered in front of the ward. They too had seen Juan¡¯s incredible ability to recover before. This situation was utterly frustrating and unexpected, since they all thought he would recover easily just like the other times. At that moment, Anya quietly murmured. ¡°Barth Baltic¡¯s horns.¡± CH 164 ¡°His Majesty once said that Barth Baltic¡¯s horns were able to restrain magic. The wound was caused by Barth¡¯s Baltic¡¯s horns piercing through, so wouldn¡¯t it have something to do with that?¡± ¡°Even if that is the reason, he has been unconscious for way too long¡­ Hm, but who knows. Maybe you¡¯re right. After all, Barth Baltic is quite exceptional even amongst Hornsluines, so his horns might be particularly more powerful as well. It would be best if we could take a look at Barth Baltic¡¯s horns to examine their abilities¡­ However, I don¡¯t think we can. For now, let me look into other similar cases.¡± However, at that moment, Sina suddenly took out one of Barth Baltic¡¯s two horns from her bag. ¡°Would this be enough?¡± ¡°Wait, when did you¡­ This is perfect. I¡¯ll examine it immediately.¡± Nienna pushed Opert¡¯s back and encouraged him. ¡°Yes, examine it right away. No, wait¡ªbefore that, is there anything we can do to help His Majesty?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡± The answer came from behind Nienna, not from Opert. A young boy, who held a cane, was standing in a corner of the room where there had been no one up until just a moment ago. ¡°There is absolutely nothing you guys can do for the emperor. Wait¡­ I guess you can pray for him and cry, but I don¡¯t think either of those would be of much help.¡± Opert quickly bowed upon recognizing the young boy. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Well done, Opert. While you¡¯ve tried your best, this situation is beyond your capabilities.¡± Hearing this, Opert made a solemn expression. However, he had no choice but to admit that there was nothing he could do to help in this situation. Meanwhile, just as the boy took a step toward the room where Juan was, Nienna stood in the boy¡¯s way to block him. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°The only person in the world who can help the emperor recover.¡± Nienna frowned. ¡®Master, huh? That means that he is the head of all the magicians here.¡¯ Nienna had to wonder whether he would even be able to perform magic properly, since he was a magician who had been locked inside the Magic Tower for decades. ¡°And how am I supposed to trust you?¡± The boy smiled at Nienna¡¯s question. ¡°Because I¡¯m Dane Dormund. If I can¡¯t help the emperor, then no one in the world can help him.¡± Everyone looked at each other with perplexed expressions upon hearing the name; after all, Dane Dormund was a legendary name in the empire. Everyone in the empire knew the name of the legendary great magician who discovered and raised the emperor. However, Nienna fiercely drew her sword. ¡°Not only have you gotten younger, but you have also become more shameless. Magician, I¡¯ve heard that you were the one who handed over Elkiehl to Gared Gain. Is that correct?¡± Nienna asked. Dane looked at Nienna as if she was pathetic. ¡°How pathetic of you to say exactly the same words that Barth Baltic said when he was trying to instigate people. I know what Elkiehl is, but how am I supposed to get that thing in my possession and hand it over to Gared? You can only get Elkiehl by going into the Crack as far as I know. Do I look like I¡¯ve been encroached upon by the Crack in the slightest?¡± Nienna was the most sensitive to the energy of the Crack among everyone here. But even she couldn¡¯t find any signs of Dane being encroached upon by the Crack. Dane continued to speak. ¡°What would I even gain by doing that in the first place? I can see that one of the subordinates of one of the six apostates is here right now. You are Ras¡¯ subordinate, right? So she¡¯s allowed to be here, but I¡¯m not? What about Winoa Weaver, then? Or do you think Barth Baltic is loyal enough and want to bring him in here to cure the emperor?¡± Nienna gritted her teeth and glared at him upon hearing Dane¡¯s sarcasm. The only one who was confirmed to have been involved in the treason among the so-called six apostates was Gerard¡ªand even that wasn¡¯t fully clear after considering Haild¡¯s story. When Nienna hesitated to answer his questions, Dane snapped as if he was annoyed. ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t need to trust me. We can just let the emperor die then.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Nienna bit her lips and lowered her sword. However, she continued to fiercely glare at Dane Dormund. Feeling that he lacked persuasion, Dane added a few more words. ¡°Look. I offered to form an alliance with the emperor, and he accepted my offer. Well, it was more like we became his subordinates, but that¡¯s not important. The point is, if the Magic Tower intended to harm the emperor, we would have ambushed him rather than to offer to form an alliance. In fact, I would have joined the battle myself if the emperor hadn¡¯t told me to not intervene. If I had decided to join the battle, being outnumbered wouldn¡¯t really have been an issue. I alone would be enough to handle one hundred thousand troops if I decided to summon all the monsters that are in a contract with me.¡± Nienna frowned; she already knew that there was nothing wrong about Dane¡¯s words. However, she still found it difficult to believe him, since everything that she had heard about Dane was negative. ¡°How are you going to help His Majesty?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do it on my own. I¡¯ll need some things. Aruntal will help me with that.¡± Nienna¡¯s eyes widened, while the people who were listening to their conversation were perplexed upon hearing a name that they had never heard of before. ¡°Wait a second. Who¡¯s Aruntal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a person¡­ It''s a group. The members of Aruntal are the teachers of His Majesty,¡± Nienna frowned as she answered Hela¡¯s question. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s teachers? Does that mean that Dane Dormund isn¡¯t the only one who imparted his knowledge and skill to His Majesty?¡± ¡°There had been people who were preparing for the threats and disasters created by the gods in their own ways long before the emperor was even born. There were ancient sorcerers, powerful magicians, warriors, and scholars¡ªthey all gathered, regardless of their race. Only those who had reached the very peak in any field could join this secretive group.¡± It was Dane who explained what Aruntal was instead of Nienna. Meanwhile, Nienna continued to glare at him with a disapproving gaze. ¡°They are the ones who discovered the emperor who was originally nothing but an orphan wandering around in the remote areas, and then helped him become the emperor that we know. Aruntal knows the emperor better than anyone else. This kind of wound that the emperor has suffered is, of course not a problem.¡± Dane continued to explain, but Nienna still hadn¡¯t let her guard down. ¡°His Majesty wouldn¡¯t have been assassinated if you bastards hadn¡¯t suddenly disappeared. You should have been loyal until the very end once you¡¯ve pledged your allegiance. Why are you sticking your head out now? Particularly when the emperor has just returned and is right at the gates of Torra?¡± Nienna snapped. ¡°We had our own reasons for what we did at that time. Besides, even if I am a little late, I did tell the emperor that I would help him. It was the emperor who rejected my offer,¡± Dane frowned as if he was annoyed. ¡°Look. The emperor is on the verge of death, even at this very moment. Are you going to keep asking for an explanation? You should know that the emperor¡¯s death wouldn¡¯t be good for me either. The Magic Tower decided to stand on the emperor¡¯s side, but we would be at risk if the emperor were to die now. If you really can¡¯t trust me, you can get someone to keep an eye on me while I help the emperor. Oh, but make sure that there is only one. I hate it when things can be complicated.¡± Everyone immediately stood up from their seats, offering to be the one to keep an eye on Dane. No one knew where they would be going or how they would get there. They didn¡¯t consider whether they were being dragged into the lab of a suspicious magician¡­ However, none of them showed any hesitation. Nienne was about to say that she would go, but then decided against it; she had to stay and maintain order in the absence of His Majesty. Then, at that moment Dane pointed toward a person. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°What about that female knight? Out of everyone here, she has been watching the current emperor for the longest time. Not only did she prevent further conflict in this war, but there is no doubt about her loyalty toward the emperor.¡± People quickly turned their attention toward the person in question. Sina, who had been quietly standing in the back, was perplexed by the sudden attention. Dane smiled. ¡°That lady, who claimed to be the emperor¡¯s watchdog.¡± *** There was quite a bit of discussion about whether Sina was suitable to keep an eye on Dane. However, she was the only one whose disappearance wouldn¡¯t cause any issues for the group. Sina was a woman who had once tried to kill the emperor, but then became his ally. She held no title, but she was clearly working for the emperor. Such was her position. On the other hand, Sina found her position to be quite ironic. ¡®I¡¯m an Imperial Knight who rebelled against the empire, and also the Elite Knight of a knight order that no longer exists.¡¯ Sina and Dane arrived at a pitch-black room. It almost felt like a floating space rather than a room, since you almost couldn¡¯t feel the three dimensions. However, the floor was dry and crispy, and had the texture of soil. There were no lights, but Dane and Sina could be clearly seen, almost as if it was a bright and sunny day. Dane slowly walked past Sina and advanced forward. Sina followed him, and then soon found something huge that was sitting still not too far away from them. ¡°What¡¯s your intention?¡± SIna asked Dane. Sina did not forget about the time when she ran into Dane after Anya¡¯s recent massacre. At that time, Dane had told her that she was right when she was skeptical about Juan¡ªand that the emperor was a kind and loving man. ¡°I appreciate you for trusting me, Dane. But I have no idea why you keep coming to me or why you¡¯re showing so much interest in me.¡± Dane glanced back. His two eyes, which each held a different color, were smiling at Sina. ¡°Because your ideologies and mine are ultimately the same. Wouldn¡¯t you like it if you were to meet someone who had the same thoughts as you?¡± ¡°...Any one of the citizens of the empire would believe that His Majesty is a loving man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a funny joke. You almost made me laugh out loud. Listen¡ªpeople don¡¯t believe in the emperor who is full of love for everyone. The emperor that they trust is the emperor who only loves himself. The problem is that there are so many humans who desperately want to kill their fellow humans. And they all hope that the emperor doesn¡¯t love those humans they want to kill. Humans are very foolish, aren¡¯t they?¡± Dane chuckled and continued to walk forward. Before Sina knew it, she began to see a huge figure from far away. Sina blinked as she was perplexed by the bizarre figure that she had never seen before. What was ahead of them was a huge statue made of branches, charcoal and mud. The statue had the skull of an eagle, but the body of a human. The statue which seemed like it could collapse at any moment was seated in a cross-legged position and was slowly releasing fog flowing out of its body. ¡°What¡­ what is this?¡± Sina asked. ¡°This is the body of Mananen McLeir. It¡¯s pretty rotten, but I¡¯ve been making good use of it. I¡¯m sure that I can use it for another fifteen years.¡± Juan was lying right in front of Mananen McLeir¡¯s body. Sina stepped back in surprise, since she didn¡¯t see Dane bring Juan with them while they were walking, nor had she seen Juan before this moment. Dane looked back at Sina. ¡°You should get used to the sudden appearance of things if you want to be around me in the future.¡± ¡°Pardon me? Why would I be around you in the future?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll answer that question later.¡± Dane sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to fix the emperor.¡± *** Sina carefully approached Juan and examined his condition. She had never seen Juan in such a weak condition¡ªhis skin was so pale that his veins were visible and cold sweat was running down his face. She had not seen him look like this even when he fought in the Colosseum at Tantil with the body of a child or when he lost consciousness in his fight against the Priest from the Thornbush Priest Organization in Durgal. ¡°How do you start the treatment? Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Sina turned her head and asked Dane, but soon closed her mouth. The dark space they had been in had long disappeared and a desolate plateau could be seen around them. Sina looked around at the surroundings in bewilderment. The black space seemed to have been erased and a new space had appeared on the border of her vision. Juan, as well as Mananen McLeir¡¯s body were also gone, but Dane was still standing right beside SIna. Then, Dane gently patted Sina¡¯s back with his cane. ¡°The treatment has already begun. Stay focused.¡± Suddenly, a boy with black hair, and wearing a thick fur cloak rose up from the plateau. He looked quite messy with blood and dust all over; it almost looked like he had just been in a battle. However, Sina could recognize him at just a glance. It was Juan. But he looked very young, quite similar to the first time Sina saw him back in Tantil. Sina tried to approach Juan with a perplexed expression, but Juan didn¡¯t even spare her a single glance. Only then did Sina realize that Juan couldn¡¯t see her. Juan crawled on the plateau with an exhausted look on his face and then soon lied down. Sina looked back at Dane. ¡°What is going on? Why is this necessary for the treatment?¡± ¡°Because sometimes it¡¯s important to focus on the more fundamental part that makes one¡¯s self rather than the physically injured part when treating someone.¡± At that moment, an old man appeared behind Juan. Upon seeing the old man¡¯s pointy ears, SIna realized that he was an elf. The old man roared some incomprehensible words as soon as he saw Juan lying on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s the northeastern Elf dialect¡ªhe is telling the emperor to get up and raise his sword,¡± Dane spoke to Sina as if he was explaining. ¡°That old Elf was also a member of Aruntal. His name is Kelifa Kaliduk. He¡¯s an elf, but he barely has any ability to communicate with the spirits. So, he didn¡¯t learn anything but swordsmanship in his hometown. He doesn¡¯t even know how to speak the standard language of the elves.¡± Juan managed to stand up with a tired look on his face, but his arm that was holding the sword was still trembling. Meanwhile, the old elf raised his sword and charged toward Juan with no mercy. Juan stumbled every time his sword clashed with the old elf¡¯s sword, but he never let go of his sword. However, he couldn¡¯t prevent the old elf from aiming for the gaps in his form. The old elf didn¡¯t miss the short moment when Juan made a huge movement in order to attack and stabbed him under the armpit. Juan ended up dropping his sword due to his muscles getting cut. Sina¡¯s mouth dropped open in shock, but then Juan rolled around and grabbed his sword with his other hand almost as if he was used to it. At the same time, the wound under Juan¡¯s armpit was still bleeding without healing for some reason. ¡°The emperor has been fighting against monsters for a week. He has been fighting all day and night, without eating or sleeping. He climbed up to this mountain to train with restricted use of mana.¡± ¡°But¡­ why? Why to that extent¡­?¡± ¡°Think about the opponents the emperor has to fight against. Those who are resistant to magic, those who are resistant to plain swordsmanship, and even those who are both alive and dead at the same time. Aruntal consists of people who had reached the peak in their own fields, but they are still no match for the emperor¡¯s opponents. That¡¯s why they have to drive the emperor to this extent and train him.¡± Even so, Sina was not convinced that it was right to push a child who was less than ten years old to such an extent. Come to think of it, the emperor had only been twelve years old when he killed Talter, the god of madness. Sina had thought that it was just a great achievement of the emperor when she was taught history, but she realized that reality was very different from what she had imagined now that she saw how hard Juan had trained. ¡°Look carefully, Sina. Look at the reason why the emperor had to go through all this.¡± CH 165 The shrill sounds of iron clashing against could be heard constantly. Despite looking like he was already unconscious, Juan was still moving. While Juan was no different from ordinary human beings once his use of mana was restricted, he was blocking the old elf¡¯s sword with his left hand, the hand which he was not familiar with using. At that moment, Sina doubted her eyes upon seeing Juan¡¯s sword limply bending. For the first time, Juan managed to stop being defensive and attempted to attack the old elf. Then, the old elf frowned and shouted something in a loud voice. ¡°Alhke! Alhke!¡± ¡°It means ¡®well done¡¯ and ¡®keep going¡¯,¡± Dane explained. ¡®His expression seems to be saying otherwise, almost as if he wants to kill Juan.¡¯ Sina managed to swallow the words. Juan continued to move fiercely. His sword was swung toward the old elf¡¯s sword in an elaborate and accurate pattern. Among his crude yet elaborate movements, Sina was able to find the traces of the Baltic Sword¡ªin fact, Juan¡¯s movements were the prototype of the Baltic Sword. Then Juan¡¯s sword suddenly began to emit translucent fog. Seeing this, the old elf made a perplexed expression, and soon shouted something as he grabbed his sword and charged firmly into the inside of the fog. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Bang! With a dull sound, Juan collapsed to the floor. ¡°That¡¯s the end of it,¡± Dane said as he stared at Juan. The old elf wiped the sweat off of his forehead and then examined Juan¡¯s condition. He looked quite concerned, but Juan was only lightly snoring as he fell asleep. The old elf, who had been frowning throughout their training, smiled as if he was dumbfounded upon realizing that Juan was just sleeping. ¡°Well. Shall we move on?¡± Dane lifted his cane and scanned the empty space as if he was turning the page of a book. *** This time, Juan looked like he was about fifteen years old. He was older than the last time, but he was still quite young. Sina realized that this was Juan¡¯s appearance from when he was just beginning to move in earnest. ¡°A little kid like you want to be our king?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the title, whether it¡¯s the king or the chief. I just need you guys.¡± Countless refugees stared at Juan with anxious eyes. Juan slowly looked around at the damp and desolate land. The majority of the land here had been poisoned, making it impossible for crops to grow on it. However, the young children were surviving by drinking the rotten water and eating the bark of the trees. The largest man among the refugees growled at Juan. ¡°Do you even know where we are? What are you even trying to achieve by becoming the king of beggars?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I want to become the king of beggars. You guys will become my army,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Army? Hah! This bastard also seems to be trying to take advantage of the mess that''s happening these days.¡± The man said as he slammed the ax that he was carrying on his shoulder to the ground. ¡°I hate to break it to you, but the people here are the ones who ran away because they were sick of war. Most of them are children or women, since almost all the men are dead. We would be no help¡ªif anything, we would be a burden. If you want to fight, either pray to god or go find the weirdo who¡¯s been babbling about killing gods these days. I¡¯m sure you will get along quite well with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m that weirdo who killed a god.¡± These words caused a stir among the refugees. The man looked perplexed at first, but soon his face became distorted. ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re driving me nuts. A kid like you, killed a god? Are you serious? Do you even know how many hunters and demons are after you, trying to kill you? What are you trying to achieve by running all the way out here anyway?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t run away. I came here for you guys.¡± The man was speechless¡ªhe was too dumbfounded to say anything. However, Juan¡¯s confidence and an unknown energy intimidated him quite a bit. These things, along with the various rumors about Juan were enough to make the man feel quite uneasy. The rumors about the one who murdered a god and liberated the slaves were already quite famous everywhere. Some of the refugees even claimed that they had actually seen him. ¡°Hmph, fine¡­ If you really are the so-called god killer, the task should be pretty simple.¡± The man got the refugees to step aside. In the middle of the refugees¡¯ village was a rock. Embedded in the center of the rock was a rusty sword. ¡°It¡¯s a rock we took out of the swamp, but it happened to have a sword stuck within it. We will serve you as our king or whatever you want if you can pull this sword out.¡± Juan looked at the man as if he was dumbfounded and then strode over to the rock. Juan asked one more time as if he wanted to confirm. ¡°That¡¯s all you need me to do? You¡¯re going to accept me that easily? I had heard from my teachers that the position of a king is obtained by sharing power with everyone through treaties, negotiations and promises between the majority and the organizational leaders.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Isn¡¯t it enough by pulling out the sword stuck in that rock?¡± ¡°Alright. If that¡¯s all you want, then¡­¡± Juan approached the rock. He tightly clenched his fist, and then slammed the handle of the sword that was stuck in the rock at once. Crack! The rock instantly broke down with a loud noise. Then, Juan slowly picked up the sword, that was now ruined, from the ground where only the fragments of the original rock remained. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you will be able to use this sword. However, I don¡¯t think it would have mattered anyway, since it is already in such a rusty state to begin with. Are you okay with that?¡± The man looked at Juan with a dumbfounded look on his face. When Juan repeated his question, the man stuttered and opened his mouth. ¡°Wh-why do you even ne-need an army when you¡¯re already so strong?¡± ¡°I am short on hands, since the gods have begun to form their own army. Now, I won¡¯t be able to kill them on my own. Besides, I don¡¯t want all of you to think that you were granted peace and freedom for nothing,¡± Juan reached out his hand. ¡°Join me on my journey. After all, peace that was gained without any effort is easily lost. I want to give all of you a solid rock-like fence that won¡¯t easily collapse.¡± The man¡¯s eyes shook. He did not understand much of the difficult words spoken by Juan, nor did he know whether it was the right thing to serve a boy who looked like he was only about fifteen years old. However, he could clearly see that Juan was sincere and had the power to make his words come true. Above all, he felt strongly attracted to Juan¡¯s confidence. Nevertheless, there was one thing that made the man feel apprehensive about Juan¡¯s offer. ¡°There are members of the heterogenous races among us. They are the ones who lost their gods because of you and lost the power granted by their gods¡¯ blessings. Although some of the refugees hate the members of the heterogenous races, I think they aren¡¯t any different from the other victims of war. But, it will only be natural for them to hate you. So, are you willing to accept heterogeneous races as well?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Juan nodded. ¡°There are Elves, Arles, and Orcs among my teachers. They too have also agreed that gods should be killed. I will accept as many refugees as I can, as long as they agree to treat even the people at the lowest levels equally,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Alright,¡± The man held out his hand. ¡°My name is Winoa Weaver. I¡¯ll go inside this fence you are building.¡± Sina blankly stared at Juan and Winoa Weaver holding hands. She had heard of Winoa Weaver¡¯s name before¡ªhe was the former captain of the Imperial Guards and the first of the Six Apostates to be executed after His Majesty¡¯s assassination. Dane twisted his lips and opened his mouth. ¡°Juan didn¡¯t hold the title of the emperor just yet, but it was at this time that he began to realize his power and the weight of his actions. We tried very hard to teach the emperor why he had to become ¡®the emperor¡¯ rather than a hero. That¡¯s not something you can just learn naturally, you know? I¡¯m sure you know how the two are different from each other.¡± ¡°...Heroes catch fish for the people, but the emperor makes nets for them.¡± ¡°Exactly. Us¡ªthe Aruntal, tried our absolute best to make the emperor keep that in his mind.¡± *** The alpine region that Sina had seen earlier had reappeared. However, this time, the season had changed and snow was piled up. Juan climbed up the mountain with ease, despite the snowstorm. This time, Juan looked much older than before¡ªabout thirty years old. He didn¡¯t have a beard on his face, but he looked much bigger, and had broader shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the ¡®him¡¯ here looks much more like an emperor than what he is now?¡± Dane asked joyfully. Juan trudged over and stabbed a blue trident and a burning sword in the middle of the plateau. Sina immediately recognized the identity of the two weapons: they were Telgramm and Sutra, the famous weapons that belonged to the emperor. ¡°Aruntal,¡± Juan muttered toward the empty space, almost as if he was reciting. ¡°The task you have assigned to me has been completed.¡± Dane quietly watched the scene. ¡°Today, the last of the gods on this land has died. The rest are those who have escaped beyond the boundaries and to the Crack. Those who have crossed beyond the boundaries and entered the Crack won¡¯t be able to come back¡ªMananen McLeir assured me.¡± No one answered Juan amidst the quiet alpine region. Sina realized from Juan¡¯s expression that he wasn¡¯t even expecting an answer. In fact, there was no one listening to him from the very beginning. ¡°It¡¯s quite unfortunate that you guys didn¡¯t get to see all this. I have ordered Barth Baltic to investigate the disaster that struck all of you. If there is someone who perpetrated it, I¡¯ll make sure to have them take responsibility. If they too have escaped to the Crack, I will chase after them and end their lives for good. I wish I could investigate the case myself, but¡­¡± Juan barely continued to speak while his lips started trembling. ¡°There¡­ there is too much work that needs to be done. Harmon is helping me with most of it, but there is still a lot. It almost seems like there¡¯s more work that needs to be done than even when I went around killing gods. I¡¯d have asked you all for a lot of advice if you guys were still alive. I don¡¯t know if Dane Dormund is dead or not, but if possible, I want to ask him to come back.¡± Sina covered her mouth with her hand upon hearing Juan¡¯s words¡ªhis words meant that all of the members of Aruntal were dead. It was unknown as to what had happened, but many of the members of Aruntal seemed to be dead. However, it was only natural that no one would know about their deaths, since it was a secret organization to begin with. ¡°Yes. Around this time, we were attacked and most of us ended up dying. Some survived, but escaped to a dimension that they could never return from. At that time, I was critically injured as well, and so I had to change parts of my body from here and there¡­ that¡¯s when I got this body that I have now,¡± Dane explained to Sina. However, Sina couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to Dane; she was focused on listening to Juan. ¡°Of course I won¡¯t call for Dane again. I know that I shouldn¡¯t speak nonsense just because I¡¯m exhausted. But¡­ to be honest, I¡¯ve only lived for thirty years,¡± Juan spoke as he looked up at the sky blankly. ¡°In just thirty years, I have killed all the gods and am leading humans to the apex of mankind. But I feel skeptical¡ªis this normal? So far, I¡¯ve only had to beat all the enemies to death. But I no longer have to do that. Now, I need to teach, lead and get involved in politics. Harmon has been doing well so far, but what would happen if Harmon wasn¡¯t by my side? You guys aren¡¯t here anymore either.¡± Juan mumbled as he kicked the stone on the floor. ¡°Dane said that I will become completed as the emperor the moment I get Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart. But that¡¯s not the right condition to make the emperor¡ªthirty years is too short to make me an emperor. Maybe fifty years? Would fifty years be enough? No¡­ hundred years? Would I become the true emperor of mankind in one thousand years?¡± The words were low and full of pain. ¡°Is it even possible to lead mankind?¡± Juan remained silent for a long time after murmuring the last sentence. Sina was utterly perplexed by Juan¡¯s weak appearance which she had never seen before. Juan had always shown the utmost confidence and seemed to be able to solve any problem with ease. However, at this moment, upon seeing him suffer and be confused due to the deaths of his teachers, Sina realized that he too had a weak point hidden inside of him. After a while, Juan once again opened his mouth. ¡°I ended up saying such weak things again. But bear with me¡ªwhere else would I be able to say these things? If I told these things to Harmon, he would hit me on the head with a bottle of alcohol and tell me that he would smack my head if I went somewhere else and said such nonsense.¡± Juan sighed, and quietly pulled out Telgramm and Sutra from the ground and turned around. At that moment, Juan, who was stepping back on his footprints to return, looked like a lonely tree in the middle of the wasteland. Dane once again waved his cane. After that, the official history of Juan¡ªthe official history of the Emperor, that was well-known throughout the empire, passed by like a film. The scenes included the corruption caused by the Crack beyond the boundary, the disaster of Arbalde, the disturbance caused by the dragons, the empire pressing down on the chaos everywhere, and Juan struggling to stop all of that. Then, in the end, Juan was stabbed in the back by his own child, Gerard Gain. Dane stopped the scene at the sight of Juan being stabbed in the back by Gerard Gain. ¡°Sina Solvane,¡± Dane quietly asked Sina. ¡°What do you think is the emperor¡¯s weakness?¡± Sina tried quite hard before gulping. It was difficult for her to even open her mouth, since the inside of her mouth was so dry after watching the whole scene. Soon, an answer came out of Sina¡¯s mouth. ¡°Human.¡± CH 166 Dane slowly walked around Sina with a smile. It was as if he was satisfied with her answer. ¡°You¡¯re right, Sina. The emperor loved humans terribly. The reason why the emperor suffers is because of humans, and the reason why he died is because of humans as well. Everything he loved ended up betraying him, and everything he made destroyed itself. All of that was done by humans that the emperor loves so dearly.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®but,¡¯ Sina. His love for humans is sublime and beautiful.¡± Dane forced Sina¡¯s arm down. He didn¡¯t put much strength into his hand, but Sina dropped down on one knee and met eyes with Dane. ¡°Such sublime love is worth protecting.¡± ¡°...Worth protecting? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Look at the current emperor, Sina.¡± Dane waved his cane and summoned Juan, who was lying there with a pale face just like a corpse. Sina was once again agitated to see his pale expression, but Dane changed the scene around them once again. Juan cut down the guards at the burning Tantil Colosseum and released the monsters in a crowded stadium. The next scene showed the time when Juan exterminated the Order of the Blue Rose in the Laus Mountains. It also showed the image of Sina, who was drenched in blood as she fought against the demonic slaves. Then the scene changed to show Juan putting the Templars into a fire pit and then burning them to death, as well as the scene of him fighting against the warriors of Arbalde. Finally, the scene of Juan giving a warning to his enemies, but then smiling and saying that he hopes that they ignore his warning and resist with all their might so that he could kill them all flashed in front of Sina¡¯s eyes. Only a madness for violence and revenge remained within Juan, and it was hard to find the nobility he once had as the emperor. He was so different, that it was to the extent that Sina had to wonder if it was the same person. ¡°The reason why so many people who encountered the emperor weren¡¯t able to recognize him immediately after seeing him is not only because of his appearance that has changed,¡± Dane whispered in Sina¡¯s ear. ¡°The current emperor is a ruined emperor, Sina. Only you can bring him back to who he used to be in the past.¡± Sina flinched and turned her head in surprise, only to see Dane pointing his cane toward Juan who was lying on the ground. ¡°He wasn¡¯t born to be the emperor, but was made to be the emperor. However, we missed the opportunity to do so this time. It¡¯s not too late yet though¡ªwe can start all over again and create the new emperor.¡± Sina backed away with a perplexed look on her face. However, Dane stared at Sina and yelled at her upon noticing the strong sign of repulsion on her face. ¡°Just think about what would happen if Juan was allowed to sit on the throne as he is now!¡± Sina flinched. Juan was desperate for revenge, and he would be able to achieve anything he wanted with his overwhelming power and ability. Considering how the empire had built a deep-rooted evil under the name of the emperor, it would only be natural for a storm of blood to sweep through the empire even if only the bare minimum part of the empire was cleaned up. Sina also agreed that the deep-rooted evils needed to be cut out, even if some blood needed to be shed. But, it was hard to imagine the scale of bloodshed that Juan would cause¡ªand there was also the issue of how Juan would rule the empire after he became accustomed to ruling with the help of the sword and using bloodshed. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m not only leaving the emperor to you, but I¡¯m entrusting you with the future of the entirety of mankind,¡± Dane said as he drew a circle on the ground. The circle soon became black like muddy ink. Then Dane pulled something up from the circle as if he was scooping something out. ¡°There is no need to think too much. I will give back to you the emperor you have long since wanted¡ªthe original emperor who was full of love and benevolence. You will then be leading the return of such an emperor with your own hands.¡± The object that Dane scooped out from the circle quickly hardened into a pointed shape after dripping some black water. The object looked like a dagger with a rough texture and had the shape of a palm-length tile. As soon as she saw it, Sina felt an unknown fear from the black object. ¡°Take this, Sina.¡± ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± Sina asked. ¡°It¡¯s Elkiehl,¡± Dane answered briefly. ¡°It''s pretty hard to get my hands on it. With this, we can take out the crown from the emperor and then remake him into a proper emperor. You can eliminate anything from him if you stab him with this.¡± ¡®Elkiehl? The crown?¡¯ Sina was confused, since she had never heard of either of the two before. However, Dane pushed Elkiehl into Sina¡¯s hand as if he was forcing her to grab onto it. Sina looked at the dagger with a strange texture as if she was possessed. ¡°Use that, and stab the emperor as if you¡¯re trying to take his life, and that will make the emperor you want. You will be able to accept the emperor of love and benevolence rather than the current emperor of revenge and blood with your own hands,¡± Dane said as he pushed Sina toward Juan. He then added, ¡°Or you could choose to become the emperor yourself. To be honest, I really think that you deserve the title. No matter what, let¡¯s return to everyone with the true emperor. And I¡¯m talking about His Majesty of back then, who killed the gods and led mankind.¡± It was true that Dane¡¯s offer sounded quite sweet to Sina¡¯s ears. Sina was deeply skeptical about Juan, but nevertheless, she could not deny the fact that Juan was the emperor. Because of this, her skepticism was bound to be directed at herself. If she just closed her eyes and stabbed Juan just this once, the emperor that everyone in the empire, including Sina, were waiting for will return. However, despite knowing that, Sina couldn¡¯t move at all. Then, she opened her mouth in pain. ¡°Why me? Why can¡¯t you do it yourself¡­?¡± ¡°I wish I could say that it¡¯s because only you have the most ideal heart and mind to do it¡­ but that is not the case. Due to some vows I made in the past, I can¡¯t get too deeply involved with everything except to steer the situation in the right direction,¡± Dane answered with a sigh. ¡°Moreover, the only people that can touch the crown after stabbing the emperor are those who have been granted the essence of the emperor. None of the remaining descendants of the emperor would be willing to cooperate with this. But you¡ªyou are the only other person with the emperor¡¯s essence who would agree with my thoughts.¡± ¡®The emperor¡¯s essence.¡¯ Sina had already heard about the fact that she had the emperor¡¯s essence within herself. But something still didn¡¯t make any sense to her. ¡®Since when did I have the emperor¡¯s essence and how did I end up getting it?¡¯ But based on the way Dane was speaking, she was sure that she had the essence of the emperor within her. ¡®Was it on the night when the Order of the Blue Rose was wiped out in the Laus Mountains?¡¯ Sina suddenly felt the tattoo on her left eye beginning to burn with an unknown pain. ¡®Did Juan give it to me at that time?¡± At that time, Sina had desperately wanted to kill Juan. But then, Sina became even more confused¡ªshe wondered why Juan would give her his essence when she had been so hostile toward him. ¡®Giving the greatest power that he had only ever given to his children to someone who wanted to kill him¡­ what did he mean by that?¡¯ Sina inadvertently recalled what Juan had told her at that time in the Laus Mountains. *** ¡°You are definitely not the emperor they are anticipating. Of course, there¡¯s no way you really are His Majesty and I will never acknowledge it, but if you still claim yourself to be the emperor¡­ I can¡¯t leave you alone.¡± Sina glared at Juan. She only had one eye left, but her glare was even stronger than when she had both eyes. ¡°I will have no choice but to kill you to protect them from the despair you will bring.¡± ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped when you gain the ability to kill me,¡± Juan smiled in satisfaction. *** And now, Juan was just lying there like a corpse. Sina had the means to kill him, and she even had the right to kill him. Sina thought over and over. ¡®Did Juan predict this situation? Was he trying to make me feel indebted to him by saving my life? Or was he¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Sina,¡± Dane said as he thumped the ground with this cane. ¡°Close your eyes and just do it. After that, everything else will proceed on its own.¡± Sina felt her arms slowly pointing downward, almost as if she was being manipulated by something. The tip of the dagger in her hand aimed toward Juan¡¯s chest. At that moment, Sina fixed her eyes on Juan¡¯s face. She wanted Juan to say something to her, as if she would feel comfortable if she heard him tell her that everything is okay. The next moment, Juan was looking at Sina with his eyes open. This caused Sina to flinch and shudder in surprise. However, Juan was still lying there with his eyes closed when Sina blinked her eyes; she had just seen an illusion. Sina remembered how Juan was always aloof in the face of death. He was afraid of being alive, but he was never afraid of dying. ¡®Taking his life is nothing. What he feared the most was¡­¡¯ Then Sina stabbed Elkiel deep into Juan¡¯s chest. At the same time, Dane¡¯s face brightened with joy. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! Now¡­¡± Dane suppressed his pounding heart and prepared to proceed with the next step. ¡°Now a crown will appear above the emperor¡¯s head at any moment. Once it does, lift the crown and then transfer it to the bowl I have prepared. Then the biggest step will be over. We can then get ready to make the new emperor that¡­¡± Dane chattered with excitement, but his words gradually died down. Soon, the joy on his face disappeared, and he made a perplexed expression. ¡°Why isn¡¯t the crown showing up?¡± ¡°You said Elkiehl can eliminate anything, right?¡± Sina looked back at Dane with an expressionless face. ¡°You were right. It seems like it can even remove the magic restraints left behind by Barth Baltic¡¯s horns.¡± *** Dane face hardened with frustration. As soon as Sina pulled Elkiehl out from Juan¡¯s chest, his wounds began to quickly heal. The recovery began as soon as the magic restraints that had been interfering with the flow of mana disappeared from inside his body. The large hole in Juan¡¯s stomach had already stopped bleeding, and new flesh and muscles filled in the gap. ¡°Do you realize what you have just done?¡± Dane glared at Sina as if he was ready to stab her to death. ¡°To save him means that the empire will lose its true emperor. I believed you to be a true knight that was loyal to the real emperor. But how dare you betray my faith?¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny how you say that I betrayed you when no one even told you to believe in me,¡± SIna drew the sword from her waist and pointed it toward Dane. ¡°You know nothing about Juan. You also know nothing about what kind of a being the emperor is, nor what a human being is¡ªbecause you¡¯re nothing but a monster.¡± ¡°I¡ª!¡± Dane approached Sina with an angry look on his face. Every time he took a step forward, the darkness would recede a bit more and reveal their surroundings¡ªMananen McLeir¡¯s body, slanted walls, and people wearing robes emerged from within the darkness. ¡°It was I who created the emperor.¡± A dozen or so men pulled out their swords and canes in unison. Sina could tell that each and every one of them was a formidable opponent. ¡°I¡¯m the one who protected the humans long before the emperor was even born. I was the one who gathered and led the members of Aruntal. I gave directions to the hero, and I gave advice to the foolish king. I did! That was all me!¡± Sina looked back to see if there was any sign of Juan waking up. His wounds had healed considerably, but his eyes were still firmly closed. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. At that moment, Dane aimed his cane at Sina. ¡°And you say that I know nothing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sina got tired just trying to answer Dane. She strained all her muscles as she braced herself for the moment of the clash. Then, Dane, who looked furious, suddenly lowered his cane and smiled a fresh smile. ¡°I see. I guess you and I are done here. I thought we would make great partners, but it¡¯s too bad,¡± Dane quietly continued speaking. ¡°Aruntal, kill her and retrieve Elkiehl.¡± The men surrounding Sina began to approach her. From the very first blow that was aimed at her stomach, Sina immediately felt that her life was in danger. The man who had attacked Sina first was considerably powerful, and she had a feeling that he was more skilled than she was. She thought that her skills had grown quite a bit by following around Juan, but these opponents were unexpectedly strong. Sina had no choice but to go on the defensive; however, she still had to struggle to keep Juan from being attacked by them. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± Three men pointed their swords at Sina, while the rest of them surrounded her with their canes aimed at her. There was no doubt that Sina wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out if the remaining magicians decided to use magic when she was already busy dealing with the people wielding the swords. All of the opponents were wearing a robe and had a mask on their faces. All that could be known about them was that they all had humanoid body. Neither their gender nor their race could be identified. Amidst the tension, Sina frowned when she recalled Dane¡¯s words. ¡®Aruntal? I thought all of the members of Aruntal were dead.¡¯ CH 167 Dane had definitely said that all of the members of Aruntal were dead with his own mouth. It may have been a trick, but Sina had thought that he might have recruited a new crew. Sina could sense that the opponents were people from the empire. Among them, Sina was more concerned about those wielding a sword rather than the magicians. The magicians must be Dane¡¯s disciples, but there was no way that Dane had taught the prosecutors as well. Sina was barely dodging the attacks. The opponents¡¯ skills were clearly superior compared to Sina¡¯s, but they were patiently driving Sina into the corner in a calm manner. They were using the Baltic Sword just like Sina, but were at a considerably better level. ¡®Such skilled swordsmen using the Baltic Sword certainly must be some of the Imperial knights.¡¯ Sina looked at one of the opponent¡¯s eyes, the only exposed part of their face. Unique-colored amber eyes were staring directly at her, but Sina couldn¡¯t recall anyone with a similar eye color as her opponent¡¯s. Sina wondered whether he was the Captain of the Order of the Capital, but Pavan had green eyes. At that moment, Sina flinched and turned her waist upon feeling the murderous intent directed toward her. The other two opponents that were wielding a sword suddenly began to intervene and attack her together while she was focused on the opponent with amber eyes who was standing in front of her. The other two opponents pushed Sina toward each other¡¯s attacks again and again, almost as if they were twins working in perfect harmony. Sina realized that both of their skills were on par with her. Acknowledging that she could not hold out for much longer, Sina bit her lips and used Dispersing Fog, the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword, which she was not yet accustomed to using. Sina¡¯s sword instantly rushed toward the back of the two opponents'' like a fog. The two opponents who had been attacking Sina with ease were a little late in responding to Sina¡¯s sudden attack. However, Sina¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t fast enough to make them suffer any critical injuries either. The Dispersing Fog that Sina used was an ability that she was not fully accustomed to yet, and thus it failed to leave any fatal wounds on the opponents and narrowly grazed against them. One of the opponents was wounded on the cheek, while the other on the forehead. The opponents quickly stepped back when their robes were cut. Sina felt her whole body suddenly becoming stiff within seconds of using Dispersing Fog. The performance of Dispersing Fog was forced to a halt as Sina¡¯s movements slowed down. Then, at that moment, Sina stopped moving due to the sudden intense pain in her thigh. The man with amber eyes had stabbed his sword into Sina¡¯s thigh when she let her guard down for a short second. Sina held back a painful groan and stepped back as the opponent twisted his sword to widen her wound. Sina was helpless after losing her tempo. She felt as if she could collapse at any time, but she couldn¡¯t bear to do so, since Juan had yet to wake up. Then, the opponent with amber eyes quickly approached Sina and her in the chest. The moment Sina flinched, Elkiehl was held in the opponent¡¯s hand. Sina dropped her sword due to the opponent¡¯s attack that struck the back of her hand. Then, as if to make a clean final blow, the opponent grabbed Sina by the collar and aimed the tip of his sword at her neck. It was then. ¡°If you move just a little bit from that position, I will kill you.¡± The light but heavy voice that echoed stopped everyone¡¯s movement in their tracks. *** Before anyone knew it, Juan had raised himself up with an exhausted face. His face was still pale and it looked like moving was uncomfortable for him, but the murderous intent and energy emanating from him felt so sharp that it felt as if it could cut skin. Juan no longer had Sutra with him, let alone any other weapons, but everyone here felt as if the tip of a sword was touching their throats. The opponents realized that Juan¡¯s declaration to kill everyone if they killed Sina was the real deal. No matter how long it took, he would keep his word. ¡°I know that I look like I could die at any moment, but I still have enough energy to kill all the people here before I die. However, I¡¯ll let you go if you lower your swords.¡± The man with amber eyes remained still with his sword still pointed at Sina. He was calmly waiting for Dane¡¯s order. ¡°There¡¯s no point in holding her hostage. Especially you, the one who is pointing your sword at her.¡± Dane, who had remained silent until then, slowly opened his mouth. ¡°That woman is worthless. Let her go.¡± The man with amber eyes immediately let Sina go upon hearing Dane¡¯s order. Sina stumbled and collapsed to the ground right away due to the wound on her thigh. Juan quietly looked at Sina and then turned his head toward Dane. ¡°I could clearly hear you even when I wasn¡¯t able to move an inch, Dane.¡± Dane grinned, while Juan continued to speak. ¡°I can see just how sincerely you have served me until now. Now, piss off. I know that you¡¯ll show up before me even if I tell you to never appear in front of me again. So, if you do, I¡¯ll kill you right away without even giving you any time to make an excuse.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it, emperor. I hope that you try your best to do so.¡± The members of Aruntal stood around Dane, almost as if they were surrounding him. ¡°Progress is a result of repeated failures. Everything including yourself and what has happened today is just one of my many failures,¡± Dane said. Dane put the tip of his cane on the ground and drew a circle. Then glittering chunks of darkness crept up from it and instantly wrapped around Dane and the members of Aruntal. Then, the lumpy darkness melted and disappeared as if it had never existed. *** As soon as Dane disappeared with the members of Aruntal, the remnants of the darkness that filled the surrounding area also disappeared. Juan could sense that Dane¡¯s presence had fully disappeared when Mananen McLeir¡¯s body, the tilted walls that were unique to the Magic Tower, as well as the floor full of dust and soil appeared before them. As soon as Juan let his guard down, he stumbled. Sina quickly approached him and helped him up. ¡°Are you okay? How is your wound?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It will get better after a short break. You should take care of your own wound first.¡± Juan examined the wound on Sina¡¯s thigh. Fortunately, the bleeding was not that bad, since the sword hadn¡¯t touched any arteries. Juan watched Sina press down on her wound, and then opened his mouth. ¡°I have a question.¡± Sina looked at Juan. She could see from his face that he had heard the entire conversation between herself and Dane. Juan could sensitively read all the signs, and so, he had been able to feel all of the hesitation and agitation in Sina¡¯s trembling hands, as well as the temptation caused by Dane¡¯s urging. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡± Sina smiled bitterly upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. ¡°Should I have killed you?¡± ¡°I thought that there was nothing I could do even if you did decide to kill me. After all, I¡¯m definitely not the emperor of your ideals,¡± Juan shrugged. Hearing that, Sina swept her hair. She still couldn¡¯t tell if she had made the right decision. In fact, she felt that she might come to regret her choice. Nevertheless, she would have made the same decision even if she was put in the same situation again. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Sina slowly opened her mouth and spoke in a quiet voice. ¡°On the night when you exterminated the Order of the Blue Rose at Laus Mountain, you took care of me when I was on the verge of death. At that time, you saved my life. I often wondered why you saved me back then; was it because you wanted to threaten me with my weakness? Or was it because you like me? No¡ªit was neither.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°I think you did that because you wanted me to follow you around and watch you, nag you, and hold you whenever you start going down the wrong path. You wanted me to be your counterbalance, an anchor that you could hold on to when you are about to go too far, and be a watchdog meant to see if you¡¯re going in the right direction or not.¡± Juan lifted the corner of his lips and turned his eyes away. ¡°That¡¯s an overstatement. I just decided to have mercy on you because you were in terrible shape.¡± ¡°Is that why you gave me your essence?¡± Juan did not answer. If he had saved Sina just because he felt sorry for her, then helping her recover would have been enough, since he had the ability to do so. However, he had given Sina his essence, something that he had only given to his adopted children. Thus, Sina was able to follow Juan¡¯s journey based on the power that was granted to her. ¡°I don¡¯t think you gave me your essence because I had enormous power or potential like Gerard, Nienna, Dismas, and Ras. You probably expected me to play a different role than them. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve been faithful to that role so far¡­¡± Sina murmured as if she was reciting despite Juan¡¯s silence. ¡°¡­but I am still able to feel some hope from the way you wanted someone to watch over you. I can still hope that you will be able to love humans even without Dane¡¯s dirty tricks, and that you could be the true emperor on your own.¡± Juan remained silent for a long time, but soon opened his mouth. ¡°I might end up disappointing you¡­ and there could be a better path. You could have chosen someone with much more kindness in their heart and made him the emperor of your ideals. But¡­¡± ¡°But why does it have to be you? Why can¡¯t I choose one of the many strong men who are like the many stars in the sky and serve him as the emperor?¡± Sina recited what Juan was about to say. In fact, this was the same question Juan had asked Sina on the desolate hill of the battlefield where Anya massacred the Imperial Army. Sina had not been able to answer his question at the time, but now she could answer with confidence. ¡°You¡¯re right, Juan. There are many stars in the sky¡­¡± Sina was given a chance to choose from as many options as the stars in the sky today. It was only after facing the vast and myriad options that Sina realized the most important truth¡­ ¡°¡­but there is only one sun. It may be dark now because it¡¯s covered by the clouds, but the fact that there is only one sun doesn¡¯t change and it never will. You are my only sun, Juan.¡± *** The place where Mananen McLeir¡¯s body was enshrined was located at a significantly lower level in the basement of the huge Magic Tower. It was so far away that it wasn¡¯t a distance that a person could travel on foot in a single day. Sina had been able to enter this place with the help of Dane¡¯s magic on her way down, but she couldn¡¯t do so on her way back. ¡°How did you go back and forth when you used to be the emperor?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I used to run,¡± Juan answered briefly to Sina¡¯s question. ¡°We could have made use of teleportation magic if we had made some necessary preparation before entering. But we haven¡¯t done that, have we? So, I can carry you on my back and run if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°No thanks. Let¡¯s just walk slowly.¡± ¡°No matter how well trained you are, it will take at least a week if you walk.¡± Sina fell silent; she wanted to avoid walking for a week without food or water, especially when Jaun had not even fully recovered just yet. Meanwhile, Juan was checking something near Mananen McLeir¡¯s body as if he was awaiting Sina¡¯s decision. Sina took a while to seriously consider whether she should get on Juan¡¯s back, but then she inadvertently noticed Juan leaning down with a frown. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I may have become more dependent on mana than I used to be when I was the emperor, but Barth Baltic¡¯s horns alone aren¡¯t enough to make me fall into such a mess for this long. It seems like Dane has played some dirty tricks on me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Can I at least change your bandage for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a funny question. My mana circuit has become distorted, causing the physical recovery to progress poorly. The distorted mana circuit has caused my cells to be in an unusual state, which has resulted in the formation of several malignancies. It¡¯s not a big deal though. All the damaged parts will burn away as soon as my mana circuit starts to work properly again.¡± ¡°Okay. I have no idea what any of that meant, but you¡¯re basically saying that your condition is not normal, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Sina felt incredulous upon seeing Juan give her such an honest answer. If you looked at it in another way, Juan was telling her that he was currently in a weak state. Such a response was quite surprising to her, since, until now Juan rarely ever showed his weak sides. Sina wondered if she was beginning to gain Juan¡¯s trust. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of spiders.¡± Juan looked at Sina as if he was dumbfounded by her sudden words. Seeing this, Sina also made a perplexed expression, since she had just opened her mouth unknowingly. ¡°I¡­ I felt like I should tell you my weakness, since you showed me your weak side.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do with your weakness anyway? Do you seriously think that it would be necessary for me to take advantage of your weakness if I¡¯m put in a situation where I have to deal with you?¡± ¡°My fear is not just limited to letting out a simple scream; I¡¯m scared of spiders to the extent that I can¡¯t even move until the spider disappears from my field of view. Don¡¯t speak of it as if it¡¯s not a big deal. If you ever have to threaten me, make sure to use spiders. The more colorful they are, the more they scare me. I don¡¯t even know what I would have done had Dane brought out a spider and used it to threaten me.¡± At this point, Sina didn¡¯t even know what she was talking about herself. Juan continued to look at her with dumbfounded eyes for a while, and then shook his head and began to check Mananen McLeir¡¯s body again. An awkward silence fell between the two. Soon, Juan opened his mouth as if he couldn¡¯t stand the silence. ¡°I¡¯m not particularly afraid of anything, so don¡¯t expect a reply from me.¡± Sina didn¡¯t answer. CH 168 Sina tried to imagine Juan being afraid of spiders, ghosts, or clowns. However, she immediately got rid of that image; it did not suit Juan at all. Then, Sina inadvertently felt uneasy. There was no doubt that Juan was not afraid of anything, but that didn¡¯t mean he had no weaknesses. ¡®Juan¡¯s weakness, huh?¡¯ Sina tried her best not to think about it, but she couldn¡¯t help being curious. At that moment, Juan found something from behind Mananen McLeir¡¯s body. ¡°I found it.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A catalyst that will help us move instantaneously when we go outside. I remembered hiding one around here before.¡± ¡®Teleportation¡­ Thank goodness.¡¯ Sina was relieved as she didn¡¯t have to worry about being carried on Juan¡¯s back. On the other hand, Juan didn¡¯t seem to be ready to leave just yet. ¡°Hold on a second. I¡¯m going to need to clean this place up before we leave.¡± ¡°Clean it up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to get rid of Mananen McLeir¡¯s body for good this time, so that Dane, that trash, can¡¯t mess with it anymore. Mananen¡¯s remains have been useful in too many ways. I do owe him quite a lot, but I think it¡¯s time to let a friend go now.¡± Sina tilted her head in wonder upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°But isn¡¯t the boundary of the empire made with the help of Mananen McLeir¡¯s body? Won¡¯t the boundary disappear if you get rid of his body?¡± If the boundary disappeared, the mythical beings who fled out of the empire may appear yet again. Of course, Sina didn¡¯t think that such a thing would happen as long as Juan was in the empire, but she couldn¡¯t be certain that Juan would be in the empire forever. ¡°Yes, it will disappear,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°But it won¡¯t be the same as before. Back then, humans were powerless and scattered everywhere. It was also a time when powerful gods were wandering around. But all the terribly strong gods are dead now, so it might actually be better to get rid of the boundary. The current boundary almost feels like it is locking up the humans.¡± Sina looked at Juan with anxious eyes; it was hard for her to imagine the empire without the boundary. This was because she grew up hearing stories of uncivilized humans and monsters living beyond the boundary. ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure about this either. But I think that it needs to be done, considering the harm that leaving Mananen McLeir¡¯s body will cause. Besides, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no alternative if it doesn¡¯t work out well,¡± Juan said as if he could read Sina¡¯s anxiety. ¡°Okay. Then do it,¡± Sina answered briefly. While she was anxious about the future that she had never once expected in her life, she decided to believe in Juan. ¡°You are the emperor.¡± Juan stared at Sina upon hearing her answer. He tried to say something, but soon sighed and looked back at Mananen McLeir¡¯s body in silence. He then began to mutter something while placing his hand on it. Not long after Juan finished reciting, the remains of the dried-up, black body started wriggling. An intense heat started rising from its arm which had already been turned into a lump of charcoal, and the mud around them instantly dried up and cracked. Furthermore, the thick bones that had been lumped together started shrinking with a rattling sound. Sina managed to see the flow of nature on Mananen McLeir¡¯s body. Fresh leaves sprouted, grew, flourished, burned, froze, flew away, and scattered, but the cycle soon started once again after that. Things that would usually take decades to happen quickly passed before Sina¡¯s eyes. At the same time, Mananen McLeir¡¯s giant-like body was slowly being compressed. The traces of the body quickly disappeared, and then only something that looked like skeletal remains that were about the size of an ordinary person remained. While the head was still shaped like the skull of an eagle, the overall figure was clearly humanoid. ¡°What is this?¡± Sina asked. ¡°This is¡­ I have no idea. This should have disappeared as well.¡± Juan looked curiously at the remains that looked like bones. Ordinary skeletal remains should be dry and white, but these remains had a metallic texture that gave a subtle glow. Juan stared at the remains for a while and then touched it. At that moment, a bright white light flashed before Juan¡¯s eyes. *** Juan opened his eyes in the white world with absolutely nothing around him. Juan instantly realized that he had been pulled into an imaginary world¡ªsomething inside the remains had forcefully summoned him. Considering that it hadn¡¯t even given Juan a chance to resist, it was clear that it was a magical creature that was just as powerful as Mananen McLeir or Juan himself. [Who are you?] Juan turned his head toward the voice. However, the surroundings were still completely white. At that moment, Juan suddenly saw something black come down and then quickly disappear back up. The surroundings slowly started to look like a series of patterns spread in all directions as it created waves. Juan blinked his eyes upon realizing that his surroundings were no longer white, and then thought of a ridiculous possibility. This white thing all around Juan was the eye of some creature¡ªa creature whose size alone was likely to be enough to reach the horizon. ¡°Show yourself completely.¡± Compared to the gigantic existence that was the creature, Juan¡¯s voice was so small that it was unknown as to whether or not Juan¡¯s voice would even be heard. But, the power of his voice definitely reached the creature. When the huge creature blinked, a completely different landscape unfolded before Juan¡¯s eyes. This time, something huge with a face could be seen¡ªit was a creature with skin that had a texture similar to the metallic texture that Juan saw earlier on the remains. It looked more like a well-made statue rather than a creature. The creature had four wings extending in all directions, and had feminine and elegant curves. The unrealistic beauty made it feel more like an elegant beast than an intellectual creature. [I couldn¡¯t see you properly because you were too small. So I shrunk my size. Who are you?] ¡°Thanks for doing that. My name is Juan Calberg.¡± The opponent remained silent for a moment. After a short moment of silence, a voice was heard again. [The emperor?] Juan tilted his head upon hearing the creature¡¯s words that made it seem like it knew about him. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± [You should also know who I am as well if you knew Mananen McLeir. I am Kelegrenon.] Juan momentarily felt perplexed upon hearing an unexpected name. This beast that was called Mananen McLeir¡¯s dog was also known as the beast of destruction and disaster. Once it physically manifested itself, it sucked in all of the surrounding mana like crazy, so destroying a whole city was easily possible for it just by appearing there. Juan recalled the attempts of his enemies to forcefully summon this beast and have it physically manifest itself back at Hiveden and outside the Magic Tower for a last-ditch suicidal attack. ¡°You look¡­ a little different from what I know. I remember you having a wolf-like form. Besides, you had no intelligence and had a much smaller body than you do now.¡± [Well, there are many limitations I must abide by in order to adapt to the laws of physics in that world. Mananen McLeir created me in a free and peaceful world, but that world just collapsed. Do you know anything about that?] Juan realized that the destruction of Kelegrenon¡¯s world was related to him trying to get rid of Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains. He felt that he had made a mistake, but then remembered that Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains were already decaying and disappearing; it was only a matter of time before Kelagranon¡¯s world also collapsed eventually. ¡°I think it has something to do with Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains getting smaller. His remains are now only about the same size as me.¡± [Is that so?] Juan thought that Kelegranon would either be angry or sad, but there was not much emotion in her tone. She seemed to accept the destruction in a calm manner. ¡°So what are you going to do now, Kelegrenon? Our world is not powerful enough for you to manifest there.¡± [I don¡¯t want to go there even if you ask me to come, emperor. I hated how my form would become distorted and how I would act like a beast every time I was summoned to your world. That went against the reason why Mananen McLeir created me. If I go to your world without Mananen McLeir, I¡¯ll slowly shrink after turning everything around me into desert. I don¡¯t want that.] ¡°Then do you have anything else in mind?¡± Kelegranon remained silent for a long time. Her body only glistened brilliantly from place to place in silence. Juan had a feeling that the glistening of her body was the manifestation of her thinking. Kelegranon slowly opened her mouth after a long period of silence. [You said that Mananen McLeir¡¯s skeletal remains are still there, right?] ¡°Yes.¡± [It looks like Mananen McLeir left a place inside his skeletal remains for me to continue staying in even if my world ended up collapsing. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t die even though the world collapsed. I guess those skeletal remains represent another form of ¡®me¡¯ that Mananen McLeir left behind for me to exist in.] Mananen McLeir seemed to have cared a lot about his creation, Kelagranon. Juan felt that such a thing was quite unexpected, since he only remembered Kelegrenon to have been a beast of destruction that had no intelligence. However, it was only natural for Juan to think so, since only war existed in the time he lived. [Emperor, I¡¯d like to entrust it to you if you don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t want to be trapped inside a cave again now that my world has collapsed.] ¡°Entrust it to me? I don¡¯t really care, but you¡¯re not going to suck all of the mana around you, right?¡± [I can do that if that is what you want. The opposite is also possible. I can also do most of the work that Mananen McLeir used to do. Just make sure to keep his remains safe for me.] ¡°All right.¡± Juan agreed to do so; it would only be more trouble for Juan if Kelegranon fell into the wrong hands. Kelegranon stared at Juan for a moment, then suddenly disappeared. Then, Juan¡¯s eyes instantly darkened and he returned to the place where Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains were. Juan flinched and pulled his hand back from Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains. He could feel Sina staring at him in wonder. Only then did he realize that only an instant had passed during the time he entered Kelegrenon¡¯s inner world. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Sina asked. ¡°...No, there isn¡¯t. I was just thinking for a second.¡± Juan gave an ambiguous answer and then reached his hand out toward Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains. At that moment, Mananen McLeir¡¯s remains began to rise up with a clattering sound and then they started winding around Juan¡¯s hand. Sina reached out with a perplexed expression, but Juan quickly stopped her. The platinum-colored remains then wrapped around Juan¡¯s body and quickly blended with the original clothes that were worn by Juan. Finally, they wrapped Juan all the way up to his head. Sina looked at Juan from top to bottom with a perplexed look in her eyes and muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°An armor?¡± It was full-body armor that seemed to be splendidly decorated with bones. Juan touched the helmet of the armor. He had expected an eagle¡¯s skull to be there, but it was completely different than he had expected. He realized that it was in the same shape as Kelegrenon¡¯s unrealistic head that he saw in her inner world. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°No, it¡¯s not armor.¡± Juan shook his head at Sina. ¡°It¡¯s Kelegrenon.¡± *** After Juan and Sina left the Magic Tower using the teleport catalyst, Kelegrenon granted Juan an unexpected surprise. Kelelgrenon seemed to examine Juan¡¯s physical condition for a while, then she quickly began to restore the flow of mana that had been ruined by Barth Baltic¡¯s horns. In the process, Kelegrenon improved Juan¡¯s mana that had gotten used to moving inefficiently and also released the mana that was contaminated during the battle. Juan felt his physical condition quickly getting better with just that alone. Kelegrenon quickly released all the bad energy from inside Juan and then burned it. In turn, Juan¡¯s body responded to Kelegrenon¡¯s heat and started heating up as well, thus burning all of the malignant tumors and scars in his body, and leaving behind only new flesh. Juan felt that his body had become much lighter than even before he fought with Barth Baltic. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Juan asked. [Well, I can¡¯t live in an unpleasant environment like this, right?] Juan didn¡¯t like how Kelegrenon called his body an ¡®unpleasant environment,¡¯ but he decided to let it slide, since he was quite satisfied with the effects. Then, Kelegrenon cleaned up Juan¡¯s body and slowly began to cool down again. ¡°What an unexpected surprise.¡± Being the creation of the Mana God Mananen McLeir, Kelegrenon seemed to be much better at handling mana than Juan. While Juan was enjoying the unexpected effect, Hela came to pay him a visit. CH 169 ¡°Your Majesty! Are you all right?¡± Hela screamed and approached Juan as soon as she saw him. ¡°Lower your voice, Hela. You must have been perplexed to hear that I called for you without anyone letting anyone else know.¡± ¡°I did have a feeling that Your Majesty must have come out when Sina came to visit me. But I don¡¯t know why you only called for me rather than calling a meeting with all of us right away. How are your injuries? You do look much healthier than before.¡± ¡°As you can see.¡± Juan raised his hand and lit a small flame at the tip of his fingertips. His flame, which had originally been a mix of red and yellow, was almost white now. Hela shook her head. ¡°I have no idea what that means¡­ but I¡¯m glad Your Majesty is healthy anyway. I see that you¡¯re wearing¡­ an unusual armor.¡± Hela looked up and down at the platinum-colored armor that Juan was wearing. The armor was decorated in a weird way, was without any joints or seams unlike other ordinary armor, and gave off a strange feeling. If Juan hadn¡¯t been wearing the armor, Hela would have thought that it was an armor made for decoration rather than actual use. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look good on me?¡± Juan asked. ¡°To be honest, so far Your Majesty didn¡¯t wear whatever you wore for the sake of appearance; you just picked up whatever appeared in front of you and was useful. But that armor¡­ it seems to have been made only for Your Majesty. In fact, I don¡¯t know if anyone else other than Your Majesty would even be able to wear it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment. Anyway¡­¡± Juan cleared his throat as he skipped the small talk and moved on to talk about what happened after he lost consciousness. ¡°I heard that Barth Baltic has stepped down.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. He commanded all the Imperial Troops that he had gathered to head back to their original home bases. There were some nobles who had brought their own soldiers to help Barth Baltic, but they don¡¯t seem to be understanding the situation. They ended up heading back to the holy city of Torra as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about those nobles. What¡¯s important is the fact that Barth Baltic went back to Torra. Did he leave any other messages for me?¡± ¡°You mean the answer to your question, right? The one about the bet Your Majesty made without asking for any of our opinions?¡± ¡°Yes, about the bet I made without asking for any of your opinions.¡± Hela smiled at Juan¡¯s brazen attitude. ¡°Come to think of it, you never asked us to join you; we just followed Your Majesty¡¯s journey at will. We¡¯re not upset that Your Majesty didn¡¯t ask for our opinions. As for Barth Baltic¡¯s answer, he said that his answer is not something that someone as trivial as me was allowed to hear. He said that Your Majesty should come to the holy city of Torra to hear his answer.¡± Juan frowned; he felt that making a bet and then leaving without answering was completely unlike Barth Baltic. However, Juan didn¡¯t think that Barth Baltic simply ran away because he didn¡¯t want to answer, given his attitude on the battlefield. ¡®Or maybe it was something that he couldn¡¯t talk about on the spot.¡¯ Juan¡¯s schedule had been delayed by a little bit, but it wouldn¡¯t take too long to get to Torra. He clicked his tongue, since he didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or sad after learning about Dane¡¯s betrayal and his attempts to get him killed. Juan was quite bothered by the method Dane used to try and assassinate him. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or not, but he tried to use Barth Baltic to neutralize me and then assassinate me through the hands of someone close to me. Both Barth Baltic and Sina have received my essence¡­ all of this is way too similar to what happened on the night Gerard stabbed me.¡¯ There was a high possibility that Gerard had received Elkiehl from Dane, just as Sina was handed Elkiehl by Dane. The exact details would need to be investigated, but Juan came to the conclusion that Dane was likely to have been involved in his assassination back then. ¡®I guess at least one of the six known apostates really was a traitor.¡¯ If this was true, Gerard, who carried out the assassination himself, might have also been used, just like Sina. Juan started to hope that Gerard might not have actually betrayed him, given that his son, Haild was actively cooperating with Juan. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Hela considered leaving Juan alone as he sank into his thoughts, but she had not yet heard the reason why he had called for her alone. Juan decided to stop thinking further and focus on the matter in front of him. ¡°I was thinking about something for a moment.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, I wanted to ask Your Majesty something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°About the man named Haild who helped Your Majesty in the Crack.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping my eye on him, and I noticed that, for some reason, he lowers his voice only when I¡¯m around him.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°He has the ability to tame a dragon, can deal with the Crack, and also uses the Baltic Sword quite proficiently.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" ¡°More than anything, he has the same name as my son.¡± ¡°Lots of people have the same names.¡± ¡°Is that the only excuse you¡¯ve come up with? Just let me know how long I have to pretend like I don¡¯t know anything. I feel stupid pretending to be fooled.¡± Juan held his forehead and closed his eyes. It was entirely up to Haild when he decided to reveal his identity. However, Haild was still hiding his identity, whether it was due to the guilt that he felt for hiding the fact that he was alive all this time or due to being scared that he would bring dishonor to Hela due to having been encroached upon by the Crack. It seemed like it was impossible for Haild, who was still young to deceive Duke Hela Henna, a war veteran. Juan clicked his tongue upon realizing that Hela had long since noticed Haild¡¯s identity. ¡°I apologize. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you with something personal when you have bigger things to worry about. I¡¯ve been keeping my concerns to myself because I believed it was Your Majesty¡¯s will, but please understand how I would have felt a few days ago when I learned that my son, who I thought had been dead for a long time, was actually alive all this time.¡± ¡°I salute you for your patience. I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to be more considerate.¡± Juan decided to give Hela what she wanted without much thought. ¡°Scold and beat that stupid jerk as much as you want and then ask him what happened. I was putting it off because he insisted on telling you himself when the time came, but I ended up making you suffer. I hope you¡¯ll forgive me.¡± ¡°Of course I forgive you, Your Majesty. He already had two chances for a touching family reunion with his mother who he hadn¡¯t seen in decades, since he saved me twice. It¡¯s a shame that everything has become so awkward, but I¡¯ll meet him and talk to him about it since Your Majesty has allowed me to do so.¡± Just when Hela was about to leave after bowing to Juan, she suddenly came to a stop. ¡°By the way, there are still many people anxiously waiting for Your Majesty to come back. Should I let them know that you are doing well?¡± ¡°Sina¡¯s already working on that. I¡¯d like you to call in the people of the Magic Tower instead.¡± ¡°Pardon me? You want me to deliver a separate message?¡± Juan grinned and muttered. ¡°I realized that there¡¯s a traitor among us. We¡¯ll have to get rid of the traitors before going back to Torra.¡± *** Juan glanced at the magicians from the Magic Tower as well as his subordinates that were gathered in Dane¡¯s room. There were a little over a hundred people, but this number definitely couldn¡¯t be considered big, given that all the magicians belonging to the Magic Tower had been gathered here. Dane¡¯s room was spacious enough to accommodate them all. ¡°Is this everyone?¡± Opert nodded upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. There are probably less magicians here than the heyday of the Magic Tower from your memory, but a lot of them quit due to the oppression of the empire, while some of them ended up becoming illegal magicians¡­ But, we still have lots of magicians who are strong enough to be a helpful force.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as everyone is gathered here.¡± Opert looked at Juan with a puzzled look on his face; he had thought that the reason Juan gathered all these magicians was to get them to join the army. Juan slowly scanned the magicians causing them to feel a mysterious chill. At that moment, the door suddenly burst open. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± It was Nienna who had just stormed into the room. She tried to joyfully run toward Juan as soon as she saw him, but then she saw Juan place his finger on his lips and shake his head. Upon realizing the heavy atmosphere of the room, Nienna¡¯s expression hardened and she immediately came to a stop. The magicians felt even more suffocated with Nienna emanating a cold air and blocking their only exit. ¡°I like magic,¡± Juan opened his mouth as he looked at the magicians. ¡°When the sword reaches the peak, it creates a magical effect. But when magic reaches the peak, it creates a miracle itself. My foundation as the emperor is magic, and what flows through my body is also magic. Thus I have always respected the Magic Tower.¡± At any other time, Juan¡¯s words would have definitely made the magicians feel proud of themselves. But hearing him say such words in such an intense and heavy atmosphere only served to make them feel even more pressured. Even the old and cranky magicians who had been cut off from the rest of the world were unable to open their mouths under this unknown pressure. ¡°I¡¯ll skip the useless words. The master of the Magic Tower, Dane Dormund, betrayed me and tried to kill me.¡± Everyone in the room was shocked, as discussions started among the magicians. ¡°The master?¡± ¡°Dane Dormund?¡± ¡°The Grand Magician Dane Dormund?¡± ¡°He was the master of the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°Dane Dormund tried to kill His Majesty?¡± ¡°Obviously. He¡¯s one of the Six Apostates after all.¡± Nienna didn¡¯t allow this uproar to last long. She raised her foot and stamped it on the floor with a loud thud. The floor instantly became covered in cracks along with a sharp noise, while a cold wind swept through the entire room. Seeing the cracked floor instantly being covered in frost, everyone closed their mouths. ¡°His Majesty is speaking,¡± Nienna spoke briefly. The uproar quickie died down, but Nienna was also getting impatient; she had many questions she wanted to ask as well. Although she had heard the news of Juan returning in a good condition, just like the others, she too didn¡¯t know about anything else. All of Juan¡¯s subordinates, except for Sina, quietly waited for him to continue speaking. ¡°Opert. Come on out.¡± ¡°Pardon me? Oh, yes. Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Opert, who had been standing there with a frozen expression, rushed to step out. His face was full of nervousness and anxiety. ¡°Dane tried to kill me under the guise of treatment. It would have been very dangerous if my friend, Sina Solvane, hadn¡¯t saved me.¡± Once again, everyone in the room was shocked and then all of Juan¡¯s subordinates looked toward Sina with surprised eyes. There were many people who held doubts about Sina and were wary of her due to her ambiguous position. However, Juan had just publicly declared Sina to be his friend. Juan continued to speak. ¡°Dane was the master of the Magic Tower, and you were his vice tower master. Can you prove you were not involved with this case?¡± Opert¡¯s face immediately turned pale. Meanwhile, the magicians that were watching the scene stiffened due to anxiety, but they were smart enough to grasp the situation. The position of the vice master was actually just cleaning up after the mess created by the senior magicians and the scholars of the Magic Tower rather than some honorable title, and it was true that Opert had often carried out Dane¡¯s orders. If Dane had tried to harm Juan, it was only natural for Opert to have a hard time proving his innocence. ¡°You-Your Majesty.¡± Opert knelt in front of Juan and lowered his head. ¡°I¡­ I swear that I didn¡¯t know anything about the master¡¯s evil plot. My job was limited to smuggling in the materials that are used for magic and are hard to find within the empire from beyond the boundary. I¡¯m sure Your Majesty is aware of that. The Captain of the Order of Huginn can testify about my loyalty as well as my whereabouts.¡± Hearing this, Anya, the Captain of the Order of Huginn, who had been quietly listening to the story so far, took a step forward. ¡°Opert is not only a sincere and faithful magician, but also a member of the Order of Huginn. Thanks to his services, the Order of Huginn was able to get a lot of help. However¡­¡± Anya stared at Opert for a while and then continued to speak. ¡°He was also the one who had suspected His Majesty until the very last minute among the members of the Order of Huginn. There¡¯s a chance he might have been involved with Dane Dormund¡¯s plot, either intentionally or unintentionally, during the period of time he held doubts about His Majesty.¡± Opert didn¡¯t say anything and just kept his head down, while the other magicians watched Opert in silence. Then Juan opened his mouth and talked to the magicians. ¡°Other than the Captain of the Order of Huginn, it can be said that the magicians belonging to the Magic Tower are the one who have seen the vice tower master the most, and had the most interactions with him. If anyone has anything they would like to say to prove his innocence or to prove his guilt, do so now.¡± CH 170 Despite Juan¡¯s words, the magicians remained quite hesitant and refused to move. Not only were they overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere, but they were also concerned that they might also be deemed to be involved in Dane¡¯s plot if they recklessly tried standing up for Opert. Only Opert¡¯s loud breath could be heard amidst the silence. Seeing that no one came forward to defend Opert even after a long time, Juan finally opened his mouth first. ¡°As far as I know, Opert has served you all for quite a long time, but none of you is going to step up for him? Looks like all the hard work you did for all of them so far has been in vain, Opert.¡± At that moment, a white-haired old woman stepped up to defend Opert. She moved forward with an upright gait despite how old she looked. ¡°Your Majesty, conspiracies don¡¯t happen with just one or two parties. It is true that the vice master had been working diligently for the Magic Tower, but it is also true that he has worked almost as if he was Dane¡¯s own hands and feet. Being diligent is not the same as being good. Being diligently evil is worse than anything else. There is no evidence that Opert is involved in Dane¡¯s plot, but it¡¯s also undesirable to keep him around.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then what do you think we should do about him?¡± The old woman looked down at Opert for a while and then opened her mouth. ¡°I think we should destroy his mana heart, cut off both his hands and then confine him in some remote area. And that¡¯s what should be done before he is proved to be directly involved in the conspiracy. If it is proven that he was directly involved in the conspiracy, then the death penalty would, of course, be appropriate.¡± ¡°I see. What¡¯s your name?¡± The old woman bowed to Juan and opened her mouth. ¡°My name is Arhan Allerly, Your Majesty. I am the head of the Red Tribe.¡± The Red Tribe was a group that studied the magic used in wars, and it used to be the largest group within the Magic Tower when Juan had been the emperor. Magicians who learned practical magic were always in demand; hence, it was even easy to find them in the private sector. Meanwhile, Opert trembled but remained silent. Juan seemed to be contemplating what he should do, but the magicians seemed to have already accepted Arhan¡¯s recommendation. Opert bit his lips; it looked like it would be difficult for him to avoid heavy punishment. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Eventually, a magician who couldn¡¯t bear the silence stepped forward. It was a magician with half a head of white hair. He gave quite the sharp impression. ¡°Mr. Opert has served the Magic Tower for a long time. Even many of us didn¡¯t know that the master of the Magic Tower was Dane Dormund. There is no way that he would have revealed his identity to anyone when he was hiding from the Church to avoid getting caught. I think Mr. Opert is also someone who fell for his crafty tricks.¡± ¡°Do you think that ignorance can be used as an excuse?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Of course not, Your Majesty. But I believe in Mr. Opert¡¯s kind nature. He has long sought to protect the Magic Tower from the Church and has helped us all continue our research despite the Church¡¯s oppression. Many of the magicians in the Magic Tower owe him quite a lot. While there is a chance that he was used by Dane, he is a young man with a lot of potential. It¡¯s not fair to convict him just based on presumption.¡± ¡°All right. So you believe in Opert, huh? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I am Milekis Maltard, Your Majesty. I am the head of the Gray Tribe.¡± The Gray Tribe was a group of scholars who studied ancient magic systems instead of modern magic. They rarely used any type of practical magic, but their work was what helped prevent the destruction of the legacies left behind by fallen states or races. ¡°I see. Then¡­¡± Juan did not hesitate. Just as Arhan was about to suggest giving an extreme punishment to Opert once again, Juan grabbed her neck. In an instant, her feet were dangling in the air as she scratched at Juan¡¯s arm while suffocating. Juan opened his mouth amidst the perplexed gazes of the magicians. ¡°There was one more thing I didn¡¯t tell all of you. Besides Dane, the members of Aruntal have also betrayed me.¡± Arhan struggled as she tried to escape from Juan¡¯s arms, but Juan¡¯s arm did not budge. His arm, which was protected by Kelegrenon, could not be wounded by her sharp nails scratching him. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a stretch to actually call them Aruntal. After all, all the original members except for Dane have already died, and their spots seem to have been filled by new people. They were helping Dane with a very idealistic belief, but I never told you guys about that part.¡± Juan grinned and glared at Arhan. ¡°But this woman talked almost as if she believed it was natural for people besides Opert to be involved. And there¡¯s one more interesting fact¡­ I remember the energy of all the opponents from when I confronted Aruntal.¡± Arhan opened her eyes wide and looked at Juan. ¡°What is it? Is there anything you want to say? I can sense and grasp the signs and energy around me. Ah, yes. I recall you guys wearing a robe that helped you all to hide your presence. But did you really think you could fool me with that? I am the embodiment of magic itself.¡± Juan glared at Arhan and put more strength into his grip. Arhan trembled in intense pain, but there was nothing she could do. As a last resort, she tried to use magic to attack Juan, but for some reason, her mana would scatter and disappear every time she tried to gather it. ¡°You keep trying to use magic. But what you need to keep in mind is that the opponent you¡¯re trying to use magic against is a natural enemy of magicians.¡± Juan scattered the mana flowing through Arhan¡¯s body with the help of Kelegrenon. The slight shock from this messed up the mana flow inside Arhan¡¯s body and caused her to start bleeding from all seven of her orifices. All the magicians that were sensitive to the flow of mana instantly noticed what had happened to Arhan. Some of the magicians even collapsed to the floor in fear. Arhan shuddered for a while and then dropped to the floor as Juan released her neck. Then, she suddenly coughed up blood as if she had regained consciousness from the shock of being thrown to the floor. Juan looked down at Arhan and muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°Other magicians won¡¯t be able to understand what¡¯s going on if I kill you like this. At least try to make an excuse.¡± Arhan looked back at the other magicians with a pale expression. The place where the magicians had gathered to denounce Opert had now become the site of her death. Arhan looked confused and tried her best to understand what was going on. It was true that she was a member of Aruntal. However, she had made sure to hide her identity before joining the conspiracy¡ªshe had made sure to wear the robe that Dane had given her. The robe not only covered her face, it also made it difficult for others to recognize her presence. ¡®But he managed to read my energy through it? It can¡¯t be¡­ it¡¯s a magical item that was produced by Dane himself.¡¯ However, Arhan began to doubt Dane from the bottom of her heart. After all, the opponent was none other than the emperor. ¡®Is it even possible for Dane to stop him?¡¯ ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­ I¡­ I just¡­¡± ¡°You just¡­ what?¡± Arhan froze just by facing Juan¡¯s emotionless eyes. Her doubts soon became reality. There was no way that the emperor would treat her, the head of the largest tribe in the Magic Tower, like this in front of everyone without actually having proof that she was a member of Aruntal. There was only one way for her to live¡ªbegging for her life. ¡°Your Majesty! Please forgive me. I, too, have been deceived! I¡¯ve been deceived by the illusion that helping Dane Dormund was the only way to revive mankind. So I ended up¡­!¡± ¡°Okay. So you¡¯re saying that you are a member of Aruntal, right?¡± Arhan¡¯s eyes shook upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. ¡®Wait. He didn¡¯t know for sure that I was a member of Aruntal?¡¯ ¡°Dane did a good job making that robe. It seems pretty convenient. I wasn¡¯t too sure about you being a member of Aruntal, but I should thank you for confirming it. Now, shall we destroy your mana heart and cut off your hands before we continue to talk, just as you had suggested?¡± Arhan jumped up and tried to shout something toward the magicians, but her waist suddenly bent back before she could say anything. Then, a loud scream broke out along with a terrible noise. Everything happened in just a flash. Arhan¡¯s back was bent in the wrong direction, while all of her joints were broken and dislocated with a clattering sound. In just an instant, Arhan had died, and she now looked like a squeezed rag. Juan frowned at what had just happened and examined her corpse. ¡®Someone must have been watching and they cast a magic spell to kill her.¡¯ The enemy was still inside the Magic Tower. Juan glared at the magicians with cold eyes and then turned his gaze toward Opert. ¡°It seems like Aruntal was hoping that I would either kill my subordinate with my own hands or at least keep their mouths shut. Either way, you¡¯re not completely cleared of your charges, Opert. I will be keeping my eyes on you.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty!¡± Operet banged his head on the floor to show his appreciation. After that, Juan exited Dane''s room without a word, and his subordinates followed him. In the place where only the magicians were left, only a frustrated atmosphere and some quiet whispers remained. None of the magicians spared even a single glance toward Opert. At that moment, only one person approached Opert¡ªMilekis, the one who had defended him. *** The mansion, once home to a man who impersonated the emperor alongside an expelled Priest, had now become nothing more than a ruin. There was no one who would visit the ominous mansion from where the followers and supporters of the fake emperor had fled and dozens of Templars were killed¡ªexcept for the very man who had made the mess. ¡°Well done, Opert.¡± Juan was sitting alone in the room that was still full of burnt and broken items on the second floor of the mansion. Opert approached Juan with an exhausted look on his face. There was a bandage on his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t think you needed to bang your head against the floor like that,¡± Juan said ¡°To be honest, I was a little scared,¡± Opert answered. Juan rubbed the wound on Opert¡¯s forehead with his thumb. His fingers had only lightly brushed past Opert¡¯s forehead for a short second, but Opert¡¯s wound was already gone. ¡°What do the magicians think of this situation?¡± Juan asked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Some of the magicians think that it was Your Majesty who killed Arhan. They are complaining, but most of them are scared. They lowered their heads due to fear, but I think that they will continue to complain, since they are all so full of themselves.¡± Opert sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it was necessary to put on a show like this. It would be great if the Magic Tower could become truly loyal to Your Majesty¡­¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Dealing with Dane is more important than obtaining the loyalty of the magicians. I needed your help to figure out what he was up to. Were there any magicians who approached you after I left?¡± ¡°Milekis Maltard approached me. He offered me to stay with him until everything settled down. Of course, I said yes.¡± ¡°Just as I expected.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s a member of Aruntal as well?¡± Juan nodded. ¡°There was only one person who I could be sure about being a member of Aruntal, and that was Arhan. I barely managed to recognize her by concentrating my five senses to the maximum. I¡¯m sure that there are few more, and they will approach you when you are left all alone and are weak-minded.¡± Juan tapped Opert on the shoulder as he spoke. ¡°As I already told you, I¡¯m going to try and take advantage of that. They won¡¯t drag you into joining Aruntal right away. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll just be keeping their eyes on you for a while. Your job is to stay loyal to Dane and find out more about Aruntal. Milekis is probably thinking that he has gained your trust since Arhan is dead.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. But why do you think Arhan tried to kill me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she wanted her words to have an influence on me regardless of which side I choose to listen to. She knew that I would trust at least one of you two once a contradictory opinion was presented,¡± Juan explained. ¡°Ah, I see. She probably didn¡¯t think that Your Majesty would actually kill her. Hmm. Then I¡¯ll be on my way back; they might start suspecting me if I stay here for too long. I¡¯ll refrain from seeing Your Majesty until Aruntal comes into contact with me.¡± ¡°Sounds good. I appreciate it.¡± Opere bowed to Juan and took a step back. Just as Opert was about to leave the room, he inadvertently stopped and looked back at Juan. ¡°Your Majesty, if you don¡¯t mind, I have one more thing I would like to ask¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What made you think that I wasn¡¯t a member of Aruntal? I was one of the people who helped to hand over Your Majesty to Dane, and it is also true that I was manipulated by Dane. so, why¡­?¡± Juan looked at Opert with a dumbfounded look. He considered telling Opert that there was no way that a spy would ask such a question in the first place, but then he decided to give him an honest answer. ¡°You are a brilliant magician, but you are more of a scholar than a magician, Opert. The difference between them is that the scholars try to find the truth while magicians try to take advantage of the truth.¡± ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡± ¡°You had suspected me for a very long time, and only after a long time did you acknowledge me as the emperor. Scholars don¡¯t change the result just because they don¡¯t like the truth. But magicians or a swindler would¡ªjust like Dane Dormund.¡± CH 171 ¡°He lost?¡± Helmut anxiously wandered around his office inside the Vatican and murmured the same words over and over. He felt his own words to be unfamiliar¡ªhe couldn¡¯t believe what had just been reported. ¡®Barth Baltic lost? He really lost?¡¯ Today was the day when the Order of the Capital and Barth Baltic returned to the holy city of Torra. It had only been a few days ago that Barth Baltic convened and led the army to the battlefield without consent from the Church, using his authority as the Regent. The number of troops he had managed to gather numbered three hundred thousand men¡ªalmost one third of the Imperial Army. The fact that Barth Baltic was able to gather that many troops despite his deteriorating public opinion meant that he could have overturned the empire at any time had he wanted. However, Barth had come back after being defeated. Such a fact was already hard to believe and understand, but there was something else that was even more difficult to understand¡ªthe three hundred thousand Imperial troops that Barth Baltic had convened came back with so few losses that it would be more accurate to call Barth Baltic¡¯s return a withdrawal rather than defeat. ¡°Barth Baltic lost?¡± ¡°...The soldiers who witnessed everything reported that the Regent and the self-proclaimed emperor had a confrontation. The Regent decided to return after losing their confrontation.¡± Helmut was dumbfounded and then burst out laughing upon hearing the Black Priest¡¯s answer. ¡°But I heard that the enemies numbered less than thirty thousand? Besides, General Nienna hadn¡¯t even arrived in time. Barth Baltic was leading a force over ten times bigger than the enemy, but he withdrew without even fighting? Then why did he even gather that many troops in the first place? That¡¯s¡­ no, no. There¡¯s no point talking about what¡¯s already done. Where is that bastard now?¡± ¡°It is said that the Regent has locked himself in the Citadel of Sun. I heard that the crowd is protesting in front of the Citadel.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Helmut slumped onto the sofa. It wasn¡¯t like Helmut had never considered Barth Baltic¡¯s defeat. However, the possibility of him losing was infinitely small compared to the possibility of him returning in victory. Above all, it would have been best for Barth Baltic to return victorious, since that would allow Helmut to have more time to anticipate and prepare what he needed to do in the future. But now, the only future he could see was filled with chaos. ¡°What shall we do, Your Holiness?¡± the Black Priest asked anxiously with eyes filled with concern. Helmut looked at the Black Priest with cloudy eyes. It was only natural for him to worry, since the self-proclaimed emperor who was now on his way to Torra was known to have killed quite a few Priests and Templars. It was clear that he was not favorable toward the Church. Helmut pondered in silence, and then slowly opened his mouth. ¡°First of all, tell all the knight orders scattered all over the empire to return to the holy city of Torra as soon as possible. Also, order all clergymen above the rank of Priest to stay in the Vatican and prevent them from going out. And¡­¡± We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. Helmut made a long thought-out decision¡ªit was not something he wanted to do, since it was not favorable for him. However, he had no other choice. ¡°And the Regent has already confessed that he committed treason against His Majesty. He is no longer the Regent. I am using my authority as the Pope to deprive him of his position as the Regent and delegate the authority to command the Imperial Army to the Order of the Gold Lion that is currently guarding Torra. From this moment on, the command of the Imperial Army is held firmly by the Church. Go and detain Captain Pavan Peltere before the Order of the Capital can cause a backlash to this decision.¡± The Pope gave instructions non-stop; he had to act quickly after hearing about everything that had happened. The Black Priest gasped upon hearing Helmut¡¯s orders. For the Church to hold the authority to command the Imperial Army was not something that could be taken lightly. The Church already had the power and authority of the emperor. Having the force of the Imperial Army on top of that would simply mean that the Church would hold the same amount of power as the emperor himself. ¡°Y-your Holiness. Would it be okay to do so without getting the consent of the House of Peers? Backlash would be inevitable since¡­.¡± It was then. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush, Helmut.¡± *** The door of the office was slowly opened along with a heavy voice. A figure so huge that even the high office ceiling felt small walked into the office. It was Barth Baltic. Helmut clenched his teeth and glared at Barth Baltic¡ªhe looked completely fine for someone who had just returned from a life-or-death duel, except that he had shorter horns now. ¡°Regent. No, Barth Baltic. You insulted HIs Majesty, and so, you will never be welcomed nor forgiven anywhere within the empire. We had maintained a hostile coexistence relationship until now, but we can no longer continue to¡­¡± ¡°I remember the day that you were kicked out of the Imperial Army, Helmut.¡± Helmut closed his mouth. The Black Priest was perplexed upon hearing the unexpected story and pretended to be deaf. The story that Helmut had once been a member of the emperor¡¯s army was famous throughout the empire. However, the story of him being kicked out was unknown. ¡°Of course, I also remember when you were only an annoying young child who begged day and night just to join the army. I can see that you have not changed the slightest bit even though you¡¯ve grown so old with wrinkles on your face.¡± ¡°Are you implying that I¡¯m acting like an annoying child?¡± ¡°No.¡± Barth Baltic picked up an apple that was placed on the table in the middle of the office and took a big bite. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the way you are begging for your own destruction.¡± Helmut was still glaring at Barth¡ªthere was no change in his expression. ¡°You had always been a troublemaker, even after you joined the army. You weren¡¯t allowed to participate in the battles because you were too young, and so, you were given the duty of watching over the unarmed prisoners. But not only did you recklessly kill the prisoners, you also murdered an officer by arbitrarily holding a military trial just because he had missed the training.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who has been protecting you from back then all the way until now. The emperor often felt uneasy about you, but I was quite fond of your insane hatred toward people, your loyalty to His Majesty, as well as your dirty desire to rise to a higher status. We needed people like you back then. If it wasn¡¯t for me protecting you, you would have been kicked out a long time ago.¡± Helmut glared at Barth as if he wanted to kill him. His worship for His Majesty back when he used to be in the army had never been superficial. But just as Barth said, the emperor never liked him very much despite the fact that he had been shown more loyalty to the emperor than anyone else in the Imperial Army. ¡°I should have been the one next to His Majesty instead of an arrogant bastard like you. I have devoted my whole life to realize the values of His Majesty and protecting the empire that is his legacy! I am the representative of His Majesty!¡± ¡°You still think it was loyalty?¡± Barth did not despise Helmut, nor was he annoyed by him. The only thing Barth felt for Helmut was compassion. ¡°What you did was nothing but blind obedience, Helmut. When a domestic dog kills a mouse or a bird, the owner is annoyed but can tolerate it. But when that dog kills the neighbor''s livestock or a baby, the owner has to kill the dog. That¡¯s why you were kicked out of the army, Helmut.¡± ¡°So what? The army didn¡¯t mean anything to me in the first place! My life only began after getting kicked out of the army! It began with people who worshiped His Majesty and had the same thoughts as me. Even if His Majesty rejected me, I¡­¡± Helmut gritted his teeth and snapped at Barth. ¡°...If I¡¯ve always brought destruction upon myself, how did I rise from the position of a beggar to the Pope? I had no magic, no divine power, nor any glorious destiny. But you were able to maintain the empire and your position as the Regent only because of me. If you want to insult the boat I¡¯m on, you should know that you¡¯re on the same boat as well.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong about what you just said. It is true that I didn¡¯t have the power to unite the empire on my own. I acknowledge your ability to seize the power and authority of the emperor to rule the empire. It wasn¡¯t something that just anyone could have done.¡± Barth Baltic nodded and admitted. However, he did not put away a sympathetic look on his face. ¡°But that¡¯s also the reason for your self-destruction.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°I know your secret about the emperor¡¯s assassination, Helmut.¡± Helmut closed his mouth and glared at Barth. Meanwhile, Barth was still standing there in a calm state. ¡°If you think that I didn¡¯t investigate the case at all just because I myself was involved in the emperor¡¯s assassination and cooperated with you to bring the empire under your control, you are mistaken. Helmut, I knew most of the situation all along,¡± Barth murmured as the corners of his lips curved up in a bitter smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, Helmut. You and I are on the same boat¡ªand we will sink together. After all, the person who is on his way to Torra right now is the real emperor.¡± ¡°What¡­ How¡­ No, I don¡¯t believe you. His Majesty is sitting on the Eternal Throne within the Imperial Castle.¡± ¡°He will definitely come to Torra whether you want to believe it or not.¡± Barth turned his back and headed out of the office. Before exiting, Barth opened his mouth as if he remembered something he had forgotten. ¡°I will give up my position as the Regent on my own. I don¡¯t know if you will be able to assign a new Regent before the emperor arrives, but there¡¯s no need for you to kick Pavan out as well. He will eventually end up obeying the command system.¡± ¡°Why are you giving up so easily? Didn¡¯t you want to kill His Majesty?¡± ¡°I sure did. There is no doubt that he is the real emperor, but he is a completely different man from before. He put his personal feelings and questions first before dealing with three hundred thousand Imperial soldiers. The emperor we knew wouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying? Is he the emperor or is he not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that he is neither the emperor I remember nor you remember. I have already lost my reason to kill him at that point. I¡¯ve only realized that after almost dying at his hands. The emperor I wanted to kill already died at the hands of Gerard Gain. The man on his way to Torra now is the ¡®new emperor.¡¯ Some people may not like that, but they¡¯ll have to accept it.¡± *** The emperor is coming. Rumors swept throughout the holy city of Torra, the capital of the empire. The people were anxiously waiting for the return of the emperor with equal parts fear and excitement. Meanwhile, the news of Barth Baltic¡¯s defeat was enough to send many people who had been holding their breaths into motion all at once. Heretia was the fastest to move. She has been preparing for this situation for a long time. In the middle of the night, Heretia wore a deep hood over her face and entered a building. Inside the building, people from all walks of life were gathered¡ªshe had already contacted them in advance. Heretia took out a map depicting the structure of the holy city of Torra from her pocket and unfolded it. Then she brought a glass lamp over it and covered the map with a red cloth. Everyone¡¯s mouth dropped wide open as the red color instantly disappeared on the map and a completely different map appeared. Among those who were gathered, especially those with military knowledge, had a perplexed look on their faces. ¡°...This is¡­¡± ¡°Yes. This is a prediction of the type of plan Barth Baltic would have to use to take control of the holy city of Torra that was drafted by the Church.¡± People looked at Heretia with shocked eyes, but Heretia simply shrugged her shoulders. ¡°The Church would always have had to be prepared for such a situation. It is only natural for them to be concerned about Barth Baltic trying to use the Imperial Army and the Order of the Capital to take control of the empire. I¡¯m sure that there is no document more specific and accurate than this one since the Church would¡¯ve drafted it with a good understanding of their own weaknesses.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean that they are perfectly prepared for anything?¡± ¡°That would be true if the Regent had stayed the same. But now that the Regent is out of the picture, the Pope will definitely try to take control of the Imperial Army. I highly doubt he will care about this document.¡± The uproar among the people began to grow. One could clearly see that the document was top secret¡ªafter all, it showed the secret passages connecting the Vatican to the Imperial Castle. There was no way that the Church would have handled such a document carelessly. ¡°How and where did you even¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t ask about that part.¡± Then, one of the people carefully opened his mouth with a concerned look. ¡°The important question is, how to make use of this and implement our plan. We don¡¯t have Barth Baltic¡¯s power, the Order of the Capital, or the Imperial Army.¡± ¡°No.¡± At that moment, two people who were standing in the dark took off their hoods. ¡°The Imperial Guards are with you all, and so am I.¡± The two who revealed their faces were Ivy, the Saintess of the Church, and Lenly, the Captain of the Imperial Guards. CH 172 People were surprised once again by the unexpected appearance of the two. There had been a rumor that the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards were helping them. However, no one really believed the rumor to be true, since the people who were called up and gathered by Heretia had been thoroughly hiding their own identities. One of the men was visibly perplexed upon seeing Ivy, then soon dropped down on one knee. ¡°Saintess¡­ I am a trivial man who personally respects you. But if the plan succeeds, we cannot guarantee the safety of the Church. That includes you too, Saintess.¡± Ivy nodded. ¡°Returning to the days when His Majesty directly ruled the empire. I agree with that too. My status as a Saintess was nothing but a bluff. I just think that it was an honor for me to have had several opportunities to convey His Majesty¡¯s voice due to the times being chaotic.¡± The man who was kneeling before Ivy bowed his head deeply, and soon took off his hood. ¡°I am Gareon Geled, the Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion. Your message has opened my eyes and I have decided to quit being loyal to the Pope. I only serve the empire and His Majesty. I promise to do my best to help you with this plan.¡± The collapse was already happening from within the Church. People began to take off their hoods one by one, almost as if they were encouraged by the fact that even the Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion turned against the Church. The people here varied from the representatives of the commoners to the nobles from the House of Peers, as well as military officers and merchants. The anti-Church figures gathered by Heretia included influential people from all walks of life. Then someone opened their mouth, ¡°It won¡¯t be too difficult to get the Imperial Army on our side with Miss Heretia¡¯s plan. Besides, we have knight orders and the Imperial Guards helping us as well. Perhaps it might be possible to return the throne to His Majesty even before he arrives in Torra.¡± ¡°In that case, he will recognize our contribution. We need to at least avoid being branded as accomplices of the Pope. Some of the commoners have already started fleeing in anticipation of war.¡± Heretia shook her head at the people¡¯s conversation. ¡°It is impossible for us to drive the Pope out with just our power. The opponent is the Pope. He wields the power of His Majesty that he stole. Do you really think we will be able to face off against His Majesty¡¯s power?¡± ¡°But Miss Heretia. We can¡¯t just sit back and wait until His Majesty delivers peace to us once again. Now is the best time to shake up the Pope, since His Majesty is on his way. The discontent of the people of the empire is already on the verge of an explosion. It¡¯s been getting hard to keep them under control.¡± ¡°Stop it. We are doing enough by informing HIs Majesty of this plan, and informing His Majesty that people of all walks of life agree with him. We might end up causing unexpected damage if we went further to¡­¡± ¡°The Pope will try to confront His Majesty! Then Torra will turn into ruins. Doing nothing could cause much more damage. The Pope is a man who will take citizens hostage and push them into the battlefield!¡± There was a commotion among the people over how to deal with the Pope. Their fear was directed at the Pope, and at the same time was directed at the emperor. People¡¯s opinions were divided into two for the same reason¡ªto either stay still until the emperor returned or to step up before the emperor returned. ¡°The common people are only trying to take this opportunity to make a contribution so that they might end up being recognized! You are hoping that His Majesty will grant you a good status if you contribute to His Majesty¡¯s conquest of the holy city of Torra!¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Aren¡¯t the nobles the one still contemplating whether to be on the Pope¡¯s side or not? I bet you¡¯re planning to wait until there¡¯s a clear winner before deciding to serve them!¡± As the debate began to turn into a heated argument, Heretia rose from her seat. Seeing this, everyone quickly shut their mouth. Heretia looked annoyed, but she didn¡¯t want to blame the people. This was a road that no one had ever walked on before them, and she didn¡¯t know the exact answer either. ¡°It is true that the Pope is out of his mind, but at least he¡¯s not incompetent,¡± Heretia said. ¡°But he has only one neck. If we can figure something out¡­¡± Someone tried to intervene in Heretia¡¯s words, but quickly closed his mouth upon noticing the gazes of the other people. Heretia continued to speak. ¡°Not a lot of people remember the Pope¡¯s reign of terror now, but I understand that he did quite a lot of crazy things in the early days of Eternal Rule. He stopped directly ruling the empire when the Church was established, the Bishops who were granted His Majesty¡¯s Grace appeared, and the knight orders were created. But¡­ there is no guarantee that something like the Red Footprints or the Emperor¡¯s March won¡¯t happen in Torra once again.¡± The crowd shuddered in fear. Both the ¡®Red Footprints¡¯ as well as the ¡®Emperor¡¯s March¡¯ were massive purges that occurred in the early days of Eternal Rule. At that moment, one person carefully broke the silence brought about by fear and opened his mouth. ¡°The Pope is old. Not only do we have the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards, but we also have many prominent figures in the holy city of Torra who support the empire. The Pope alone cannot take responsibility of the empire. There¡¯s no way history will repeat itself.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that the Pope is a reasonable man.¡± Heretia sighed and looked around at the people. The people¡¯s opinions still seemed to be divided in two. Heretia could not push her opinion in such a situation, since there was a high likelihood that there would be a backlash that would result in an even greater uproar, whether it be good or bad. ¡°Let¡¯s take a vote. Whatever the result of the vote, the losing side has to follow it unconditionally.¡± Heretia approached the pillar and drew out a dagger. Then she made a small horizontal scratch on the pillar. ¡°Mark a horizontal line if you wish to maintain the current situation, and mark a vertical line if you wish for us to take action. There will be no secret ballot.¡± People looked at each other; no one wanted to be the first to vote publicly. At that moment, Ivy stepped up and made a scratch on the pillar¡ªit was a vertical mark. Heretia sighed unconsciously. However, Ivy bowed toward Heretia without any other explanation and returned to her seat. With Ivy having taken the lead, the people began to approach the pillar one by one and leave a mark. After seeing the results of the vote, Heretia fell silent. She remained silent for a very long time until she gained the courage to speak again, then finally opened her mouth. ¡®Eight versus seven. Taking action it is.¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s carry out the plan to oust Pope Helmut early in the morning tomorrow.¡± People seemed perplexed by Heretia¡¯s words. ¡°Wait, that soon? Don¡¯t you think that''s a bit too fast?¡± ¡°It would be better to hurry as much as we can, since our plan might be leaked. It doesn¡¯t really matter, since this plan was designed to be implemented unexpectedly anyway. There¡¯s no need for a lot of people to move either. Just don¡¯t try to run away at a critical moment.¡± Heretia bit her lips after uttering in a quiet voice. ¡°I just hope that the Pope is not crazy enough to try to kill everyone in the holy city of Torra.¡± *** ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you all.¡± Helmut grumbled as he watched the protesters outside the Vatican from his window. He was awakened by the slogans that were being shouted by the protesters who had unexpectedly come to the Vatican since early in the morning. His nerves were more sensitive than usual, since he had barely fallen asleep. ¡°We demand justice for His Majesty!¡± The high and thick walls of the Vatican could block the stones and rotten fruits, but they could not block the shouts from the protesters. The protest had been going on for a while now, but it was the first time that it started so early in the morning. Helmut ordered the Templars to arrest and lock up all those who were in the square. ¡®Looks like I might have to lock down the entire holy city of Torra.¡¯ The protest, which had been directed toward only Barth Baltic in the beginning, had already spread and become a protest against the system itself. Helmut was bothered about such a series of events¡ªhe had a feeling that someone was controlling everything from behind the scenes. Heretia Helwin immediately came to Helmut¡¯s mind, but there was no conclusive evidence to hold her accountable. At that moment, screams and loud noises could suddenly be heard outside. The Templars seemed to have begun a crackdown, forcing the chant to finally be stopped within a short time. ¡®They demand justice for the emperor? Bullshit. There would be no justice for the emperor on this land if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡¯ Helmut had done all sorts of terrible things in order to keep the emperor¡¯s will. Not only had he struggled to protect humanity and the empire, but he recklessly drove out the members of the heterogenous races who demanded for their rights after becoming losers for the first time, unlike when they enjoyed all kinds of benefits parasitizing under their gods. Helmut has done many shameful things and made many mistakes, but it was all nothing compared to everything that he had achieved. ¡°I was His Majesty¡¯s justice itself,¡± Helmut muttered, sitting alone in a dark room. Helmut inadvertently realized that his own voice sounded quite old and lonely. He has lived his whole life without a family in order to maintain His Majesty¡¯s will. The idea that he was the most loyal of His Majesty¡¯s servants had not changed. ¡®But he is going to come back to punish me?¡¯ The emperor was returning. In fact, he was already on his way. Public gossip, as well as Barth Baltic¡¯s warning¡ªthese were constantly driving him to a corner. Helmut couldn¡¯t proudly say that he kept everything left behind by the emperor, but he thought that no one else could have done as much as he had. He had built temples and statues everywhere to worship and praise the emperor, and had taught the entire empire about the emperor¡¯s will. ¡®I am His Majesty¡¯s justice. Wasn¡¯t the definition of His Majesty¡¯s justice to defeat the enemies of humanity, punish the disloyal, and earnestly strive for the prosperity and stability of the empire?¡¯ Helmut lifted his empty eyes. At the end of his sight was a portrait of the emperor. He blankly stared at the painting and muttered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be as perfect as you were. Was that a sin? I did the best I could¡ªas the trivial boy that admired you and wished to resemble you and continue your legacy. But weren¡¯t you the one who tried to abandon us first? You are the one who betrayed us first.¡± At that moment, a sudden loud roar was heard from across the square. Helmut, who was sitting on the bed as if he had lost his mind, instantly jumped from his seat. Unlike the small protest from earlier, a large-scale protest began to surge in the square. There were so many protesters that the torches held by them could be seen even from the Vatican. Helmut sensed that something had gone terribly wrong. ¡°Your Holiness!¡± Gareon Geled, the Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion, rushed into Helmut¡¯s bedroom with a pale face. ¡°The apostates are coming, Your Holiness. The knight order has blocked the entrance, but I don¡¯t think it will be possible to disband them!¡± ¡°What about the Imperial Army?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any movement from them right now. However, many of the Imperial soldiers protecting the holy city of Torra have families in Torra. There¡¯s no way that they would point their swords inwards.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that to begin with. It¡¯s fine as long as they¡¯re not siding with the protesters. It seems like Pavan Peltere wasn¡¯t behind all of this. Gather all the Templars guarding the entrance to the Vatican¡¯s audience chamber. You follow me and protect me.¡± ¡°Pardon me? But Your Holiness¡­¡± At Helmut¡¯s glaring gaze, Gareon hurriedly commanded the attendant standing next to him. Helmut stepped out in simple clothing and hastily moved toward the audience chamber through a secret passage. However, what he encountered when he entered the audience chamber were the Templars who had been tied and forced to kneel. Seeing the situation, Helmut¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Holiness.¡± A sharp object touched Helmut¡¯s back¡ªthe tip of a sword was aimed precisely at his heart. Helmut suddenly had a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡°Gareon. Even you, the Captain of the Temple order, have betrayed me. I guess I¡¯ve really hit rock bottom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Holiness. But it¡¯s no longer a matter of whether the person who¡¯s coming to Torra now is the emperor or not. We had no choice but to do this to prevent a massacre.¡± Gareon pushed Helmut¡¯s back and sent him to the podium in the audience chamber. Above the podium were Heretia, Ivy, and Lenly Loen, who were standing there and waiting for him. Helmut glared closely at Heretia and Ivy. Meanwhile, Heretia looked anxiously at Helmut and opened her mouth. ¡°You would better not move too carelessly, Your Holiness. Captain Gareon will stab you right away if we suspect that you are trying to use your Grace.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so anxious, why don¡¯t you just stab me to death right now?¡± Helmut derided. ¡°I wish I could, but there are many reasons why I can¡¯t. You should not be assassinated and killed as the Pope¡ªyou should face a trial and be killed as a prisoner. And you must tell us how you were able to draw onto and wield the power of His Majesty.¡± The corner of Helmut¡¯s lips went up. ¡°That was your purpose? The source of the Grace? You criticized me for imitating the emperor, but now you want to imitate me?¡± ¡°It is necessary in order to return the stolen power to His Majesty. That power will be useless anyway once His Majesty returns.¡± Heretia gave a calm response upon hearing Helmut¡¯s provocation. Helmut straightened his back and slowly looked around. The people who had captured and pointed their swords toward the Templars and Priests were also Templars and Priests. A few of the Imperial soldiers could also be seen among them. Helmut figured that similar things must be happening all over the Vatican. ¡°I certainly haven¡¯t made a move for way too long. It seems that there are too many people who really don''t understand His Majesty¡¯s will, since there were so many more people who were born after the Red Footprints and the Emperor¡¯s March.¡± The Emperor¡¯s March was the incident in which Barth Baltic carried the body of the emperor to the Capital immediately after his assassination, and then purged all the people suspected to have been involved with the assassination. The Red Footprints was a large-scale purification led by the Pope, and was conducted in cities that showed resistance toward the rule of the Church or insisted on local folk beliefs even after the Church was established. The Red Footprints was also the origin of the name the ¡®Emperor¡¯s Foot,¡¯ the Grace which allows the Templars to surround an entire city with a spherical barrier that was impossible to escape from. It was a ridiculous name, but it literally meant that only blood could be found in the emperor¡¯s footprints. Tens of thousands of people had died back then. However, everyone gathered here in the Vatican were young people. None of them remembered the olden days. Then at that moment, Ivy quietly opened her mouth. ¡°Do you think His Majesty would have acknowledged and approved of such slaughter had he been alive?¡± Helmut was suddenly left speechless at Ivy¡¯s sharp criticism. Helmut has seen the emperor in his lifetime and served under him as a soldier. He also knew that the things he had done so far were against the emperor¡¯s values. However, he had plenty of excuses to explain himself. He had something to back himself up even if the emperor was revived right in front of his eyes at this very moment. But the moment he met Ivy¡¯s eyes, he became speechless without even realizing it. Ivy¡¯s young eyes which looked like they were on the verge of tears made her look like she was scared and nervous, but she seemed to represent the emperor¡¯s will with all her heart. ¡®I¡¯ve been doubting myself, but this little girl is completely certain of the emperor¡¯s will? What the hell did I do wrong? Why does this little girl out of everyone seem to have the will of the emperor?¡¯ ¡°Why not me when I took the lead in serving HIs Majesty!¡± Helmut suddenly shouted loudly. Everyone gathered in the audience chamber looked at Helmut in unison. Heretia signaled Gareon with a nervous look to make sure that he was ready to stab Helmut at any time. Helmut quickly covered his mouth with his hand to stop the words that he uttered without realizing it. But then he inadvertently smelled blood¡ªit was a smell that he had not smelled in a long time. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. He was reminded of the blood the former Saintess vomited on his face¡ªno, it was like the endless amount of blood that he had seen so far seemed to be surging in waves. Helmut felt like he was going to drown in the smell of blood. It was the sea of blood that was the result of his efforts to protect the empire and the Church. Helmut couldn¡¯t let all of that go to waste. ¡®Few more drops won¡¯t make the sea.¡¯ Helmut reached his hand out toward the sky. Heretia immediately ordered Gareon to kill Helmut, while Gareon swung his sword even before she gave the command. The sword penetrated through Helmut¡¯s chest. Gereon did not stop there¡ªhe continuously wielded his sword to further injure Helmut. But Helmut did not collapse. His eyes burned with a blue light. ¡°Come to me, Telgramm.¡± CH 173 A thunderbolt struck down through the ceiling of the Vatican, and a tremendous roar rang out¡ªone which made the entire holy city of Torra to fall silent for a moment. The lightning directly struck Helmut, and all those standing around him were electrocuted and then pushed away from him in an instant. However, Gareon¡ªthe person who had stabbed his sword into Helmut¡¯s chest, did not get pushed back like the others. As soon as the lightning struck Helmut, Gareon was turned into a lump of white charcoal. Even his holy sword was helplessly shattered. His body soon turned into a fine, ash-white power and scattered in the air as it was hit by a broken piece of his holy sword. ¡°Apostates. All of them are apostates.¡± Electricity sparked out of Helmut¡¯s mouth every time he opened his mouth to mutter. Meanwhile, Heretia barely managed to come to her senses and opened her eyes with difficulty. She couldn¡¯t move her body properly due to the aftereffects of the electric shock. The feeling of lightning sweeping through her entire body for a moment left her with an intense pain that she never wanted to experience again. Then, she saw Helmut standing in front of her. Helmut was wrapped entirely in lightning. The lightning constantly leaked out from his fingertips, mouth, and eyes causing the surroundings to burn here and there. Heretia recalled the words Helmut had muttered just before she lost her consciousness. ¡®Did he say Telgramm?¡¯ Telgramm was a weapon that was well known to be the Emperor¡¯s weapon alongside Sutra. Heretia had heard that the Church was keeping it under their possession, but she let her guard down because she had never seen a record of the Church actually making use of it. Heretia bit her lips; she blamed herself for thinking that the Pope wouldn¡¯t use Telgramm as he had many other ways to protect himself. ¡®It seems like he had a strong counterplan¡­¡¯ Heretia had certainly seen Gareon stabbing Helmut in the chest with her own eyes. However, Helmut then calmly summoned Telgramm without showing any signs of being heavily injured. Heretia knew quite a few people who could continue without much effect even after being stabbed several times with a sword. ¡®The Templars.¡¯ Heretia wondered if the Pope had undergone the same procedure as the Templars. The Church allowed the Bishops or the Priests to use many types of Grace, but did not perform physical reinforcement procedures on them. On the other hand, the Church restricted the Grace that could be used by the Templars, but performed physical reinforcement procedures on them. ¡®...It¡¯s only an implicit rule, but it wouldn¡¯t be so strange if the Pope himself didn¡¯t follow the rule.¡¯ Many people had pointed out and criticized the physical reinforcement procedures on the Templars for imitating the emperor. Heretia had once thought that perhaps the Templars¡¯ physical reinforcement procedures were a series of experimental processes to make the most perfect Templar. Thus, it occurred to Heretia that Helmut was not only stealing the emperor¡¯s Grace, but was also coveting the emperor¡¯s body. ¡°Keuk, Garghhh.¡± At that moment, Helmut let out a strange groan, while his left arm trembled. A bolt of lightning suddenly burst, and then at the same time, his left arm fell to the floor in the form of white ash. Lightning leaked out of Helmut¡¯s severed arm. Heretia hoped for Helmut to collapse on his own upon seeing his severed arm, but then a new arm slowly grew from the stub of his wound. Helmut breathed heavily and began to mutter something as he clutched both his hands¡ªit was a prayer to draw forth Grace. Not long after Helmut began to recite the prayer, the lightning that was being released from his body began to gather in his hands instead. Soon, Helmut was covered in cold sweat, while clutching dozens of thin lightning bolts in his hands. ¡®That¡¯s not what Telgramm looked like from the records I saw.¡¯ Heretia remembered the figure of Telgramm being described as a long blue spear. But the ¡®Telgramm¡¯ held in Helmut¡¯s hands looked completely unstable at first glance. It was clear that Helmut couldn¡¯t perfectly control it, and it seemed like he was barely controlling it with the power of Grace. ¡°Apostates, heretics, traitors¡­¡± Helmut muttered a growl and looked around. Then, his eyes stopped on one side of the room¡ªit was where Ivy had collapsed. Cold sweat began to run down Heretia¡¯s spine. She quickly tried to get up, but all she could do was twitch her fingers. She desperately looked around to find someone that could help Ivy, but many of the people were still fainted or had already been burned to ashes. However, there was one person still standing other than Helmut. ¡°That is His Majesty¡¯s weapon. It¡¯s certainly not something that should be allowed to be dirtied by you placing your hands on it.¡± Lenly Loen was blocking Helmut from approaching Ivy. For a moment, Heretia had some hopes, but it was obvious that Lenly was also in a state where it was difficult for him to even stand. Lenly may be a powerful man, but there was no way he could beat the Pope who had strengthened his physical power to the level of Templars. Besides, Helmut was even wielding Telgramm, thus making the situation worse. ¡®Run, you idiot.¡¯ Heretia puffed her lips and muttered at Lenly. At least one person had to flee, since the plan to oust the Pope had failed. However, Lenly didn¡¯t seem to be willing to do that. Heretia could understand why Lenly couldn¡¯t easily run away. If he left Helmut unattended now, then there would be a massacre. There was no way that Lenly could allow himself to run away to save his own life after putting the lives of everyone else at risk. Helmut growled and then swung Telgramm like a whip. Just when Heretia thought that Lenly would be turned into a lump of ashes, he drew his sword and stabbed it into the pillar. The stem of Telgramm¡¯s thunderbolt was once again scattered throughout the building due to the sword. It was a clever idea, but that was it. Lenly¡¯s sword was immediately shattered, while the pillar crumbled down. ¡®...The Vatican.¡¯ Heretia noticed that the condition of the Vatican building had become quite unstable. The Telgramm had already given it a tremendous impact when it struck the building with lightning, but the ceiling was now on the verge of collapsing after the pillar crumbled down. Heretia wondered if Lenly¡¯s plan was to bury the Pope inside the collapsed Vatican building, but then she shook her head, since that would also kill both himself and the Saintess. Heretia bit her lips to the extent of bleeding and managed to make herself stand up. The thought that she would die if she didn¡¯t move motivated her to do so. ¡°What a mess¡­¡± Heretia¡¯s whole body was covered with burns, since she had been standing relatively close to Helmut in order to talk to him. She was afraid to look at her current self in the mirror, but then shook off such thoughts. Helmut swung Telgramm at Lenly once again. In response, Lenly picked up a random sword rolling on the floor and tried to repeat what he had done earlier, but he wasn¡¯t so lucky this time¡ªthe thunderbolt destroyed the sword Lenly threw into the air and then struck Lenly on the head. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± At that moment, Heretia threw herself and rolled around while grabbing onto Helmut¡¯s waist, causing him to miss. The lightning that narrowly passed by Lenly left a long cut across his face. His entire face was left charred, and a scream broke out from somewhere at such a sight¡ªit was Ivy who just regained her consciousness. ¡°Captain Lenly! No!¡± Lenly managed to stay standing without collapsing even though his eye had suffered a serious injury. However, it was very clear that he had shouldered an incurable wound. ¡°Run! Ivy! Go and find the emperor!¡± Heretia shouted. Ivy looked at Heretia with a devastated look on her face. Meanwhile, all Heretia could do was struggle while holding onto Helmut. She succeeded in making him lose his balance for a short moment, but she couldn¡¯t do much, since his physical strength far exceeded her¡¯s. ¡°What are you waiting for? Go! Hurry!¡± Ivy squirmed and got up, then soon grabbed Lenly and hurriedly tried to leave. Helmut roared and stabbed Telgramm into Heretia¡¯s thigh. Heretia once again felt a burning sensation that could almost melt her brain, but surprisingly, she felt no pain in her leg. Helmut shook off Heretia as if he was shaking off some annoying flies. Heretia tried to grab hold of Helmut once more, but she lost her balance. Only then did she realize that both of her legs had disappeared¡ªher legs had long since turned into white ashes. However, she felt that she could stick them back together if she quickly held on to them. But instead of holding on to the legs she could never regain, she once again grabbed Helmut by the ankle. ¡°You asshole¡­ where do you think you¡¯re going after you ruined the body of a lady in such a manner?¡± Helmut completely ignored Heretia and aimed Telgramm at Ivy¡¯s back. Seeing this, Heretia shouted loudly. However, Helmut didn¡¯t even spare her a single glance. Telegram flew toward Ivy¡¯s back and a bright flash of light covered her for a moment. Seeing this, Helmut had a cruel smile on his face, while Heretia screamed. However, nothing happened. Ivy flinched, but she managed to leave the room without being injured¡ªeven though she was helping Lenly up. Helmut looked at the unbelievable sight with a dumbfounded look on his face and once again swung Telgramm, but the thunderbolt just dodged Ivy and smashed into the door. Ivy turned back and looked at Heretia with sad eyes, before hurriedly leaving through the broken door. ¡°No!¡± Heretia could not figure out what had just happened. However, seeing Helmut¡¯s rage made her feel like she was tasting sweet candy. Helmut tried to chase Ivy, but Heretia was still holding onto his ankle and being dragged around. Heretia was grinning even after losing her legs. ¡°I have no idea what the Saintess means to you, but based on the look on your face, it seems like it was worth risking my life to save her.¡± At that moment, a few people rushed in from the door. They were the ones who had been ordered to wait outside to stop the others from intervening. Upon entering the room, they were appalled to see the horrific situation in front of their eyes. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°No¡­ what the hell is going on¡­?¡± Helmut then turned to look at Heretia. He ended up missing the Saintess, but at least he found a target to vent his anger. Helmut lifted Telgramm while muttering in a rough voice. ¡°There are apostates everywhere.¡± *** The main gate of the Vatican exploded, and the debris scattered over the citizens. At the same time, some pieces of flesh were also mixed among the pieces of stone and wood flying everywhere. The Templars, who were preventing the citizens from entering the Vatican, looked back at the door with perplexed faces. Behind them stood the Pope with an evil look on his face and something that looked like a thunderbolt in his hand. Seeing Helmut covered with white-colored powdery ash, the Templars instinctively noticed that the ash had once been bone and flesh of humans. It didn¡¯t take them too long for them to realize that, since they had a lot of experience burning bodies of humans as well. ¡°Your¡­ Your Holiness¡­¡± One of the Bishops fumbled up to Helmut. But Helmut simply ignored him and looked at the protesting citizens with thunderous eyes. For a moment, the citizens felt overwhelmed in the face of the eyes of a madman in power. ¡°I thought I had already killed enough, but I see that I still have quite a lot left.¡± Helmut revealed his teeth as he grinned, and began to climb down the stairs. At this point, the Templars were already starting to doubt whether the man walking down the stairs really was the Pope that they knew. Helmut lifted a bunch of crackling lightning rays and muttered. ¡°Kill them all. You are His Majesty¡¯s sword.¡± For a moment, the Templars doubted their ears¡ªthey doubted whether the order they heard was correct. But their doubts didn¡¯t last long. Suddenly, the Grace engraved all over their bodies began to overflow with vitality. If the power they had been using as the Templars until now was counted as one, the power coursing through them now could be counted as more than ten. At the same time, their emotions were also elevated to the extreme, so much so that they couldn¡¯t stand it without releasing this power on anything. ¡°Keuk¡­ Kehak!¡± The Templars felt like their heads would explode if they didn¡¯t release the energy coursing through their bodies right away. At that moment, Helmut shouted in a loud voice that resonated throughout the entire holy city of Torra. ¡°Torra is a sacred city dedicated to serving His Majesty! However, it has been corrupted and polluted by the will of the vulgar! From now on, I will purify this city with fire and iron as the agent of His Majesty!¡± The Templars roared and stormed toward the citizens. The citizens quickly tried to run away in a hurry upon realizing that something had gone wrong, but two or three people were immediately torn apart as the fist of a Templar thrust toward them. The bodies of the citizens who were running away were crushed by the Templars, causing their blood to color the road red. Meanwhile, just as some of the people thought that they had avoided the Templars, lightning struck down upon them from the sky and began to turn everyone into ashes. In just a second dozens of bolts of lightning crackled down from the Telgramm held in Helmut¡¯s hand and struck down all over the holy city of Torra¡ªthe lightning dodged the allies, and aimed only for the enemies, leaving behind ash all over Torra. Helmut once again cried out in a loud voice so that the entire holy city of Torra could hear. ¡°Those who are loyal to His Majesty will be granted strength, while those who are unfaithful will be purified by fire!¡± CH 174 The sky seemed to be collapsing. The clouds and wind that were rushing toward the holy city of Torra released an unusual energy. Upon sensing that something ominous was happening, Juan rode his horse and went out to the field to observe the sky. Sina followed him as well ¡°Is it a storm? There have been a few unusual weather changes this year, but this is just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a storm.¡± Static electricity sparked up when Juan lifted his finger and slightly rubbed it. His face began to harden. ¡°It¡¯s Telgramm. Someone is playing around with Telgramm right now.¡± ¡°Telgramm? You mean the weapon that creates thunderbolts? But I heard that it was sealed by the Church¡­¡± At that moment, Sina closed her mouth; she thought of one person who had access to any and all the items kept in the Church. ¡°The Pope¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone else. I can¡¯t imagine Barth Baltic using Telgramm, since he probably doesn¡¯t even know how to use it,¡± Juan answered. Clouds from all over the continent frantically rushed toward Torra, before coming to a stop and breaking down. The broken clouds, as well as the wind poured down upon Torra as lightning and raindrops. Considering that Torra looked like it was getting bathed with lightning from even the horizon, Sina couldn¡¯t even imagine what the internal situation would be like. Sina¡¯s expression hardened at the hellish sight. ¡°Why is the Pope attacking his own allies? Is there any reason for him to do that¡­?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. But I guess I¡¯ll have to wait and see if the Pope is the one committing the sin, or saving me from the trouble of having to kill the one who is messing around with Telgramm,¡± Juan replied coldly. ¡°Either way, the fact that he will die won¡¯t change.¡± *** Hela couldn¡¯t figure out how to report the news that was just delivered to her by an agent. She didn¡¯t know whether she should tell Juan the news as it is, and at the same time, she wasn¡¯t confident about handling what would happen after she reported the news. Due to her misgivings, Hela decided to first call General Nienna, the head of the Northern Army, and Anya, the Captain of the Order of Huginn, to her tent. ¡°Okay. I have bad news, worse news, and the worst news,¡± Hela said. ¡°I feel like all three are related to each other anyway. Just tell us everything,¡± Nienna frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what happened in chronological order. The bad news is that someone tried to oust the Pope and commit treason in the holy city of Torra. But the treason attempt has failed, and many of the figures that led the treason are either dead or missing. Among them are Heretia Helwin, Ivy Isildin, and Lenly Leon¡ªthe Captain of the Imperial Guards.¡± The three people mentioned by Hela were the people who had personal connections with Juan. Hela didn¡¯t know the exact situation either, but her understanding was just as bad as the situation in the Capital. Anya¡¯s expression hardened as well. ¡°Miss Heretia is involved in treason? But she isn¡¯t the type to do such a reckless thing when success is right around the corner. I¡¯m sure she had a reason.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure what she was up to, but I feel like no longer being able to suppress the citizen¡¯s complaints played a huge part in the current situation. One wrong move could group them with the Pope, you know? Perhaps Barth Baltic¡¯s defeat was also a huge part of their decision.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. It was not uncommon for a country on the brink of destruction to collapse due to internal strife. Hela figured that Heretia could no longer suppress the major undercurrents, since the discontent with the Church had already been accumulating for fifty years. The return of the emperor just acted as a catalyst to speed up that destruction. ¡°The worse news is that the Pope went crazy after being betrayed. He is massacring the residents of Torra. I guess this also coincides with the worst news,¡± Hela looked at Nienna and continued speaking. ¡°The Pope has taken the residents of Torra hostage. He has also taken full control of the Church and the Order of the Capital. He was able to do so by threatening everyone that he will kill them if they don¡¯t listen to his orders. An army will not be particularly motivated with only threats, but we are still absolutely inferior in terms of equipment and number of troops compared to the Imperial Army. Thus, it would be ridiculous for us to besiege Torra.¡± Nienna could tell what criteria Hela had to determine what was worse than something else. It was unfortunate that important figures like Heretia and Ivy were gone, but their absence would not have a big effect on the overall plan. On the other hand, it was shockingly unfortunate that the citizens of Torra were being slaughtered. But the fact that Helmut had taken control of the Church and locked down all of Torra was a difficulty as huge as Barth Baltic. It was certainly worth calling the worst news. Hela¡¯s judgment was correct from a strategic point of view, but at the same time, it was also incorrect. Anya frowned and clicked her tongue. ¡°Did the Pope finally go insane?¡± Hela shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that he finally went insane, but he just showed his true colors. Similar things have already happened in the early days of the empire, after the foundation of the Church. Helmut turned into a lazy pig after the Church had settled down and he had a group to enact violence on his behalf, but he came back to his original self now that he has been driven into a corner.¡± ¡°Hela¡¯s right. I once had to warn him because he was making a mess in the north,¡± Nienna glared at the table with her hands clasped with a serious look on her face. ¡°But I agree with you¡ªhe is crazy. What he is doing is both strategically and morally ridiculous. This incident will push everyone who is on the fence to our side. Unlike the early days of the Eternal Rule, now that His Majesty has returned, there¡¯s no way anyone would choose to be controlled by such a madman.¡± Anya was about to nod, but suddenly tilted her head in wonder. ¡°So this incident can be considered to be the Pope¡¯s mistake, right? Our return now will give the image of His Majesty defeating the villain and thus gain him the support of the entire empire.¡± Hela looked at Anya with a bitter smile on her face. ¡°If you think about it simply, then yes. The current situation will allow us to win by simply standing still and not doing anything. But His Majesty isn¡¯t someone who would do that. That is also why I haven¡¯t told His Majesty about this news yet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too arrogant, Hela?¡± Hela¡¯s face stiffened, while Nienna continued speaking in a gentle tone. ¡°We are a militaristic force that is following His Majesty. You should know what happens to subordinates who try to hide information from their monarch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hide it. I¡¯m just suggesting to delay the news a little. The noble¡¯s insurrection will fall, and Torra will eventually collapse on its own, even without us having to do anything. There¡¯s no need for us to go out of our way to add more trouble, when the capital is already suffering from so much internal stress. But when His Majesty finds out that the fate of his acquaintances is unclear, then¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty will advance toward the capital right away. He will do so even on his own if the rest of his forces don¡¯t follow him.¡± ¡°Then what do you think will happen next?¡± Nienna looked at Hela without a word. Meanwhile, Hela continued to persuade Nienna in a nervous voice while biting her lips. ¡°The Imperial Army will have no choice but to confront His Majesty, and the Pope will use Torra as a battlefield while using the power of Grace. You¡¯ve seen what he managed to do with Telgramm, haven¡¯t you? I don¡¯t know how many people have died in Torra, but at least twice as many will end up dying in and out of the Great Wall. Yes. Above all, the Great Wall. I¡¯m talking about the Great Wall of the holy city of Torra¡ªthe wall that was built by His Majesty himself. Our army will follow His Majesty¡¯s command to break ourselves against the wall that is known to be impossible to break even if His Majesty himself tried to break it. Unless His Majesty intends to climb up the Great Wall by making a ramp with endless corpses, it is right to slow down our march.¡± ¡°Even if that is the case, His Majesty should be the one to make the decision. You shouldn¡¯t try to make that decision on your own, Hela.¡± Nienna stood up from her seat. ¡°If His Majesty asks for bloodshed, it is because it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something His Majesty already did when he founded the empire. But His Majesty now is¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Nienna tightly grabbed Hela¡¯s face with one hand. A cold atmosphere suddenly filled the tent. Hela felt a chilling wind that could freeze and explode her face at any moment. Nevertheless, Hela continued to glare at Nienna with a fierce look in her eyes. ¡°I know that His Majesty now is a completely different person from His Majesty I have in my memory. Nevertheless, you should leave all your moral ideals and philosophies behind if you have decided to follow him,¡± Nienna said. ¡°Does His Majesty only want tools, and not people?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you also need His Majesty''s power rather than His Majesty¡¯s philosophy for the common purpose of destroying the Church? Besides, as far as I know, His Majesty has already warned you that he might exhaust you and the Fourth Division for his own purposes.¡± Hela opened her eyes wide with a perplexed expression upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words. What Nienna just mentioned was Juan¡¯s answer to Hela¡¯s attempt to get him under her control back when she didn¡¯t know that he was the emperor. There was no way that Nienna could have known about it. At that moment, Juan entered the tent. Seeing this, Nienna released her grip on Hela, causing her to slump to her seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have overheard all of you, but I had to wonder what you all had to discuss without me at a time like this¡ªand I must say, it didn¡¯t go too far beyond my expectations.¡± Hela realized that Juan had been communicating with Nienna directly through her mind. It was only natural that Juan could use such a power, since even the Templars were capable of using it. ¡°We can win without doing anything, and we can also stop the massacre as long as I stand still. Hela, is that what you think?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that true? Your Majesty has already warned me many times that you would commit a slaughter if you have to. I¡¯m just trying to avoid the worst situation.¡± ¡°Hela, you poor lady.¡± Juan approached Hela and knelt on one knee to look at her. When Juan¡¯s hand touched Hela¡¯s wrinkled face, Hela flinched and shuddered. ¡°If I really wanted to kill all humans, do you think you would have the time to do anything about it? You¡¯ll see what true helplessness is in Torra.¡± Juan turned his head and looked back at Nienna and Anya. The two waited for Juan¡¯s order with nervous looks on their faces. There was no expression on Juan¡¯s face as he gave out orders. *** Pavan increased his speed. The raindrops and lightning that had been wantonly striking down upon all of Torra had stopped, but fires and wailing could be heard from everywhere. Urban administration was paralyzed, and even the Imperial Army which should be controlling a disaster like this was busy searching for the rebels. The city felt like it had already been defeated even before the war began. Pavan was convinced that it wouldn¡¯t be long before the city really was defeated. The Imperial Palace, where His Majesty¡¯s body is enshrined, appeared before Pavan¡¯s eyes. For a moment, he hesitated in front of the golden scaffolding that marked the boundary of the Imperial Palace. Soon after, he decided to set foot inside. In ordinary times, only those with permission from His Majesty could pass through the veil of benevolence that surrounded the entire palace. However, there was nothing blocking him right now. Besides Pavan, the Priests, the Bishops, as well as the Templars of the Church were wandering back and forth in the Imperial Palace with anxious expressions. Pavan passed them and headed toward the center of the Imperial Palace. The atmosphere inside the palace was imbued with madness and gloom. At this point, Priests trembling in fear or bursting into hysterical laughter seemed to be rather ordinary sights. The sight of the Priests constantly shouting unintelligible words reminded Pavan of Bishop Rietto, the mad Bishop whose mind was shattered. Pavan thought that most of the people from the Church had gone insane. ¡°Your Holiness.¡± Before long, Pavan arrived before a huge door. In front of the door, Pavan found Helmut sitting on the sofa he had brought from somewhere. Helmut looked like he had aged quite a bit in just one day¡ªall his hair had turned white and there were a lot more wrinkles on his face. Helmut glared at Pavan with a wary look on his face. ¡°The Captain of the Order of the Capital? How did you get here?¡± ¡°I was able to come thanks to Your Holiness lifting the veil of benevolence. As you ordered, the Capital Army is on high alert and blocking the city, while the search for the rebels is also underway.¡± Of course, the Pope could not pass through the veil of benevolence. Instead, he chose to destroy the veil of benevolence with the help of the power of Grace. ¡°What about the Saintess? Did you find the Saintess?¡± CH 175 Helmut repeated the question over and over again while his head continued to bob, almost as if he was convulsing. It was clear that his condition was quite bad. Pavan could instantly see that Helmut had been seriously injured when he tried to control Telgramm, despite it being beyond his ability. No matter how perfectly he could make use of the emperor¡¯s powers, Helmut¡¯s body was still that of an ordinary human. It was already quite surprising that he was able to imitate a fraction of the emperor¡¯s ability with his body which had undergone the Templars¡¯ physical strengthening procedure. ¡°We were able to find a few of the officials who participated in the treason, but we have yet to find the Saintess,¡± Pavan answered. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Pavan let out an exhausted sigh. Meanwhile, Helmut stammered around his seat even before Pavan gave him an answer. Then, he soon found some incense and lit it up. This prompted Helmut¡¯s hands to stop trembling¡ªhe made a comfortable expression as the scent of the incense filled the room. However, his head was still bobbing around constantly. ¡°There is a terribly strong smell of blood. It¡¯s so disgusting that I almost want to vomit¡­ Pavan, did you kill someone on your way here?¡± Pavan replied with a puzzled expression on his face, ¡°No, Your Holiness. I didn¡¯t even unsheath my sword today.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± Helmut nodded and then stared elsewhere blankly. Pavan inadvertently recalled the intelligence report he had heard about Helmut suffering from olfactory hallucinations ever since the former Saintess bit her own tongue and sprayed blood all over his face. Ever since then, Helmut had started to rely on the use of incense, but it looked like his symptoms had gotten worse. Pavan had to wonder whether it was okay to burn narcotic incense in the sacred place where the emperor¡¯s body was enshrined. However, the sacredness of the Imperial Palace was nowhere to be found at the moment, and it had already become the den of madmen. ¡®And from the look of it, the most insane of them all is this rat.¡¯ Of course, Pavan only kept his thoughts to himself, and did not do anything stupid like showing them on the outside. After all, this insane rat was the supreme commander of the empire right now. ¡°Your Holiness, the most complicated issue that must be dealt with right now is sorting out the command system. Do you plan to set up the Imperial Palace as the central base of operations in Torra?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°The Vatican has collapsed, so we need to rely on His Majesty¡¯s shoulders for protection, given that the current situation is as bad as it is. I¡¯m sure His Majesty will protect us now that we are here in the Imperial Palace. His grace is still with us, Pavan.¡± In Pavan''s view, it looked like the Pope was the only person who still believed those words. After all, everyone in the city of Torra had witnessed what Helmut had done. The picture of the evil Templars who drenched themselves in the blood of the innocent, as well as the Pope who burned all of Torra won¡¯t easily be forgotten. Torra, which once shone brilliantly as the center of the empire, had now turned into a terrible hell. The power bestowed by the emperor was used on a scale greater than ever, but his grace was nowhere to be found. ¡°Damn it, my headache is getting worse¡­¡± Helmut shoved a whole pack of incense into the ashtray and lit them all up at once. A heavy and suffocating scent that clouded one¡¯s mind rose, causing Pavan to take a step back while covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve. As someone who had multiple experiences of wiping out dens of drug dealers, Pavan could immediately recognize that Helmut was already severely addicted. ¡°This terrible smell of blood won¡¯t go away until I tear apart that bitch, Ivy, and kill her. We need to find her as soon as possible. Then we must show everyone that His Majesty¡¯s justice still exists in this land and stand strong against the fake emperor who is on his way to invade this land¡­¡± ¡°About that fake emperor,¡± Pavan spoke with great difficulty. ¡°I understand that he is already close enough to Torra to reach us in a day. But the Imperial Army is still busy with searching for the rebels rather than preparing for the war. We also need to help with disaster recovery in order for Torra to be able to properly withstand the enemy¡¯s attack. But in our current state, Torra is¡­¡± ¡°What do we even have to worry about when we have the Great Walls?¡± Pavan clenched his teeth. According to the legends, the Great Walls surrounding the city of Torra were built by the emperor in a single night. It was only natural that such a legend existed, since the Great Walls were so elaborate and huge that it was nigh impossible to believe that they were built by humans. Since it was a fortress prepared for the sake of war, and since it had never been attacked, many people believed the legend that it was built by the emperor. Hence, it was obvious to assume that rebels without any decent siege equipment would never be able to break through the Great Walls. However, the enemy this time was not an ordinary army¡ªthis time, it was the army of the emperor. ¡°If the Great Walls were enough to protect us, there would have been no need for the Imperial Army to go through all the hard training and buy expensive weapons and armors. The enemy is someone who managed to beat the Regent, someone who was thought to be invincible. I think it would be right to be wary of them.¡± Pavan said, thinking that it was the last warning he could give Helmut. Pavan had no reason to be loyal to Helmut, nor did he want to. The only reason he was giving a warning to Helmut was due to his responsibility as the military commander¡ªa position that was passed on to him after Barth Baltic¡¯s dismissal and the betrayal of the Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion. ¡°Please, Your Holiness. I implore you to command the army to focus only on the enemy at our doorstep at such a time.¡± However, the only answer Pavan got for his pleas was a growl. ¡°If that bitch escapes, your neck will be the next thing rolling outside the Great Walls.¡± ¡°...Yes, Your Holiness.¡± It looked like Helmut hadn¡¯t even listened to Pavan¡¯s warning properly. Instead, he was focused solely on inhaling the scent of the incense. Pavan stared into Helmut¡¯s dimming eyes and then turned around to leave. *** The gathered clouds that couldn¡¯t disperse were hovering ominously in the sky. It did not rain. The dreary and wet wind made everyone¡¯s hearts flutter strangely in anxiety. Sina looked at the city in front of her while feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. ¡°...That¡¯s Torra,¡± Sina murmured in a whisper. Before all of this happened, there was no city that could make her heart flutter as much as the holy city of Torra; after all, Sina wished to become a Templar. Torra was a city where the history carved at the hands of the emperor was engraved everywhere, and where living heroes resided¡ªit was a city overlooked by His Majesty himself, as he looked down from his Eternal Throne. Such was the public perception of Torra, and the same used to be Sina¡¯s perception. ¡°I used to think that Torra was the most beautiful city in the world, but I¡¯m not sure if I still think so.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just due to the time that has passed.¡± Hela clicked her tongue and replied while standing beside Sina. Flames and smoke were soaring throughout the vast city, while corpses were scattered everywhere. Ashes, rainwater, and blood were mixed with the mud, while the people were all looking around them with empty eyes. In the center of all this devastation, one could see the Great Walls of Torra surrounding the Vatican and the Imperial Palace. The Great Walls themselves boasted a huge size that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. They were built like an elaborate puzzle, and showed no gaps that an enemy could dig through¡ªits surface was so smooth that it was impossible to climb above it. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of targeting Torra before, but I can tell it¡¯s happening for real now. Yet I still can¡¯t think of any way to attack Torra. How the heck are we going to climb that wall?¡± Sina muttered with a fed-up expression as she looked at the Great Walls of Torra. In response Hela looked at Juan, who was standing at the forefront of the army, with her mouth tightly closed. Juan was calmly approaching the Great Walls without even contemplating stopping or slowing down, even with Torra right in front of his eyes. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he be able to use a secret passage since the Great Walls were built by him?¡± Hela asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Torra, but as far as I know, there is no secret passage leading into the Great Walls as far as I know.¡± Nienna approached them before anyone knew it and joined the conversation. ¡°Besides, there is no way that His Majesty would crawl through a drain or a rat hole to get in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never liked saying this, but I guess all I can say at this moment is ¡®His Majesty must have a plan.¡¯¡± ¡°Why do you hate saying that, Hela?¡± Nienna asked Hela with a soft smile. Hela frowned and opened her mouth. ¡°His Majesty did not give us peace and freedom for free¡ªinstead, he helped us win them. I don¡¯t think what His Majesty did was wrong, since humans are not babies that His Majesty should have to feed forever.¡± ¡°Then what if His Majesty tells you to charge right through the Great Walls?¡± ¡°While I do not want to be a baby, neither do I want to become an egg thrown against a rock. We just want to be His Majesty¡¯s loyal army¡ªsimilarly, His Majesty should also be our emperor.¡± Nienna laughed in a low voice at Hela¡¯s answer, and then she kicked her horse to take the lead. ¡°You worry too much, Hela. But I want you to think from a slightly different angle. His Majesty waged wars killed gods not because he hated them¡ªhe did that for the sake of humans.¡± ¡°...I know.¡± ¡°But this war is different. It¡¯s not a war for the sake of humans, but for convicting sinners. One could say that it¡¯s just revenge, but in a way, it¡¯s very personal. Why would His Majesty borrow someone else¡¯s hands when he is dealing with his personal vengeance?¡± Hela frowned. She didn¡¯t doubt the emperor¡¯s omnipotence; she just didn¡¯t want to rely on it too much. But Nienna was speaking almost as if the emperor was going to attack the Great Walls all by himself. ¡°If that was possible, why would His Majesty even call for such an army?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Nienna shrugged and answered. ¡°Maybe he brought us here just to catch the guys running away from him.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. *** Soon after, they reached close enough to Torra that the gate of the Great Walls could be seen. They were still quite some distance away, but they just had to lift their heads up to look at the Great Walls. When Juan stepped on the long slope leading toward the gate of the Great Walls, the gate suddenly began to open. The army stopped all at once when Juan came to a stop. Then, a man walked out of the gate and took a long time to approach Juan. The person who arrived in front of Juan was none other than Pavan Peltere, the Captain of the Order of the Capital. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Pavan got off his horse and saluted Juan. The army behind Juan looked at Pavan with a shocked expression, since the fact that the Captain of the Order of the Capital called Juan ¡®His Majesty¡¯ was not something that could be taken lightly. ¡°I am Pavan Peltere, the Captain of the Order of the Capital. First of all, I would like to thank you for making the long journey to return.¡± Juan stared at Pavan for a while and then opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t need your greetings or your gratitude. I have just come to take back what is mine from a thief.¡± Pavan smiled bitterly. ¡°With all due respect, that ¡®thief¡¯ is now the one ruling the empire. The House of Peers has already acknowledged the Church¡¯s reign, and the citizens have long since been tolerating it. There is no doubt that His Majesty is the true owner of the empire, but Your Majesty¡¯s actions now may set a bad precedent.¡± Basically, Pavan was suggesting that Juan could grasp the power without doing anything, and just stepping aside. Juan laughed, almost as if he was dumbfounded at Pavan¡¯s attitude. ¡°You are still going to fight even when you know that I¡¯m the emperor?¡± ¡°This is the reality of the army. You can¡¯t just surrender because you know that you will lose. I¡¯ve already lost enough self-respect by changing the subject of my loyalty once.¡± Juan felt strange upon hearing Pavan¡¯s words. He was speaking like Barth Baltic, but he was using a subtle tone to change the subject. Juan already knew that Pavan was more of a politician than a soldier. There was no reason for Pavan to be forcibly attached to a force that would soon collapse. ¡°However, the army would naturally stand by Your Majesty if Your Majesty showed the people that you are the true emperor without a doubt, and if you make them realize that the true owner of the empire has returned.¡± Juan laughed once again. He had been wondering what Pavan wanted, but then realized that Pavan was suggesting that ¡®the army would stand on your side if you prove that you are the true emperor.¡¯ Pavan, who had already been betrayed by Barth Baltic, seemed like he wanted to choose the safe path even if he had to die. ¡°I don¡¯t like to be tested,¡± Juan said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I sounded rude, Your Majesty. But I¡­¡± ¡°However, I think this test will be necessary to do what I was planning to do anyway. So forget about what you said and go back to your original station. I will soon let you know that you were one of the people under me even before you held a sword in your hand.¡± Pavan was taken aback by Juan¡¯s words. ¡°But since you came all the way out here at the risk of your life, I¡¯ll give you a small reward. Go and get your army off the walls,¡± Juan said coldly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Your Majesty, that is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say.¡± Pavan felt a sharp pain in his heart when his eyes met Juan¡¯s eyes. Shortly after, Pavan was running toward the gate. He ran like crazy, even abandoning his horse. Pavan gasped and looked around while holding his chest, almost as if his heart was about to burst. The soldiers were looking at him with surprised looks on their faces. Pavan didn¡¯t even know how he managed to come back. The knights who had been anxiously waiting for Pavan¡¯s return from atop the walls quickly approached Pavan. ¡°Captain! Are you okay? What happened?¡± All Pavan could remember was the look in Juan¡¯s eyes, as well as his last order. ¡°Get the soldiers off of the walls right now.¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°I said get the soldiers off of the walls! Now!¡± Pavan screamed. It was a cry filled with fear and desperation. CH 176 The damp winter wind shook Juan¡¯s hair and blew away his foggy breath. Juan stood alone on the slope leading toward Torra and faced the Great Walls. He looked terribly small and precarious compared to the Great Walls. Both the inside and outside of Torra were so quiet that even Juan¡¯s footsteps as he walked on the slope sounded loud. Sina realized that she was just staring at Juan as she forgot to breathe. However, upon looking around, she could see that she wasn¡¯t the only one holding her breath. Everyone, including the refugees from Torra, the soldiers, and even Nienna, was watching Juan while holding their breaths. No one could speak a word ever since Pavan had visited. An unknown energy was carried by the wind, forcing them into a suffocating silence. It felt as if the entire universe was watching only Juan. ¡®What is he planning to do?¡¯ Sina thought as she looked at Juan walking toward the Great Walls in silence. Everyone had the same question in mind. Hela was worried about the siege from the walls, and Pavan even expressed his willingness to surrender. However, Juan accepted neither. Then Sina inadvertently recalled the joke someone made, that the Great Walls would collapse if the emperor said ¡®collapse,¡¯ since they were built by the emperor. She thought that it was a ridiculous joke; there was no way that the emperor would have built a wall in the capital city that would easily collapse with just one word. However, Sina realized that her expectations were completely out of line upon seeing what happened soon after. That was not just a ridiculous joke. While it wasn¡¯t completely accurate, it wasn¡¯t far from reality either. *** Juan looked up at the Great Walls. Compared to the time when he used to be the emperor, the traces left by the passage of time were evident, due to the moss and rainwater wearing down upon it. In addition, there were some burn marks left after being recently struck by lightning. However, the walls still remained thick and firm on the spot, just as they used to be. ¡°Everything in the world has changed, but you are still the same.¡± The Great Walls were built by Juan himself. Ever since he built those walls, he had never once thought that one day, humans would be his enemies. He had built them while considering the gods that might someday return after he was gone, the unpredictable enemies from beyond the Crack, or something unknown he had never seen. Juan had made the Great Walls such that it was an army in itself¡ªone that would prevent disasters and be the last bastion of humanity for thousands of years to come. Unfortunately, Juan had died before he could tell everyone about it. But now he had returned. ¡®I have returned.¡¯ Juan felt that the end of his long journey was near. Beyond these walls were the secrets related to his assassination, his original body, as well as a man who had destroyed the empire he built. The white foggy breath flew away in the cold wind. Compared to his life as the emperor, his journey was quite short. He met a lot of people and shed a lot of blood with his hands. Even though it was a short time, Juan felt that he had changed more than when he became the emperor. Juan felt that he was more distant from the title of ¡®emperor¡¯ than ever before. Juan had a feeling that perhaps he couldn¡¯t become the emperor just by simply claiming himself to be¡ªit was just like Sina said. Even Juan had to agree to that when he recalled the difference between himself as the emperor and his current self. When he thought up to this point, he suddenly felt that maybe it was only natural for Dane, who was his teacher, to ¡®fix¡¯ him. He also understood why Hela was so worried about him. She may not be aware of it herself, but she already thought of Juan and the emperor of the past as two separate existences. In a sense, Hela could be said to be right, since Juan also felt that he was completely different from his past self now. Perhaps the emperor really did die on the day Gerard stabbed him in the back. ¡®But what does that matter?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know about the emperor, but Juan himself was here right now. He took a deep breath, and air filled his lungs. Then, Juan shouted, imbuing his powerful will into the voice. ¡°I have returned!¡± The Great Walls trembled at the cry, shaking all of Torra. All those who were watching Juan fell to the ground with their hands covering their ears. At the same time, everyone inside Torra had also heard his voice. Even all those who had locked themselves inside their houses with their windows closed due to the Pope and the Templars also looked outside, wondering what was going on. ¡°I have returned!¡± The walls trembled once more. The Templars and Priests from the Church looked toward the East as if they were possessed. There were a few Templars who knelt down and began to recite a prayer as soon as they heard the first cry. The Templars, who were wandering around due to the slaughters they have committed against their wills, also collapsed, blankly muttering the name of the emperor. Helmut hurriedly ran out of the Imperial Palace and looked toward the eastern walls. A cry that almost made his head explode echoed inside his head. At the same time, all the Priests were either crying or praying while lying on their stomachs. Upon seeing such a sight, Helmut muttered even before realizing it. ¡°Your Majesty, have you truly returned¡­?¡± Juan took in another breath and shouted at the top of his lungs once more. ¡°Get up and welcome your master!¡± Paven Peltere saw the Walls quivering every time Juan shouted and had to wonder if they would collapse just like that. The walls were now shaking as if there was an earthquake. The houses built atop the walls collapsed, while all the moss fell off at once. The war equipment and bricks piled up on the walls began to fall down helplessly. ¡°Th-the walls are collapsing! Everyone back off!¡± Pavan doubted whether it was even possible to break down the huge walls with just voice alone. However, his doubts were cleared soon enough. It was not only the eastern wall that would tremble whenever Juan shouted. The entirety of the Great Walls that surrounded Torra would shake and vibrate with his voice. Pavan shut his mouth; he didn¡¯t know how to warn the people. Instead, it was the soldiers who were screaming and warning the people with perplexed expressions. ¡°The walls are collaps¡ª it¡¯s¡­ rising?¡± The walls did not collapse; they only broke the long silence and raised themselves up according to Juan¡¯s order. The Great Walls, which were managed by humans for a long time, were covered with many different equipment and constructed buildings. However, everything covering the Great Walls had fallen off as the Great Walls raised themselves up, and only the true walls themselves were revealed. Huge human-shaped stone statues that measured more than a hundred meters tall were surrounding Torra. Even beyond the vast clouds of dust, their silhouette was clearly visible. Anya trembled with her hand covering her mouth. ¡°Golems¡­ the arms that support the empire¡­¡± Anya still clearly remembered the first time she met Juan. Anya had tried to figure out how to control the Golems by watching Juan control one at the Ash Tower. This was because she thought it would be easy to destroy the empire if she could find and control the Golems who actively fought against the gods during the Founding Era. However, Anya had thought that the Golems would be either hidden in the mountains or somewhere underground, since no one knew where they were. Only now did she realize that her expectations had been completely wrong. The Golems had become the walls of humankind after they drove out the gods and lost their purpose. More than three hundred Golems, the most powerful allies of humanity in the Mythological Era, were now surrounding Torra. All the residents of Torra could also see them as the dust cloud subsided. It was a landscape where everyone could feel the majesty of the golems. Anya couldn¡¯t tell whether the reason why she was shaking was that she was deeply touched or she was scared. Juan probably didn¡¯t even remember their first encounter, but in the end, Golems had become the decisive factor in destroying the empire. It was almost as if someone was telling Anya that the path she chose wasn¡¯t wrong. *** The soldiers of the Imperial Capital Army who were surrounded by the Golems completely lost their will to fight. Their motivations had already hit rock bottom in the first place, but now, even the weapons they held in their hands felt burdensome. They had been living in Torra for decades and had always been proud of the Great Walls that were protecting them. However, never once did they think that one day they would become a threat to them. There would be no way to resist if the surrounding ¡®Walls¡¯ stood up, turned around, and began to attack them. Even the ground where the soldiers were stepping on seemed as if it was about to stand up at any moment. The Golems surrounding Torra were silently looking down at Torra with their shining red eyes, but did not move¡ªthe same was also true of the soldiers and knights. However, unlike the Golems, they were thinking that they would be recognized as enemies by the Golems and trampled to death if they took even a single wrong step. At that moment, some of the Golems suddenly turned and made a movement. Screams immediately broke out among the soldiers, but the Golems did nothing other than move a little bit. A man emerged from among the Golems. It was Juan. Juan walked amidst the Golems in a calm manner and approached the Imperial Army that was on standby. Only the sound of Juan¡¯s footsteps could be heard in the center of silent Torra. Where the Imperial Army stood was a boulevard that extended toward the Imperial Palace. If the soldiers backed down, it would directly open up the path toward the Palace. While the soldiers were hesitating because they didn¡¯t know what to do, Juan was getting closer and closer. Then, at that moment, a cry came from somewhere. ¡°All¡ªattention!¡± The soldiers reflexively followed the order. The Imperial Army turned toward Juan in unison and took a stand. However, the voice that gave the order was one they had never heard before. The soldiers soon realized that it was neither Pavan or another Templar who uttered the cry, but one of the newbie officers whose name was unknown. The officer shouted once again in a trembling voice. ¡°Salute to His Majesty!¡± It was an order from an officer who did not even have a direct subordinate, let alone the authority to command anyone, but all the soldiers felt rather relieved in a situation where both the knights and the captains of the knight orders maintained silence. The soldiers shouted in salute without any complaint. Juan stopped for a while upon seeing the loud salute. He briefly accepted the salute and continued to step forward. Then, the Palace entered Juan¡¯s eyes amidst the soldiers who had split up to open the way for him. There was no one stopping Juan. *** Helmut looked at the long road from the east entrance to the Imperial Palace open up without a word. Without shedding a single drop of blood, Juan had gained full control of the Imperial Army. No one seemed to be daring enough to stand up to Juan. None of the people from the Church seemed to be in their right mind either. All the Bishops, Priests, and Templars were lying on the floor and constantly reciting prayers. Helmut felt like the floor was falling apart. ¡°Stolen goods must be returned when their owner comes back to get them.¡± When Helmut turned toward the voice he heard from behind, he saw Barth Baltic stroking a pillar of the Imperial Palace. ¡°Your expression seems to ask me when I entered the Imperial Palace. You probably only know of the main gate since you rarely have the chance to visit the Imperial Palace, but at one point in time, I used to almost live here. I know of many doors and roads. I decided to pay a visit since the veil of benevolence was lifted. I also have something to talk about with someone who will be arriving here soon,¡± Barth said. ¡°You bastard¡­ you are betraying me too?¡± ¡°Betray? You are being ridiculous, Helmut.¡± Barth Baltic spat as if he was disgusted by the mere fact that he had to speak Helmut¡¯s name. ¡°We only used each other for a common purpose. I find it utterly unpleasant that I was involved with someone like you, but I still don¡¯t think what I¡¯ve done is wrong. But a sin is a sin. I am ready to pay the price for my sins. I hope that¡¯s true of you as well.¡± ¡°I¡­ I am the representative of His Majesty! His Majesty is the only emperor, and only His Majesty who is sitting on the Eternal Throne is the true emperor of the empire! The rest are all nothing but fakes!¡± ¡°You sound like a parrot, repeating the same words over and over again.¡± Upon hearing Barth¡¯s ridicule, Helmut shouted and summoned a strand of Telgramm¡¯s lightning and swung it at Barth. Powerful lightning immediately stuck Barth, but he simply stamped his foot and directly faced the lightning with his head. The lightning bounced off just like that and then hit the ceiling of the Imperial Palace before scattering away. Meanwhile, Helmut looked at the sight as if he could not believe it. ¡°I¡¯m not as strong as I used to be, perhaps because my horns have been broken. But wielding the power of Telgramm toward a member of the Hornsluine is utterly foolish. After all, it was Hornsluine who created Telgramm in the first place to¡­¡± Barth couldn¡¯t finish his sentence and quickly turned around. A spear that suddenly flew toward him obliquely pierced the right side of his chest. Splat! With a terrible ripping sound, Barth¡¯s tough flesh was torn apart, and blood spurted up from the wound. It was a dangerous attack that would have been fatal if Barth hadn¡¯t been able to respond in time. However, he was already hurt so badly that he couldn¡¯t even move properly. ¡®Damn it, I let my guard down.¡¯ Barth was out of shape due to his recent fight with Juan, but he still felt himself to be pathetic for being injured by Helmut. ¡°Your Holiness!¡¯ ¡°Who, who is it?¡± At that moment, someone showed up at the end of the corridor. They, too, seemed to have entered the Imperial Palace through the back door, just like Barth Baltic. The first one running toward Helmut in lead was Imil Ilde, the head of the Ilde family. But Barth Baltic was focused on those standing behind him. Knights in crimson-colored armor with the symbol of a bloody hammer were approaching. One of those knights was so huge that one would question whether there was another Hornsluine still alive within the empire. Barth Baltic groaned upon seeing their armor. They, who were reluctant to intervene even after hearing the news of the emperor¡¯s return, had finally arrived in Torra. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. The giant knight ignored Barth and walked past him after checking that it would be difficult for him to move. Then he bowed his head toward the Pope and opened his mouth. ¡°I cannot allow the hands of the apostates to stain His Majesty¡¯s body. We will protect you, Your Holiness.¡± CH 177 There was no one getting in Juan¡¯s way, until he arrived in front of the Imperial Palace. Juan frowned upon sensing that the veil of benevolence had been destroyed. The veil of benevolence was always kept turned off when Juan used to be the emperor so that anyone could freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace, since the Imperial Palace served as an administrative headquarter. However, the true reason why the veil of benevolence was originally created was to prepare for enemy invasion during a war. It was quite ironic that the veil of benevolence had disappeared when such a situation actually happened. Juan walked into the Imperial Palace and found blood stains scattered at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. Considering the amount of blood, the victim seemed to have suffered from severe injuries. The bloodstains extended quite far into the Imperial Palace, and Juan could tell at just a glance that blood had fallen from a fairly high location upon looking at the bloodstains. Juan knew only one person who was that tall. ¡°Barth Baltic.¡± Juan didn¡¯t know what had happened, but there seemed to have been a person skilled and powerful enough to wound Barth Baltic. Juan continued to walk along the bloodstains. The bloodstains continued to the deepest parts of the Imperial Palace, and it wasn¡¯t long before Juan saw a huge door. It was a huge steel gate with all of Juan¡¯s history, from his birth, all the way to his assassination carved on it¡ªJuan had already seen it before when he had taken over Ivy¡¯s body. Juan recalled feeling a huge power that had almost swept him away even though he had just taken a look. However, he felt nothing this time. He was sure that he hadn¡¯t gotten strong enough to not be swept up away by that power, so he could only think of other possibilities. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. Juan opened the door and entered. Soon, a huge space appeared in front of his eyes. Each of the majestic pillars in this place were carved into statues depicting beheaded gods and legendary monsters. On the ceiling supported by the pillars was a delicately drawn map of the empire with many details, including every single city. And at the end of the row of pillars was a throne. As Juan had expected, the throne was empty. Barth Baltic was waiting for Juan on the stairs leading up to the throne. The blood from the wound on his right chest was wetting the stairs. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Barth opened his mouth in a calm manner. ¡°The others stole your body. It wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Juan could already tell from the traces left behind that the body was moved quite delicately, with no rush, showing their religious piety. He couldn¡¯t tell how they were able to move his body so fast, but the opponents seemed to have already left Torra. Although the throne had been left unattended for a long time, not a single grain of dust could be found anywhere. Rather, it was delicately oiled such that it looked shiny. Juan couldn¡¯t imagine what his body would have looked like, considering that even the throne was managed so carefully. ¡°Who took my body?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Your son.¡± Juan frowned upon hearing Barth¡¯s answer. The first son that came to mind was Gerard, since Juan still didn¡¯t know where he was. But Juan soon thought of someone else. ¡°Dismas?¡± ¡°Yes, Dismas Dilver. The Bishop General of the west and your third adopted son. He stormed in with the Order of Surtr and took your body away along with the Pope. I don¡¯t think he was interested in seeing your face.¡± Juan looked at the empty throne without saying a word. He had been both excited and afraid of the moment when he finally got to face his body. He felt as if an old concern that had been postponed might explode the moment he saw his own body. Now that the moment was unexpectedly delayed, Juan could not tell whether he was feeling relieved or disappointed. ¡°But the throne still remains here. The throne is all yours,¡± Barth grinned and tapped on the stairs. ¡®So this is how I return.¡¯ Torra had fallen and the Pope had fled. There were no more forces left to oppose Juan, since all of the Imperial forces obeyed him. The rest of the forces would soon be reported of the Pope¡¯s misdeeds and then they too would announce their surrender at the news of Juan¡¯s return. Except for the west, the empire could be said to be back in Juan¡¯s hands. ¡®I have returned.¡¯ ¡°Hah¡­¡± Juan laughed despondently without even realizing it. It was a moment that he had longed for, but it had a despondent ending. He managed to eventually return, but there was not much he found out about. ¡®Why did I have to die? Why did Gerard stab me? Why was I revived?¡¯ None of his questions were answered. Barth smiled as if he could read Juan¡¯s mind. ¡°Are you disappointed?¡± ¡°How can I not be disappointed? The bastard that I planned to tear apart ran away and in the end, I found out nothing.¡± ¡°What do you mean you found out nothing? I told you that I would answer your questions. Remember?¡± Juan turned his head toward Barth. ¡°Are you talking about the reason why you wanted to kill me? Didn¡¯t you already say it¡¯s because I''m a human god? Unfortunately, you are wrong. I¡¯m not a god. Wasn¡¯t it you and the Pope who turned me into god?¡± ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t pay too much attention to what I had said.¡± Barth raised himself up with difficulty and turned toward Juan. ¡°You were indeed a human god. To be precise, you were made to be a human god¡ªby Dane Dormund.¡± *** Juan remained silent for a long time and then finally opened his mouth. ¡°What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I was made by Dane, just like Gerard?¡± ¡°No. Gerard is nothing but a clone. He was only able to be born because you existed. But you are different. You were a lump of clay that was completely designed, created, and shaped to become a perfect weapon to defeat the gods from beginning to end,¡± Barth said while laughing in a low voice as if something was funny. ¡°Dane has that much power? No. I don¡¯t know how much stronger he has gotten now, but I was very well aware of Dane¡¯s abilities at that time. Dane was indeed a great magician, but not to that extent. He was just a long-lived magician when I first met him. He was my teacher, but he even said that he had achieved true growth only by meeting me, to the point where he felt like he had become a completely different person after he met me,¡± Juan said with a distorted expression. ¡°Of course he wasn¡¯t strong enough. To be exact, it was Aruntal that made you.¡± ¡°Aruntal? My teachers?¡± ¡°Yes. Aruntal and Hornsluines struggled to find a way to kill the gods. But Hornsluine wanted a weapon, while Aruntal wanted a hero. We ended up going our separate ways due to the differences in our goals. As a result, the Hornsluine were destroyed and the hero created by Aruntal survived.¡± Juan looked at his own hands. ¡®I was made by Aruntal?¡¯ Juan had believed that the reason why he didn¡¯t know of his parents was just that he was an orphan. ¡°I was an orphan. I didn¡¯t meet Aruntal until I got much older. So, how¡­¡± ¡°Of course, Aruntal¡¯s process of making you was not easy. They had to hide from all kinds of checks and attacks, then hide you in a village inside a remote valley. Then they showed up in front of you when they judged that you were old enough to achieve their goal. Everything was thoroughly planned.¡± Juan recalled the first time he met Aruntal and Dane¡ªthe time when a strange magician and an old elf came to look up and down at Juan. They said that Juan was the chosen one, and that he must stand up to the gods for the good of all. ¡°Aruntal was satisfied by their achievements of designing and creating you. They believed that their plan to create a hero that would allow all races to be independent of gods was successful. But their plan had failed from the ground up.¡± Juan stared blankly at Barth. ¡°Aruntal was perplexed when you became the emperor and led the humans, but they understood. After all, humans didn¡¯t have a god, and they had deliberately modeled you to have a human form precisely because of their independence. So, it was no wonder that humans were attracted to you, who looked exactly like them. However, Aruntal was surprised and perplexed to see the humans led by you ostracize the other races and even slaughter them,¡± Barth said as if he was chewing on his words. At that moment Juan remembered that some of the members of Aruntal had warned him about such conduct. Juan severely punished the humans involved in such crimes, but he thought different races had to endure it to a certain extent, since they had been at an advantage by relying on the authority of the gods before his emergence. ¡°This is obvious, but Aruntal did not make you a human god. You had to be a hero for all the weak who were oppressed by the gods. But when you absorbed Mananen McLier¡¯s heart and became completed as the true emperor, Aruntal realized that there was a reason they failed¡ªone among them was playing tricks.¡± ¡°Dane¡­¡± Juan muttered to himself. Barth nodded. ¡°Yes, Dane. Dane Dormund. He secretly transformed you, who should have been born as a hero for all races, into a god only for the humans. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to make you on his own, but strong enough to transform you without letting anyone know. By the time Aruntal realized what was happening, it was too late. When the members of Aruntal gathered to correct the situation, Dane set them all up and killed them all.¡± Juan had a clear memory of the extermination of Aruntal. At that time, Juan believed that the incident was clearly the work of the beings from the Crack or of the gods who fled. However, the culprit who killed all of the members of Aruntal was actually someone from Aruntal itself. ¡°You are an artificial god, Juan. You were created by your enemy.¡± Juan felt his legs wobble. He wanted to deny Barth¡¯s words, but all the scattered puzzle pieces fit with each other perfectly¡ªincluding the part about Dane¡¯s obsession with the ¡®human god¡¯ and his constant efforts to ¡®revise.¡¯ Dane even tried to kill Juan and recreate him after realizing that he no longer loved humans. ¡°How¡­ how do you know all this, Barth?¡± ¡°You left the investigation to me when Aruntal was exterminated. These were the facts obtained after the investigation. The process of finding these facts was difficult, but I didn¡¯t even want to tell you about it when I found out, because¡­ I came to hate you,¡± Barth twisted his lips. ¡°Hate? Me?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t hate you simply because you¡¯re a human god,¡± Barth said while staring coldly at Juan. ¡°You could have been everyone¡¯s hero. No, you could have been everyone¡¯s god. You could have been the salvation of all the races that were slaughtered and all the weaklings. Perhaps you could have revived my extinct species with that power,¡± Barth gritted his teeth and shouted at Juan. ¡°YOU HAD INFINITE POSSIBILITIES! But all of those possibilities disappeared when Dane turned you into a human god! The only reason why I didn¡¯t go insane after finding out such a fact was due to my motivation to kill you and Dane!¡± ¡°But I¡­ I didn¡¯t even want that for myself.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! I tried to understand you at first too. I knew that it was Dane who was the bad guy here! But just looking at you constantly reminded me of an opportunity that my race was deprived of! Just listening to you breathing made me feel like I was hearing the painful screams of my people!¡± Barth breathed heavily after he poured out his words. The wound on his chest seemed to have pierced his lungs. Barth moaned painfully for a long time, then quietly muttered again. ¡°You must think I¡¯m pathetic.¡± ¡°Barth.¡± ¡°But you will never understand the way I feel unless all of the members of your kind disappear from the world. My hatred wouldn¡¯t have been directed at you if I didn¡¯t find out about the truth in the first place. So there¡¯s no need for you to empathize with or understand me. After all, I wanted you to die.¡± Barth slowly raised himself up. His complexion was pale because he had already lost too much blood. Such a big wound seemed critical even with his ability to tighten his muscles to stop bleeding. ¡°Barth. I can see why you want to kill me. But first, let¡¯s get you treated. We¡¯ll talk more after that,¡± Juan said. ¡°No,¡± Barth answered briefly. ¡°I no longer have to feel guilty anymore, and I also confessed to you the reason for my hatred toward you. I have already put everything down. There is nothing left in my hands now, and neither do I have anything I want to hold onto,¡± Barth said and slowly looked at Juan. ¡°It¡¯s a perfect day to end everything. This is enough for me.¡± Barth¡¯s eyes were calm. Upon realizing what Barth was about to do, Juan quickly tried to hold Barth down. However, Barth immediately punched his own chest with all his might, crushing his own heart. His heart was shattered in a single blow. He coughed up blood and collapsed to the floor. ¡°No, damn it. Barth!¡± Juan hastily rushed to Barth. But at that moment, Barth grabbed Juan¡¯s neck with a force that should be impossible for a dying man. Juan noticed from the amount of power in Barth¡¯s grip as he held onto Juan¡¯s neck that he sincerely wanted to kill Juan. Barth strangled Juan¡¯s neck with a fierce look in his eyes. ¡°Stop giving me that sympathetic look, emperor,¡± Barth muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°I am the last survivor of the Hornsluines, the ones who confronted the gods. I was an officer of the honorable Palma Kingdom. I committed my soul to war in order to avenge my race and my king. Countless monsters and enemies rolled around under my feet. The world praised and looked up to me.¡± Barth¡¯s growling voice sounded like that of a beast, making Juan wonder if Barth really was dying. ¡°Some have said that I was nothing but a dirty heterogeneous traitor. But that¡¯s not who I am. Even the great emperor of the empire trusted me to the extent of leaving his back to me. I was the best warrior, and I tried to be the best teacher for my disciples.¡± Barth Baltic¡¯s words soon began to slow down. Bubbles of blood flowed down his lips, and his fierce eyes that had been burning fiercely slowly began to fade into a gray like cold coal. ¡°I am Barth Baltic.¡± Barth¡¯s hands that were tightly squeezing Juan¡¯s neck lost strength and opened as if a lock was slowly being unlocked. Barth quietly whispered his last words. ¡°I am the Regent of the empire¡­¡± CH 178 Barth Baltic fell as quietly as a piece of burnt wood. Juan looked silently at Barth Baltic¡¯s body. Barth hated Juan until the very last minute of his life, but he was also the Regent who was fiercely loyal to the empire. Juan foresaw that he would never find another Regent like Barth Baltic ever again¡ªat the very least he wouldn''t be able to accept anyone else. This was a different matter from loyalty. It only seemed right to leave the position of the Regent empty forever as a sign of respect. Juan sighed and looked around the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace in silence. It seemed to have been managed fairly well, with every corner being cleaned thoroughly. But now, the front of the throne was dirtied with blood and dirt. In the end, Juan failed to accuse the Pope of his sins and failed to regain his original body. But the fact that Juan had taken over the empire did not change. Juan climbed up the stairs and examined the throne. The golden throne was decorated even more splendidly than when he was alive, but for some reason, it felt like he could still smell his original body. At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind Juan. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a seat?¡± Juan stroked the throne without even looking back. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it.¡± Sina quietly stepped inside. Her clattering footsteps broke the silence in the audience chamber. ¡°Duke Henna is disarming the Imperial Army, and General Nienna is meeting with civic representatives to discuss urban restoration. Anya couldn¡¯t even come inside because of the Undeads, but I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter, since she was busy looking at the Golems anyway. It seems like those little things were more important to them than entering the Imperial Palace. They are good people, Juan.¡± Instead of answering, Juan looked down at the throne. ¡°You must have heard Barth Baltic¡¯s story. What Dane said about me was not a metaphor, but a literal expression. Aruntal made me, and Dane transformed me. It means that the emperor you praised so much is the result of a dirty trick,¡± Juan said. SIna did not answer. ¡°I can see why Dane wanted to ¡®recreate¡¯ me again so badly. His precious work has been ruined, so it¡¯s only natural for him to be annoyed, to see me pretending to be fine,¡± Juan murmured with a sigh. ¡°I thought the only thing Dane ruined were plans related to my first child.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it really matters that much.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s irrelevant. To be honest, I sometimes wonder if it¡¯s okay to just leave me alone without any restrictions. That¡¯s why I adopted Nienna, Dismas, and Ras. They are already great children, but I wanted to keep them by my side and keep my eyes on them,¡± Juan sighed once again. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s what Dane thought as well. He probably wished there was a god who could protect humanity and love them. I¡¯m sure everyone who lived in the Mythological Era had the same thought. The Pope was probably one of them as well. And if there was such a being, he probably wanted to put a leash on it¡ªjust like I did. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily bad.¡± ¡°...Maybe,¡± Sina answered. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t like being his puppet either.¡± Dane created an emperor to protect and lead humanity. If that was the sole purpose of Juan as the emperor, there was no reason for him to follow it now that he has been freed from his restraints. Rather, he might even go against them out of resentment. Come to think of it, the hatred and disgust Juan felt toward humans right after his resurrection may have been the result of a backlash against the restraints that Dane has placed inside him. Sina bit her lips. She tried multiple times to say something, but felt uneasy for some reason. After a long time, she finally opened her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re right. No one can force that on you.¡± Juan looked at Sina. ¡°None of us needs or even wants a god. Was it really love that gods showed to their races? No. It was nothing but an affection for one¡¯s toys. Are humans so weak that they need a god''s endless care? I deny that as well. In the end, it is humans who survived after all the gods died.¡± ¡°However it was the product of a twisted sense of affection of a magician named Dane Dormund.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to deny that. But¡­ Nevertheless, I think you are still capable of loving humans.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juan lifted his eyebrows and turned his head toward Sina. Sina slowly walked past Barth Baltic¡¯s body and approached Juan just below the stairs. She then looked up at Juan and opened her mouth again. ¡°The emperor that you were before the start of the Eternal Rule is only a small part of you. You became free of Dane¡¯s restraints when you died and were revived. You may or may not love humanity, since you have become a being greater than the result of Dane¡¯s crude fraud.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t ¡®nevertheless¡¯ love humanity? You¡¯ve already seen the possibility of me going crazy and killing them all.¡± ¡°There may be some people who think you would do that. There may be people who get angry and curse over the decisions you make, just like what happened with Arbalde. There might even be people calling you a monster rather than the emperor. But you will eventually make the right decision.¡± ¡°Why? Just because I¡¯m the emperor?¡± Sina did not avoid Juan¡¯s cold eyes that were staring directly at her. ¡°No. Because¡­ you¡¯re Juan.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has watched you for as long as I did after you were resurrected. Knowing you from what I saw, I think we can still hold hope. You were just being you, but good people like Hela, Nienna, Anya, Haild, Opert, Dilmond, and Horhell willingly decided to follow you. You were always like that¡ªyou continued to grow whenever you overcame the crisis of death. I have changed my thoughts about the emperor. Both you¡­ and the emperor can change.¡± Juan was silent for a long time and then opened his mouth with difficulty. ¡°I don¡¯t love humanity blindly.¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, neither do I.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not perfect either.¡± ¡°Neither am I.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but others will be disappointed in me and curse me.¡± ¡°I also have people that are disappointed in me and curse me. But¡­¡± Sina continued to speak in a calm manner. ¡°¡­I will always believe that you can eventually love humanity even if the time comes when everyone in the world calls you a monster. There should be at least one person like that, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡®Is this blind obedience she is showing?¡¯ Juan looked into Sina¡¯s eyes. However, there were no signs of blind loyalty or madness in her eyes. Rather, her eyes were clear and full of conviction. Juan felt like he had seen such eyes somewhere else before. Juan stared at Sina for a long time and smiled. ¡°It is true that I was born as a product of sin.¡± ¡°Juan¡­¡± ¡°But thanks to you, I think I know what I have to do.¡± There will be at least one person who will tell Juan that whatever he does is okay until the end of the world. Knowing that, Juan was able to lift his head up and open up his heart. He thought it wouldn¡¯t matter if he left the throne as it was now, since he had finished what he had to do. Dane¡¯s fraud, Barth¡¯s resentment, as well as humankind¡¯s expectations all felt too burdensome for Juan to sit back on the throne once again. However, Juan now knew what he had to do. Juan sat on the throne and buried himself deeply in it. It was not a comfortable seat, and Juan couldn¡¯t believe that his body has been sitting on it for over forty years. He was worried that his spine might have broken, despite it being a corpse. Juan turned his head to look forward. He could see the familiar, yet not-so-familiar scenery of the audience chamber. Nienna and her subordinates were beginning to enter the room. ¡®Here we go.¡¯ Getting the empire back in his hands was not the end of his journey. Rather, Juan was finally standing at the starting point once again¡ªthe place where he was stopped while running. But there were many obstacles ahead. Above all, the opponent he had to fight from now on might be the emperor himself. *** The first thing Juan did on the day he took the Imperial Palace back was to search for the missing rather than holding a triumphant coronation ceremony or declare his return. Numerous buildings were burned by the Telgramm¡¯s attacks on the holy city of Torra, and many people were harmed. Among them were quite a few nobles and civic representatives. The Imperial Palace which had been unused for the longest time had now become the center of medical care and reconstruction; the Imperial Palace which no one other than the Imperial Guards used to be able to enter was suddenly overflowing with people. ¡°How¡¯s the recovery process coming along?¡± Juan asked in a temporary office on one side of the Imperial Palace. Hela, who had buried her head in the documents for a long time, raised her head with a tired look. ¡°I have tasked all the Imperial troops with the reconstruction efforts. I think the recovery will be quite a lot faster than expected. They are also in the middle of finding bodies in collapsed buildings. For now, we are finding missing people through a resident investigation. But I think it will take some time. By the way, thank you for delaying the disposition of the Priests.¡± ¡°Well, they are necessary for the treatment of the people.¡± After the Pope fled, all the remaining Priests in Torra were tasked with helping with the treatment of the people. Of course, the Bishops were under strict surveillance, but no one dared to confront Juan when they saw him enter the Imperial Palace. Hela smiled awkwardly and opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed about trying to do whatever I want without knowing Your Majesty¡¯s generosity.¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t know how to take back the Grace they have. I could just kill them all, but I am keeping them around because we still need them. It¡¯s not like I can get my strength back from them by killing them anyway. Perhaps I need to do something to my original body¡­¡± Hela, who seemed to be thinking about something upon hearing Juan¡¯s words, then opened her mouth again. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I¡¯ll torture a Bishop, no¡­ I mean I will interrogate him to find out about the process of getting a Grace. The Bishops can grant Grace, and the excommunication Priests can even remove Grace. So they must know something. Still, I will tell the others that they are alive thanks to His Majesty¡¯s generosity.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Juan answered briefly and turned around. At that moment, Hela stopped him. ¡°Is that all? I think you had something else you really wanted to ask me about.¡± ¡°...I was going to skip that question because you looked busy. Or I could have just found out about it myself.¡± ¡°The person you are looking for is in the patient camp. There should be a Priest beside that person¡­ Wait, Your Majesty!¡± Juan immediately headed toward the patient camp without looking back after hearing Hela¡¯s answer. At the same time, various complicated thoughts passed through Juan¡¯s head. The patient camp that was built on the right side of the Imperial Palace was crowded with patients from all over Torra. Patients who had suffered injuries ranging from minor bruises to burns, and even amputations. The smell of death and pain was getting stronger as Juan approached the patient camp. At the same time, none of the patients seemed to think that Juan was the emperor because he was dressed plainly. Juan¡¯s expression gradually hardened. Priests from all over Torra were gathered to treat the people, but there were too many patients, especially when considering that the Grace that could be used was limited. If Juan had been a little late to enter the Imperial Palace, the epidemic might have gone around Torra. Juan focused on his senses and captured Heretia¡¯s presence among the large crowd. Soon after, Juan found Heretia under one of the tents. Heretia and Juan immediately made eye contact. ¡°Hey, Your¡­ I mean, Juan.¡± Heretia was about to call Juan ¡®Your Majesty,¡¯ but quickly called him by his name instead upon being conscious of the people around them. Juan looked at Heretia for a long time and finally opened his mouth with difficulty. ¡°What are you doing? I thought you were dead because they said you were missing.¡± CH 179 Heretia was reading the documents stacked in front of the desk in the tent; she was working on contrasting the list of missing people of Torra with all the patient¡¯s personal details. A lot of patients had been brought here while they were unconscious; therefore there were many cases where they remained unidentified. Patients with burns were lying down and groaning from here and there inside the tents. ¡°Come on. While I¡¯m not dying, I still got quite an ouchie. It hurts pretty bad,¡± Heretia grinned and lightly shook her skirt. The movement of her skirt which felt abnormally light and empty was indicative of the fact that there was no longer anything under her thighs. Juan looked at Heretia¡¯s skirt with a stiff expression. ¡°I got lucky. The part that was directly struck by the lightning completely turned into ashes and fell off immediately, but thanks to that, there was no bleeding. I couldn''t even feel that much pain.¡± Heretia was speaking nonchalantly as if it was nothing, but Juan could tell that she was lying. After all, Juan had also swung Telgramm at other people. She was acting like nothing happened, but he could easily guess just how severe the wounds which remained under her clothes were. ¡°Why are you working when you¡¯re injured so badly? You are also a patient, you know,¡± Juan said. ¡°Haha. I might look lazy at times, but I¡¯m the type to feel more ill if I lie down on my sickbed and do nothing. Don¡¯t worry. I was already treated much earlier than other people; the Priests were generous enough to still consider me a great noble. Everyone¡¯s busy right now, so this is the least I could do to help,¡± Heretia answered. Juan turned his head and looked at the other patients and the Priests. All the members of the Church had come to the tents to do first aid work, but it was clear that they were exhausted and lacked hands, since the number of Priests who were granted healing Grace was limited. Considering that the Priests weren¡¯t even allowed to walk around freely on the day when Telgramm struck Torra, Juan could imagine that the situation would have been much worse than now. At that moment, Herettia suddenly mumbled while frowning as if she was bothered by something. ¡°Come to think of it, we need more medication since most of the patients are burn victims. I¡¯ve been holding out with milk mixed with melted incense, but it¡¯s hard to get, since it¡¯s prohibited in the empire.¡± ¡°Incense? Are you talking about that thing made out of grass that makes people go stupid?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes. It becomes great medicine if you use it in moderation. I got the Priests to bring it from the Church, since I knew that they had quite a bit in their possession, but it isn¡¯t enough for everyone. If you don¡¯t mind, can you get us some more? And also¡­¡± ¡°Just write down everything you need and give it to me. I¡¯ll help you with everything I can.¡± ¡°See? This is why you need powerful friends,¡± Heretia smiled. ¡°Come to think of it, how did you even survive? I heard you were among the people that directly attacked the Pope.¡± ¡°I got very lucky on that part as well. Gareon Geled was¡­ oh, you probably don¡¯t know his name. The Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion was turned into a pile of dust as soon as he was directly struck by Telgramm from the very front. Then the Pope began to swing Telgramm around like a madman. Everyone, regardless of their status¡ªnobles, knights, and commoners, was blown away by Telgramm¡¯s power. I hung on to the Pope to stop myself from being flung away, but¡­¡± Heretia¡¯s complexion suddenly turned pale. She was pretending to be fine, yet she couldn¡¯t hide the fear she felt on that day. ¡°But I ended up losing my legs. As I said, I couldn¡¯t even feel any pain when it happened. All I had in mind was that I must let the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards escape.¡± ¡°Did those two escape? Their whereabouts are still unknown.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re just hiding somewhere and are fine. Perhaps they are hiding so well that they don¡¯t even know that you¡¯re back. But I guess there¡¯s no way they could have missed your voice if they were still in Torra. Anyway, I saw something strange back then. The Pope was swinging Telgramm at the Saintess like his heart was broken by her, but the Saintess was just fine.¡± ¡°Just fine? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Telgramm had no effect on her. As far as I remember, even the Captain of the Imperial Guard¡¯s upper nose was completely shattered when Telgramm brushed his face. But the Saintess just whizzed through the lightning like there was nothing in front of her.¡± Upon hearing Heretia¡¯s words, Juan rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought. The description of what happened to the Saintess resembled how Juan remained unaffected by the attacks made using Grace. Juan was left unharmed and remained unaffected even if he was struck directly by the Grace, ¡°Spear of Wrath.¡± He was cut and injured when someone cut him with a sword bestowed with a Grace, but any magic made with Juan¡¯s pure mana itself had no effect on him at all. Of course, that was not an ordinary case, since there were plenty of magicians who died from their own magic by mistake. But in the case of the Saintess, something seemed strange. In fact, from the very beginning, Juan had too many questions about the existence known as the Saintess¡ªand that included Juan getting his consciousness caught in the body of the Saintess whenever he attempted spirit transfer to send his spirit to the emperor¡¯s body. But now she was even unaffected by magic, just like Juan himself. ¡®I¡¯ll have to meet her for sure.¡¯ Juan figured that his questions would only be answered after meeting her in person. ¡°Whatever, that¡¯s not important right now. So how did you survive?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The Pope almost became a lunatic after the Saintess ran away. I thought I was going to die, but the Vatican began to collapse at that moment. The Pope didn¡¯t even look back and just ran outside. He didn¡¯t even seem to be interested in me. He probably thought that I¡¯d be crushed to death anyway,¡± Heretia shrugged. ¡°Did someone save you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Heretia nodded at Juan¡¯s question, but looked as if she was hesitant to tell him anymore. Juan pressed her for an answer upon seeing her avoid his question. ¡°Who was it? Is there any reason for you to not tell me? If that person saved my friend, then that person is also my savior.¡± ¡°Um¡­ as you already know, the citizens and the nobles weren¡¯t the only people who led the rebellion against the Pope. Some of the Church members were also in favor of the rebellion. For example, the Order of the Gold Lion was their representative. But there were a few more from the other knight orders.¡± ¡°I see. And?¡± ¡°Apparently they are people who have met you before.¡± Juan closed his mouth. As far as he knew, none of the Templars he had encountered returned in good shape. Even those who survived and managed to get back wouldn¡¯t be able to live a normal life. Juan recalled all the Templars in his memory one by one. ¡°What were their names?¡± Juan asked. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill them, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already killed the ones I should¡ªat least among those I have met,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°Hm, is that so? Well¡­ I guess they didn¡¯t ask me not to tell you. One of them looked much more like a patient than me¡­ they¡¯re over there among the people looking after the patients.¡± Juan turned his head, and there was a man and woman standing rigidly in the direction pointed by Heretia. Juan muttered quietly as if he was dumbfounded at the sudden unexpected reunion. ¡°Velkre.¡± *** ¡°I fled to the west on the same day that the Order of the Evil Snake was annihilated. But there wasn¡¯t anything left for me to do when I came back to Torra. I had failed my mission, all my men except for Nora were dead, and I had even lost the power of the Snake. So I was just planning on living quietly in hiding.¡± Velkre explained everything to Juan in a courteous manner while standing in a quiet street next to the patient camp. However, he was still shaking so much that he couldn¡¯t even look Juan in the eye. Juan sized up Velkre for a long time and then opened his mouth. ¡°It seems like you still have some Grace left in you.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I would have asked you to take it back if it was possible. I have not been able to use this power recklessly ever since I found out that it was a power that was stolen from Your Majesty.¡± The emotion in Velkre¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t awe or loyalty, but fear. It was the fear of being caught by the emperor and being interrogated for his sins if he misused the power again. ¡°I might have already died somewhere if Sister Nora wasn¡¯t here to take care of me, since I didn¡¯t even dare to use my healing Grace. Then I heard that Your Majesty was going to march toward Torra. I considered leaving Torra after hearing the news, but I decided that I couldn¡¯t continue living like this¡ªI didn¡¯t want to burden Sister Nora.¡± Nora quietly bowed her head. A fierce knight who had dared to raise her sword against Juan several times back in Durgal and Beldeve now looked like an ordinary woman from the slums. Come to think of it, Velkre and Nora¡¯s were some of the rare cases where Juan missed his chance to kill them due to overlapping coincidences. However, holding them accountable now was pointless¡ªespecially when they had saved Heretia¡¯s life. ¡°How did you end up helping Heretia?¡± Juan asked. ¡°We were secretly getting help from Gareon, the Captain of the Order of the Gold Lion. Then we heard about Miss Heretia¡¯s plan from Gareon. Although we had sinned, we still had the power stolen from Your Majesty. We thought we could correct our mistakes if we used that power to do the right thing. But¡­¡± We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. ¡°The plan failed.¡± Velkre nodded. ¡°It was a situation that no one had expected. We were on the lookout outside to prevent the other knight orders from coming to rescue the Pope, so we only belatedly realized the situation. That¡¯s when we managed to save Miss Heretia while the Vatican was collapsing.¡± ¡°I see.¡± If Juan were to be honest, he was not interested in how Velkre and Nora survived after their encounter with him. It didn''t matter to Juan whether Velkre was dead or not as long as he didn¡¯t show himself in front of Juan. What did matter was the fact that they had saved Heretia¡¯s life. ¡°Thanks anyway. There¡¯s no need for you to live the rest of your life while being conscious of your mistakes anymore. Don¡¯t worry about the Grace, since I¡¯m planning to take them all back soon.¡± ¡°T-thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty!¡± It wasn¡¯t a huge favor, but Velkre showed his appreciation by slamming his head against the ground and kowtowing. Juan wondered if it really was something to be so grateful about, but it seemed to be particularly important to Velkre. When Juan was about to leave Velkre and Nora behind, Velkre suddenly opened his mouth once more. ¡°Oh, um. I have one more thing to tell you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Juan was not interested, but soon opened his eyes wide after hearing Velkre¡¯s words. ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking for the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards? I saw where they were headed to when the Vatican collapsed.¡± *** ¡°Underground?¡± ¡°Yes. If there are any records of Torra¡¯s underground structure, gather them all and bring them to me.¡± Juan immediately got straight to the point and brought up the matter as soon as he came across Nienna inside the Imperial Palace. While Hela was focusing all her energy on the reconstruction of Torra, Nienna was focusing on taking control of the Church and the Imperial Army. Nienna frowned upon hearing Juan¡¯s request. ¡°Dad. To be honest with you, I came here to fight¡ªnot to read over the documents. I feel uncomfortable and uneasy when I look toward the north even now. You know I¡¯ve never left the north unattended for this long before. I would love to quit all the Imperial discipline and go back to the north if I could. So do you mind leaving errands like these to other officials?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll need to get the other officials to help. But I also need someone to be their supervisor. It would be nice if Heretia can take over this role, but she¡¯s in her sickbed now.¡± ¡°Then why can¡¯t you leave it to Hela?¡± ¡°It already looked like her head was about to explode with the duties she was already given. I¡¯m not a conscientious person, but giving more work to a senile woman who only has one arm would also make me feel bad,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°In case you forgot, I¡¯m older than Hela. But¡­ ugh. What about Haild? He does look a bit scary, but he is friendly.¡± ¡°He¡¯s much more clumsy than he looks. Besides, he has no administrative experience.¡± ¡°Then what about Horhell¡­? Oh, nevermind. He¡¯s more of a weapon than a talent. How about Anya?¡± ¡°She would do a good job if I asked her to do it, but I feel like she¡¯ll overdo it. Things are a bit complicated.¡± ¡°Okay, fine. What about Sina Solvane then?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my subordinate. She¡¯s just following me around.¡± ¡°Yes, but she¡¯ll still do it if you ask her to.¡± ¡°She would. But no.¡± ¡°Pavan Peltere?¡± Juan stared at Nienna upon hearing the unexpected name from her mouth. Meanwhile, Nienna scratched her chin with a sullen look on her face and continued to speak. ¡°He might have been an enemy before, but he is quite capable. He is the one who slaughtered the Eastern Army, isn¡¯t he? I know a guy named Colter who used to be Pavan¡¯s former superior pretty well. He told me that Pavan alone is three times as good as him. He understands administration well and also has the desire needed to succeed. I¡¯m sure he will do well if you leave the work to him. He seemed to be pretty nervous these days.¡± ¡°Hela will be pissed when she finds out.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one who said that you would feel bad about giving more work to a senile old woman. Stop overworking her and just send her back to the East. Give the East a lot of support later or something in return. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d prefer that over anything else. But why do you need information about the underground structure of Torra all of a sudden?¡± Juan rubbed his chin and opened his mouth. ¡°It seems like the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards are hiding there.¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the only reason? Then we can just send a search party there.¡± ¡°Yes. But the problem is that my old body seems to have been stolen through the underground passage as well.¡± Nienna looked at Juan with a stern look on her face. Juan put his index finger to his mouth and spoke. ¡°Only a few people know that there¡¯s a secret passageway in the Imperial Palace that I don¡¯t know of. If you think so highly of Pavan, order him to look into it. Of course, surveillance will be necessary. Let¡¯s see how he reacts.¡± CH 180 Unlike before, the Imperial Palace was now crowded with many officials wandering around. Only a few people recognized Juan¡¯s face; most of them were hired by Hela and Nienna. ¡°Hey, you. Come here for a second.¡± Juan, who was on his way to visit Hela to talk about the current status of the reconstruction, was stopped by a sudden call. Juan had never seen the man who was beckoning to him from across the corridor, but he looked like a noble considering his fairly big size and expensive-looking clothing. Juan pointed his finger at himself. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you. Damn it¡­ I can¡¯t believe that none of the officials know where His Majesty is. It¡¯s already been a couple of days since the incident occurred but it¡¯s just ridiculous that a system hasn¡¯t been set up yet.¡± The person who felt the current situation to be most ridiculous was none other than Juan, but he decided to approach the man. The man grumbled and complained upon seeing Juan¡¯s leisurely pace. ¡°Look. I¡¯m Baron Molo of the Mandane family. My ancestor owned a large portion of the land in the surroundings of Torra. He offered one thousand horses to His Majesty and was then given his title as a noble. So you¡¯d better be polite or¡­¡± The man couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as he looked at the approaching Juan. The man was quite surprised upon realizing that Juan was taller than he thought, but still didn¡¯t seem to think that Juan was the emperor. ¡°One thousand horses, huh? That¡¯s quite amazing. What¡¯s the descendant of such a great guy doing here right now?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I¡¯m on my way back from meeting Duke Henna. She won¡¯t allow me to meet His Majesty no matter how much I ask¡­ Damn it! She should give me at least one chance to meet His Majesty; it¡¯s already been a few days since he entered the Imperial Palace¡­ that way, we can save our own faces and His Majesty could also give us the support we¡­ wait, why am I even explaining this to you?¡± The man seemed to have a big mouth and was quite careless. Juan looked down at his own body, wondering if he looked so far apart from the emperor. He certainly looked very different from the ¡®Portrait of His Majesty¡¯ taught about by the Church. He wasn¡¯t wearing a crown, was smaller in size compared to what the portrait showed, was wearing plain clothing, and had long black hair. Above all, Juan had never made a public appearance except for the day when he first entered Torra. It was because there was a lot of more urgent work that needed to be taken care of. Thanks to this, the rumors about the appearance of the returned emperor were not much different from before his entry to Torra. ¡°Anyway. You must be a servant of Duke Henna or something, seeing that you have black hair. Shit, talk about women¡¯s tastes¡­ but I guess that¡¯s not important. Do you know where His Majesty is? I don¡¯t want to be rude and visit him out of nowhere, so I¡¯d like you to deliver a message for me. I¡¯ll give you this if you¡¯re obedient.¡± Molo held out a gold piece toward Juan. Seeing this, Juan didn¡¯t refuse, and instead willingly accepted the gold piece. ¡°I do know where His Majesty is.¡± ¡°I understand that you speak the way you do because you came from beyond the boundary. But you¡¯d better change your tone if you intend to continue living in Torra. There aren¡¯t many nobles who are as generous as me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually the first person to point out my tone in Torra. Anyway, what message do you want me to deliver?¡± Juan asked. Molo seemed to pause and think for a while before opening his mouth. ¡°Tell His Majesty that I wish to have a direct meeting with him because it is difficult for me to accept the rude and ridiculous demands of Duke Henna. Wait, no, no. Maybe it¡¯s better to say that even the nobles who agreed to cooperate seem to be protesting against Duke Henna¡¯s coercive attitude, so His Majesty¡¯s intervention is requested.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°Jeez, talk about someone who is uneducated.¡± ¡°One of the people who taught me was a bit fucked up, so maybe that has had some effect on me,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°Fuck¡­ whatever. Long story short, just tell him that the nobles ask for a meeting due to Duke Henna¡¯s unreasonable demands. That¡¯s the message. If you deliver this message properly, I¡¯ll give you two more gold pieces later.¡± Juan held out his hand. ¡°I will, so just give it to me now.¡± Molo glared at Juan and growled, but eventually took two more gold pieces out of his pocket and handed them over to Juan. There was absolutely no reason for Juan to be greedy about such a small amount of money, but this situation was quite funny to him. Juan grinned and looked at Molo. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the message being delivered. But what has Duke Henna done to anger all the nobles?¡± Molo began to talk as soon as Juan asked, almost as if he had been waiting for that question all along. ¡°Oh my goodness. That bitch, no. That duke is being ridiculous under His Majesty¡¯s name. She keeps asking for a huge amount of money saying that it¡¯s for the reconstruction of Torra, but there¡¯s no way the nobles can accept that kind of a ridiculous request. Who knows if Duke Henna will really use all of it for reconstruction? She might take advantage of the confusing times to steal all that money and run away to the East.¡± ¡°Hmm. Fair enough.¡± ¡°Wait, wait. Tell His Majesty that we are more than willing to hand over the money if His Majesty really needs it. We are also people of the empire, so of course we will do what we can. But um¡­ don¡¯t you think we have some face to save? We are nobles and hold high status within the empire. But we haven¡¯t even seen His Majesty¡¯s face yet. If we are ready to sacrifice this much for His Majesty¡¯s sake, His Majesty should also give us some face.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°Of course, we understand that His Majesty is very busy because he is dealing with the postwar situation. But isn¡¯t that what politics and governance are all about? Just look at how things are now. Even the internal system is so messed up that¡­ oh, don¡¯t deliver this message, by the way.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll forget about it anyway,¡± Juan grinned and held out his hand. Molo gritted his teeth and glared at Juan, but soon grabbed out another gold piece from his pocket again. *** Hela greeted Juan with only her eyes from her seat when she saw him entering the room. Juan had been in and out of Hela¡¯s office quite often now and had allowed her to omit unnecessary greetings. However, this time Juan pretended to frown and scolded Hela. ¡°How dare you? His Majesty is here and you¡¯re not even going to stand up? We¡¯ve got quite a messed up system here.¡± Hela had a dumbfounded expression on her face and asked a question instead of standing up. ¡°Your Majesty, did you eat something poisoned by any chance? I understand that you are eating the same food that the patients are eating. If you say something ridiculous like that, we might have to examine the entire food storage. So please tell me that you didn¡¯t eat anything wrong.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even make a joke, huh? Anyway, I just met a hilarious guy on my way here.¡± Hela took a glance at Juan upon hearing his joyful response. Juan rarely made such an expression unless he was in a really good mood. Hela soon recalled the man who had just left her room, causing her face to become distorted. ¡°Did you come across Baron Molo? He was badgering me to let him talk to Your Majesty, but it seems like he eventually got what he wanted. It¡¯s okay to just ignore him. He is weak anyway. The other nobles are just encouraging him from the back to avoid all the consequences, but he doesn¡¯t understand that. He thinks he¡¯s so powerful because of that, but he¡­¡± Hela stopped talking and suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were full of frustration. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± ¡°Even you think of me as just a ruthless killer? I did consider killing him for a second, but eventually, I let him go. I wanted to make a judgment after listening to your side of the story. Well, it is true that I met Molo, but Molo doesn¡¯t know that he already met ¡®His Majesty¡¯. Anyway, he told me that you¡¯re asking for too much.¡± ¡°Asking for too much? Hah,¡± Hela¡¯s expression distorted once again as she continued to speak. ¡°I was working on the reconstruction of Torra, but I found out that there weren''t enough resources, food, or medicine. So I looked into the cause¡ªit turned out that the nobles had stockpiled huge amounts of goods outside Torra because of the rumors that Torra would soon turn into a battlefield. When everything ended without a battle, they began to resell everything in small quantities little by little with crazy high prices.¡± ¡°Ah. There are still people like that, huh?¡± ¡°All I told them was to immediately resell the items they bought at the right market price before I send the soldiers to take everything away. Then they began to badger me to allow them to meet Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let them meet me?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what would happen if I did. Who knows how Your Majesty would trample on the bugs that are stockpiling during wartime? But the problem is them stockpiling. There aren¡¯t that many nobles who are stockpiling. Their real purpose is to meet Your Majesty.¡± Juan immediately noticed the nobles¡¯ intentions. ¡°Ah. They want to establish their positions by meeting me in person. They want to give up a large portion of their property and ask me to recognize their existing property and authority in return¡­ something like that, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. Those who used to live luxurious lives under the rule of the Church want to live the same way even if their ruler changes.¡± ¡°With the lives of the citizens as the collateral,¡± Juan grinned. Hela frowned and looked at Juan¡¯s smile with worried eyes. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t kill them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill them with my own hands. If I just tell Anya about what¡¯s happening, she will¡­¡± ¡°You can leave it alone and I can solve it in my own way. The urgent issues can be solved by sending the military to seize the stockpiles the nobles bought, and the rest will be taken care of on its own when the economy in Torra, which has ground to a halt due to the war, goes back to normal. The merchants will come back to Torra when it becomes publicly known that the war is over.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Juan shook his head. ¡°Why on earth are you trying to take care of things so peacefully? There are too many nobles right now. They cooperated with the Church and froze the economy just to cause harm to the empire. The number they killed is probably no less than the number of people killed by the Church.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty, most of them are large landowners. If we are planning to seek their cooperation in the reconstruction, we¡­¡± ¡°Hela. I¡¯m pretty disappointed right now. Most of the people I should¡¯ve killed ended up running away, so all those that are left are trivial losers. I am seething with rage. Did you think I came here either for power or to rescue the poor people of the empire? No. I came here to punish the guilty bastards.¡± ¡°...I still don¡¯t think the nobles committed a crime they need to die for.¡± ¡°Go and tell the nobles.¡± Juan said with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯m willing to accept their request for a meeting.¡± *** The atmosphere of the House of Peers meeting was cold. It was the first meeting that was going to be held since the emperor had entered the Imperial Palace. Fortunately, the building housing the House of Peers itself was not damaged by Telgramm. But the sight of the vacant seats here and there made the remaining nobles shudder. Among them, the highest number of vacant seats belonged to the meritorious faction, and it included Heretia¡¯s seat. Most of the people at the meeting were those who had to run away outside of Torra to avoid the war. They had run away even before the treason against the Pope was conducted, but these nobles were as sensitive as the rats inside the ship when it came to their ability to take care of themselves at dangerous times. None of them truly wished to return to Torra, which had not yet been restored, but they came to fill their seats when they heard that they would be able to see the emperor. ¡°I understand that the Helwin family isn¡¯t here. But apart from that, why didn¡¯t the Ilde family come to the meeting?¡± The nobles looked over the empty seats to check who had died or fled. Rumors about Heretia Helwin losing her legs to Telgramm were already widespread. However, when Imil Ilde also did not show up to the meeting, the only remaining person who could represent the nobles of the House of Peers was Rhymer. ¡°The Ilde family is part of the religious faction. They must be somewhat responsible for what happened,¡± Rhymer replied without much concern. As Rhymer said, there were quite a few among the religious faction who did not attend the meeting even when they were given the opportunity to meet the emperor. This was because they were afraid of being branded as traitors, since the Pope confronted the returning emperor until the very end. ¡°I heard His Majesty was quite merciful. It is said that there are less than ten thousand victims of the battle.¡± ¡°It is true that the number is small considering that it is a consequence of overturning the empire. But the number itself isn¡¯t small at all. Besides, you should look at what happened to the knight orders. Didn¡¯t you see what happened to the Order of the Black Lotus and the Order of the White Lotus? That¡¯s so much worse than just dying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ but this is His Majesty we are talking about.¡± Most of the nobles wanted an emperor who was benevolent and compassionate in the hopes that perhaps they could live a stable life under a generous ruler rather than a violent monarch. There were a few incidents that went against their expectations, but they still believed the returned emperor to be generous just like the emperor they once knew. ¡°I guess we will have to wait and see. But it¡¯s a relief that we were given a chance to meet His Majesty in a meeting like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to me,¡± Molo shrugged and smiled. Rhymer nodded with a bitter smile. He did urge Molo to badger Duke Henna, but he didn¡¯t actually expect a meeting with the emperor to take place. Rhymer had also secretly shown his intention to meet His Majesty several times through Hela and Nienna, but he was given no response. ¡®But I didn¡¯t think that out of everyone, Molo would succeed in arranging a meeting.¡¯ ¡°Baron Molo has made a great contribution. His Majesty will be able to gain loyal subjects and strong support from this incident. It is certainly worth saying that Baron Molo is the number one contributor.¡± Molo smiled widely upon hearing Rhymer¡¯s words. He used to be and still was such a simple man. Rhymer allowed Molo to have a seat next to his own today, but Molo wasn¡¯t a useful enough man to keep by his side in the long run. At that moment, Hela Henna entered the House of Peers. Hela quietly glanced around the nobles and declared in a calm voice. ¡°His Majesty is entering. Everyone, please stand up.¡± The nobles all stood up at once and looked at the entrance to the House of Peers. Soon the door opened, and Juan walked into the House of Peers. The nobles were surprised by Juan¡¯s young appearance, but soon humbly bowed their heads. At that moment, Rhymer frowned upon seeing Molo standing there with a dumb look on his face without bowing his head. It had been a long time since imperial etiquette became nominal, so not a lot of people knew of it. Yet Molo¡¯s attitude was still overly ignorant. ¡°Hey, Molo. What do you think you¡¯re¡­¡± Then Rhymer noticed that Molo¡¯s eyes were wide open to the extent of bulging out. Juan looked around at the nobles and soon made eye contact with Molo. Juan lifted the corners of his lips. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s the guy. Your message has been well delivered, so don¡¯t worry.¡± CH 181 ¡®His Majesty knows of Molo?¡¯ Rhymer was quite surprised by the sudden unexpected situation. Although Molo wasn¡¯t the type to think before he acted, he did not try to meet the emperor in person. He even told Rhymer himself that he secretly asked a servant working at the Imperial Palace to deliver the message. ¡®But why is His Majesty¡¯s attitude almost as if he has already met Molo before?¡¯ At that moment, Rhymer was startled to see Molo sweating like a wet sponge. Rhymer quickly scanned the emperor standing in front of them so as not to be rude. The emperor had a head of black hair and was wearing plain clothing. His attitude was rather loose and almost impervious. If anyone who didn¡¯t know that he was an emperor saw his appearance, they might just think of him as a stranger from beyond the boundary. ¡°Molo. Don¡¯t tell me that the servant working at the Imperial Palace was¡­¡± Juan walked past Molo and approached the podium. Upon seeing Molo tremble and slump to his seat, Rhymer thought he must firmly ask Molo what had happened after the meeting. The emperor didn¡¯t seem to be in a bad mood, but he couldn¡¯t be sure whether or not the emperor was truly offended by Molo. ¡°The Chairman.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty!¡± For a moment, Rhymer, who was sitting in the seat of the House of Peer¡¯s chairman located on the right side of the podium, trembled upon hearing the emperor¡¯s call and ended up kicking the desk with his leg by mistake. Rhymer bit his lips as he did his best to not let out a painful groan. ¡°So this is our first meeting. I am more than happy to meet the hands and feet of the empire at such a difficult time like this.¡± ¡°W-we are also more than happy to see His Majesty again and are praising the return of His Majesty with all our hearts.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Juan simply raised the corners of his mouth into a smile. Seeing this, Rhymer felt cold sweat running down his spine; he couldn¡¯t figure out what Juan¡¯s smile meant. Rhymer quickly turned his head to look at the surroundings and check the atmosphere of the House of Peers. The nobles certainly seemed to recognize and acknowledge Juan as the emperor, but they looked quite perplexed by his black hair and appearance which was very different from the portrait they had seen. ¡°I understand the confusion. I look very different from what you had all expected. Neither do I have a large beard or big muscles, nor am I as tall as shown in the portraits either. There is no brilliant crown on my head, no flaming Sutra, nor the flashing Telgramm. Above all, Barth Baltic who gave me half of my overpowering presence is no longer beside me.¡± The nobles remained quiet, but soon laughed in a low voice; they thought that the emperor was making a joke. On the other hand, Rhymer felt so frustrated upon seeing the reaction of the nobles that he felt like his insides were burning. ¡®These idiots. It doesn¡¯t matter whether that man is really the returned emperor or not. What¡¯s important is that he is a man capable of destroying the Church, taking control of the Imperial Army, and moving three hundred Golems to surround Torra.¡¯ That alone would be enough for anyone to acknowledge Juan as the emperor regardless of the truth. Meanwhile, Juan looked around to check and see if he recognized any of the nobles who filled the seats inside the House of Peers. Just as he had expected, there was a rare face here and there that Juan could recognize as someone¡¯s child, but no one whom he had met before in person. Most of the nobles in the House of Peers were very young or hadn¡¯t even been born when the emperor had been alive. Even Rhymer, the oldest out of all nobles in the House of Peers, was seeing the emperor¡¯s face for the first time in this meeting because he had been living outside Torra. Many of the nobles who had served the emperor closely by his side had all either been swept away or driven to the outskirts of the empire during the purge. Even a few who were able to save their own lives had long since retired due to aging. Seeing this caused Juan to feel relieved; he thought that he might feel sorry if he knew anyone sitting in the House of Peers meeting. ¡°Then let¡¯s start the meeting,¡± Juan said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Actually, we were thinking about preparing a grand banquet rather than a meeting for¡­¡± ¡°I heard that you rejected Hela¡¯s request. Why is that?¡± Rhymer bit his tongue in frustration, but Juan waited patiently until Rhymer found his composure. Although Rhymer didn¡¯t think the emperor would be a friendly man, he didn¡¯t expect the emperor to get straight to the point in such a sudden manner. Rhymer wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead and then opened his mouth. ¡°Your Majesty. We are your faithful servants. How could we dare to go against your will? We only tried to restrain Duke Henna¡¯s dogmatic behavior because we were worried that Duke Henna might be taking advantage of the chaotic times behind Your Majesty¡¯s back. Please forgive us if our ignorant actions have caused any trouble.¡± ¡°As long as Hela stays in Torra, her will is my will.¡± Rhymer bit his lips once again. He knew that Hela held an important position, but he hadn¡¯t expected that the emperor would think so highly of her, given that she lost the Eastern Army and had a relationship with Gerard Gain, the one who assassinated the emperor. Rhymer could easily imagine Hela laughing at him with her face which only had one eye. ¡°Also, I heard that you all took advantage of the chaos brought about by the war to stock up,¡± Juan said. ¡°S-stock up¡ªno way, that¡¯s all just a misunderstanding. That was all due to the overly fervent display of loyalty of a few subordinates of some of the nobles. I will make sure to scold them and punish them. We are always ready to bear and share the pain of the people of Torra¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± At that moment, a noble standing on one side of the meeting room stepped forward, bowed his head and opened his mouth. ¡°I am Asilpha of the Argyll family. I am willing to give up half of all my property and ready to sacrifice everything for Torra¡¯s rapid recovery at any time.¡± Rhymer was perplexed upon hearing Asilpha¡¯s words. The Argyll family was one of the pillars of the religious faction and had enormous wealth gained from siding with the Church. Asilpha continued to speak with his head lowered. ¡°My colleagues who share my will have also prepared the same things. Of course, we know that we cannot hide our faults with gold. But I do hope you will be generous enough to acknowledge our efforts and to allow us to reflect on our mistakes.¡± As soon as Asilpha finished speaking, several nobles flocked out of their seats and bent down before Juan. Seeing this, Rhymer scoffed; he immediately recognized Asilpha¡¯s purpose. ¡®I was wondering why she didn¡¯t run away, and decided to remain in Torra when she¡¯s from the religious faction. I guess she was preparing to switch sides, huh?¡¯ No matter how much hidden property Asilpha had, giving up half of her property was a bold and painful loss. Yet Rhymer could only nod in silent approval; he thought that this was the only way for her to be acknowledged by the emperor. It was common for those who were loyal to the previous regime to quickly switch sides when the regime changed. In fact, the emperor was smiling contentedly. ¡°Y-Your Majesty, we will also donate half of our property. We would like to help support Your Majesty¡¯s will as much as we can,¡± Rhymer hurried forward. Rhymer was a step later than Asilpha, but he didn¡¯t think that the religious faction could gain power again by just changing its title. The least he could do was to try and dilute the religious faction¡¯s presence. Asilpha squinted her eyes and glared at Rhymer. The nobles looked around and hesitated for a while, but soon seemed to have judged that offering half of their property was a loss worth taking. The return of the emperor was a significant matter. Unless a ridiculous accident happened, and the emperor died again, there was a high possibility that the empire would be heading for stable prosperity. When Juan raised his hand to stop the rising commotion, the nobles quickly closed their mouths in unison. ¡°Your wills are noble.¡± The nobles smiled in relief. However, Juan continued with a smile. ¡°But it seems like you are all mistaken about something. I want all of your properties, not just half.¡± The smile disappeared from the faces of the nobles. *** Rhymer wondered if he had heard something wrong. However, the dead silence in the meeting room was telling him that all the nobles had heard the same thing. The silent whispers among the nobles soon turned into a large murmur. ¡°You mean all of our properties, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°You heard me right.¡± ¡°Um, I wonder if you¡¯re talking about the goods that we have purchased a little too much for the war reserve,¡± ¡°You mean the stockpile? No. I¡¯m talking about everything including that stockpile, the estates, the bonds, and the money,¡± Juan said firmly. Rhymer¡¯s jaw dropped open. ¡®He is going to make all of us poor and kick us out?¡¯ ¡°T-there¡¯s no way we can accept that, Your Majesty. Even if you¡¯re His Majesty the emperor, you can¡¯t take away our private properties for no reason.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll set a new precedent.¡± Rhymer wanted to scream upon hearing Juan¡¯s calm words. Even Asilpha, who was the first to offer half of her property, looked devastated; she too had not expected this situation. Cold sweat started forming on her back. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Asilpha soon opened her mouth; it looked like she had made up her mind. ¡°If you leave us with just enough for me to take care of the Argyll family¡¯s house and brines, I¡¯ll be more than happy to give up all my properties. Please forgive us in return.¡± Rhymer wanted to grab her by the collar and ask her if she was out of her mind. However, he soon figured out that the religious faction must have an enormous amount of hidden assets, since they had long been prepared for a situation like this. The nobles from the religious faction would still be able to live a decent life even after giving up all their properties. But this was not a loss that the other nobles could afford to take. ¡°Asilpha from the Argyll family. Your will is very noble, but it seems like you have not really understood my words,¡± Juan said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°¡®Everything¡¯ includes your lives and your family¡¯s lives. You are all conscripted into the Imperial Army for the time being. It would only be right for the religious faction to stand at the forefront of the war against the Pope. The only way all of you can be forgiven is by shedding some blood.¡± Asilpha looked like she had been struck by lightning. On the other hand, Rhymer looked like he had suddenly gained hope. The emperor had just specified ¡®the religious faction,¡¯ which might mean he wouldn¡¯t punish the other factions to the same extent. Meanwhile, Asilpha looked like she had aged ten years in just an instant after hearing Juan¡¯s short words. She already expected that the emperor would come out strong, but she didn¡¯t think he would put this much pressure on the religious faction. She shivered and opened her mouth. ¡°Your Majesty, my old hand can¡¯t even hold a sword, much less wield one in battle. You can¡¯t take away all our property and kick us out! No sinners have ever received such a great punishment like this!¡± ¡°I can see that you have lived a comfortable life.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Juan strode in front of Asilpha. The moment the nobles doubted what he would do next, Juan grabbed Asilpha¡¯s face. At the same time, Hela jumped up from her seat, while blood scattered everywhere. Screaming and the sound of nobles slumping to their seats broke out here and there. Asilpha¡¯s headless corpse collapsed to the floor as it was, while Juan looked around at his surroundings with Asilpha¡¯s blood all over him. Juan smelled Asilpha¡¯s blood on his hand and frowned. ¡°This blood is old and dirty. A terrible smell of sin has now filled this room.¡± The House of Peers froze with astonishment and fear. Even Hela who came in with the emperor looked surprised; she didn¡¯t expect Juan to be this ruthless. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe that the House of Peers has been stained with blood. Su-such a thing wasn¡¯t even done by Barth Baltic¡­¡± Rhymer opened his mouth and stuttered, but Juan did not even spare him a single glance. ¡°It is very insulting to see all of you try to appease me with just a few coins¡­¡± Juan wiped off Asilpha¡¯s blood from his hand by rubbing it on the nearest noble¡¯s hand as if it was disgusting. The noble was completely frozen by Juan¡¯s approach, then fainted with his eyes rolled over as soon as Juan took his hands off. Meanwhile, the nobles of the religious faction couldn¡¯t budge an inch. ¡°All of you have sold my name to rob and insulted my name. And you dare act like you¡¯re showing kindness by throwing away some of the wealth you gained by selling my name?¡± ¡°Your-Your Majesty. We just¡­¡± ¡°Argyll, Reila, Dommer, Kaltile, Nelben, Etil, Ilde¡­¡± Juan began to recite the famous family names. Those names consisted of the nobles who were from the religious faction or kept a close relationship with the Church in order to maintain their power. Some of them attended the meeting, while some did not. The nobles whose family names had been called out all turned pale. ¡°The traitors will all be cleaned up. Those who want to say that I¡¯m being unfair should try to reflect on the maxim that evil grows in silence. My decision will not change. If you have anything else to say, refer to the good precedent on the floor and say it out loud as much as you want.¡± The nobles¡¯ eyes turned toward Asilpha¡¯s body which was rolling on the floor. While everyone remained silent, Juan smiled at Rhymer and opened his mouth. ¡°And everyone, I would like to thank you all for your donations.¡± Rhymer¡¯s complexion paled, and Juan spoke to the rest of the nobles as well. ¡°Get on your knees and humbly serve the empire from a low position. If you can¡¯t do that, then chop off your legs to do so.¡± *** ¡°You seem to have a lot to say, Hela.¡± As soon as Juan came out of the House of Peers, Hela followed Juan with a scary look on her face. ¡°Let me correct myself. It looks to me like you want to give me a slap rather than say something.¡± ¡°Then why did Your Majesty, who knows my heart so well, do what you did back there? I can understand Your Majesty seizing the nobles¡¯ properties. But you didn¡¯t have to be so cruel, did you?¡± ¡°I thought you were the same as me, and would want to beat up the nobles from the Capital,¡± Juan shrugged. ¡°The ways to screw up the nobles can be piled up like a mountain, Your Majesty. They were at a disadvantage, and we have both the strength and the will. There are many ways we can take care of the situation in an easy manner without being blamed if we use reasonable methods. But what Your Majesty just did back there was definitely not one of them.¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me that my way of dealing with the situation was bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s worse than just bad. Your Majesty has now set a precedent. I might have been able to say that what you did was rather delightful if Your Majesty had been a stranger from beyond the boundary. But right now, Your Majesty is the emperor of the empire.¡± Juan did not answer Hela. ¡°What you did back there was not delightful at all, Your Majesty,¡± Hela¡¯s face looked as if she was about to cry as she continued to talk. ¡°If Your Majesty ends up being in trouble, someone will mention this incident for sure. I¡¯m glad that I¡¯m old enough to die before I will ever get to see that happen.¡± Hela left her words and turned around. Juan silently looked at her back which was getting further away from him. Hela¡¯s disappointed words and expressions made Juan feel somewhat uneasy. However, Juan neither stopped her nor regretted what he did. He had to become a different emperor than he had been in the past. He knew that more and more people would be disappointed in him. However, there was still a lot of terrible work left for him to do. CH 182 Torra was a large city. But when the Golems stood up, people could no longer see Torra as a large city. Some citizens even felt it to be claustrophobic. This didn¡¯t change when the Golems settled down and fell asleep again just like they had been before the return of the emperor. Thanks to this, the number of people who wanted to live outside Torra had increased significantly. As a result, the number of empty houses in Torra also increased rapidly. This too was part of the reason behind the delay in the reconstruction of Torra. ¡°This restaurant is normally quite a noisy place,¡± Pavan said as he sat on a seat opposite from Juan with an uneasy look on his face. ¡°But I see that there are only a few people here now. Thanks to that, we won¡¯t have to worry about eating in a rush.¡± Pavan carefully placed the documents on the restaurant table. Meanwhile, Juan chewed on his sandwich and dragged the documents closer to himself. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I had heard that Your Majesty doesn''t need to eat,¡± Pavan asked with his head tilted. ¡°You¡¯re right. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t enjoy the taste of food, right? This restaurant is one that I often visited even when I was the emperor back in the past. They make some amazing sandwiches. They still taste great even after you order them to go. It seems like the son has inherited the restaurant, but everything still tastes the same,¡± Juan answered. ¡°...That¡¯s a little surprising. I had heard that this restaurant was known to be the one where usually only soldiers come to eat.¡± ¡°And who do you think told the soldiers about this restaurant?¡± Juan was a war hero and had been in contact with the soldiers for a long time¡ªand the same was true of Barth Baltic. Pavan found it difficult to believe that the tradition of his military unit visiting this restaurant for the longest time had begun with the emperor. ¡°Wow, I had no idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the owner of the restaurant is quite good at keeping secrets. It seems like their son has also learned well from them.¡± Pavan nodded and flicked his finger at the clerk. ¡°Two sandwiches. One to go and one to stay.¡± Juan pulled out the documents without raising his head and skimmed through them. There were two different documents. Juan briefly read the first page of one of the documents, then soon frowned as he turned his gaze toward Pavan. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°One of them is related to the underground structure Your Majesty had requested details of, and the other one is¡­ I brought it because I thought it¡¯s something Your Majesty should know about.¡± The other document Pavan brought was none other than the ¡®Report of the Investigation of the Emperor¡¯s Assassination.¡¯ Juan could not take his eyes off of the author¡¯s name that was written on the first page under the title. ¡®Harmon Helwin¡­¡¯ ¡°Where did you find this?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I found it in the office on the same day that Barth Baltic died.¡± ¡°Did you search through the office?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. I found it on the top of his desk. Barth Baltic told me to go to his office when he died, and it seems like he had left that for me to dispose of. Oh, the document related to the underground structure was found elsewhere. It was so fragmented that it was very difficult to find.¡± Comparing the level of difficulty, finding the document related to the underground structures was far more difficult. Yet Juan did not even look at the document about the underground structure. Pavan nodded, since he could understand. ¡°Just to let you know, that document is not complete. There are even some parts where Barth Baltic has edited it. But considering the fact that Barth Baltic didn¡¯t completely get rid of the document, even if put aside the credibility of the document, I think he might have intended to reveal the truth at least to some extent.¡± ¡°What an unexpected gift. Have you read through it already?¡± Pavan nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. If Barth Baltic left it to me, he probably left the judgment of whether I should hand it over to Your Majesty or not to me. I had to read it in order to make the right judgment.¡± At that moment, the clerk placed a sandwich in front of Pavan. Meanwhile, Juan held the document handed over to him¡ªand his eyes stopped on the first sentence. The first sentence started with the words, ¡®I knew it.¡¯ *** ¡°I knew it.¡± Those were the first words uttered by Harmon after he quickly skimmed through the letter sent by Barth Baltic. First, Harmon made sure to send the messenger who rushed into his room with a pale expression outside with a command to keep his mouth shut, followed by the other officials and nobles inside the Imperial Palace. They all protested and got angry since they hadn¡¯t heard the news yet, but Harmon couldn¡¯t help it. The paralysis of the Imperial Administration was much less important than the emperor¡¯s death. After doing so, Harmon activated the veil of benevolence, which was one of the dozens of protective items the emperor had made ¡®just in case.¡¯ The Imperial Palace was now accessible only to the emperor¡¯s children and a small number of authorized personnel including Captain Winoa Weaver of the Imperial Guards, and the Grand Duke Harmon Helwin. It was not until Harmon realized that there were no more eyes watching him in the midst of the complete silence inside the Imperial Palace that Harmon slumped down to the floor. His complexion was way paler than even the messenger who delivered the news to him. ¡®It happened much faster than I had expected.¡¯ It was said that Gerard Gain was the one who stabbed the emperor. Right after the assassination, Gerard immediately fled the scene with the help of Dane Dormund after he had suffered serious injuries at the hands of Winoa Weaver and Barth Baltic. Then Barth Baltic killed Winoa Weaver, who was in charge of the emperor¡¯s security. This was all that was described in Barth Baltic¡¯s letter. Faint signs that Gerard had been plotting to assassinate the emperor could rarely be found here and there, since it was clear that the incident in Arbalde had left a deep scar on Gerard¡¯s mind. However, there were plenty of people showing such faint signs of rebellion. Reporting all of them to the emperor and punishing them would be no different from the beginning of a reign of terror. If anyone nevertheless still plotted against the emperor, it would certainly be Gerard Gain who is most likely to succeed. For such a reason, Harmon had just called in Ras, the leader of the Order of Huginn from the south, since Nienna had no intention of coming to the capital from the north, and Dismas was not a suitable person to feel out Gerard, as he was too honest. Ras was certainly the most appropriate person for the job. ¡®But it¡¯s already too late.¡¯ Harmon didn¡¯t know why Ras was running late. But Harmon had to hold out as long as he could from now on until any of the emperor¡¯s children came to the Imperial Palace. In such a situation where a rebellion had been secretly plotted, it was difficult to be sure about who the allies were and who the enemies were. ¡®General Barth Baltic blew off the head of the most important witness, Winoa Weaver. There¡¯s a good chance that he¡¯s involved with the assassination.¡¯ Barth Baltic was the only person who could interfere with Winoa Weaver¡¯s patrol route. Interfering with the patrol route to create a gap for Gerard to enter was very much possible for Barth Baltic to do. ¡®Who else could be involved?¡¯ According to the document sent by Barth Baltic, it was said that Dane Dormund had helped Gerard to escape the scene. ¡®Dane Dormund¡­¡¯ Harmon did not expect to hear Dane¡¯s name again. The time he spent together with Dane was short, but Dane was not a likable person. Harmon had heard that the emperor had expelled Dane from the empire while using his Spirit Speech. Considering that the emperor¡¯s Spirit Speech was an absolute to the humans, it was clear that it was not a simple coincidence that Dane Dormund had made an appearance at the same time as the emperor¡¯s death. ¡®Did Dane Dormund urge Gerard Gain to assassinate the emperor?¡¯ But Harmon soon shook his head; he knew that Gerard was not the type to be lured in by someone¡¯s words. Harmon highly appreciated Gerard for his humanity, morality, courage, and pride ever since he was only a young child. He had a great personality that was comparable to that of the emperor. Gerard had followed the emperor well ever since he was a child, and had tried to accept all of the emperor¡¯s thoughts and ideologies. ¡®So he did this of his own volition?¡¯ Harmon thought the latter thought was more convincing. It was hard for Harmon to believe that Gerard had been lured by Dane into his plan, but it was possible that Dane had helped Gerard; after all, there was no way that Dane did not have any issues with the emperor. ¡®The Grand Magician Dane Dormund, the emperor¡¯s first son Gerard Gain, and the Grand General Barth Baltic¡­ even the great emperor is bound to collapse if these three lead the rebellion.¡¯ However, Gerard was injured and Dane fled. Then Barth Baltic may have betrayed the emperor at the very last minute for the sake of monopolizing power¡ªthis was quite dangerous, since there was no guarantee that the other children of the emperor weren¡¯t involved. While Harmon wasn¡¯t able to see such signs from the other children, there was a high chance that they could be exploited as well. ¡®I still need more information.¡¯ Harmon constantly gathered more and more information without anyone knowing while he firmly locked himself up inside the Imperial Palace. His search for information continued even when he heard that the emperor was not dead, but in a state of suspended animation. The same was true when Barth Baltic led a grand purge, when the Order of Lindwurm was devastated lost and hid in the mountains of the East, when the ¡®Church¡¯ was born with the emperor as the god at the end of the terrible ¡®Emperor¡¯s March,¡¯ and when the Imperial Army finally arrived and forced open the gate to the Imperial Palace. Harmon barely ate or slept for seven days and nights to constantly read and analyze all the documents inside the Imperial Palace and record them. Finally, by the eighth day, Harmon was able to guess where the plot to assassinate the emperor began. It was a moment that no one in the empire would have ever expected. ¡°Harcon¡¯s dishonorable discharge from the military?¡± Juan frowned and glared at the document as he had no idea who that name belonged to. But as he continued to read through the document, he could quickly tell who it was. Harcon was the real name of Helmut Helvine, the Pope. *** Harmon focused on Harcon Helvine¡¯s name. The man, who is now believed to have been renamed Helmut Helvine, had been labeled among the officers ever since he was in the military. He was very loyal and didn¡¯t mind doing hard work. Yet he was not social, was very quiet, and had a strong antipathy toward the heterogeneous races which caused discord within the organization. If this were the extent of the issues with him, he would have been simply treated as a problematic soldier who lacked social skills. But Helmut did not stop there. His attitude which was simply considered to be lacking in sociability was much worse in reality. As he gradually settled within the army, his attitude and belief toward the emperor quickly spread. This led to the birth of a private organization within the military and it even let Helmut get away with killing other Imperial Army officers. Helmut¡¯s main targets were the officers and knights from the heterogenous races. Even a human officer with a native faith ended up getting killed. Eventually, Barth Baltic found out about all the incidents caused by Helmut. Originally, Helmut was supposed to be sentenced to death, but his punishment was somehow reduced to only a dishonorable discharge along with all the members of his private organization. The problem was that since then, this private organization had been constantly active, chasing the movements of the military. There were no more incidents of an officer being assassinated, but Helmut¡¯s private force began to grow even bigger, to the extent that it was out of control¡ªthey no longer had any reasons to hide what they had done. This was all the more because no one hated the emperor at that time. Even Gerard Gain was interested in this group. Harmon couldn¡¯t believe this fact even when writing it down on the paper himself. Although rare, records of Gerard¡¯s attendance at the meetings of the ¡®Church¡¯ were found in several places. From the early days of the ¡®Church,¡¯ all the way until recently, Gerard was immersed in the act of serving the emperor like serving a god. ¡®...is that so.¡¯ Harmon felt bitter. Gerard loved and admired the emperor. He constantly tried to emulate him, but he could never catch up to the emperor. It only took an instant for that respect to turn into an inferiority complex. But even if Gerard fell into the trap of worshiping the emperor, a piece of the puzzle that led to Gerard developing murderous intent toward the emperor is still missing. Gerard is a person who will not act if he has no motivation, no matter how much his emotions are eating at him. No matter what anyone says, he¡¯s the closest to the emperor. There must be a reason why Gerard had no choice but to stab the emperor. Perhaps, although very unlikely, the crown is what Gerard¡­ *** Juan stood up from his seat as he stared at the last sentence of the document. Pavan shook his head. ¡°That is the end of the document, Your Majesty. Harmon Helwin is believed to have been killed shortly afterward.¡± ¡°How was it that Harmon is said to have died?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Dismas Dilver and the head of the Helwin family lifted up the veil of benevolence. Then Dismas blew up Harmon¡¯s head. Only then did the Imperial Palace begin to be restored and Barth Baltic finish the Emperor¡¯s March.¡± ¡°Dismas¡­¡± Harmon¡¯s document was cut off at an ambiguous part which only fueled Juan¡¯s thirst for the truth. ¡®Did Harmon refer to the crown as a metaphor for the royal authority, or did he refer to the crown that¡¯s hidden in my body?¡¯ Juan did not even know about the crown when he had been the emperor in the past, and therefore it was hard for him to think that Harmon knew about it. However, the broken sentence was too coincidental. ¡°I¡¯ll need the Pope and Dismas to fit the rest of the puzzle pieces together.¡± Barth Batlc¡¯s pieces had already been collected. Juan picked up the document about Torra¡¯s underground structure. ¡°This will connect everything.¡± CH 183 ¡°This is the document with the information on the hidden underground structure of Torra.¡± Juan brought Heretia into the conference room and told her about the document. Heretia had no choice but to rely on one of the Helwin family¡¯s guards because she had not yet gotten used to living without her legs. The guard was the young knight Juan had seen back in Hiveden who worked as her horseman. Heretia glanced through the documents that she received from Juan and began to organize them one after another on the desk. Soon, the large table was crammed with papers. Heretia glared at the documents with a frown and then opened her mouth. ¡°This is all?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°There were many parts that were either lost or are too difficult to find,¡± Juan answered. ¡°More like hidden or damaged. I can see signs showing that someone has been secretly messing with these fragments for a long time. They tried to make all these look like separate tasks, but most of them lead to just one project. It''s quite a large-scale one too.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°How large?¡± ¡°About¡­ It should have started shortly before or after the assassination of the emperor? So I¡¯d believe the scale is about a quarter the size of Torra. It¡¯s impossible to do this kind of work without being caught. Was the Pope planning to make a dungeon?¡± ¡®A dungeon, huh?¡¯ Juan recalled the huge dungeon that was built back in Durgal. There was a story saying that it was created by the Order of Lindwurm, but the Order of Lindwurm had only added some of their traces to the existing dungeon. ¡°Are you sure it was done by the Pope?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can be one hundred percent certain, but I can tell that it was paid for out of the Church¡¯s wealth, despite their effort to hide it. Names of the relatives of the nobles from religious faction were borrowed, the merchants under the Church got the constructors to build it, and the organizations sponsored by the Church were charged for the cost. All the pieces fit, don¡¯t you think? Oh, maybe you don¡¯t remember all of them.¡± Juan shook his head with a fed-up look on his face. ¡°It¡¯d be weird if I remembered all that information.¡± ¡°Anway, I¡¯m sure that it was built by the Church. I never thought of the Church to be all that extravagant except for the drugs smoked by the Pope, but I always wondered where all their money was going. I guess this was their secret, huh?¡± Heretia flipped over the pages of the documents one by one with an amused expression. ¡°It seems like they worked on this large-scale project for a while anyway. Did you say you were looking for someone?¡± ¡°It seems like the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards are hiding in there. And my body is assumed to be there as well.¡± ¡°A man who searches for his own corpse. It sounds like some kind of a story that I would only see in a novel or in philosophy. It feels weird to see it in real life.¡± ¡°Reality is sometimes more strange than fiction. Anyway, it would be hard to find them if the underground dungeon is so big.¡± ¡°Well, no¡­ actually, I think there¡¯s a way to find them both. It''s strange that I thought of this method first, and not you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Heretia hesitated to answer as she looked up and down at Juan, but soon opened her mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t you transfer your spirit to the Saintess¡¯ body before?¡± *** Ivy opened her eyes that were closed for a long time. However, whether she opened or closed her eyes, the pitch darkness in front of her eyes did not change. Ivy carefully rubbed the pendant around her neck that Lenly had given her. As she rubbed it, the pendant started to emit light, and soon began to shine bright enough to light up the entire surroundings. However, Lenly was nowhere to be found. ¡°Lenly?¡± Ivy whispered in an anxious voice toward the other side of the darkness. When Ivy stood up, Lenly¡¯s cloak which had been covering her fell off to the ground. Ivy groped the walls to look around for Lenly. While it was Lenly whose eyes were injured, Ivy was the one who felt blinded. The only thing inside the wall was an old blanket and an extinguished bonfire. Ivy tried to stay calm despite not being able to find Lenly. ¡®He must have gone fishing while I was asleep as always.¡¯ In the huge underground structure beneath Torra was a rough stream of river-like groundwater. Lenly would often catch and bring back fish that appeared to have come from outside the underground structure through the groundwater. ¡®I think it might be safe for us to go back above the ground now.¡¯ Ivy missed the sun. The underground structure of Torra was not colder than the outside in winter due to the unknown geothermal heat coming from the ground, but the cramped walls and pitch-black darkness were hard for Ivy to endure for a long time. However, she suppressed her emotions as she recalled the face of the Pope, who was wielding Telgramm and charging at her and Lenly. But what bothered Ivy the most about this situation was the fact that she couldn¡¯t be any help to Lenly at all. Lenly, who was severely injured by Telgramm, was taking care of Ivy even though he was barely able to see anymore. ¡®I wish there was something I could do to help him.¡¯ It would be nice to be able to perform some type of Grace befitting her status as the Saintess, but Ivy didn¡¯t even have a simple healing Grace which was a common type of Grace that most of the past Saintesses could use. All she was able to do was occasionally throw out some predictions that she couldn¡¯t even remember afterward, but even those hadn¡¯t been heard for a while. ¡®Come to think of it, His Majesty should have arrived in Torra by now¡­¡¯ The structure of this underground dungeon was quite complex and vast, with many unidentified things secretly wandering around. Only Lenly was able to grasp the external situation because the room Ivy was currently hiding in was isolated, and thus safe. ¡®I should ask Lenly about it when he comes back. Of course, it is possible for the war to last a long time. But¡­¡¯ At that moment, Ivy could feel something poking her in the back. In an instant, the scenery in front of her blurred and soon became covered in white light. A little later, Lenly came into the room with two fish on a skewer. He had an eye patch to protect his eye. He couldn¡¯t see in front of him at all, but that wasn¡¯t a big problem for him, someone whose senses were already trained to the extreme. Rather, he was far better at dealing with this darkness than ordinary people. ¡°Saintess, I brought you something to eat. I know that you¡¯re tired of it, but this is¡­¡± Lenly suddenly stopped talking. His keenly trained senses were on edge as he headed forward. He could tell that the person in front of him had taken the form of the Saintess, but was certainly not the Saintess. Lenly quietly dropped the fish to the ground and raised the skewer. ¡°Who is it?¡± Lenly asked. ¡°Huh? Wait. You¡¯re the Captain of the Imperial Guards?¡± It was the voice of the Saintess, but the opponent was a completely different person. Lenly immediately dropped the skewer to the ground and knelt down upon realizing who the person was right away. ¡°It¡¯s the second time I am seeing you since the last time I saw you at the Imperial Palace. You seem to have carried out your duty quite well.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± The emperor who borrowed the body of the Saintess stood before Lenly. *** Juan could tell that the Saintess was in surprisingly good health for someone who had been living in the cold and humid underground for nearly a week. Of course, the Saintess was able to be in good health only because Lenly helped her. Even now, Lenly was feeding Juan some grilled fish saying that it needs to be eaten while it was still fresh. Juan was slightly surprised at the taste of the grilled fish¡ªnot only was it well cooked to the point where it was full of savory juices, but it was seasoned wonderfully. Juan had no choice but to naturally compare him to Haild. ¡®The difference in the quality of food they can cook when they are both put in a similarly dire condition is just¡­¡¯ ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty. It¡¯s worth eating only when it¡¯s fresh, since we are in a situation where it¡¯s hard to get any other nutrients.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. It¡¯s actually pretty well-cooked. Do you always carry some salt with you?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I usually only eat bread and salt for meals. Honorable poverty is the virtue of a knight,¡± Lenly answered in a quiet voice. ¡°...Oh, I see.¡± Juan recalled Winoa Weaver and the knights who served under him. They were not greedy, but they were far from being poor. Winoa Weaver in particular was quite fond of meat. The virtue of a knight that was just mentioned by Lenly seemed to be a custom created by being treated as sinners after the assassination of the emperor. Then, Lenly added as if he was just making an excuse. ¡°There are many other uses of salt as well. There may be situations where you need to perform an exorcism, and it¡¯s good to rub things with salt when cleaning.¡± ¡°Okay, enough about salt. Seeing that I am already feeling full, the Saintess must eat only a little bit. Where are we anyway?¡± Juan looked around at his surroundings. At first glance, the underground structure felt quite similar to the one in Durgal, but it was definitely not as old as the dungeon in Durgal. It was also made in a completely different style. Juan was able to find various motifs of the sun, the symbol of the emperor, among the patterns carved on the walls here and there. ¡°We are in the underground structure created by the Church. In my understanding, this is like a shelter or a secret passage,¡± Lenly answered. ¡°You don¡¯t know too much about it either? How do you even know of this place?¡± ¡°There was no way that I wouldn¡¯t know of it when it extends all the way below the Imperial Palace. In fact, a few other Imperial Guards and I were the ones who dug the ground to check the situation after receiving reports saying that there were vibrations that were bothering people. Then, I was able to confirm the entrance inside the Vatican.¡± ¡°Hm, so he used it as a shelter instead, huh? I guess it could be rather safe, since the Vatican has collapsed. It¡¯s safe out there now because the empire is under my reign. You can come up now, you know,¡± Hearing that, Lenly hesitated when answering Juan for the first time. He looked carefully at Juan¡ªno. To be precise, he was looking at Ivy. ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty. But it¡¯s hard to go above the ground now. To tell you the truth, I am looking for the whereabouts of the holy body, that is Your Majesty¡¯s original body.¡± ¡°My body?¡± Juan asked back in a surprised voice. Lenly nodded his head. ¡°Yes. As a member of the Imperial Guards, I value the mission of protecting the holy body more than anything else in the world. But at the same time, the order given by His Majesty to protect the Saintess is just as important. The former has already ended in failure, but I am trying my best to regain the holy body while also ensuring to fulfill the latter.¡± ¡°So you know where my body is right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still tracking it, but I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s outside of Torra. So I was looking for the way they used to be able to leave Torra. If we can figure out General Dismas Dilver and the Pope¡¯s intentions, we might be able to use them.¡± Juan nodded upon hearing Lenly¡¯s words. He too had been thinking that the underground structure of Torra was related to the disappearance of his body, since the existence of an underground structure below the Imperial Palace would be suspicious in anyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°All the Imperial Guards other than myself are also participating in the search for the holy body. However, we are all out of touch with each other at the moment¡­ I think that it might be because they have already died. This underground structure is much more dangerous than it looks. I¡¯ve been keeping quiet because I didn¡¯t want to make Your Majesty worry for no reason, especially when my eyes are in such a poor condition.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see,¡± Juan nodded and thought over Lenly¡¯s words. ¡°But the Saintess doesn¡¯t need to be here with me. If Your Majesty does not mind, I would like to ask you to send someone down here to take her somewhere safe.¡± Juan nodded and answered Lenly. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll send someone here if you tell me the location.¡± *** ¡°Of course, the answer is no,¡± Heretia gave a sharp reaction as if she was annoyed. After the spirit transfer, Juan gathered enough people to search the underground structure of Torra. The people chosen by Juan were Sina and Haild. Nienna and Hela were excluded because they were in charge of other important duties, and the others were excluded because they had their own problems. The problem was that Juan was also included in the important duty. Heretia opened her mouth again. ¡°It has only been a few days since the emperor returned to Torra and occupied it, but he is going to leave his seat already? Especially to go to a mysterious underground dungeon? Are you planning to announce to the people, who only recently found out that the walls protecting them are alive and moving, that even the ground under their feet is full of suspicious things?¡± CH 184 Juan sighed as Heretia snapped at him. ¡°We don¡¯t have to tell the people of Torra about this.¡± ¡°Then where are you going to go with this? All the eyes in the capital are on you, the emperor now. If you really want to do something secretly behind everyone¡¯s back, at least do a celebration ceremony for your triumphant return or a coronation ceremony!¡± The suggestion of the celebration ceremony had been raised by Heretia since the first day Juan had returned to Torra. It wasn¡¯t only the people of Torra; people all over the empire were wondering what the returned emperor looked like. The rumor about the emperor¡¯s enshrined body being stolen had also spread throughout the empire at the same time, which had created even more gossip. The only way to settle everything down was for Juan to show his face to the people through a public ceremony. A lot of rumors and gossip would continue even after that, since Juan¡¯s current appearance was very different from the publicly known appearance of the emperor, but there was a clear difference between seeing the emperor with their own eyes and not. However, Juan frowned and then shook his head. ¡°I already told you that I don¡¯t want a celebration ceremony.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you just do it once when the people in Torra are all so desperate to see your face? The attitude of a leader trying to hide his face shakes the foundation of the government. People have been suspecting and spreading rumors that the reason you can¡¯t show your face is either because you have a deadly disease, are suffering from a terrible epidemic, or have a horrible sexually transmitted disease. I bet you¡¯ll want to show your face right away if you find out what the people have been talking about you.¡± ¡°...You sound just like Harmon. No, I actually think that you might be even worse than him. Anyway, I have made my intention very clear.¡± ¡°You have syphilis on your mind,¡± Heretia derided. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s an awful thing to say. Perhaps you¡¯re the one who has personal feelings about this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard that the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards were in favor of committing treason. In a way, you can blame the Saintess for losing your legs. It¡¯s only natural for you to be upset upon finding out that the Saintess is safe.¡± Heretia glared at Juan and then opened her mouth. ¡°Their opinions were different from mine, but I eventually agreed with the final decision. I was the one who suggested a vote, and I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it if I wasn¡¯t ready to accept either of the results. I don¡¯t intend to say anything like ¡®I told you so¡¯ to the Saintess even for a second.¡± But Juan answered Heretia in a calm manner. ¡°Really? I have a feeling that you do.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Haild, who was quietly listening to Heretia and Juan¡¯s conversation from next to them, carefully opened his mouth; he had a feeling that the situation might get worse if their conversation continued any further. ¡°This underground structure feels quite similar to the bases of the Thornbush Priest Organization that we occupied together. I¡¯m used to fighting in underground structures, so I think I¡¯ll be fine even if I have to go alone.¡± ¡°If we are talking about an underground battle, I can definitely fight too,¡± Sina also stepped forward. Juan stared at Sina for a while. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to step forward,¡± Juan said. ¡°Isn¡¯t this why you called me?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Well, I did consider asking you for a favor.¡± ¡°I want to meet the Saintess and Lenly Loen. Besides, I feel like this incident has something to do with you.¡± At that moment, Haild opened his mouth again. ¡°Come to think of it, why didn¡¯t Your Majesty call Anya and Horhell? I think both of them would be highly suitable for underground battles.¡± Heretia was the first one to shake her head upon hearing Haild¡¯s question. ¡°Anya killed Lenly Loen¡¯s younger sister on the battlefield. Her name was Ledna Loen and that lady was the Deputy of the Order of the Capital.¡± ¡°...She was Lenly Loen¡¯s younger sister? I thought they were only distant relatives or something.¡± ¡°They were on bad terms because of their extremely different ideologies, but family is still family. If Anya has to meet him, it would be better for Anya to meet him under the bright sun as His Majesty¡¯s loyal subordinate, instead of as a necromancer in the nasty and dark underground. As for Horhell¡­ I recall His Majesty telling me not to call him.¡± Juan nodded. ¡°Horhell is afraid of the underground.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Sina asked back, dumbfounded. ¡°Horhell is afraid of the underground? Since when?¡± ¡°I heard that back in Durgal, he sent you into the dungeon instead of going in on his own. Ah, he never said that he was afraid of the underground through his own mouth, but I have a feeling that he is. He might have claustrophobia, since he enjoys flying in the open sky. There used to be a few guys like that from time to time in the Order of Lindwurm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything too serious, but it¡¯s better not to send him, since it might not be a journey that only takes a day or two.¡± Sina nodded, convinced by Juan¡¯s words. Until this time, Sina had just thought that Horhell had not entered the dungeon due to his trauma about the Order of Lindwurm. ¡®No wonder he refused to explain to me why I should be the one to enter the dungeon instead of him.¡¯ ¡°Then I guess we have come to the decision of who¡¯s going to save the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards,¡± Heretia said as she glared at Juan. ¡°Your Majesty should remain seated on his throne. We already have plenty of citizens that have their suspicions about the returned emperor. There¡¯s no way we can control them if the emperor really vacates his throne.¡± Juan smiled and nodded. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Heretia kept glaring at Juan anxiously, while Juan surprisingly accepted her opinion, unlike what she had expected. Thus, there was no reason for her to argue with him further. Above all, saving the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards isolated in the underground structure was their priority. *** Considering the seriousness of the matter, Sina and Haild were the only ones who infiltrated the underground structure, since they could not take ordinary soldiers with them. They had to find another entrance, since the entrance through the Vatican which Ivy and Lenly entered through had been blocked with the collapse of the Vatican. The other entrance that they found was a temporary entrance that Lenly had made while digging for the underground structure with the other Imperial Guards. Haild closed his mouth as soon as he entered the structure which was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. He fumbled against the walls for a while, and then soon opened his mouth. ¡°I can hardly feel any signs of life down here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because it¡¯s a dungeon.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m suggesting that it was made without considering the possibility of any life entering it in the first place. Even though dungeons are dark and nasty, it is still a place for life to live after all. But this place has no consideration for ventilation, drainage, lightning, or supply. It seems like it¡¯s been well maintained somehow, but¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sina asked. ¡°There are two possibilities¡ªeither the people who built this structure were not human beings, or it was made assuming that non-human beings would be using it from the very beginning. They might have built it roughly without many details with the intention of using it only for temporary use, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, given that they worked so hard on the facility.¡± Sina was amazed by Haild¡¯s knowledge. She did think highly of him before, but she didn¡¯t think he would be able to figure out this much information with just a glance. ¡°Wow, you are quite knowledgeable about underground structures.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s because I often go in and out of underground structures,¡± Haild smiled vaguely and muttered as if he wanted to change the subject. Seeing this, Sina didn¡¯t pry any further. She had not yet figured out Haild¡¯s identity, and Haild still gave her a bad impression, since she remembered him stabbing and abducting Juan back in the East. She was even more suspicious about Haild because his face was always wrapped in bandages. But at the same time, Haild was the one who rescued Hela and Juan also clearly trusted him. He was a complicated man for many different reasons. ¡®And then there¡¯s that black sword too.¡¯ Haild also had the black sword which Dane had given to Sina when he tried to coerce her into stabbing Juan. Elkiehl was also the sword that had been used to stab and kill the emperor once before. It couldn¡¯t be said that there was only one Elkiehl, since Dane had given one to Sina as well. However, it could also be said that it was the same sword that stabbed Juan. In other words, Juan was neglecting the sword that had stabbed and killed him when it was right next to him. ¡®They do say that it¡¯s best to keep your enemies close by your side, but¡­¡¯ Sina couldn¡¯t help but feel on edge when she thought about the fact that the only weapon capable of killing the emperor was right next to her. For such a reason, Sina decided to go with Haild to find out more about him. ¡°But I would say that the structure is rather plain, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry about getting lost here,¡± Haild said as he rubbed his fingers in the air. A strange purple light started emanating from Haild¡¯s fingertips. Strange texts and shadows of unknown origin were glimmering inside the light, but the light also made it much easier to search the surroundings in the pitch-black darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t look too closely into it. You might get possessed,¡± Haild warned. Sina quickly came to her senses upon hearing Haild¡¯s warning after she had inadvertently started chasing the movements of the shadows inside the purple light. Haild pointed his finger which was releasing the strangely captivating light toward the map. The map had the entire blueprint of the underground structure that Heretia had made by combining all the data that she had. ¡°Right now, we are over here, right at the entrance, while the Captain of the Imperial Guards and the Saintess seem to be about¡­ here in the middle, at least according to what His Majesty said,¡± Haild said. ¡°How far do you think we are from them?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Half a day is enough if there is no interference to stop us.¡± Sina nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no way there would be no interference in this kind of place. Let¡¯s move forward with caution.¡± Haild also nodded. Although the underground structure was not in the form of a general dungeon, there could still be many monsters that could live in such harsh environments, such as the undead and many types of indeterminate beasts¡ªnot to mention the possible existence of traps. Sina and Haild slowly walked forward while relying on the glimmering purple light. *** Haild and Sina arrived near their destination half a day later with almost nothing happening, other than Sina being startled a few times due to the optical illusion caused by staring at the purple light. The two were exhausted to the extent that they had a terrible headache. It was especially tiring for their eyes to move forward in the dark with only a dim purple light. ¡°...So there¡¯s nothing interfering with us,¡± Haild muttered dejectedly. It was a good thing that they didn¡¯t have to waste their energy on battles, but it was nerve-wracking to move forward with the concern of something popping out at any time. ¡°No, I definitely felt a few presences on our way. I¡¯m sure that there is something down here, but I don¡¯t know if it is ignoring us or avoiding us,¡± Sina said as she shook her head. Haild agreed with Sina. At first, he thought that Sina was on edge because she had suffered from optical illusions due to staring at the purple light, but later on, Haild also felt clear signs of some presence that made it hard for him to ignore them. But in the end, nothing interfered with them. ¡°Anyway, they are said to be around here somewhere. If we look through each room one by one¡­¡± ¡°Who Are you?¡± At that moment, a voice came from beyond the darkness. Haild and Sina tried to approach the voice in relief, but soon came to a stop upon feeling a sudden murderous intent. ¡°I asked who you were.¡± If the owner of the voice was either the Saintess or the Captain of the Imperial Guards, there was no way that they wouldn¡¯t know that someone was coming to rescue them. Besides, the opponent could clearly see that Sina and Haild were humans since they were exposed by the purple light. Then Sina suddenly thought that Haild¡¯s grotesque appearance might be making the opponent wary of him. She stepped forward and opened her mouth. ¡°I am Sina Solvane, the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose. This is His Majesty¡¯s¡­ knight, Haild. Are you Lenly Loen, the Captain of the Imperial Guards?¡± Instead of a response, they only got silence. Then, after a brief moment of silence, the opponent opened their mouth. ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, but the condition of my eyes is pretty bad right now. But it seems like you have the equipment meant for a Templar with you, while I can feel the energy of the Crack from the other person beside you. As far as I know, both of you are people who are against His Majesty.¡± Sina looked at Haild with a perplexed expression. Haild seemed frustrated, but he couldn¡¯t find a reasonable excuse. As Haild and Sina¡¯s answer was delayed, a low and quiet sound of a sword being unsheathed could be heard from beyond the darkness. Sina had heard about Lenly Loen¡¯s famous tales of heroism as she was also a graduate of the knight school. While she thought that Haild and herself were also just as skilled as Lenly, he was not an opponent they should be fighting against in the first place. ¡°Wait, let¡¯s have a conversation first before we do anything unnecessary. If we were not the people sent by His Majesty, how could we have found this place in the first place?¡± Sina asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how you found this place. All I know is that I must carry out my duty.¡± ¡®The duty of protecting the saintess.¡¯ A man quietly walked out from beyond the darkness. The sturdy man with his eyes wrapped in bandages gave off an intense energy just by looking at him. Without any choice, Sina and Haild were forced to raise their swords; they just hoped to be able to overpower the opponent without getting injured. It was at that moment that another voice was heard. ¡°Everyone put down your swords,¡± A woman approached them from behind Lenly. While everyone stared at her, the woman scratched her head and then glared at the three as if she was annoyed. Her black eyes stood out to the extent that they felt foreign even in the dark. ¡°You all just can¡¯t do anything without me, can you?¡± CH 185 ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Lenly quickly lowered his sword and knelt before Juan. Meanwhile, Sina and Haild looked back and forth between Lenly and the Saintess; it was their first time seeing Ivy with Juan¡¯s spirit inside of her. The Saintess clearly looked different from the girl Sina had occasionally seen when she trained at a knight school. Most of the past Saintesses Sina had seen looked lethargic and depressed. However, the Saintess standing in front of her right now exuded the energy of someone who was born as a natural ruler. ¡°Juan?¡± Juan, who had successfully transferred his spirit into Ivy¡¯s body, looked toward Sina upon hearing her call. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± Haild also belatedly grasped the situation and lowered his sword as well. Then, Lenly looked at Juan and opened his mouth. ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was concerned that maybe some of them might have returned.¡± ¡°All good. I¡¯ve been thinking that I had sent quite a misleading combination of people by mistake. But these people are loyal friends of mine. There¡¯s no need for you to worry about them.¡± Sina was relieved to see Juan who showed up at the perfect timing. The last thing she wanted to do was to fight against someone who she had to rescue. Sina approached Juan and opened her mouth. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the Saintess with me and head out. Sir Loen can be rest assured while¡­¡± ¡°Oh, about that part,¡± Juan suddenly opened his mouth before Sina could finish her sentence. ¡°I changed my mind about it. You don¡¯t have to take the Saintess out of here.¡± ¡°What? But¡­¡± The original mission was to rescue the Saintess who was isolated in the underground structure with the Captain of the Imperial Guards from danger. ¡®But he is canceling the order as soon as we finally reached the Saintess¡­?¡¯ Lenly also looked at Juan with a perplexed expression. ¡°Sina and Haild. Go help Lenly Loen to carry out the mission. I¡¯m not forcing you to listen to my order, Sina. So you can go back if you want. But the Saintess will stay here.¡± Only then did Sina realize Juan¡¯s intention. ¡°I was wondering why you weren¡¯t being so stubborn this time¡­ you were planning to trick Heretia like this in the first place, weren¡¯t you? So you¡¯re going to search through this underground structure yourself, huh?¡± Sina asked. Juan grinned at Sina. ¡°The Saintess has no ability to perform any Grace, nor does have good physical ability. But I guess there¡¯s no need to worry since there are three powerful people I can count on. I¡¯m just borrowing her eyes for a little while. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± Lenly muttered as if he was concerned. But Juan didn¡¯t seem like he was willing to listen to other people¡¯s opinions at all. ¡°Relax, I won¡¯t maintain the spirit transfer for too long. I respect the Saintess¡¯ privacy since I¡¯m using her body, and I will also get in trouble if Heretia finds out about what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ll just borrow her body occasionally when I feel it is absolutely necessary. So protect her with all your might, alright?¡± ¡°...Do you even have the Saintess¡¯ consent?¡± Sina asked as if she was suspicious, but Juan did not answer her. There was no way for Juan to ask Ivy for consent from the outset, since it was impossible for Juan and Ivy to talk unless they met each other in person. ¡°The underground structure itself is one-third the size of Torra. According to Heretia¡¯s estimate, everything can be done in two or three days if we ignore the useless areas. Show this map to the Captain of the Imperial Guards as well and check everywhere that you feel is necessary. If you really have no idea, wait until I transfer my spirit into the Saintess¡¯ body.¡± Juan did not seem to be open to any sort of counterargument at all. Lenly closed his mouth upon realizing that Juan was going to be stubborn. After all, Lenly and Haild were people who would be willing to accept any words spoken by Juan, even if he said that the sun rose in the west sky. On the other hand, Sina felt uneasy about this situation, but had no choice but to accept it eventually. ¡°Alright then. I see that there¡¯s no further disagreement here. Explain everything to the Saintess for me.¡± ¡°Uh, wait. We-we are the ones explaining everything to the Saintess?¡± But at that moment, the Saintess shuddered and exhaled a long breath. The Saintess¡¯ black eyes slowly turned into turquoise color as she opened her eyes. Ivy looked surprised when she saw Sina and Haild who had appeared in front of her eyes out of nowhere. She looked around in confusion, then soon found Lenly making a bewildered face. Ivy had seen that look on Lenly¡¯s face before. Ivy carefully opened her mouth. ¡°Did His Majesty visit again?¡± ¡°...Yes. It will take us more time before we are able to return above the ground because His Majesty left us with a special mission.¡± Lenly answered cautiously, but Ivy didn¡¯t seem particularly disappointed or angry. ¡°I see. His Majesty¡­ should have been very disappointed in us due to many reasons, including Miss Heretia¡¯s injuries, but I¡¯m just grateful that he gave us another chance. The fact that His Majesty believes in us means that we still have a chance to be forgiven.¡± Sina was relieved to see Ivy being convinced so easily, and she was also relieved that Ivy looked quite mature even after Juan¡¯s spirit left her body. Other Saintesses Sina had seen so far all looked precarious, almost as if they were about to collapse at any moment. But Ivy didn¡¯t seem to be like that¡ªunless she used to be, but changed after everything that happened to her like many other people who got the chance to meet Juan. Sina reached out her hand to Ivy. ¡°Saintess, I am Sina Solvane. It will only be a short time that we spend together, but I promise to do my best to serve you safely.¡± *** ¡°I went to the House of Peers meeting for the first time after a long time, and the age range of that group went up like crazy,¡± Heretia said as soon as she entered Juan¡¯s room in a wheelchair. It was Juan¡¯s first time seeing something like a wheelchair, but he didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it; he thought that someone smart from the Helwin family should have made it. Instead, he answered Heretia while continuing to look at the underground structure¡¯s map to see if he was missing any hidden messages. ¡°Did you come here to complain about that part?¡± ¡°No. I want to give you a round of applause for blowing that rat¡¯s head off. I knew there would be bloodshed either now, or later anyway. I¡¯m actually rather surprised that you only killed one of them. But you should have also considered me having to talk face to face with old people who are even hard of hearing.¡± Juan laughed quietly as he imagined the elderly people walking around with trembling legs while relying on a cane coming together and sitting at a House of Peers meeting. ¡°It seems like they decided to place the older people who might have met me before in the meeting. Perhaps they thought I would be more generous if I met someone I knew from before?¡± ¡°Or they are going after Duke Henna. They are either of similar age or older than even Duke Henna.¡± ¡°Well they thought wrong. Neither Duke Henna nor I are the type to get soft just for that sort of reason.¡± ¡°So you have no intention of revoking your previous order at all?¡± Heretia asked. Juan looked back at Heretia upon hearing her question. ¡°The one about conscripting the nobles and taking away all their properties?¡± ¡°Yes. Exactly that one.¡± ¡°Do you want me to cancel it?¡± ¡°Well, your order included the Helwin family as well.¡± ¡°Are the Helwins innocent?¡± Juan smiled and looked at Heretia, but Heretia couldn¡¯t answer him. ¡°Everyone knows how Harmon Helwin died. Dismas and the head of the Helwin family found him and blew his head up. Until that moment, Harmon was looking into the conspiracy behind my death.¡± Heretia frowned. Harmon had always been an alien to the Helwin family even during his lifetime. And even now that he was dead, he was making everything much more complicated¡ªthat applied to both, when the Church ruled the empire, and when the emperor was ruling the empire. Heretia knew that wasn¡¯t Harmon¡¯s fault, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated. ¡°Uncle Harmon would have died anyway even if we didn¡¯t cooperate at that time. That¡¯s the only thing the Helwin family could do to survive at the time. And yet the Helwin family still had to pay a huge price anyway. That includes my legs.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to excuse the Helwin family from my order in return for your contribution?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Is that too much for me to ask?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one thing you need to know. I didn¡¯t punish those nobles. They volunteered to dedicate their properties of their own volition. I thought that the Helwins were ready to sacrifice that much as well. No?¡± ¡°How could we work so hard without any self-interest? You should know this already, but the ones you have to be the most careful around are those who are willing to work hard without any rewards. They¡¯re either a pervert or a big thief.¡± ¡°Harmon didn¡¯t really ask me for anything.¡± ¡°Uncle Harmon was definitely more of a pervert. No, maybe he was actually a big thief. I bet that man must have been proud enough to think that the empire was his own work rather than the work of the emperor. Wasn¡¯t it Uncle Harmon who built the system such that it can run even in the absence of the emperor?¡± ¡°...That I can¡¯t deny.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m neither a pervert nor a thief. And unlike uncle Harmon, I¡¯m the head of the Helwin family. So I need to take care of my self-interest.¡± Juan leaned back against the chair. ¡°Is that how much you hate having to give away half of your fortune?¡± ¡°Oh, I have no objection to that part. I do think that there are some procedural problems, but it¡¯s bad to make any exceptions.¡± Juan looked at Heretia, dumbfounded. ¡®She stormed in here all of a sudden to nag at me, but now she is telling me to do as I planned?¡¯ ¡°Besides, if the Helwin family is willing to come forward and dedicate half of its properties, the other nobles won¡¯t take issue with the procedure. It seems that everyone thinks of me as something similar to the founding contributor,¡± Heretia shrugged. ¡°Then what is it that you want?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I just want you to give us some of the businesses. Something like an unfair business stake that used to be held by nobles of the religious faction, you know? I¡¯m not asking for too much. Perhaps Ilde family¡¯s stake is enough, since they ran away leaving behind all their properties.¡± Juan didn¡¯t know where and how much stake the Ilde family had. But Juan didn¡¯t intend on putting his hands on their stake, and was planning to hand it over to a subordinate cooperator anyway. It didn¡¯t really matter to Juan if that subordinate was Heretia. ¡°Do as you wish. But as far as I remember, the Ilde family is a family that used to be involved with slave trades,¡± Juan said. ¡°In fact, the reason why I want their stake is that I want to clean up the slave trade business. I bet someone is going to take over it if it is left unattended. The Church has allowed so many illegal businesses that we need someone to sort them out and take care of them.¡± Juan looked at Heretia with a dumbfounded look. ¡°I feel like you might also be a pervert or a big thief.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things where money will come out other than that as well. I¡¯m especially interested in the business of smuggling goods from beyond the boundary. Oh, of course, it will be an official trade rather than smuggling once I take over.¡± Juan stared at Heretia for a while. He couldn¡¯t imagine what the big picture Heretia was drawing looked like. Heretia was definitely similar to Harmon, but also very different from him. Heretia was both a merchant and a statesman, and she was also an adventurer while being the head of a famous noble family. She was certainly a different type from Harmon, who sat in the middle of Tora to manipulate it by reaching out even beyond the Imperial border. ¡°But I still feel like the Helwin family should pay a little more price.¡± Heretia¡¯s face stiffened as she stared at Juan. ¡°A little more price? What price?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°The head of the Helwin family should serve as the Grand Duke,¡± Juan smiled. ¡°A friendly Grand Duke would be better than an emperor who doesn¡¯t even show his face.¡± Heretia¡¯s mouth widened upon hearing Juan¡¯s words, then she glared at him with suspicious eyes. She then shook her head, but soon started sighing. ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear you,¡± Heretia only replied after a long time. ¡°I thought you would accept the position right away.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°You should make a decision after more consideration. Discuss with Duke Henna and General Nienna about it as well.¡± ¡°Why would I need to do that when I¡¯m the emperor? I haven¡¯t seen a better Grand Duke candidate than you. Besides, I can¡¯t stay in Torra forever. I bet the nobles would prefer a politician who was sitting in the same meeting room as them until yesterday rather than a crazy emperor who recklessly beheads the nobles.¡± Heretia frowned; she had a feeling that something was off about Juan¡¯s self-mocking tone. Perhaps it had something to do with what he did at the House of Peers meeting. Unlike before, Juan didn¡¯t try to actively govern mankind, nor did he try to unite them as one. Rather, he was deliberately acting as if he wanted to destroy his own public image. After thinking so far, Heretia felt like she could understand Juan¡¯s thoughts. In the end, Juan confirmed that mankind would collapse miserably if he disappeared. Even if he became an emperor and had compassion for them like before, it would collapse once again as soon as he disappeared. Rather, the existence of ¡®the emperor¡¯ itself became the basis for harm. Juan may want to make the existence known as ¡®the emperor¡¯ itself absent. That would be an easy job, since the empire would still run just fine by doing what the Church had been doing until now. However, it was a hard thing for Juan to do. However, it might be easy for other people. Heretia sighed and then opened her mouth. ¡°Juan. You don¡¯t know how lovely and cute you are.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Juan glared at Heretia with a distorted expression. ¡°You are looking at me like I¡¯m talking bullshit all of a sudden. People like you. They are scared of you, but they also admire you. The charm of the emperor is also a power of the emperor, don¡¯t you think? You seem to think that you can be hated and feared by people if you try, but being hated is just as hard as being respected.¡± ¡°Did I offend you that much by offering you the position of Grand Duke? Enough is enough. Stop making fun of me.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m happy that you offered the position to me. But my point is, you¡¯re not good enough to be evil. If you did something that really suits you, you would have succeeded without ever being caught by me.¡± Heretia smiled and turned the wheelchair as she continued speaking. ¡°Even if you try to purposefully cover yourself in mud, people around you will never let you do that. You trying to put up a front is actually kind of cute to watch from the side. People like Hela Henna are worse, because they have a strong disposition of ¡®a bad-tempered but actually super sweet grandmother.¡¯ So be careful of her.¡± CH 186 ¡°Your Majesty, please take my hand.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Juan, who had transferred his spirit into Ivy¡¯s body, grabbed the hand Lenly had extended toward him without much thought. Then, Lenly politely and gently pulled Juan up the stairs that were higher than even his knees. While Juan didn¡¯t feel weird about this situation at all, Sina and Haild seemed to think otherwise. ¡°That kind of looks like¡­¡± ¡°Um, yeah¡­ you think so too, right?¡± The way that Lenly took care of Ivy was different from the typical escort that Sina and Haild had seen before. ¡®If anyone thinks that¡¯s normal, I bet they have read way too much romance.¡¯ Lenly¡¯s every move as he took care of Ivy was meticulous, and filled with caution and consideration¡ªhe did not neglect her for even a single moment. But the problem was that it was the emperor who was inside Ivy¡¯s body right now. Sina felt strange just thinking about the fact that inside this delicate and slender woman¡¯s body was the spirit of the emperor who shook the entire empire. Lenly Loen treating such a woman with such caution and consideration as if she was a tiny and delicate hamster made this situation all the more strange. ¡°Do you think that the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards are an item?¡± Haild asked Sina cautiously. ¡°An item? That¡¯s something only a child would say¡­ If you¡¯re asking me if I think that they are in a relationship, then I can only tell you that there is no law that prohibits the Captain of the Imperial Guards from having personal feelings toward the Saintess. But the Imperial Guards usually pledge to never get married, so it will be difficult for them to get together.¡± ¡°But¡­ um, the Saintess is actually His Majesty right now. The Captain of the Imperial Guards knows that as well, but why is he treating her so carefully, even to such an extent?¡± Haild asked as if he was confused. In response, Sina could only smile with a perplexed expression. ¡°Actually, that may be why he¡¯s so excited right now.¡± ¡°...Excited? Why?¡± ¡°I heard that Lenly Loen is tremendously loyal toward His Majesty, to the extent that his loyalty was one of the reasons why his relationship with the Pope fell apart. I don¡¯t know much about Captain Lenly¡¯s feelings for the Saintess, but it does seem like he thinks of her as more than just someone who he has to protect. But now that the emperor who he loves and respects is inside the Saintess who he likes as well, so¡­¡± Haild looked at Sina with a shocked expression upon hearing her words. He hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth again. ¡°Are you saying that the Captain of the Imperial Guards thinks of His Majesty as a lover?¡± ¡°The usual relationship between any boss and their subordinate is definitely not very healthy,¡± Sina shrugged. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the problem¡­¡± ¡°There is also a huge age difference between them as well. We can¡¯t see it now, but they may even experience cultural conflicts if they stay together for a long time.¡± ¡°What I was trying to say was¡­¡± ¡°Is there any problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m concerned that Captain Lenly¡¯s feelings will go away when His Majesty eventually returns to his own body. After all, the fundamental question of whether Captain Lenly loves either of the two is¡­¡± ¡°Cheating is definitely a big problem. His Majesty should also be firm and determined.¡± At that moment, Haild¡¯s head tilted back with a snapping sound. When Sina looked forward, Juan was glaring at her and Haild while a distorted expression covered Ivy¡¯s delicate face. ¡°Stop the unnecessary chats and just follow me.¡± Haild nodded silently. Sina and Haild suddenly felt that they should restrain themselves a little bit. Even so, Haild whispered in Sina¡¯s ear one more time while quietly following Juan. ¡°I guess we did not consider His Majesty¡¯s feelings. That¡¯s the most important thing.¡± Then, Haild¡¯s head once again tilted forward with an even louder snapping sound. After a while, their party came to a stop in front of a long corridor. Lenly looked at the corridor for a while, then turned back to ask a question. ¡°There is a high probability that there¡¯s a trap here. I think we should either hurry up to break through it or take a break. What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Juan was the first to answer. His face was full of irritation and annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, cold, and my legs are sore,¡± Juan complained further. Sina suddenly felt that she was very unfamiliar with the scene of Juan complaining, since she had never seen him say anything like this before. She felt like she was seeing many different aspects of Juan for the first time. ¡°More than anything, I¡¯m in a rush to use the washroom. I transferred my spirit into the Saintess¡¯ body because I thought it would be better to get all the hard work done while she is asleep, since I¡¯m borrowing her body, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about the physiological phenomenon. I wish she had a stronger body.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Saintess. You two can go back,¡± Sina said. Sina hurriedly stepped forward and held the Saintess¡¯ shoulders. As soon as Sina held Ivy, Ivy¡¯s body trembled. She flinched and gasped for a moment as if the unexpected muscle pain came to her all at once. Lenly quickly approached Ivy. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, um. Yes, it¡¯s just that my legs are too shaky. But more than that¡­¡± Ivy stammered. Sina nodded and took Ivy to somewhere dark and away from the rest of the party. Haild and Lenly, who were left alone in front of the corridor, looked at each other for a while then soon turned their heads toward different directions. Haild used this break to look more closely into the style of the underground structure. Their journey had been unexpectedly smooth so far, but he had still felt an unknown presence around them. It was certain that the presence was not that of a person¡¯s, since no person could move so quietly. It would be fortunate if it were a bat or a mouse, but they were not creatures who could live in such dry and cold conditions. ¡®And I wish I was mistaken about this, but¡­¡¯ Haild pondered as he touched the intaglio on the wall. The strange patterns that he had never seen before looked quite chaotic. However, looking closely into it revealed that some of the patterns were similar here and there. This meant that the pattern wasn¡¯t a drawing but some sort of text. It was a script that had never been seen in the empire. Such a script could only be found beyond the Crack. ¡®Unless the Church separately created their own language with this script.¡¯ Haild couldn¡¯t tell the intention behind these markings or whether the script really was related to the Crack. ¡®Where is the beginning and the end of this text?¡¯ Haild wondered if these letters were engraved throughout the entire underground structure. He felt that it was a possibility, since the patterns on the walls had never disappeared once until now. ¡®If it really is a text, then it must be a massive epic.¡¯ If it was written with an intention, there was a chance of it being a massive spell. Haild inadvertently felt horrified and decided that he should report his findings to Juan as soon as he returned to the Saintess¡¯ body. If Juan could read the text, he might be able to find out more about the beginning and the end of the text to better figure out the shape of the underground structure. It was then. A scream broke out from the direction where Sina and Ivy had gone. *** Lenly moved even before Haild opened his mouth. Haild had no choice but to hastily follow Lenly who ran out like the rushing wind. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong direction you are headed to!¡± Haild urgently shouted to Lenly who ran forward at an incredible speed. Lenly came to a stop before a fork. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lenly asked. ¡°I saw Dame Sina turning to the right earlier. We have to go this way to¡­¡± Then another scream broke out. This time, the voice seemed to belong to Ivy. ¡°Then why is there a scream coming from this way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s either an echo since we are in the underground, or¡­¡± Lenly anxiously looked back and forth between Haild and the left side of the fork where the scream had come from, then eventually ran toward the direction where Ivy¡¯s scream came from. Haild muttered some profanities to himself and hesitated before following Lenly. The direction Sina had gone toward earlier was clearly the right, but there was a chance that she might have gone back to the left when he was paying attention to the patterns engraved on the walls due to the right side being an inappropriate place. ¡®Perhaps the opponent is imitating a scream to separate us from each other.¡¯ Haild decided to believe in Sina¡¯s ability, since he figured that the most important thing in this situation was to stick together. But right when Haild was about to follow Lenly, a voice calling for him came from the right side. It was Sina. ¡°Haild!¡± Haild sighed in relief and quickly approached Sina. ¡°What was that scream just now?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Dame Sina, we must go after Captain Lenly. Right now¡­¡± Then one thought passed through Haild¡¯s head. Ivy¡¯s scream just now had come from the direction Lenly ran toward, but Sina was not the type to leave behind someone she had to protect¡ª then there may be something in the underground structure that mimics the voices of people. Haild¡¯s judgment was a step too late. As soon as he slowed down, a black shadow jumped out of the darkness and stabbed him in the side. Haild groaned as he found a slimy monster in the form of a shadow amidst the dim purple light. ¡®There¡¯s monsters in this direction as well? Did Captain Lenly go the right way? Or were both of them going toward traps?¡¯ He could try to think about it later. For the time being, Haild didn¡¯t hesitate to draw Elkiehl. *** As the surroundings brightened up again, Sina knew that Ivy had finished her business. She was surrounded by just walls with frustrating and bizarre patterns, but she was somehow relieved when the light returned, since she had been able to sense some unknown movements¡ªsomething was constantly rustling around beyond the walls. ¡°Are you okay, Dame Sina?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all right. By the way, that¡¯s a much more useful magic item than I thought. I¡¯ve seen a lot of magic lanterns before, but I¡¯ve never seen one that¡¯s this small, but still gives off such a bright light,¡± Sina said as she looked at the necklace on Ivy¡¯s neck. Ivy fiddled with the necklace. ¡°The Captain of the Imperial Guards gave this to me. He said that there was a powerful Grace placed on it. Not only does it emit a bright light but it also has the power to drive out the impure.¡± In fact, magic and Grace meant the same thing, so Ivy was basically repeating the same words. But Sina didn¡¯t bother to point it out. The Church had been teaching everyone that all magic was created and permitted only by the emperor, so it was no wonder that the Saintess was mistaken. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going, shall we? Everyone is waiting for¡­¡± At that moment, a scream of a man broke out. They couldn¡¯t tell if it was Lenly or Haild who had screamed, but it was such a terrible sound that an ominous feeling swept over them. Sina immediately drew her sword and brought Ivy close to her side. Ivy¡¯s face was pale with fear. ¡°Is Captain Lenly the type to scream out loud?¡± Sina asked Ivy right away. ¡°N-no. But I¡¯m not too sure if that was his voice, since he doesn¡¯t talk much¡­¡± ¡°Haild isn¡¯t the type to scream out loud either, though he may ask for help. Stick close to me and watch out.¡± Sina moved slowly and cautiously. There was no problem in securing a good view, thanks to Ivy¡¯s necklace brightening the surroundings. Sina and Ivy¡¯s shadows were mixed and shook under the light, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent of bothering them. Then Sina quickly swung her sword and stabbed it into the shadow. ¡°D-Dame Sina?!¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. At the same time when Ivy called out Sina¡¯s name in a perplexed voice, the shadows scattered in all directions, as if they were being torn by Sina¡¯s sword. Ivy gasped when she saw that the shadow had gotten much fainter and lighter than before. ¡°I¡¯d noticed that the shadow was moving a little slower than it should have been,¡± Sina muttered in a nervous voice. ¡°Maybe these bastards are the presences we had felt earlier. It seems like they were hiding right under our noses. We¡¯ll have to hurry and get out of here just in case they might have the ability to imitate voices. Miss Ivy, please shake your necklace as hard as you can from time to time.¡± Ivy nodded with a pale expression upon realizing Sina¡¯s intention to track the movements of the shadows. Sina quickly advanced forward as she walked just fast enough to make sure that Ivy didn¡¯t run out of breath. Then Sina inadvertently felt that the structure of this place was a little strange. Sina and Ivy weren¡¯t too far away from Lenly and Haild, yet not only did the sounds feel like they were coming from a distance, but the way back to where they came from felt absurdly long. ¡®So far away¡­? No, the sound is coming from beyond the walls.¡¯ Sina noticed that a faint sound of footsteps was coming from beyond the wall next to her. Sina kicked the wall with all her might. Of course, she didn¡¯t think it would easily collapse, but she planned to give it some shock to let the person beyond the walls know of their existence. However, the wall collapsed too easily, unlike Sina expected. At the same time that Sina lost her balance and stumbled, the wall disappeared and Lenly appeared. Lenly tried to swing his sword at Sina who had suddenly appeared, but quickly stopped as he flinched upon realizing her identity. ¡°Saintess!¡± The shadows that scattered everywhere as the wall cracked rushed toward Ivy. Ivy was so startled that she shook her necklace just as she had been doing until now. The shadows momentarily shook as if they were swayed by the movement of lights, but they did not stop moving. A shadow brushed against Ivy¡¯s right arm, and red blood dripped down as her skin was cut. Lenly¡¯s eyes sparked with anger upon seeing the Saintess getting injured. At that moment, Ivy¡¯s eyes turned black in an instant. CH 187 ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± As soon as Ivy muttered to herself, another shadow rushed toward her once again. However, this time the shadow was so easily caught in her hand that it almost seemed ridiculous. Seeing this, Sina realized that Juan had transferred his spirit into Ivy¡¯s body. Meanwhile, Juan clenched the shadow in his hand, then tore it apart with both his hands. ¡®I didn¡¯t know that shadows could be torn apart like that¡­¡¯ Sina had a ridiculous thought in her head upon seeing the shadow scatter in the air, but soon nodded as she was convinced that the shadow would have no choice but to be ripped apart if it was hit by a sword as well. But Juan¡¯s hands were not intact either, since the shadow had the ability to cut through skin. Red blood oozed out of Juan¡¯s hands. ¡°Ah, damn it. I forgot that this wasn¡¯t my own body.¡± Juan murmured awkwardly and stepped back. At the same time, Lenly quickly popped out and hugged Juan. Juan, who instantly got trapped inside Lenly¡¯s arms, looked at Lenly with perplexed eyes. ¡°Are you all right, Saintess¡­ I mean, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t treat me like a delicate princess, yes I¡¯m fine. But I ended up leaving some wounds on the Saintess¡¯ hands. I feel sorry for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest, Your Majesty. I think I have a rough idea of the ecology of these things,¡± Lenly said. Sina followed Lenly closely and watched out for the shadows fluttering from the front. The shadows were pacing around and showing irregular movements instead of rushing in again. ¡°You have a rough idea of these things?¡± Sina asked. ¡°These shadows respond to light. Or I guess it would be better to say that they respond to shadows. They will weaken and stop moving if we turn off the necklace hanging around His Majesty¡¯s neck,¡± Lenly answered. ¡°What? This?¡± Juan asked as he lifted the necklace around his neck. Sina did not doubt Lenly¡¯s words, but she was concerned. Their enemies were creatures that moved around like shadows, and they wouldn¡¯t even be able to see them once they turned off the light. The shadows seemed to be quite weak, but they were still strong enough to cut through skin. ¡°Come to think of it, this necklace has magic in it. You want to turn it off?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. If you leave it to me, we can safely escape the situation and¡­¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s just ridiculous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I might be weak inside the Saintess¡¯ body, but did you really think that I¡¯ll be generous enough to let these monsters that appeared before me escape intact? Captain of the Imperial guards, you say that you admire the emperor so much, but it seems like you know nothing about the emperor. I do not compromise with monsters.¡± Juan muttered in a relaxed manner as he pulled off the necklace from his neck, then lifted it high up in the sky. ¡°Even if it can be solved through a conversation, I prefer to choose the path where I can tear apart and kill the enemy.¡± The moment Juan briefly muttered something, the light of the necklace began to shine more intensely than ever. Juan couldn¡¯t use magic inside Ivy¡¯s body, since Ivy had never dealt with magic before unless it was through a catalyst. However, maximizing the ability of basic magic items was simple enough work for him to do even inside the Saintess¡¯ body. Lenly urgently opened his mouth. ¡°But Your Majesty! Because the enemies respond to light, we must¡­¡± ¡°That would only be valid if they are able to handle this much light.¡± Bright white light that made it hard for all of them to open their eyes filled the entire corridor. As the corridor reflected the lights from wall to wall, the shadows ended up disappearing altogether. Sina turned her head sideways and looked at the Saintess¡¯ back, since she couldn¡¯t look ahead at all due to the bright light. The shadow monsters that were wandering in front of the party also shriveled up and rustled away in silence. Then the light suddenly disappeared. In fact, it had only returned to its original state before Juan maximized the light, but for a while, Sina felt as if she was blind. The shadows were completely gone. ¡°Well, I guess this is good enough for now,¡± Juan said. ¡°Your Majesty, what just happened¡­?¡± Juan lifted the necklace. The jewelry on the necklace had a fine crack on its surface. ¡°I forcefully used the little bit of the magic inside this object. The lifespan of the necklace may have been reduced by about ten years, but I¡¯ll make sure to get a better one for you.¡± ¡°...How did Your Majesty know that the shadow monsters would disappear if bright enough light was shone on them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen similar monsters before. Shadows are the servants of light, and I deal with fire and light. Things like that often bother me when my mana gets too old or piled up. Think of them as some kind of parasite. It¡¯s been a long time since I''ve seen something like that.¡± ¡°Oh, then that means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Perhaps the Pope being able to use my magic has something to do with this underground structure,¡± Juan smiled and lifted the necklace to eye level. ¡°Besides, they saw the real owner of the mana. So they¡¯ll be able to recognize who they have to bow toward from now on.¡± A subtle shadow lay amidst the light emanating from Juan¡¯s necklace. At that moment, Sina freaked out as she found her own shadow swaying irregularly, but Juan reassured her. ¡°Relax. They won¡¯t attack us now, and they are much weaker.¡± ¡°Why did you keep them alive? I thought you said you¡¯d rip them all to death,¡± Sina asked. ¡°Well, it seems like these guys have been interrupting our exploration. They will help us figure out the underground structure and find a way if we tame them well.¡± Sina nodded, convinced. The shadows they just saw were able to imitate voices and even mimic walls¡ª they were camouflage monsters specialized to stay in the dungeons. ¡°Oh, come to think of it. Where¡¯s Haild?¡± Sina flinched and looked around in surprise upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. Haild was nowhere to be seen. Lenly, who had just been with Haild until a moment ago, hurriedly pointed to the direction he came from. ¡°He should be over there. He went in a different direction from me¡­¡± At that moment, they saw something approaching them from beyond the darkness with a heavy gait¡ªit was Haild who was approaching them with countless shadows piercing through him. Juan quickly grabbed Sina who was about to run out toward Haild. ¡°One of their abilities is to gain physical control over your body if there are enough of them. They do so by taking control of the nerves and sending the wrong signals,¡± Juan explained. ¡°Will he be okay?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll never know unless we check him out. Step back if you don¡¯t intend to cut off his limbs. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Juan shoved the necklace in front of Haild¡¯s eyes. *** ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say other than that I¡¯m ashamed of myself.¡± Haild muttered, dropping to the ground. The shadows had penetrated Haild¡¯s entire body to take control of his nerves and create hallucinations, but they all disappeared quickly once the light emitted by Juan¡¯s necklace shone on him. No matter how good Haild¡¯s swordsmanship was, it was impossible for him to fight against the shadows in the dark. ¡°It¡¯s clear that they respond to light considering that shadow monsters only appeared around Haild and the Saintess who were both emitting light.¡± Lenly nodded as Sina spoke. ¡°Yes. It seems like all they can do without light is mimic voices and create hallucinations.¡± However, it was impossible to wander in the dark underground structure without any light. Lenly alternatively looked at Haild, Sina, and Ivy, then soon opened his mouth as if he had made a decision. ¡°Your Majesty, would you please take the Saintess out of this place and back to the surface?¡± ¡°What?¡± Juan lifted his eyebrows. ¡°The Saintess has already been injured. Of course, there is no doubt that Your Majesty is omnipotent. But exploring the underground structure inside the Saintess¡¯ body is¡­¡± Juan swung his necklace toward Lenly¡¯s neck without listening any further. Lenly raised his hand and tried to block the necklace without even realizing it, but Juan quickly wrapped Lenly¡¯s neck with the necklace as if he had read Lenly¡¯s next move in advance. Then Juan tightly pulled the necklace to choke him. ¡°What are you trying to say? That I¡¯m no good?¡± Lenly groaned with a distorted expression. Seeing this, Sina gasped and quickly ran toward the two. ¡°Juan, stop it!¡± Juan let go of Lenly right away. A long red mark still remained on Lenly¡¯s neck. ¡°I apologize. I acted like a child.¡± Looking at Juan¡¯s calm expression, Sina could see that Juan was neither upset nor emotional. Only then did she realize that Juan didn¡¯t want to make much effort to persuade Lenly in the first place, since he already knew that Lenly had special feelings for Ivy. ¡°I understand that you are worried about the Saintess, but I must stay with the party to continue the exploration. I¡¯ve been pretty pissed lately, you know. I thought that I¡¯d get my body back and find out about the truth once I came back to Torra. But the fucking bastards ran away with both my body and the truth, my friend has lost her legs, and the only thing everyone around me does is whine. My patience is reaching its limit.¡± Juan looked at Sina in silence for a while, then opened his mouth again, ¡°And most of all, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be any safer without me.¡± No one could disagree with Juan¡¯s last sentence. As long as they continued to get lost, there was neither a way to break through the dungeon nor was there anyone among them who could cope with the shadow monsters if they ever appeared again. ¡°I would have sent a magician if I knew of this structure in advance. But fortunately, we do have one magician here,¡± Juan said. ¡°A magician?¡± Haild asked as if he was curious. Juan calmly pointed toward himself and answered. ¡°I¡¯m talking about myself. The shadow monsters are no longer a problem. No, in fact, they will help us.¡± Sina and Haild couldn¡¯t understand Juan¡¯s words. However, Lenly looked at Juan as if he could not believe it. ¡°No way. Did Your Majesty use that light on the shadows to¡­¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Instead of answering, Juan lifted the necklace back toward Lenly. It was not as bright as it was when the shadows were driven out, but a strong light that was enough to make the shadows even darker than normal was emitted by the necklace. Shortly afterward, a shadow wriggling behind Lenly¡¯s back could be seen. ¡°Darkness is the absence of light, and shadows are the first servant of light,¡± Juan quietly whispered a magic spell. The shadow swayed from side to side following the movement of the necklace. Not long after, Lenly¡¯s shadow copied itself, going from one to two and two to three. Soon, the countless shadows began to move limply and head toward a direction. ¡°There we go. We won¡¯t get lost anymore,¡± Juan said. ¡°Where are they going?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Where these guys were born. So it¡¯s the place where the most amount of magic is piled up inside this underground structure. It¡¯s also the most important part of this structure as well.¡± While Lenly had been struggling for a week to find the way inside this underground structure, Juan had solved the problem right away by simply shaking a necklace a few times. Sina already knew that Juan had absurdly incredible abilities, but she still couldn¡¯t help but shake her head every time she witnessed it. ¡°Now diligently follow those shadows. It¡¯s getting exhausting to stay in this body.¡± *** Juan¡¯s party had to walk for almost half a day without a break to follow the shadows. Juan felt a little sorry when he thought about Ivy who would suffer from intense muscle pain after the journey ended, and she regained consciousness. However, he thought that it would be better to get the business done as soon as possible and then let her take a rest rather than spend another day inside this damp and dark underground structure. Juan¡¯s party stopped in front of a huge door. The shadows that surged from all sides of the underground structure were constantly coming in and out of the cracks in the door. The sight of hundreds and thousands of shadows was quite frightening and made the party feel fed up. Everyone except Juan could not help but nervously look around; there was no way to counteract them if these shadows decided to rush them all at once. ¡°Shall I open the door, Your Majesty?¡± Haild asked as he led the way. Juan stared at the huge iron gate for a while, then soon nodded. Haild and Lenly held one door each and pushed. The huge iron gates began to slowly open, and the interior space appeared. Surprisingly, the interior was an empty cavity. It was a huge hall with only huge pillars and an empty floor. Shadows were circling around the round empty space like fish. ¡°...There¡¯s nothing here.¡± Haild looked around as if he was perplexed. It was a space the party had long since been looking for, but they couldn¡¯t see anything but an empty space. There were signs of rough stone-cut construction, but no one could tell what this space was made for. Then Haild inadvertently noticed that the letters which formed the patterns on the walls outside were also engraved on the floor. The shadows were circulating along those letters. At that moment, Juan opened his mouth. ¡°We can¡¯t say that there¡¯s nothing here.¡± Everyone followed along Juan¡¯s gaze. There was something hanging from the ceiling, and Haild was the only one who couldn¡¯t immediately recognize what it was. It was a huge throne, just like the one in the Imperial Palace. ¡°It¡¯s right under my throne,¡± Juan muttered. CH 188 ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s right under your throne?¡± Haild asked, curious. Juan glanced around the surroundings for a moment. ¡°Looking at the structure, we are right below the Imperial Palace¡ªspecifically where my throne used to be. It seems like they flipped the structure and mirrored the audience chamber.¡± It was not until the party heard Juan¡¯s words that they looked over the ceiling above their heads. As Juan said, the statues and stairs were built completely upside down on the ceiling. Their mouths widened; they hadn¡¯t been able to find those structures until now, since the light was not bright enough. Juan slowly walked into the hall. ¡°What the hell does all this mean?¡± Sina muttered, confused. The fact that the facilities commonly used by people were built upside down on the ceiling was considered unpleasant, going far beyond it being bizarre. It felt as if someone was looking down and staring at them from above at this very moment. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. Maybe the people who use this place are those who walk around upside down on the ceiling,¡± Haild said. ¡°...Was that supposed to be a joke?¡± Sina asked. ¡°It was supposed to be a joke, but I guess I can¡¯t really call it a joke, since the upside-down audience chamber is right in front of my eyes,¡± Haild shrugged. Sina couldn¡¯t deny Haild¡¯s words. Feeling displeased at the thought of people walking around upside down on the ceiling, Sina followed Juan. Shadows would step back in the direction where Juan would move, almost as if they were worshiping him. ¡°Juan, is that true?¡± ¡°What¡¯s true? Are you talking about the stupid thing you and Haild were just talking about? People walking around upside down, huh? No way. It can¡¯t be. It¡¯s nothing but a structure built with the intent to use magic.¡± Sina glared at Haild upon hearing Juan¡¯s answer. Haild could only shrug his shoulders, as if to say ¡®how was I supposed to know?¡¯ ¡°Even if people who walk around upside down exist, if you look closely, you should be able to tell that all the objects on the ceiling look new and have no signs of being used. Both these structures and the upside-down audience chamber were all made for a giant magic spell,¡± Juan explained. ¡°You can tell just by looking at them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve probably seen something similar before.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sina asked back in surprise. Juan slowly turned back and looked at Sina. ¡°I¡¯m talking about where Mananen McLeir¡¯s body was enshrined. Although most of the Magic Tower is buried under the ground, it is structured in the same shape both above and below. That place was originally made for Mananen McLeir¡¯s kingdom in the first place.¡± Upon pondering, Sina¡¯s thoughts reached a single conclusion. There was something that Juan created using Mananen McLeir¡¯s body. ¡°The boundary?¡± ¡°Yes. I used Mananen McLeir¡¯s body to create the boundary of the empire. This is an exact imitation of it,¡± Juan spoke with a cold smile on his face. ¡°This structure has been created to extract mana out of my corpse.¡± Sina recalled the path she had walked past with a perplexed expression. Although she was unfamiliar with the structure of the Imperial Palace, she had been feeling that some areas were quite similar. ¡°Then does that mean the rest of the area is meant for deception? It¡¯s kind of like forming a magic circle.¡± ¡°This kind of work is very difficult even for the entire Church, let alone individuals. It¡¯s not like knowledge builds up in a short period of time. Even if there is a previous example called the Magic Tower and Mananen McLeir, it is only possible if one meets the extremely difficult condition of researching magic for a very long time, having good ancient knowledge, and having both enough time and budget¡­¡± While muttering to himself, Juan thought of only one person who was able to meet all the listed conditions. ¡°Dane Dormund.¡± ¡°The Grand Magician? Are you saying that he¡¯s involved with the Church? But the Church labeled him as one of the Six Apostates, didn¡¯t they?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Dane Dormund can change his appearance. Besides, even most of the magicians from the Magic Tower didn¡¯t even know that the master of the tower was Dane Dormund. Or the act of the Church labeling him as an apostate itself could have been fake.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t tell how far Dane Dormund¡¯s plan stretched, but he figured that Dane seemed to have been constantly active within the empire even after being expelled. Sina looked around the structures and opened her mouth to ask a question. ¡°Is this place still active?¡± ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t work anymore because they took away my corpse. The only thing left in this place is piled up mana that they had been using until now¡ªand the shadows are the parasites that live off of that leftover mana. It seems like they have been using the shadows as their watchmen,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Huh? But aren¡¯t the Priests still using Grace?¡± ¡°Then there must be another facility like this one somewhere else. And that¡¯s where my body is.¡± Juan smiled. It was a gruesome smile that made Sina flinch without even realizing she did so. She felt anxious every time she saw Juan make such an expression, but it wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t understand how Juan felt right now. She thought that she too would feel her blood boiling with anger if she found out that her body was being dragged around to an unknown place and exploited at someone¡¯s will. Juan stammered around the structure here and there, then suddenly came to a stop in front of one place. ¡°This is the only part where I can see traces of someone having visited recently.¡± Haild approached Juan. Having raided the bases of the Thornbush Priest Organization several times with Juan, he was able to recognize the traces at a single glance. ¡°It¡¯s a sign of teleportation. If the coordinates still remain here, we might be able to track them to¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not like any ordinary teleportation. Its scale is much larger and involves a lot of people. Perhaps it¡¯s because they had to move my corpse. Besides, it¡¯s encrypted so that it would be hard for anyone else to recognize even the traces except for those with allowed keys.¡± ¡°Would it be impossible to track them down even for Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Is that supposed to be a challenge?¡± ¡°Um, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say. But¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± *** The smell of burning herbs gave Helmut a terrible headache. He had asked for incense several times, but his request was only ignored with a warning that his head might explode if he used them recklessly in this place. The citadel of Dismas, Cabragh, was a fortress city bordered by the mountain range with the territory of the giants to the west and overlooking the western territories of the empire to the East. It was a desolate and quiet place, but it was a place with only terrible memories for Helmut. Cabragh was the land where he first began the ¡®Red Footprints.¡¯ His first purge was quite immature and difficult, but there was no shortage of blood. Only after completing the ¡®Red Footprints¡¯ was Helmut able to place the foundation of the Church. At that time, Helmut even granted the title of Doctrinal General to Dismas, who actively helped Helmut with the purge. Helmut remembered Dismas kneeling in front of him and declaring his allegiance to the emperor. ¡®But now I¡¯m basically half confined and trapped in a tower.¡¯ Helmut looked out the window and thought about how he ended up like this. The first thing that came to his mind was the appearance of the black-haired devil in Tantil. That¡¯s when the former Saintess began to make prophecies and then everything started to get tangled. Then finally, even Torra was taken away by the same devil. ¡®No. That¡¯s nothing but an excuse.¡¯ The empire was not weak enough to collapse at the advent of a single individual. The empire established by the emperor was solid and firm to the extent that it would be able to hold out against the emperor himself if he appeared once again. Helmut wrapped his arm with his hands without realizing it. ¡®What if the scaffolding under my feet has been rotting since much longer than I thought? What if the appearance of the black-haired devil wasn¡¯t the cause, but only the catalyst to kick the already rotting scaffold? Since when has the scaffold been rotting? Was it when I experimented with the Templars for my desire to have the physical abilities of the emperor? Was it when I started a purge like the ¡®Red Footprints¡¯ in order to consolidate the system? Or was it from the time of the emperor¡¯s assassination? Or the worship of the emperor itself? Maybe it was when I was born as a humble and a lowly being even among humans.¡¯ Helmut shook his head as he grit his teeth. He put strength into his hands and used the power of Grace. He didn¡¯t know where Dismas had brought the holy body of the emperor, but the power of the Grace was still working just fine. ¡®As long as I have the power of Grace.¡¯ The emperor¡¯s power was in Helmut¡¯s hands, and he could never let it go. Helmut believed that he could get back on his feet and rebuild the collapsed Church as long as he had the power of Grace. ¡®And that is if I can get rid of that black-haired devil and Ivy Isildin, that damned Saintess.¡¯ Helmut gritted his teeth once again. At that moment, the scenery in front of him cracked with a sudden piercing light. Then someone familiar was seen and heard through the small gap which was the size of a fist. ¡°Is it actually working? Didn¡¯t you say that it was impossible for anyone except those with the key?¡± ¡°That only applies to ordinary people. It''s kind of expedient but if I manage to break the door instead of opening it with the key, I can track a remarkable signal from an abstract coordinate to¡­ oh? Who do we have here?¡± Helmut opened his mouth wide and looked at the opponent. He thought that he was hallucinating, since the opponent staring at him through the gap in the torn space was definitely Ivy Isildin. Furthermore, Lenly Loen was glancing at him from behind Ivy Isildin. ¡°That¡¯s the Pope,¡± Lenly Loen said. ¡°This bastard is the Pope?¡± Ivy scanned Helmut up and down, then pulled up the corners of her mouth. ¡°I remember now.¡± At that moment, Helmut slumped to his seat without even realizing it. All his strength was drained out and he couldn¡¯t even put strength into his fingertips. He had never felt like this in his life before. ¡®That¡¯s the Saintess? The same girl who once trembled like a squirrel in front of me?¡¯ Then Helmut shook his head. ¡®No. If that¡¯s the Saintess, even a rabbit can be the emperor.¡¯ ¡®That thing¡¯ was something wearing Ivy¡¯s skin¡ªsomething that was capable of crushing Helmut down at once. Helmut felt as if his skin was being cut just by receiving ¡®that thing¡¯s¡¯ gaze. ¡°What a shame that I can¡¯t kill him right now. No, maybe it''s better that way,¡± ¡®that thing¡¯ whispered to Helmut. ¡°Pope, I need you to do me a favor.¡± A murderous intent that was blowing from beyond hell tickled Helmut¡¯s neck. ¡°Please don¡¯t commit suicide.¡± That was all. ¡®That thing¡¯ left only one ambiguous threat and then disappeared. Both the torn space and Ivy Isildin were gone in a blink of an eye, making Helmut wonder if he had woken up from a dream. However, he was certain that her existence and what just happened were both true. And most of all, his body which was still trembling in fear was enough to tell him ¡®that thing¡¯s¡¯ warning was quite sincere. *** Crack! The flat floor broke with a sharp sound like a piece of glass. Juan clicked his tongue as he realized that this place was no longer suitable to use for teleportation upon confirming that the magic circle was completely destroyed. ¡°Why did it break?¡± Haild asked. ¡°Because I forcibly opened it without a key. Besides, it¡¯s hard to control magic properly in the Saintess¡¯ body anyway. But I don¡¯t think it would have made much difference even if I did it with my own body,¡± Juan answered. Haild nodded. Juan recalled what he had just seen through the torn space and thought about his future direction. Just as he had expected, Helmut was currently located in Cabragh in the west¡ªat the place where Dismas led the Order of Surtr. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Juan wanted to deny it until the end, but it seemed true that Dismas had a close relationship with the Pope. Even the rumors said that the west was very loyal to the Pope. ¡°I¡¯ll have to meet Dismas.¡± ¡°Was the Pope in the west, just as we expected?¡± Lenly asked. ¡°Yes. It seems like they have escaped using this magic circle. I think this underground structure was designed to be used for that purpose from the very beginning. It must be easy for even ordinary people who aren¡¯t magicians to use because mana from my body is always piled up in here. At least we won¡¯t have to worry about anyone stabbing us from the back now that it¡¯s been destroyed.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what do we do now? Do we advance to the west?¡± Haild asked, concerned. ¡°It seems like we should. Heretia and Hela won¡¯t be too happy about this though.¡± Of course, that was none of Juan¡¯s business. Regardless of whether the two agreed or not, Juan couldn¡¯t become an emperor or anything else unless he finished everything off. Juan glanced around at the party. ¡°Take the Saintess out of the underground structure. It would probably be hard for her to move alone. And there seems to be a staircase that directly connects the Imperial Palace and this place, so exit through it. I¡¯ll need to come down here myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What do you mean, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll need to come down here in my original body.¡± Haild hastily nodded as if he realized something. The party had been so used to Juan being in the Saintess¡¯ body that they had forgotten that he had just transferred his spirit. Juan glanced at the audience chamber and opened his mouth. ¡°You¡¯d better get out of here quickly. It¡¯s going to get very hot over here.¡± CH 189 Thump! Hela quickly held on to the desk upon feeling a sudden vibration. The vibration lasted for a long time, yet it wasn¡¯t too intense. Hela was worried that the restored buildings might collapse and her efforts would be wasted, but the vibration itself seemed to be limited to within the Imperial Palace. ¡°Is it an earthquake?¡± Hela asked. ¡°No. It seems like some sort of magic is being used to exert a huge force from underground,¡± Anya answered as she looked under her feet. Despite the intense vibration, her body did not shake at all. Hela frowned upon hearing Anya¡¯s answer. ¡°The underground?¡± Hela had already heard the news that Juan sent a search party down into the underground structure below the capital to rescue the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards. She had also heard a report stating that the search party had finished the search and came out of the underground just now and then Juan decided to head underground. However, she didn¡¯t know what Juan was doing in the underground. ¡°I should call Sina and ask her what the heck His Majesty is up to again. I hope he hasn¡¯t kept more Golems below Torra.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a real possibility,¡± Anya answered with a smile. As someone who has been looking for Golems for a long time, Anya seemed to like Torra very much, since there were Golems everywhere she looked. ¡°So, Hela. Why did you call for me?¡± Anya asked. Hela looked at Anya in silence. Anya¡¯s position in Juan¡¯s army was ambiguous. She was one of the key forces and clearly a massive contributor, but her ability to deal with the dead and the undead made it difficult to grant her an official position publicly. Fearful rumors about Anya had already spread all throughout the empire here and there through the Imperial Army. Of course, Juan did not care about such rumors at all. However, it was a different case entirely for Heretia and Hela who were temporarily in charge of the internal affairs of the empire. Even Anya was aware of such a fact. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a big deal. I just had a few concerns about what His Majesty was up to these days,¡± Hela said. ¡°If His Majesty has done something, it must have been done with for a reason.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Hela smiled. ¡°But there are times when the people fail to understand the deep meaning behind His Majesty¡¯s will¡ªjust like the unfair treatment you are getting.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m content with my current position as it is now.¡± Anya¡¯s words were sincere, and Hela was well aware of her sincerity. ¡°I know you are, but it is a clear fact that you should be treated much better considering the contribution you made regardless of whether you¡¯re satisfied with it or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m satisfied as long as I can be His Majesty¡¯s sword. It doesn¡¯t matter if His Majesty decides to cut humans or rotten meat with that sword.¡± ¡°The same is true for me, Anya,¡± Hela answered carefully ¡°But I do not want to be a sword that attacks its owner, even if that¡¯s what the owner wants.¡± ¡°Of course that¡¯s¡­¡± Anya was about to answer with a frown, but she closed her mouth. Hela remained silent for a moment while stirring the tea inside her cup. The sound of the stirrer scratching the side of the cup was the only thing heard amidst the silence for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t think His Majesty will make the wrong choice. But that doesn¡¯t mean His Majesty will make a choice that is favorable to himself. What if His Majesty ends up sacrificing himself to save someone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that won¡¯t happen, but it¡¯s also something that should never happen.¡± ¡°But what if it must happen in the end?¡± ¡°Then I will sacrifice my life for His Majesty¡¯s life,¡± Anya tapped her chest. There was no hesitation in her answer, but Hela shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you should sacrifice yourself for His Majesty. I¡¯m saying that we should be sprinkling flowers on the path His Majesty chooses to walk on, even if His Majesty says that he will step up to walk on a muddy mess. Or we can even throw ourselves to let him step on us instead.¡± ¡°I would be more than happy to do so.¡± Hela stared at Anya in silence. Hela hadn¡¯t known Anya for a long time, but her loyalty and capability seemed unquestionable. Above all, the fear that residents of Torra had toward her was good enough. After considering all this, Hela opened her mouth. ¡°You must already know about what His Majesty did in the meeting at the House of Peers.¡± ¡°I heard that His Majesty killed one of the useless bastards.¡± ¡°Yes, and that only happened because it was necessary.¡± Anya looked at Hela for a moment and nodded. ¡°If they can¡¯t be truly loyal in their lifetime, they might become loyal in the afterlife.¡± *** Juan shook off the melted rock fragments that were glowing red and climbed up the stairs. His armor which was made up of Kelegrenon¡¯s bones remained a pristine white color without the slightest bit of soot. Sina and Haild stepped away from Juan with a fed-up look due to the terrible heat emanating from Juan. Juan had stopped emanating heat from his body a long time ago, but his heated armor was still giving off an intense amount of heat. ¡°How are the Saintess and the Captain of the Imperial Guards doing?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The Saintess has fainted and the Captain of the Imperial Guards took her to a Priest,¡± Haild answered. ¡°Hmm. I did overwork her body, but I didn¡¯t think it was to the extent of fainting¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to postpone my conversation with her.¡± Sina looked down at the stairs where Juan walked out from. Intense heat was also pouring out from the stairs connecting the Imperial Palace and the underground structure. ¡°What did you do down there?¡± Sina asked. ¡°I crushed it to make sure it can never be used again. I completely melted it and turned it into a rock so that it can¡¯t be restored. Now, the well water in the Imperial Palace will be hot for a while,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Was it okay to do that? I think we should have looked more closely into it.¡± ¡°I completely understood the structure itself. Now that I know the purpose of the structure and how to use it, I can figure out any other similar structures. I¡¯ve also seen enough of the rest of the traces. That¡¯s good enough.¡± Sina nodded, since there was no one here who was more knowledgeable than Juan when it came to magic. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Then what are you going to do now?¡± Juan seemed to contemplate for a while, then soon nodded his head. ¡°I have changed my mind. Let¡¯s go visit the Saintess.¡± ¡°The Saintess? But she is unconscious at the moment and¡­¡± ¡°I can still find out about her constitution even if she¡¯s unconscious. I also have something to ask the Captain of the Imperial Guards. Oh, Sina. Go and answer Hela¡¯s questions, since she will definitely ask what the hell happened in the underground structure. Haild, you come with me.¡± Haild and Sina were perplexed by the different orders given to them. At that moment, Sina saw Hela approaching them from a distance. In the meantime, Juan quickly headed to the place where he could feel the Saintess¡¯ presence. *** The place Juan visited was quite familiar to him¡ªit was the living quarters for the members of the Imperial Guards. Juan recalled the appearance of this place from a long time ago. Winoa Weaver, the former Captain of the Imperial Guards, had never neglected his duty even though he mocked himself by saying that his position was the funniest and most useless position in the empire. The same was true of Winoa Weaver¡¯s subordinates. The members of the Imperial Guards were also the ones who had been fighting next to Juan for the longest time among Juan¡¯s army. Everything they learned was taught by Juan, including how to properly wield a sword. Most of them were refugees and from the lower classes, but they were more proud of themselves than anyone else. But now, all that remained in the Imperial Guard¡¯s living quarters was an empty silence. Juan had heard that there were still a few members of the Imperial Guards including Lenly Loen. However, their actual duty was no different from that of a janitor or a corpse cleaner. When Juan returned to the Imperial Palace, only the corpses of the Imperial Guards who had long been killed were found. It seemed like they had been murdered while fighting against the Pope to protect the emperor¡¯s body from being taken away when the Pope invaded the Imperial Palace without permission. There was no face that Juan could recognize, and the only one who survived in the end was Lenly Loen. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Lenly stood up from his seat as soon as Juan entered. In front of him was Ivy lying in bed with a pale face. She didn¡¯t seem to be in a good condition, but was still breathing. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Juan asked. ¡°She is suffering from muscle pain and exhaustion, but she is fine other than that,¡± Lenly answered in a quiet voice. ¡°Then she should get better once she recuperates for a while. She will recover faster by taking a simple rest than getting treated by a healing Grace, so let¡¯s do that. Meanwhile, I want to briefly examine the Saintess¡¯ physical condition,¡± Juan nodded. ¡°Her physical condition?¡± ¡°Yes. To find out about how she was able to recite those prophecies about me.¡± Lenly nodded upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. Any ordinary fanatic would say that His Majesty¡¯s will affected some special people, but Juan did not believe in such things. He believed that there must be a reason why only the Saintess, who didn¡¯t even have any connection to him, was able to make prophecies about him. Furthermore, Ivy was even preventing Juan from transferring his spirit into his original body. ¡®I do want to know if killing the Saintess would allow me to transfer my spirit back into my original body, but¡­¡¯ But that was difficult to do since he had already built a relationship with the Saintess and the Saintess was quite close to Lenly Loen. Above all, the Saintess was innocent and had not committed any sins. When Lenly took a step back, Juan grabbed Ivy¡¯s wrist. Her wrist was so thin and pale that it seemed like it could break at any moment. Juan wondered how such a weak woman was able to last a week in that underground structure. Juan felt apologetic toward her, but he put aside his feelings for now and quietly scanned her soul. After scanning through Ivy¡¯s soul, Juan tilted his head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Is there any problem, Your Majesty?¡± Lenly asked in a slightly impatient voice. Juan could feel that Lenly¡¯s voice was full of concern for Ivy. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. Just give me a minute.¡± Juan looked through Ivy¡¯s soul once again just in case he was mistaken. He took a closer look this time, but the result was the same. Then, Juan put down Ivy¡¯s wrist in confusion. ¡®There¡¯s signs of another spirit transfer.¡¯ Ivy was an ordinary human, both physically and mentally. Her constitution was so ordinary that it was a shame to call her a Saintess. Such was only natural for all the Saintesses as they were nothing but the Pope¡¯s puppets, but the traces left in her soul were different. Every time a spirit transfer was performed, some traces were inevitably left behind in one¡¯s soul. But Ivy had more than one trace besides the traces from Juan¡¯s spirit transfers. ¡®That means that the prophecies that she made so far were¡­¡¯ This meant that someone else had also made prophecies through Ivy¡¯s body, just like Juan had. Juan had initially thought that his several transfers might have added some extra traces, but the more he checked, the more his suspicions became clear. ¡®But who would do such a thing?¡¯ Spirit transfer had the highest level of difficulty in magic and very few were able to perform it. Juan suspected Dane for a moment. Spirit transfer was not something Dane specialized in, but there were enough reasons to doubt him. Yet there were too many discrepancies between the Saintess¡¯ prophecy and Dane¡¯s actions. ¡®I don¡¯t know who it was, but they tried to use the Church.¡¯ Juan decided to find and meet other surviving Saintesses for now. It would have been nice to have been able to confirm why he couldn¡¯t transfer his spirit into his original body, but that continued to remain a mystery. But the suspicion about someone else leaving a trace in the Saintess¡¯ soul, and that being related to the reason why he couldn¡¯t transfer his spirit into his original body was reasonable. Upon seeing Juan take his hand off of Ivy¡¯s wrist, Lenly opened his mouth. ¡°Are you done, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Juan let out a long sigh. In the end, he failed to find out about his original body once again. ¡°I want to meet other surviving Saintesses too. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like you to find out the whereabouts of the former Saintesses.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I will look into it.¡± ¡°Oh, also.¡± Juan reached his hand out and placed it before Lenly¡¯s eyes. Lenly flinched as he felt the heat from Juan¡¯s hand. ¡°Do you usually train your senses? You were able to move around without any problems considering that your eyes were injured pretty badly.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I tend to train my senses on a regular basis. And my eyes aren¡¯t completely destroyed, so I can still roughly see the outlines of things. I think it will heal if a healing Grace is used.¡± ¡°Let me help you a little bit.¡± CH 190 When Juan reached his hand out toward Lenly, Lenly straightened his back. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Your Majesty. There is no need to¡­¡± ¡°You were wounded while carrying out my order. It¡¯s the least I can do for you.¡± Lenly nodded apologetically upon hearing Juan¡¯s firm words. ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Your Majesty.¡± Juan peeled off the cloth wrapped around Lenly¡¯s face. His eyes under the skin that was distorted by the burn were gray and crushed. Juan covered Lenly¡¯s eyes with his hand, and then a pleasant warmth spread over Lenly¡¯s eyes that were distorted by the burns. Lenly flinched as he felt the tickling sensation spreading above and below his eyelids. ¡°It won¡¯t heal right away, but it will recover to a considerable extent if you recuperate for about a week or so. I can make it heal right now, but I want to minimize the side effects as much as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Lenly knelt down and bowed his head before Juan. He also knew about the healing Grace and had thought about asking the Priests to cure him. However, he could not do so when he found out that Grace was a power stolen from the emperor. Furthermore, the wounds caused by Telgramm were difficult to cure even with a healing Grace, since it had its limitations. But curing such a wound was just as easy as counting one two three for Juan. Haild watched the scene in silence. ¡°Then we will get going now. Let me know when the Saintess wakes up,¡± Juan said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will also look into the former Saintess who are still alive,¡± Lenly answered. After leaving Lenly behind, Juan became lost in thoughts. His mind was full of questions about the traces left behind in the Saintess¡¯ soul, as well as her constitution. He was also quite curious about Lenly Loen. Juan had secretly scanned through Lenly¡¯s soul while using the healing Grace on him. It hadn¡¯t been long since Juan assigned Lenly a mission, but there was a possibility that someone who transferred their spirit into Ivy¡¯s body might have influenced Lenly. However, Leny¡¯s soul was clean. In fact, in terms of purity of the soul alone, he was even comparable to Sina. While Juan didn¡¯t find anything wrong with Lenly, there was one thing that made Juan feel uneasy. ¡®Why did he learn how to use magic?¡¯ Of course, Juan actively recommended and even encouraged his subordinates to learn magic when he used to be the emperor, since it was very useful. However, learning magic did not spread too widely within the empire because training the Baltic Sword alone could make one strong enough. It was only natural that not a lot of people learned how to use magic, since it was banned after the Church took control of the empire. But Lenly surprisingly showed signs of having mastered magic to a surprisingly high level. Juan could tell that it was magic learned through Lenly¡¯s own efforts rather than some simple Grace. But no one, including Juan, had ever seen Lenly use magic. It made sense that he hadn¡¯t used magic until now, since he would have had to hide it from the Church, but Juan couldn¡¯t understand why Lenly was still hiding the fact that he was capable of using magic. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to wait and continue to keep my eye on him.¡¯ Although Juan entrusted Lenly with the task himself, Juan did not trust an educated and learned loyalty. Even Sina could only be accepted by Juan after he observed her for a long time. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Juan turned his head at the sudden call. Upon seeing Haild calling out to him with a tired look, Juan realized that Haild had called him several times. ¡°Ah, I couldn¡¯t hear you because I was thinking about something. What is it?¡± Haild seemed to be hesitant, but he carefully opened his mouth. ¡°About the magic Your Majesty performed on Captain Lenly a moment ago¡­ would you be able to perform it on Miss Heretia as well? Or on Duke Henna? I think it will be very helpful, since they are both injured pretty badly.¡± Haild¡¯s request was a reasonable one. While the healing Grace granted by the Church was powerful, it was limited. On the other hand, Juan could use the highest level of healing Grace. The rumor had it that the Pope could even bring back the dead with his healing Grace¡ªif that was true, then there was no reason why Juan could not do it himself. Juan felt a little unpleasant upon hearing Haild¡¯s question, but he decided to be kind and explain it. ¡°There are two reasons, Haild.¡± ¡°...Are those reasons why Your Majesty can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Yes. To be exact, it is why ¡®I didn¡¯t do it.¡¯ First, Lenly had a physical form left even after the injury. Sina Solvane had suffered from even more serious injuries than Lenly before, but she also had the physical form that remained. In that case, I am more than willing to use the healing Grace on them. But Heretia and Hela are different. I don¡¯t use healing Grace in the event of the loss of the physical form.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because one¡¯s soul will be contaminated by the magic once it is healed with someone else¡¯s magic. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like healing using magic itself. Even if I use magic, I try to minimize the contamination as much as possible. It goes without saying that restoring a body part that has no physical form left will lead to much more severe contamination.¡± ¡°What do you mean one¡¯s soul will be contaminated?¡± ¡°Let me explain it like this¡ªlet¡¯s say there is a castle. It¡¯s a castle where countless heroes bled and history was made. But that castle was so old that the old parts were filled with new materials after breaking them. Then would you say the restored castle is the same as the original castle?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Hm, it kind of is in a way, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Alright. Then time passed by and the castle became even older. The old parts became much more rusty. You decided to fully restore the castle again and got rid of all the older parts from when the castle was originally built and then restored it with new materials. The stones the heroes stepped on, the blood they shed, and the tower where they sang all those years ago all got destroyed and disappeared. Is the castle still the same as the original castle even now?¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s hard to say. I don¡¯t think I could call it the original castle, but¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. But from what point was it no longer the ¡®original castle?¡¯ The time when the first stone tile was lifted? Or the time when the last foundation stone was removed? I think restoring one¡¯s lost body part is similar to restoring the castle.¡± Juan stopped talking for a moment, then continued to speak. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s much worse, since you are filling someone with an unknown material called magic. Restoring body parts is already bad enough, but imagine what it would be like to bring someone back to life. I think that one turns into a completely different being from that point and¡­¡± Then Juan stopped talking again. He was speaking as if he was teaching Haild, but his words were also directed at himself as well. ¡®Then am I the same Juan who used to be the emperor in the past?¡¯ This was a question that he had to ask himself. Haild nodded when Juan stopped talking. ¡°I understand what you mean, Your Majesty. I mean, to be honest, I didn¡¯t understand it well, but¡­ is the second reason as long as the first reason?¡± Haild asked. Juan thought that Haild was not suitable for learning magic. However, there was no reason for Haild to learn magic, since not only was he already a powerful swordsman but his ability to deal with the Crack was quite exquisite. ¡°The second reason is much simpler. It is because the two you asked me to cure did not ask me to do so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Then¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible to cure Hela since her wound is from way too long ago, but I could have healed Heretia if she asked me. I would have definitely tried to persuade her not to, but I would have done it if that¡¯s what she wanted. Heretia also knows that I have the ability to heal her, But the fact that she is not asking me to do so means that she has her own thoughts. That¡¯s all.¡± *** A huge oak tree branch that seemed to be hundreds of years old hung over the roof of the mansion. The oak tree which was famous in Torra showed the majestic and old history of the mansion¡ªalthough it was nothing more than Anya¡¯s ladder right now. Anya recalled the old days as she gently fell from the oak tree onto the roof of the mansion. It was around the time when she was active as one of the ordinary members of the Order of Huginn. Even then, Anya often visited other people¡¯s houses in the middle of the night like right now. Of course, she was rarely ever invited. Anya could see the guards patrolling the garden with hounds. According to Anya¡¯s observation over the past few days, there had never been a day when the security guards let their guard down. Rather, it was only getting tighter. Anya wondered who the owner of this mansion was trying to block. Of course, a noble¡¯s mansion in Torra which had been peaceful for the past forty-eight years was easily broken into by Anya. The terrace door was locked, but Anya simply used Umbra and made an appropriate key. The door was easily opened, and Anya leisurely entered the hallway on the second floor of the mansion without making a sound. The first thing she found was a large symbol of the emperor across the wall. To be precise, it would be right to call it a symbol of the Church, since Juan had never accepted it as his own symbol. Anya found a servant patrolling the hallway, thus she quickly cracked his neck. Checking through the servant¡¯s body, Anya found a sword. ¡®Even a servant is patrolling while armed with a sword, huh? This is getting more and more interesting.¡± Anya checked each room on the second floor one by one. She took a necklace with names engraved on them from the room of the sleeping twin children, and she also took the hairpin of a lady who slept alone on a large bed. And in the last room, Anya was finally able to find the person she was looking for. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. However, the person she was looking for was with a guest in the mansion. ¡°...it¡¯s a night where patience is necessary. You may feel humiliated, but must patiently wait while lying on your stomach.¡± ¡°But you can see how the Argyll family went down. We might just get stabbed while lying on our stomachs.¡± Anya found the conversation quite interesting. ¡®They should be quietly sticking out their neck if His Majesty wants to cut off their necks, but they are just trembling in fear, huh?¡¯ Anya didn¡¯t intend to eavesdrop on their conversation in the first place, but she decided to wait and keep an eye on them for now. Anya hid inside the ceiling. Thanks to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Anya was able to peek into the room. One of them was Delane Deed, a noble from the religious faction and also the owner of this mansion. But it was impossible for Anya to recognize the other person, since he was wearing a black robe and a hood to cover his face. ¡°The master is sending supplies that will come in handy through your merchants now. You just have to stay quiet until then.¡± ¡°The people who have occupied the Imperial Palace are strong enough to refer themselves to the emperor. If the master doesn¡¯t come forward himself, it will be impossible to fight against them. We won¡¯t even stand a chance. Those people are not opponents that can be dealt with just a few swords.¡± ¡®A treason conspiracy, I see.¡¯ Anya felt entertained rather than angry. She took out a letter containing details about Delane Deed, the owner of this mansion, plotting to commit treason. Delane had become the practical head of the religious faction after the head of the Argyll family died. He seemed unwilling to take the position, but he had no choice in terms of scale and status. And this letter¡ªalthough forged by Anya herself¡ªwas part of the plan to frame the defiants for attempted treason, all in order to dry their seeds. But now, there was no need to even fabricate evidence. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was right or wrong. For Anya, the measure of justice lied only with Juan. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about just a few swords. The master thinks this might be better than him coming forward in person. If it is used at the right time and place at the perfect moment, then even the fake emperor will¡­¡± At that moment, the man wearing the black robe suddenly stopped talking and looked up at the ceiling. As soon as she thought she had been caught, Anya broke through the ceiling and stabbed the man wearing the black robe in the shoulder. Thus, the man in a black robe failed to dodge and looked at Anya in astonishment. Anya knew her opponent. ¡®He¡¯s someone from the Ilde family.¡¯ Ilde family were nobles who not only obeyed the Church as they acted like the Pope¡¯s tongue, but also built wealth through the most profane crimes in Hiveden. Imil Ilde, the head of the Ilde family who fled with the Pope, seemed to have been planning to recapture Torra while working with the insiders like this. Anya completely covered the face and body of the man from the Ilde family with Umbra before he could even let out a scream. After checking that the man from the Ilde family was pinned down and couldn¡¯t move, Anya turned her gaze toward Delane Deed who was looking at her while frozen. Then Anya took something out of her pocket and threw it onto the floor before he could run away or call for security. It was the necklace of the twin children and the hairpin of his wife, all the items she stole earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll let you choose who I should torture first,¡± Anya smiled and looked at Delane. ¡°Choose the one you value the least¡ªalthough you will end up opening your mouth regardless of who you choose.¡± Delane could recognize his opponent as well. She was Anya, the captain of the Order of Huginn who could deal with the undead. The Order of Huginn was almost the only object of fear among the nobles in Torra, even before the emperor reappeared. Anya¡¯s contribution in the recent war once again touched their deep-rooted fears. Some of the nobles feared Anya even more than the returned emperor. This was especially true of Delane who was a noble from the religious faction. Delane quickly fell on the floor to beg. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything! Please leave my family alone¡­!¡± CH 191 ¡°Did you say treason?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Anya answered joyfully. The reason why Anya was happy rather than angry after witnessing a plot for treason was that such an absurd attempt gave her the opportunity to exterminate the people that had been bothering her for a while. However, Juan and Hela were listening to Anya in the conference room with a frown unlike her. Hela was already aware of the fact that Anya had gone to falsely accuse the Deed family of treason. But Hela grew frustrated, since she didn¡¯t expect the Deed family to be plotting so openly. Yet Anya gave information that was different from Hela¡¯s thoughts. ¡°The Deed family was conspiring with the people of the Ilde family to plot treason within Torra using a transport carriage from one of their merchants. Most of the nobles from the religious faction seem to be involved in this conspiracy, and several nobles from the founding faction also seemed to have participated.¡± ¡°It seems like they were conscious of the Golems, considering that they plotted for treason within Torra; after all, the Golems won¡¯t be able to attack the interior of Torra. They must have been quite scared of them,¡± Hela said. ¡°They were scared of Golems, but not me?¡± Juan muttered with a dumbfounded laugh. ¡°Hela will find out who is involved and how much they are involved. But a treason, huh? That¡¯s quite unfamiliar to me. Did they really think they had a chance against me?¡± To be honest, it was Juan¡¯s first time facing a treason attempt against himself. During his days as the emperor, the minor disturbances on the outskirts of the empire used to be taken care of by the local knights, and those who were closer to the emperor didn¡¯t even dare to dream of treason. The assassination of the emperor by Gerard could be considered treason, but such treason not only failed, but also had no results¡ªtherefore it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that it was Juan¡¯s first time dealing with treason. This was only natural, since Juan himself was a deterrent to war, as well as the legitimacy of the imperial throne. To face treason in the end, it meant that people couldn¡¯t believe in either of them. ¡°I guess people have been looking down on me much more than I thought.¡± Juan had thought that he took over the Imperial Palace from the Church and Barth Baltic with an overwhelming show of power in his own way. ¡®But they are already plotting treason against me when it hasn¡¯t even been a month since I returned.¡¯ Hela carefully opened her mouth. ¡°Rather, they might have had no choice but to plot treason, since Your Majesty didn''t give them a chance to stand on your side. There are many ways to kill them slowly.¡± ¡°Or just cut the buds to begin with,¡± Anya interrupted. Hela glared at Anya upon hearing her, but eventually nodded. ¡°Quick resolution eventually becomes a problem later on. But now that the situation has turned out like this, Anya¡¯s suggestion might be the better one. Anya took care of everything quietly without letting anyone know, so they probably don¡¯t know that their plot for treason has been caught yet. Let¡¯s take advantage of this opportunity and wipe out all the people involved, including those who might get in our way in the future.¡± ¡°Those who might get in our way in the future?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about those who have not clearly expressed their loyalty to Your Majesty¡ªsuch as the local Churches,¡± Hela answered. Although Juan took control of Torra, many of the Churches that spread out and dug into the outskirts of the empire still showed no clear change in their stance. The fact that the Pope abandoned Torra and fled was shocking, but they did not know what to do at a time like this. Juan considered it for a brief moment before opening his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a purge then.¡± ¡°Organization is a necessary procedure, Your Majesty. The power of the empire will only increase when everyone is united.¡± ¡°I thought you hated bloodshed, Hela.¡± ¡°Of course not, Your Majesty. I am the commander of an army after all. But my point is that we need to make sure to let the subordinates know that the commander moves with discipline, not madness. The intelligence that Anya has brought back to us is a good opportunity for us.¡± Juan was silent for a moment, but soon shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that later. I want to focus on the traitors for now. Anya, did you find out what supplies they were bringing in through the merchants?¡± ¡°Delane Deed didn¡¯t know anything other than his task, which was to make it easier for the merchant carriage to get in. It seemed like he was gathering troops in his own way, but it¡¯s not serious enough to pay much attention to,¡± Anya answered. ¡°But we should still check it out. How many of them are there?¡± Hela asked. ¡°I would say about a hundred or so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not much. Oh, by the way. You said that there was another outsider at the mansion other than Delane Deed, right? He¡¯s a member of the Ilde family?¡± Hela clicked her tongue as she asked. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a face I often saw back in Hiveden. He¡¯s a dreary guy who¡¯s usually in charge of the rough and dirty work¡­ I captured him for interrogation later, but he swallowed poison. His tongue was completely melted and gone when I checked. But I did hear a little bit about what he said earlier¡­ he was talking about a master or something?¡± ¡°Master? Is he talking about the Pope?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little too ambiguous to assume so. Those involved in the Church usually always refer to the Pope as ¡®His Holiness.¡¯ Perhaps he was talking about Doctrinal General Dismas?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be so strange if the Ilde family served more than one master, since they are dreary people. So I guess those two are the most likely to be the ¡®master¡¯ they were talking about. Even if not, we will be able to select a few candidates with ease.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Juan briefly answered. Juan couldn¡¯t believe that Dismas was plotting such an insidious thing in the background. As far as Juan remembered, Dismas had a loyal and pleasant personality which made people wonder if he was more influenced by Barth Baltic than by Juan. But it seemed like the way he fought the war and the way he treated his enemy were all different now than from the past¡ªalthough it seemed like there were more than just those two things that changed about Dismas. But Juan couldn¡¯t understand what it was that changed him so much. Juan placed his hand on his forehead as he felt exhausted just by thinking about Dismas. ¡°What happened to Delane Deed?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Um, I did kill him. But¡­¡± ¡°Did you just say you killed him?¡± Hela frowned. If an internal collaborator was killed, there was a high chance that they would change their plans. ¡°You¡¯ve made a hasty decision, Anya,¡± Hela said. ¡°It¡¯s okay. No one will know that he¡¯s dead. Well¡­ maybe for a month at least?¡± Anya said as she winked at Hela. ¡°I figured that I should make him loyal at least in the afterlife if he can¡¯t be loyal when he is alive.¡± ¡°Wait. Did you turn him into an undead?¡± ¡°It¡¯s slightly different from the ordinary undead. I turned him into an undead before his heart completely stopped. His heart is still beating and maintaining his body at a normal body temperature, but it won¡¯t last long. His blood will eventually clot and his body temperature will drop, causing his body to rot. But he will continue to move and stay loyal due to the spell that I engraved on his soul.¡± Anya took out the medium she used to cast the spell. Wrapped around her wrist was a necklace with the names of the twin children engraved on them. After remaining silent for a long time, Juan finally opened his mouth. ¡°Then it¡¯s all settled. Anya, find out everything about the attempted treason, but try your best to not use any means. In particular, make sure to find out what the supplies that they are trying to bring in are. Look into its source and current location.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. But what do you mean ¡®not use any means?¡¯ Do you mean ¡®by any means?¡¯¡± ¡°No, you heard me right. There¡¯s a need for you to restrain yourself a little bit. I won¡¯t give you a strict limit, but make sure to have a bottom line you don¡¯t cross.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± Anya answered with a disappointed look. Then Juan turned back to face Hela. ¡°Hela, You investigate the people involved in the treason, make a list, and send it to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Juan then turned to look at Hela and Anya and finished speaking with a dark expression. ¡°The war is still not over because I was weak. I¡¯ll have to make a definite impression this time.¡± *** The Citadel of the Sun that was built on the outskirts of Torra was home to the Order of the Capital. Considering that the knights basically served as military officers, it was also the headquarters in charge of the Imperial Army. Therefore, more than half of the administrators that were dressed up in robes¡ªwhich did not match their title¡ª consisted of the members of the citadel. All of them were those who tried to keep the Imperial Army flowing smoothly. ¡°To be precise, they can be said to be the ones who try to prevent the Imperial Army from turning into bandits,¡± Pavan said to Juan with an exhausted look while sitting at Barth Baltic¡¯s office desk inside the Citadel of the Sun. ¡°The Imperial Army defends the empire from the enemies, and the administrators here defend the empire from the Imperial Army. It¡¯s just an instant that a hungry army turns into a band of thieves when they aren¡¯t paid properly.¡± ¡°It seems like it has been maintained pretty well. I thought you were going to ask them to ¡®arm yourselves with the loyalty to His Majesty,¡¯ because of the Church¡¯s long reign,¡± Juan said. ¡°Well, the army is¡­ Hmm. Barth Baltic, the former General, had a huge influence on them. Not even the Church could act against them recklessly. But things have been difficult because the tax collection rate has fallen, not to mention that there was frequent movement of the troops recently. I may have to force loyalty to His Majesty sooner or later.¡± ¡°The soldiers?¡± ¡°No, the local nobles. I¡¯ll have to tell them to keep their salaries straight even if that means they have to tighten their belts, especially to those from the areas with low tax collection rates. That will help them to keep it together.¡± Juan and Pavan laughed facing each other. Juan still didn¡¯t like Pavan very much. However, he had no choice but to acknowledge that there was no one better than Pavan who had a broad understanding of the current Imperial Army. Pavan had been serving and representing Barth Baltic in numerous fields and had inherited a lot of Barth¡¯s skills and knowledge. Because the Imperial Army had been under the rule of Barth Baltic for a long time, they were following the Hornsluine military system and supply structure in many ways. Considering that, there was no person more suitable than Pavan who had learned everything while standing next to Barth Baltic. ¡°Pavan.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m planning to get rid of the position of the Regent. It might be a shame for you.¡± Pavan nodded, but he showed no signs of disappointment. ¡°I didn¡¯t deserve that position anyway.¡± ¡°You admired Barth Baltic a lot as far as I know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the more so, don¡¯t you think? I would hide my face and run away out of embarrassment if someone told me that I was on the same level as Barth Baltic. I am fully satisfied and content with my current position. In fact, it could have been much worse.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so.¡± Whether Juan liked Pavan or not was a different matter, but there seemed to be no problem in trusting him with important Imperial positions. ¡°Oh, by the way. Recently there was a plot to attempt treason inside Torra.¡± Pavan sprang up and straightened his back upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°Did you say treason, Your Majesty? Who would attempt such a reckless¡­¡± ¡°We suspect that Dismas was trying to manipulate the Deed family to cause chaos. Anya and Hela are investigating it right now.¡± Pavan got lost in thought for a while, then suddenly raised his head. Then he shook his head with a pale expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already checked what kind of business this citadel deals with.¡± ¡®If the rebels instigated the internal religious faction to plot treason, there¡¯s no way they could have not contacted the Imperial Army.¡¯ Juan looked through the work done in the Citadel of the Sun with such a thought, but he found nothing suspicious. This meant that there were no internal collaborators from the military, including Pavan. ¡®Then it seems like what they¡¯re bringing through a transport carriage is not just a simple weapon.¡¯ Juan thought that they might be bringing in professional combat personnel if they had a large scale, since there would be a lot of damage if the Order of Surtr decided to infiltrate Torra themselves. However, the Deed family hadn¡¯t brought in that many supplies. ¡°What I want to know is about Dismas, Pavan. You probably met Dismas in person, since you¡¯ve been in a key position for a long time. Tell me everything you know about Dismas. I need to know how different he is from the Dismas that I know.¡± Pavan looked perplexed and hesitated to answer, with unease written all over his face. The heavy silence seemed to throw a hundred words at Juan. ¡°He must be terrible.¡± ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, so just tell me. He¡¯s not a kid anymore. If he has committed a crime, he should take responsibility for his actions.¡± Pavan slowly opened his mouth at Juan¡¯s urging. ¡°Do you know about the god called Iolin, Your Majesty?¡± CH 192 Iolin was the god of the elves and lakes. Not only was she beautiful and caring, she was also kind enough to bless the warriors with courageous and elegant attitudes, even if they were not elves. The kingdom of elves had a tradition of crowning those who were blessed by Iolin. Juan remembered Iolin¡¯s final appearance. ¡°Yes, I do. After all, I strangled her with my own hands and drowned her. What about her?¡± ¡°Her remains are said to have sunk to the bottom of the lake, unable to rise up. Ever since then, that lake was filled with the corpses of dead spirits and mud, causing it to decay. The elves lost their long lifespan and they lost the blessing of the spirits.¡± ¡°Everyone knows about that story. But what does all that have to do with Dismas?¡± ¡°Doctrinal General Dismas pulled out her body from that lake.¡± Juan fell silent upon hearing Pavan¡¯s words. All the gods were special in their own ways, but all of them were the same to Juan¡ªexcept Iolin. Iolin was different in the sense that she was well-liked by humans, despite her status as a god. Perhaps this was due to her beauty, her nobility, and the way she easily sympathized with humans. Back then, Iolin had even offered to give Juan her blessing and protection, and then she gifted him a sword as a sign of recognizing him as the king of the kings. Of course, that same sword sank to the bottom of the lake along with the remains of Iolin. Juan¡¯s memory of Iolin¡¯s face slowly turning blue, and the movement of her neck that was being choked in his hands was still vivid, almost as if it had happened just yesterday. The reason why Juan decided to drown her was to prevent others from seeing her final appearance after her death. ¡®But he went out of his way to take out her remains? Why?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not just Iolin. Ever since he was given the title of the Doctrinal General, Doctrinal General Dismas has been actively excavating the remains of the gods on an extremely large scale. Not only the gods, he also excavated the remains of many kings and heroes who were defeated by Your Majesty. The Church has also been helping him with that,¡± Pavan explained. ¡°The Church helped him?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. But I can tell you that he didn¡¯t have any unfaithful intentions toward Your Majesty. His purpose is rather, um¡­ close to worship in a sense. He wanted to display and insult the gods and kings that Your Majesty had conquered in the past.¡± Juan¡¯s face hardened. ¡°There must have been a lot of opposition from other races.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It indeed caused several disturbances, but¡­ it only further encouraged the destruction of those who had lost their gods and command system. Many of the minority races that still existed back then were either destroyed and scattered at that time.¡± The defeated enemies might be the losing party, but excavating their remains and displaying them was a huge disgrace. Juan confronted the gods and all his other enemies, and killed them miserably, but he had never once insulted them in such a way. ¡°But the Doctrinal General decided to drag the remains all the way to the west, perhaps because he too understood that it would be too much to display such hideous things in Torra. Then he made a road¡ªa road decorated with the remains of the bodies of the enemies being displayed on both sides. That road is called Cainheryar[1].¡± ¡°Which translates to warriors of sin.¡± Cainheryar was a word made up of ancient letters, just like ¡®Sutra.¡¯ Juan recalled the countless gods he had confronted, and then he imagined the western landscape that was using the enemies¡¯ bodies as trophies to line up the road. The western territory was hardly a fertile land even during Juan¡¯s reign as the emperor. Such a terrible description and the hellish landscape seemed to perfectly match with the dry land. ¡°The western territory that is ruled by the Doctrinal General Dismas is such a place. Members of heterogeneous races are nowhere to be seen unless they are slaves, and they cannot even survive unless they constantly prove their faith in Your Majesty. It is said that the neighbors who chatted and made jokes about Your Majesty until just yesterday now rush to report about each other when the sun rises the next day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just unbelievable.¡± Dismas was far from an obedient child no matter how much Juan thought about what he used to be like. He was always cheerful, loved to drink, and also loved to jump around vigorously. If anything, he was more of a simple and honest fool. He often butted heads with Ras who liked to quietly read his books in the library, but he still had a caring personality and worried about many little things. ¡°Dismas did not hate other races. Rather, he recognized them as those who he could happily compete against. Once, I even scolded him for deciding whether he wins or loses a battle by wrestling and drinking instead of properly fighting against the king of the Giants in the west. When I did, he talked back to me, saying ¡®how could I ever fight with the person who I drank with?¡¯ So why would such a child become like that?¡± ¡°King of the Giants¡­ are you talking about Helgrim, Your Majesty?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°Yes. Come to think of it, what happened to him?¡± ¡°Helgrim, the king of the Giants, was killed at the hands of Doctrinal General Dismas. His remains were the first to be displayed on Cainheryar¡ªthe very first Cainheryar was made.¡± Juan was speechless. ¡°Since when¡­ jeez. Since when did Dismas become like that?¡± Juan said as he placed his hand over his forehead. He was shocked when he saw how much Ras had changed, but he was relieved that the child¡¯s temper still remained the same. Nienna, too, had changed only a little. But the way Dismas had changed was unbearable. Pavan hesitated, but soon opened his mouth carefully. ¡°As far as I know, he changed right after the assassination of the emperor.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°From what I understand, Doctrinal General Dismas was drinking with the Giants when the assassination occurred. Three days had already passed by the time he heard the news. As soon as he heard the news, he ran straight to the Capital and killed everyone involved in the assassination of the emperor. I heard that Barth Baltic was very angry at him for killing all those who were captured as prisoners for interrogation, including Harmon Helwin.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± ¡°Barth Baltic then kicked Doctrinal General Dismas out of Torra. At that time, Doctrinal General Dismas was deeply heartbroken, and that¡¯s when the Pope approached him.¡± Juan gritted his teeth. Anger raged within his eyes. ¡°...The Pope then exploited Doctrinal General Dismas¡¯ sense of guilt and loss. Doctrinal General Dismas was the only child of Your Majesty who swore his allegiance to the Pope and he even became the very first Templar, not to mention that he was granted the position of Bishop. The very first thing Doctrinal General Dismas did after pledging his allegiance to the Church was to kill Helgrim, the king of the Giants, who he was drinking with when the assassination of the emperor happened.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t find any words to say due to his raging emotions. ¡°That¡¯s how Doctrinal General Dismas became the watchman and The Fanatic of the West. It¡¯s fortunate that his authority is limited only to the West, but other Templars often consider him and the Order of Surtr to be perfect examples to emulate. It is no exaggeration to say that the concept of purification that is performed throughout the empire started in the west. Juan couldn¡¯t understand where and when everything went wrong. ¡®The Pope who took advantage of Dismas¡¯ guilt? Dismas who fell for the Pope¡¯s plan? Myself who failed to properly educate Dismas? Or Gerard who murdered me?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell where all this started at all. However, he knew exactly how it would end. *** The procession of merchants which had been halted in the southern boulevard of Torra, began to continue their journey at the news that the civil war ended with the overwhelming victory of the returned emperor. People were quite excited by the rumor that the person who took over Torra might really be the returned emperor rather than the old-fashioned Church. It was still winter, but hopeful prospects had spread across the empire as if spring had already come. Unlike the nobles who were still deciding on which side they should choose to follow and be obedient toward, the commoners and merchants were quickly adapting to the new change. Most of the processions on the boulevard were coming from the south. Although there were rumors that Dismas from the west was still hostile to the Capital, people thought that the empire was simply in a state of cold war and there was nothing that could cause Torra to be placed in danger again. ¡°...Which is why we have to take care of things as quietly as possible,¡± Anya said to the knights from the Order of Huginn. Due to the fact that it was difficult to control the undead on a large scale with so many people being present, Anya had to select only a few knights of the dead and put a hood over them to hide their identity. ¡°The level of the guys guarding the carriage is pathetic, but we still have to make sure that we do not make a fuss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough of a warning, Anya. It¡¯s not the first time; we¡¯ve raided carriages before, you know,¡± Dilmond said as if he was scolding Anya. Anya nodded with an ambiguous smile. The Order of Huginn had been active as the official enemy of the empire to attack the empire. Not only had they done many ambushes against the Templars, but they also had a lot of experience in raiding transport carriages. Considering their experience, facing a few merchant carriages and a few mercenaries was an easy job for them. ¡°I keep getting nervous for some reason. Maybe it¡¯s because this time I¡¯m carrying out a mission as an official knight rather than a criminal,¡± Anya said. ¡°Put your worries aside. That might cause you to make more mistakes,¡± Dilmond said. Anya nodded. Just in time, their target¡ªthe carriage¡ªbegan to pass through the boulevard. Anya, who was hiding in the grass, ordered one of the undead at just the right time. Delane Deed suddenly jumped in front of the boulevard. ¡°Argh! What, what the hell! What kind of crazy bastard would¡­ S-Sir Deed?¡± Delane¡¯s sudden appearance brought the carriage to a hasty halt. The procession of the following carriages also stopped in a disorderly manner. Cursing and shouting erupted from here and there. The horseman driving the lead carriage was perplexed, but he couldn¡¯t help but stop upon encountering the person he had to deliver the goods to. The horseman got out of the carriage and approached Delane. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sir Delane? I thought we were supposed to meet inside Torra and¡­ wait, by any chance, did something happen inside there?¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s going on,¡± Delane answered in a stiff voice. The horseman wanted to ask Delane why he was blocking the road, but the horseman covered his nose with his hands without even realizing it upon getting a whiff of Delane¡¯s terribly bad breath. While it was very rude to cover his nose due to a noble¡¯s bad breath, the horseman had no choice, since he would have to step back immediately if he didn¡¯t do so. ¡°It smells like rotting corpses, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The horseman was startled at the sudden voice that came from behind and placed his hand on the dagger around his waist. But before he could draw it, the cold blade of a dagger was placed on his neck. The horseman froze and slowly looked back. All the horsemen, servants, and mercenaries who were guarding the carriage procession were lying on the floor and suppressed. Some of those who were skilled enough to quickly draw out their weapons could not avoid death. The captain of the mercenaries had a sword stabbed into his heart and was standing in place with a blank look on his face. All those who could not resist were lying flat on their stomachs, while all those who dared to resist had been turned into undead. It didn¡¯t take too long for the horseman to understand who his opponent was. ¡°The-the Order of Huginn¡­ how and why?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell from the hint I just gave you?¡± The horseman cursed Delane Deed inside, but he tried his best to pretend not to know what was going on. ¡°I-I have no idea what you are talking about. We were just told to¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. First of all, stop all the carriages on one side of the road so that it doesn¡¯t get in the way of the other people.¡± The rest of the horsemen were forced to move the carriage as Anya told them to. Some nosy people seemed to be glancing and trying to find out what was going on. However, they quickly disappeared when they saw the raven symbol shown by Dilmond that represented the Order of Huginn. ¡°What¡¯s in the carriage?¡± Anya asked. ¡°Uh, well. It¡¯s a variety of various types of meat butchered from Learo in the southwest,¡± the horseman answered. ¡°Meat? Oh, those southern pigs that are fed acorns?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Learo is famous for their pigs that are grown by feeding them acorns. I was going to sell them in the cold winter since I thought that the nobles of Torra would appreciate their value.¡± Anya smiled as if she was interested. ¡°But there is no acorn forest in Learo, you stupid ass westerner.¡± Anya kicked the horseman in the shin, causing the horseman to shriek in pain and limp. ¡°I was going to be generous and skip the torture if you had cooperated with me, but I guess I¡¯m left with no choice. I¡¯ll give you one more chance. If you decide to cooperate now, I promise to cut off only one of your limbs.¡± ¡°Keuk-Keugh¡­¡± Anya dragged the horseman and stopped him in front of the carriage. The top of the carriage was covered by a large cloth, and Anya inadvertently noticed red bloodstains visible under the thick cloth that was covering the carriage. ¡°Open it.¡± The horseman groaned in pain, but he soon loosened the rope and carefully lifted the cloth. Pieces of red meat that were loaded onto the carriage became visible. It was a cold winter, but the meat was still vividly bright red in color. ¡°See? I-I told you that it¡¯s just meat.¡± ¡°Do I really look that stupid to you? I¡¯ve cut a lot of meat in my life. Do you think that I can¡¯t tell the difference between pork meat from other types of meat? Even with just a glance, I can tell that this is not pork. This is¡­ this¡­ is¡­¡± Anya frowned and took a closer look at the meat in the carriage. ¡®This isn¡¯t something that could be found at a place like this.¡¯ Anya approached the carriage. At that moment, the horseman quickly lifted the cloth. Anya immediately cut the horseman¡¯s neck with her dagger, but the contents inside the carriage were already revealed to the sunlight. Red bloodstains were clearly visible under the cloth that flapped and rose into the air. Anya froze on the spot. *** Juan, who was in the middle of having a conversation with Pavan, suddenly sprang up from his chair and stood up. His eyes were pinned toward the south. Pavan also stood up, perplexed by Juan¡¯s sudden movement. ¡°Your Majesty? Is there a problem?¡± Pavan asked anxiously. ¡°A god.¡± Juan muttered in a trembling voice. ¡°A god just appeared in the southern part of Torra just now.¡± 1. Cainheryar is the name of the road made by Dismas¡ªthe road which is decorated with the statues made using the remains of the dead gods and monsters. These statues are also called Cainheryars. ? CH 193 Inside the carriage was a woman lying there as if she was asleep. Her skin was so fair, that it looked bluish. It was clear that it was a corpse. Lying with red meat acting as a bed, her head was crowned with mistletoe branches. Anya flinched upon noticing her protruding and long ears that stuck out amidst the mistletoe crown. ¡®An elf?¡¯ At that moment, the sound of the horseman¡¯s body slumping to the ground echoed. At the same time, the cloth covering the meat fell off, causing the rays of sunlight to touch the body of the elf woman. At that moment, the elf woman who she had thought to be dead suddenly twitched her fingers. Umbra immediately covered the elf woman¡¯s body. Anya didn¡¯t even realize how and why she was moving, but she instantly moved to block the sunlight from reaching the elf woman¡¯s body. Anya¡¯s entire body was covered in cold sweat as soon as she saw the elf woman¡¯s body move. While Anya was already used to seeing the dead standing up and walking around, she felt an unfamiliar fear when she saw this elf woman¡ªit was the same type of fear she felt when witnessing the descent of Nigrato back in Hiveden. ¡®Please¡­ please.¡¯ Anya murmured to herself on the inside. However, she soon met the golden eyes that opened inside the Umbra. The eyes were hollow and without any emotions, yet filled with an intemperate desire for slaughter. ¡®It¡¯s too late.¡¯ Just one ray of sunlight was enough to wake her up. Crack! Anya¡¯s body was thrown into the air and Umbra shattered into pieces. The knights from the Order of Huginn were perplexed at the sudden situation, but they immediately lined up. They were more than used to fighting back even in unexpected situations like this. ¡°Anya! Are you okay?¡± Dilmond rushed to help Anya up. The Umbra that Anya was wearing had been miserably torn to shreds, but it was quickly being restored as its pieces merged back with each other again. The Umbra was not harmed, since it was not an object with a fixed form in the first place. However, Anya was different. Anya wiped off the blood flowing from her mouth while enduring the pain of broken ribs and internal injuries. At that moment, the pale elf woman had raised her upper body before anyone knew it and then emitted a subtle light. It was an ancient and sacred energy that was certainly different from Nigrato¡¯s unholy energy. Then Anya inadvertently saw a clear handprint on the neck of the elf woman. At the same time, she saw trees rustling from all sides and giving off a strong smell of the forest, making her feel as if she had entered the middle of an old forest just now. All kinds of symbols and vibrations of power were pointing to only one thing¡ªit was a reenactment of what happened back in Hiveden. ¡°Retreat with the Order of Huginn, Dilmond! This is not something that the knights will be able to deal with!¡± Anya shouted. ¡°Retreat with them? But our mission¡­ damn it, okay!¡± Dilmond was not stupid enough to argue with the captain in an urgent situation. After all, making a clear decision was much more important than prudence during a battle. Following Dilmond¡¯s instructions, the Order of Huginn quickly withdrew and induced the civilians watching them from the rear to evacuate as well in order to prevent them from being caught up in the fuss. In the meantime, the elf woman was embracing the sun to the fullest with her neck making squeaking sounds in a grotesque fashion. The mistletoe crown placed on her head was sprouting with fresh green leaves. ¡°Go!¡± The knights of the dead ran toward the elf woman in unison at Anya¡¯s short order. The cold blades that were thrown toward the elf woman instantly cut her skin. But what flowed out of the cut skin was yellow petals rather than blood or the body fluids of a corpse. ¡®She¡¯s definitely a god. But what kind of god is she?¡¯ Anya was not very interested in history or mythology. However, there was only one god that came to her mind when she saw the pointed ears that signified the elves. The god of the elves and lakes, and also the guardian of the knights¡ªIolin. ¡®It was said that she was strangled and drowned to death by His Majesty.¡¯ Talter had collected blood for decades and barely managed to recover himself to the point where he could form a small amount of essence. Nigrato could only be revived through a powerful catalyst known as Ras Raud. But Iolin, who was standing in front of Anya was blooming like flowers in the spring just by receiving the sunlight. ¡®But how? Wait. perhaps all that meat loaded inside the carriage was¡­¡¯ The meat was well butchered, but she was certain that it was human flesh. Upon seeing the meat quickly drying up and crumbling, Anya figured that it must have acted as a catalyst for Iolin¡¯s resurrection. Cold sweat began to run down Anya¡¯s forehead. There was no way an ordinary human¡¯s flesh could act as such a strong catalyst. She didn¡¯t know the identity of the people killed for all that flesh, but it was clear that someone who was capable enough to use such a method to resurrect a god so easily, then they would be a threat to His Majesty. ¡°Anya! We are ready to retreat! You should fall back as well!¡± Dilmond shouted. ¡°No. I¡¯m staying here,¡± Anya answered with a firm look on her face. ¡°What? Wait¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°You saw what happened back in Hiveden, and should know that we have to kill a god when they are at their weakest! Don¡¯t worry about me, I can take care of myself! You don¡¯t have to worry about me dying as long as I have Umbra with me. Rather, you should go and let His Majesty know that his enemies have the means to resurrect a god!¡± ¡°A god?¡± Dilmond muttered with a shocked expression. ¡°Yes, a god! Tell His Majesty that they are using some kind of meat as a catalyst to revive a god¡­ hurry!¡± Dilmond¡¯s expression immediately distorted in confusion. However, he had his priorities in the right order. He told the Order of Huginn to spread out and began to ride his horse toward the north. ¡°Kill her, Annabelle! His Majesty killed Nigrato when he was even weaker than the current you!¡± Dilmond shouted one last time before he left. Anya simply smiled without any words. At the same time when the Order of Huginn disappeared from her view, Anya brought out her undead soldiers with all her might. Hundreds of skeleton soldiers began to pour out of the Umbra. The dragon-blood soldiers created by Juan roared, while the knights of the dead marched in a single line. The cold air emanated by the army of the dead began to cover the ground with frost. Anya murmured coldly. ¡°Bury her.¡± Hundreds of skeleton soldiers rushed toward Iolin and began to crush her. However, the skeleton soldiers were scattered in vain as soon as the warm light being emitted by Iolin touched them. Anya wasn¡¯t devastated, since she had already expected this to happen. The effect she was waiting for came next. An endless amount of bone powder from the skeleton soldiers covered Iolin. ¡®What would happen if so much bone powder that is filled with unholy energy covers her?¡¯ Anya expected it to at least have the effect of blocking the sunlight from touching Iolin¡¯s body. As expected, Iolin was quickly fully covered in white bone powder as she was still slow to move due to her just being resurrected. Anya didn¡¯t hesitate to immediately move on to the next course of action. The dragon-blood soldiers barbarously rushed toward Iolin with the intent to destroy everything in their path. Anya¡¯s goal was to finish everything before Iolin was capable of using her true strength, just in case that she alone might not be able to do anything once Iolin started to use her energy. It was questionable whether a god would die simply due to being stabbed or being dismembered like that, but Anya had no choice but to do her best. ¡®After all, it is said that His Majesty cut the gods into pieces and scattered them across the mountains.¡¯ Anya thought that all she could do was to imitate him as best as she could. In the meantime, the cold winter weather got warmer due to a spring breeze. Anya grew perplexed at the sudden and unfamiliar climate change. ¡®Is this kind of work so easy for the gods?¡¯ Just like in Hiveden, gods could greatly change the environment of their surroundings simply by existing on the land. Anya couldn¡¯t imagine what it would have been like when countless of these gods wandered around the empire in the past. But she quickly put her thoughts aside; she was becoming anxious to finish everything quickly. One of the knights of the dead swung their sword which was as large as his body and hit Iolin¡¯s neck at once¡ªat least Anya thought he did. Clang! The knight of the dead¡¯s sword bounced off with a loud clanging noise. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°...Fucking damn it.¡± Anya unknowingly muttered abusive words. An unknown group was walking out in line from behind Iolin¡¯s back. All of them were wearing wooden crowns, and Anya was able to recognize the famous symbols despite her lack of knowledge¡ªthey were the knights and elf kings mentioned in the famous legend. ¡°The knights of the lake who swore eternal loyalty and swore to protect the goddess of the lake, Iolin¡­ Was that not supposed to be just a legend?¡± Anya stepped back as she muttered with a fed-up look. The same was true of the remaining undead soldiers. What made Anya depressed the most was the fact that Iolin was continuing her resurrection process like nothing had happened despite the sacrifice of hundreds of skeleton soldiers and the brutal attack of the dragon blood soldiers. The cut wounds on Iolin that were originally releasing petals had healed up again, almost as if Anya¡¯s attacks were nothing more than a bunch of ants clawing at a tree. Anya took a deep breath. ¡®A god and heroes from the legends, huh?¡¯ Anya curved her lips into a smirk. ¡°That just means they are those who were all defeated by HIs Majesty.¡± With Anya¡¯s cry, the newly rising army of the dead clashed with Iolin. *** Juan ran as fast as he could, moving so fast that he was like an arrow that was shot toward Torra. His feet were more in the air than on the ground as he ran through the roofs and the walls¡ªit was to the extent that people couldn¡¯t even see him properly. Juan broke into the Imperial Palace and immediately took Sutra. ¡°Dad! Just now¡­¡± Nienna, too, was running into the Imperial Palace with a pale expression. Her expression became even stiffer when she saw Juan armed with Kelagranon and Sutra. ¡°What the hell is going on in the south of Torra right now?¡± Nienna had lived throughout the mythological era and had great power, but she wasn¡¯t able to completely realize what was going on. Only Juan, who had confronted gods throughout his life, was able to perfectly sense the situation immediately. ¡°Nienna, you come with me. I need someone to help me,¡± Juan said to Nienna with a stern look on his face. ¡°But what¡¯s going on? Did a god resurrect or something?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what has happened.¡± ¡°What? No way¡­¡± Nienna answered as if she was surprised, but Juan figured that she must have also had a hunch about it, since she would have known that no such force could be created if it wasn¡¯t for a god''s appearance. Hela and Sina belatedly approached Juan. However, the reason why they rushed to come was due to the report that Juan had rushed into the Imperial Palace with unusual speed¡ªthey still hadn¡¯t sensed the strange situation. Juan realized that Anya was nowhere to be seen among them. ¡°Right now, the south of Torra is¡­ damn it. It must be that carriage.¡± Juan immediately realized the situation. If the treason attempt was going to use a god, it was understandable for the enemies to think that their odds of success were high. The damage would be enormous whether Juan won or lost if the disaster from Hiveden is reenacted in the middle of Torra. Juan gritted his teeth. ¡®Even the nobles who participated in the treason will not be safe.¡¯ They had only been used by Dismas, but there was no reason for Juan to forgive them. Juan¡¯s expression became cold. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the Order of Huginn is holding out fine. Focus the remaining troops on defense for now. A newly resurrected god would not be able to achieve strong power. I¡¯m sure Nienna and I will be able to handle them. Nienna, hand over command of the Northern Army to Hela for the time being. Hela, cooperate with Pavan so that the aftermath of the battle does not spread around.¡± Hela nodded and ran out to follow the order. Juan glanced around at his surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s not a sudden accidental resurrection of a god like in Hiveden, but rather a god that was revived through a carefully prepared plan of the enemy. If you can¡¯t stop it in Torra, you won¡¯t be able to stop it anywhere.¡± *** The black fog surged in like a river. However, the fog which had been weakened by the energy emitted by Iolin, scattered into nothingness when faced with the knights of the lake. Yet Anya didn¡¯t give up and did her best to bring more darkness out of the Umbra. The undead became faster and stronger in this darkness, and their power of immortality also manifested in this darkness. Iolin was still recovering her strength. She looked like the corpse of a pale woman a moment ago, but now she was wearing a misty silk dress with her eyes closed as she sat on a tree. Iolin had never opened her eyes even once while confronting Anya, and the knights of the lake surrounding Iolin did not budge either. Anya felt quite bothered by their attitudes. The knights of the dead and the dragon blood soldiers tried to drag down the knights of the lake several times but failed to do so. They chose to either dodge or bear a hit when a spear of death was thrown at them from a long distance, but they never stepped forward. ¡®If they are so overwhelmingly strong, sending the knights of the lake toward us would immediately lead to us being wiped out. But why¡­¡¯ Only then did Anya notice the reason why. ¡®It¡¯s not that she isn¡¯t damaged by my attack.¡¯ CH 194 If Iolin were to prioritize her resurrection, she could have easily ignored Anya¡¯s attacks, since they weren¡¯t able to deal much damage to her; she could easily focus on regaining her strength. However, Iolin had summoned the knights of the lake instead of ignoring or attacking Anya, because she considered defending herself a priority. ¡®If I am even able to do even a little damage¡­ there¡¯s a chance that I can win.¡¯ Anya figured that she had to speed up a little bit. As soon as she came to this conclusion, Anya quickly bounced back and charged toward Iolin with her army of the dead. Anya had no choice but to allow the army of the dead to attack passively, since neither Iolin¡¯s weaknesses nor strengths could be identified even now. But if a simple attack could deal even some damage to Iolin, it was something worth trying. ¡®If I can¡¯t control her with darkness from a long distance, I can simply slam myself against her and make a mess.¡¯ The knights of the lake immediately noticed a change upon seeing Anya¡¯s unusual movements and raised their swords to clash against the attacks of the army of the dead. At that moment, Anya crashed into one of the knights of the lake and rolled around on the ground. Several knights of the dead quickly disappeared due to the recklessly attempted attack. Anya could also feel that a couple of her fingers were broken, but she didn¡¯t care. The sacred aura emitted by Iolin was mixed with the darkness being emitted by Anya to give off a cloudy glow just as Anya had intended. The knights of the lake also fought amidst this mess by punching and kicking their enemies rather than swinging their swords. Such a pathetic sight made it hard to believe they once used to be the legendary knights and kings. Anya smiled at Iolin and began to climb up the ash tree throne by stabbing her dagger into it. ¡°I¡¯ll put you back deep inside the mud where you belong, noble lady.¡± The moment Anya murmured, Iolin suddenly turned her head and looked at Anya. Then, Iolin finally lifted her eyelids to reveal her empty eyes. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± Anya was briefly startled by the bizarre void inside Iolin¡¯s eyelids. She had seen countless more horrifying things than this before, but seeing such a grotesque void in the eyes of such a beautiful woman like Iolin creeped her out. At that moment, Anya found something unusual about Iolin¡ªengraved in her eyes was a red letter. Once Anya spotted the red letter, she soon spotted the other red shapes and tattoos engraved all over Iolin¡¯s body right away. ¡®Resurrection¡­ no. This is not some ordinary resurrection.¡¯ Reviving a god would not just bring about a disaster, but would also produce a threat to humanity. Anya intuitively noticed that those who had revived Iolin had not only carefully planned her resurrection, they had even prepared means to take control of her. It wasn¡¯t just a revival¡ªthey intended to control her as if they were training a dog to fight for them. Iolin looked down at Anya and shouted something. While Anya wasn¡¯t able to understand what she said, since it was spoken in the language of Elves, the knights of the lake immediately responded to those words. Bang! With the sound of trumpets echoing in unison, the army of the dead were thrown toward the surroundings. Shining horses began to crawl out of the muddy ground and then the knights of the lake rode them to trample on the knights of the dead. Anya tried to cover her surroundings with her darkness to revive the knights of the dead, but the revival was inevitably slowed down due to Iolin¡¯s sacred aura which kept interfering with the surroundings. ¡®If only the sun had set¡­¡¯ Although the unidentified meat was nourishing Iolin, it was clear that she only regained consciousness when the sunlight hit her. Anya bit her lips; she had a feeling that she was bound to lose at this rate. She already knew that the situation would go completely out of control if a god is allowed to be resurrected fully based on her experience in Hiveden. ¡®Your Majesty, please forgive me.¡¯ Anya was constantly inserting her strength into Umbra, to the extent that her eyes had turned half black. Meanwhile, the knights of the lake all looked back at Anya from atop of the ash tree upon feeling the unusual energy that was emanating from her. As soon as the knights of the lake shouted something and raised their spears, ink-like darkness poured out of Anya¡¯s mouth and eyes. Then, the darkness which soared like a waterfall immediately covered the knights of the lake and the ash tree. The knights of the lake who were attacking the knights of the dead while riding their horses instantly fell off to the ground, and at the same time, Anya crawled up the ash tree amidst the darkness¡ªit looked like she was intent on coloring Iolin with her darkness. Finally, Anya¡¯s hand touched Iolin¡¯s ankle¡ªbut that was it. At that moment, one of the spears thrown by the knights of the lake pierced Anya¡¯s calf. Anya couldn¡¯t move a single inch due to the spear that pierced through not only her calf but also the tree. But Anya let out a growling roar. ¡°How dare you try to get in my way!¡± The knights of the lake froze for a moment upon hearing Anya¡¯s roar. They couldn¡¯t feel any fear, since they were already dead, but the voice that was made by squeezing one¡¯s soul was enough to make them stop. The voice that stopped them was not the voice of the woman who they were dealing with until now. ¡°No one can hold me back! No one can escape from me!¡± The knights of the dead who had collapsed here and there all stood up in unison. They, too, began to march in a single line while shedding black darkness just like Anya. The knights of the lake flinched and failed to move properly; something was trying to take control over them. While it was true that they had sworn allegiance to the goddess of the lake, they were also included in the realm of the dead. ¡°I am the ruler of the dead!¡± Nigrato¡¯s deathly voice was very suffocating to the knights of the lake. At the same time, Anya forcibly pulled up the essence of Umbra while clinging on to the last string of her consciousness. Nigrato¡¯s power which was engraved upon Umbra was raging like crazy, but there was no possibility of his resurrection, given that Umbra would explode before that happened. But there was no way that Anya could be safe inside Umbra. Anya swung her hand to break the spear that was stuck in her leg, then continued to climb up the tree again. Meanwhile, Iolin¡¯s hollow and empty eyes were still staring at Anya. Anya noticed that Iolin was muttering something, but she couldn¡¯t understand what it meant. Instead of thinking too much, Anya decided to grab Iolin¡¯s face and lower her head. The moment Anya and Iolin¡¯s lips met, Anya poured Umbra¡¯s power inside Iolin. When the black darkness poured into her mouth, Iolin¡¯s eyes turned black in an instant. Darkness flowed into Iolin¡¯s eyes and down her ears as the power of the dead filled her up. The power of Umbra was ruthlessly pulsing with Iolin¡¯s body. Then, Anya removed her lips from Iolin¡¯s and looked down at her with an exhausted expression. At that moment, Iolin muttered something once again. ¡°I can¡¯t understand whatever you¡¯re saying,¡± Anya answered briefly. She did not wait for Iolin¡¯s answer. Boom! WIth a crunching sound, the power of Umbra inside Iolin¡¯s body exploded. The power of Umbra took the form of a spear and pierced through Iolin¡¯s body at once, turning her into a dark chestnut. Iolin¡¯s body instantly shattered and parts of her body scattered everywhere. Anya, who was still holding on to Iolin¡¯s face until the last moment, couldn¡¯t avoid being pierced by the power of Umbra in several places either. At the same time, tears streamed down from the empty eye socket on Iolin¡¯s face, shattering away. Anya couldn¡¯t tell if those were tears or snowflakes that fell on Iolin¡¯s face and coincidentally melted. Then, she knelt down in an awkward position; she was unable to collapse due to her being penetrated by the power of Umbra. ¡®Is it over? Is everything over now?¡¯ Anya¡¯s legs trembled. A sacred aura was still flowing out of Iolin, but it was clear that she was being overpowered. However, she might not be dead for good. What Anya couldn¡¯t believe was the fact that even though she had destroyed Umbra, she did not succeed in overpowering Iolin. Not only was Umbra made with Ras¡¯ soul, it was also his posthumous work. Yet Anya had no choice but to detonate Umbra; Iolin would have turned into an impossible enemy to beat if she hadn¡¯t done so. ¡°Captain Ras, Your Majesty. Please forgive me¡­¡± Anya pulled herself off of Iolin while begging for forgiveness once again. She looked at her hands with an expressionless face upon realizing that she couldn¡¯t move them properly; it looked like a few of her nerves had been cut off. The surroundings were now filled with the army of the dead, crows, and the darkness summoned by Anya. The darkness did not disappear even after Umbra was destroyed, but it did not move either; Anya could no longer control them now that Umbra was destroyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone would be able to defeat Iolin even if she was in the middle of resurrecting.¡± At that moment, Anya felt something sharp penetrating her waist before she could even turn her head toward the sudden voice. Then, she fell from atop the ash tree while letting out a terrible scream. The pain and shock of falling straight to the ground made her feel dizzy. Anya tried to stand up despite the intense pain and shock, but she couldn¡¯t even budge. ¡°Give up. It¡¯s not even worth trying. You won¡¯t be able to move, since your spine is broken.¡± Someone was looking down at her from the side. Anya could only see someone wearing red armor within her hazy vision. Upon recognizing the symbol of a hand holding a bloody hammer, Anya realized that her opponent was someone from the Order of Surtr. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but a Cainheryar is just too precious. I must avoid breaking it completely.¡± Then, the knight of the Order of Surtr raised the hammer in his hand high up in the air and slammed it toward Anya¡¯s head while she lay there helplessly. *** For a moment, an ink like darkness colored the sky beyond the horizon. Seeing this, Juan and Nienna, who were running with all their might, came to a stop. The darkness which spread as high as the clouds swayed a few times like a wave before quickly fading away. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". Soon, Nienna¡¯s expression hardened when she felt a dry and cold wind spring up. ¡°Dad¡­ That is¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Umbra. It seems like Anya had to use her last resort.¡± Juan already knew that it would be impossible for them to arrive in time before the resurrection was complete. Yet he had hoped that Anya would be able to stall the resurrection until he arrived. After all, Umbra was capable of allowing her to do so as long as it contained Nigrato¡¯s essence. But that explosion of darkness only meant one thing¡ªUmbra¡¯s abilities had been pushed to the limit and it had exploded at once. Completely suppressing the resurrection of the god would be possible if things went well, but Anya would be completely helpless if the plan failed. What the explosion signified was too harsh to accept. ¡°Wait, then what about Anya? If she was fighting around where the explosion came from, then¡­¡± Nienna¡¯s expression became distorted. ¡°She is probably dead. She might have managed to escape if she was lucky enough,¡± Juan answered. Nienna muttered some curses and started running again. However, her rushed steps quickly came to a stop. A group of people was running toward them from atop the hill¡ªit was the Order of Huginn. Juan immediately noticed that Anya wasn¡¯t with them. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± The knights from the Order of Huginn immediately jumped off of their horses as soon as they saw Juan and Nienna. At the same time, Juan didn¡¯t hesitate to run straight toward them. ¡°What happened to Anya?¡± ¡°Captain Anya sent us to inform Your Majesty that a god was being resurrected and she remained there to fight! She said that resurrection was being accelerated through some kind of meat-like catalyst or something¡­¡± ¡°A catalyst that accelerates resurrection?¡± Juan had never heard of such a method. If he knew about it, he would have gotten rid of all of it a long time ago. But there was no way the information Anya found at the cost of her own life could have been false. At that moment, Juan noticed that one more member of the Order of Huginn was missing besides Anya. ¡°Wait¡­ Did Dilmond remain there as well?¡± ¡°Sir Dilmond accompanied us halfway and then went back to Captain Anya to¡­¡± ¡°He went back, you said?¡± Juan¡¯s foot kicked off the ground as he started running again even before the knight¡¯s words were finished. *** Clang! An irritating and dull piercing sound rang out. The knight from the Order of Surtr took a few steps back while holding his chest. Upon realizing that his red armor had been dented quite deeply, the knight raised his sharp eyes and glared ahead. In front of him stood an old knight holding a hammer. Dilmond leisurely spun the hammer in his hand in a round motion and then opened his mouth. ¡°The Order of Surtr, huh? I¡¯ve heard a lot about you guys. But no one told me that you guys were nasty enough to attack someone who has already collapsed.¡± ¡°I thought everyone ran away except for this one, but I guess there was one more.¡± Dilmond swung his hammer once again, and the knight from the Order of Sutr also raised his hammer up in the sky. The hammer as a weapon was far from agile, but it was not suitable to block their opponent¡¯s weapon either. The two dodged each other and quickly jumped toward each other. The result of the fight ought to depend on who wielded their weapon faster and more accurately. In that regard, Dilmond was at an advantage, given that he was able to aim for the chest of the knight from the Order of Sutr earlier. But that did not last long. Dilmond grew increasingly out of breath. ¡®I am definitely too old for this now.¡¯ Swinging a hammer took many times the amount of power it took to swing a sword due to the meticulous skill required to control the direction. Therefore, Dilmond had been trying to save his energy by hitting the opponent with every swing of his hammer. However, his opponent seemed very used to fighting against an enemy who was using a hammer. The opponent was much younger than Dilmond and was as good as him at handling a hammer. However, the opponent seemed to also be wary of Dilmond. ¡°You¡¯re not too bad for being an old ass. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You must be curious about the name of the Grim Reaper who has come to take your life.¡± ¡°Well, I need to know what name I should engrave on your tombstone later.¡± ¡°My name is Dilmond.¡± ¡°My name is Cuare. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who¡¯s not a knight from the Order of Surtr handle the hammer like you do. Consider it an honor.¡± Dilmond had no interest in Cuare¡¯s compliment. Instead, he took advantage of the moment his opponent wasted by speaking and took a glance at Anya and Iolin. Dilmond recalled the resurrection of Nigrato when he witnessed the darkness that was surging like a wave. But what he saw when he arrived was the scene of Iolin being shattered. He thought Anya had successfully restrained Iolin, but that thought did not last long. The darkness was rapidly disappearing, but the sacred aura being emitted by Iolin still remained, despite it being weaker than before. ¡®If I don¡¯t take care of this asshole and finish off Iolin in time¡­¡¯ Dillmond grew anxious and impatient. And his opponent did not miss this opportunity. ¡°I would pay more attention to the enemy if I were you!¡± With a loud roar that made one shiver, Cuare¡¯s hammer slammed into Dilmond¡¯s abdomen. CH 195 Cuare foresaw his victory as soon as he felt the heavy shock when he hit Dilmond with the hammer. His attack on Dilmond was successful and left behind a fatal wound that would shatter Dilmond¡¯s internal organs¡ªat least he thought so. Cuare, who was about to throw Dilmond¡¯s body into the air, belatedly noticed his chest getting wet with a warm fluid. The moment he lowered his head to check, he felt a strange and grotesque sense of alienation. He groped his chest for a while and then clutched his wobbly tongue. A beastly scream broke out when he realized that his lower jaw was no longer attached to his face. Cuare trembled at the bizarre sensation of his own tongue that was twitching in shock. Dilmond tried his best to take a breath, despite the difficulty. Instead of dodging Cuare¡¯s attack, Dilmond had decided to bear the incoming shock as he swung his hammer; he had no choice but to end everything before he exhausted himself fully. The hammer, which Dilmond had swung faster and more accurately than ever, smashed Cuare¡¯s jaw at once. But Dilmond couldn¡¯t avoid the consequences of his action either. ¡°Keuk, Keugh, huff!¡± Cuare slumped to the ground as he started losing a huge amount of blood. He tried to find his jaw that had flown away, but soon slammed his head on the muddy ground and collapsed. Red blood soon colored the ground red. Dilmond looked at Cuare in silence, then stumbled his way toward Anya. The spear that had penetrated through Anya¡¯s body had left a fatal wound, but her vital organs remained intact. ¡®Thank goodness. That¡¯s fortunate enough.¡¯ Dilmond looked up at Iolin, yet he soon staggered and fell to his knees while vomiting blood mixed with pieces of flesh. His head was falling to the ground; he couldn¡¯t hold out anymore. He could see Anya breathing weakly in his dim vision. ¡°...It may have only been for a short time, but you were a pretty decent Captain.¡± The blood flowing through his throat made it difficult for him to speak properly. Dilmond tried to communicate with Anya several times over and over, but she seemed unable to hear him. But it didn¡¯t matter because someone else could deliver his words to her later. Dilmond saw the resurrection of the emperor, and he also saw the emperor regain his stolen throne. ¡®I think I did well enough that I will be able to face my seniors again without having to feel ashamed.¡¯ *** The spring breeze and the darkness that swept around the surroundings suddenly receded as soon as Juan stomped on the ground. Juan was staring at the huge ash tree that sprang up in the middle of the boulevard with a nervous expression. Although it had grown much weaker, he could still sense the strong energy of a god. ¡°Iolin¡­¡± Juan muttered as he let out a groan. ¡®It just had to be Iolin out of all the gods?¡¯ Juan had felt the signs of a god being resurrected from the beginning, but he was hoping that he was wrong; the area around Torra was a land that had nothing to do with the elves, let alone Iolin. After glaring at Iolin with a stiff face for a while, Juan realized that his priority was to find Anya. Iolin¡¯s energy was significantly weaker than when he felt it earlier. Given the fact that the speed of her resurrection had grown much slower compared to the beginning when it was unusually rapid, Anya seemed to have dealt with the situation pretty well. However, Juan could not feel Anya¡¯s presence anywhere around him. That could only mean one of two things¡ªeither she managed to escape unharmed or she had already died. But Juan was soon able to find Dilmond lying close to Iolin. His expression immediately hardened upon realizing that he couldn¡¯t feel any signs of life from Dilmond. Juan stood still for a while to take a deep breath before slowly approaching him. Dilmond was lying face down and still staring straight ahead with his eyes open. His gaze and expression was telling Juan what Dilmond had gone through and how he felt right before he died. ¡°Dad! Did you manage to find Anya?¡± Nienna didn¡¯t even bother to look toward Iolin, and looked for Anya as soon as she arrived. Then her eyes soon stopped upon seeing Dilmond who was lying in front of her. Nienna immediately checked Dilmond¡¯s pulse to examine his condition¡ªbut she quickly realized that there was nothing she could do. Nienna could only bite her lips as she glared at Iolin. ¡°Did that thing kill Dilmond?¡± ¡°No. Both Anya and Dilmond carried out their duty very well. But looking at his wounds, it looks like he was killed by someone other than Iolin. Dilmond successfully protected Anya, but it seems that someone took Anya after his death.¡± ¡°Took her? Who?¡± Juan turned his head. Among the messy footprints left on the ground, there were some that were particularly dark and heavy. ¡®They must be left by Dilmond and his mysterious opponent.¡¯ And there were signs of someone¡¯s movement in the place where the puddles of blood were formed. ¡°I don¡¯t know who it was, but Dilmond dealt them a fatal wound; however, Dilmond himself was injured as well. It looks like the opponent somehow managed to survive and then took Anya away,¡± Juan said. Nienna belatedly found the pool of blood. As she rummaged through the pool of blood with her spear, she picked something up with a frown. It was a dislocated jaw which still had teeth attached to it. ¡°The opponent must be a little clumsy.¡± ¡°Dilmond couldn¡¯t have guessed that his opponent would be alive, and even capable of moving after dropping his lower jaw like that. Anyway, there¡¯s no way that the opponent could have run far away if he has lost so much blood. Actually, it might be possible if he had other colleagues to help him. Nienna, go and search the surrounding areas.¡± ¡°What about you, dad?¡± ¡°I have to finish what¡¯s left here.¡± Juan stared at Iolin and took a big step toward her. Nienna tried to ask him some more questions, but she had no choice but to shut her mouth when she saw the look on his face. Even Juan himself could not tell what expression he was making at this moment. Juan jumped up to the top of the ash tree. On top of the tree was Iolin¡¯s half-recovered body inside the melting Umbra. Only sticky and sloppy body parts that had failed to completely recover remained here¡ªher breathtaking beauty was nowhere to be seen. Only half of her mistletoe crown remained and her empty eye sockets flinched ever so slightly. Juan slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Iolin.¡± At that moment, the body parts that had been floundering around suddenly stopped moving. *** Juan entered Iolin¡¯s mental world¡ªa world that consisted of a blue-colored, lake-like space. Here, he was nothing more than a small flame in the enormous space; however, there was no concern of him being extinguished. Rather, he was the one who had to be careful, so as to not boil and evaporate this entire space. Inside this lake-like space were traces of red light shining that were trying to paint this whole space red. Juan felt quite annoyed upon seeing the traces of red light¡ªthey seemed quite similar to the magic spells from beyond the border of the empire rather than the orthodox magic. And, he could easily tell that this magic had a clear purpose. In the middle of the lake was Iolin, sinking and motionless. Juan¡¯s heart ached at the sight of her staring blankly at the surface of water, with her hands and feet drooping. While he would still make the same decision even if he could get another chance, killing Iolin was not something easy for Juan. Juan approached Iolin. Unlike in reality, the Iolin here was still as beautiful as she was just before she was killed at Juan¡¯s hands. At that moment, Iolin puffed her mouth to make a clear voice. [Emperor.] ¡°Iolin.¡± This time, he didn¡¯t get a reply from Iolin. Instead, she just looked around as if she was confused. Juan could tell that she knew nothing about her resurrection and was able to confirm that his own guess was reasonable. ¡®So this is the Cainheryar that was mentioned by Pavan.¡¯ It was said that Iolin was also turned into a Cainheryar and put on display on the Cainheryar as well. It was not just a decoration to insult the gods, but also a collection of weapons with practical purpose. The red traces carved into Iolin¡¯s inner world was a type of magic used to control and manipulate her, instilling a sense of purpose into her. ¡®Conquering gods, killing them, and even using their corpses like a warhorse, huh?¡¯ To be frank, Juan was quite impressed. He had killed many gods, but he had never thought it would be possible to control them; even if he succeeded in doing that, he felt that it was too dangerous and difficult to be efficient. But after seeing all this, Juan thought that the only person who could make it happen in the whole world might be Dismas Dilver¡ªhe had the special ability needed to control gods. At that moment, Juan suddenly felt Iolin reaching out her hand to touch his flame. Her eyes were hazy, almost like she was dreaming. Iolin didn¡¯t even care about her fingers which started burning and scattered into white ashes due to Juan¡¯s flame. Then, she muttered in a quiet voice. [You are still burning.] ¡°And you are still shining,¡± Juan briefly answered. On the day Juan declared that he would be killing Iolin, she had chosen three legendary warriors to fight against Juan instead of herself. Juan managed to kill all three of them within just five exchanges each. Then, Iolin declared him to be the knight of the knights and the king of the kings, and promised to give him a blessing, while offering to give him a sword that had her essence inside it. Then, the two met up at the lake and then sank to the bottom of the lake along with the sword made by Iolin. However, the only person who walked out of the lake after that day was Juan. People had many questions. Was it even possible for the goddess of elves and lake to drown to death in the lake? Why did such a powerful god have her warriors to fight for her instead of fighting herself? Why did Juan refuse a friendly god¡¯s blessings? There were a lot of rumors, but Juan never once told anyone about what happened between him and Iolin. At the same time, Iolin didn¡¯t leave any message behind before her death. However, her death was confirmed when the blessings she had given to the elves disappeared and the knights of the lake stopped appearing. [I had a terrible dream,] Iolin whispered to Juan. ¡°I know.¡± Juan contemplated whether or not he should hug her. However, her body was too cold and his current form too hot. He knew that it was a pointless concern, but he was still worried that she would be burned by his flames. [The worst part about that dream was that I had become a monster.] ¡°You¡¯ve never been a monster. You can¡¯t be one even if you tried.¡± [But there was a brave knight who stood up to me.] Iolin opened her mouth and held out her tongue, revealing something that was placed on it¡ªit was a black ring. Juan picked up the ring with his flaming body. Inside the ring, the power of Umbra and the power of Iolin were mixed together. Golden elven letters were engraved along the rim of the ring. Then, Iolin looked up at Juan and muttered. [I can no longer make the sword that I had promised to give you.] ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t need that sword.¡± [I know. But one can still hope. You can be my knight, and I can be your goddess. We can build a kingdom of lakes under my protection and your guidance¡ªa beautiful kingdom that will last for ten thousand years, a kingdom that will not be destroyed due to any prophecies or curses.] It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". ¡°All of that has already sunk to the bottom of the lake.¡± [I know that as well. It all sank quite heavily and coldly.] Iolin¡¯s quiet whispers were becoming less and less clear, while bubbles were rising from the surrounding water¡ªthe heat from Juan was boiling Iolin¡¯s lake-like inner world. Iolin smiled faintly and reached her hand out toward Juan. As if rising from the water, Juan returned to reality from Iolin¡¯s inner world. The surroundings still seemed to smell like a lake, and then Juan confirmed that his flames were already burning the ash tree. Iolin was desperately reaching for Juan from within the sea of fire. She puffed her mouth to mumble something unintelligible, but Juan could not hear her. Juan reached out his hand and put his face on Iolin¡¯s partially recovered small hand. Iolin¡¯s hands carefully brushed Juan¡¯s face, almost as if she did not wish to leave even a tiny gap between her hand and his face. She soon smiled softly with her half-remaining face. ¡°Ah¡­¡± At that moment, Iolin, who had only repeated unintelligible words until now, muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°You are still¡­ beautiful.¡± Instead of answering, Juan stretched out his hands to carefully wrap it around her face. The huge ash tree was completely engulfed in flames in an instant. The raging flames could be seen from beyond the horizon. Both Nienna and the Order of Huginn that was returning to the boulevard looked at the flames rising from beyond the horizon in the distance. The burning heat blew away the spring breeze and darkness that was hovering around the ash tree. CH 196 Slam! Juan stormed into the House of Peers and strode across the nobles. The nobles froze on the spot and stared at their emperor; however, they couldn¡¯t see his expression, since the speed at which he walked past them was too fast. The nobles were frozen stiff with just the aura the emperor was giving off today. Some of the weak-minded nobles even helplessly slumped to their seats. Meanwhile, Juan went straight toward the seats belonging to the nobles from the religious faction. The nobles from the religious faction had a feeling that the emperor must have found out about something, since they were forcibly brought in by the Imperial Army without any notice, but they thought that there was some room for compromise and making excuses, considering that they were called to the House of Peers instead of being brought into an interrogation chamber. Then, one of the nobles carefully opened his mouth when Juan stood right in front of the nobles from the religious faction. ¡°Your Majesty, we know nothing about what has happened recently and¡­¡± Splat! With a light popping sound, the head of the religious faction noble at the very front flew across the room., causing even nobles from the other factions to be drenched in blood and brain fluid in just an instant. One of the nobles who inadvertently caught something that was flying toward him realized that it was a head upon making eye contact with the wiggling eyeballs, and directly fainted. Meanwhile, the corpse of the noble from the religious faction floundered and collapsed without its head. From that moment, everyone in the House of Peers hastily moved to escape while screaming¡ªit was chaos; however, that didn¡¯t last long. A sudden and intense murderous intent locked onto them as if they were frogs who were faced with a snake. While being too scared to breathe, let alone run away, the nobles had no choice but to look at the emperor as he slowly approached them. Splat! Splat! The heads of nobles flew off one by one every time a popping sound echoed throughout the room. Juan did not use any weapons and neither did he use his flames or magic. He ruthlessly slaughtered the nobles amidst the silence using his bare hands, almost as if he didn¡¯t care about being drenched in their blood and flesh. The nobles had never imagined their lives would end so easily, and the only thing they could do was gasp for breath and tremble in fear. There were no more screams, no more resistance, and no more outcry¡ªthey were all pointless once the nobles realized that they were nothing but pigs at a slaughterhouse. After a long time, half of the nobles at the House of Peers ended up on their seats in the form of diced meat. Juan was neither breathing heavily, nor was he even sweating. The emotions usually seen from ordinary people after killing others were nowhere to be found in Juan¡ªhe looked exactly the same as when he first came in. The only difference was that he was covered in blood all over now. Then, Juan slowly opened his mouth. ¡°There was an attempt to commit treason.¡± The nobles who survived the slaughter froze and listened to Juan¡¯s words in horror; it was true that rumors of such an attempt had been secretly circulating among the nobles. ¡°These were the people who had joined the treason or had been offered to join and then showed positive reaction toward the offer.¡± Chairman Rhymer was relieved that he had been consistently ignoring the invitations and visits from the nobles from the religious faction, but at the same time was horrified when he imagined what would have happened if he hadn¡¯t ignored them. He had heard the rumors of an attempt at treason, but he had been doubtful about whether those who had witnessed the emperor¡¯s power would really be so reckless. ¡°The disposition of the families of the people who joined the attempt is being undertaken by Nienna as we speak.¡± At that moment, someone burst open the door and charged inside. It was Hela. ¡°Your Majesty! I was preparing to defend Torra. But the meeting for the House of Peers was suddenly called to¡­¡± Hela hastily entered the House of Peers building with a pale expression, but immediately flinched and came to a stop when she saw the scene inside. She tried to say something to Juan, but soon froze up; she too was swept away by the murderous intent that filled the air like the other nobles. ¡°I saw a lot less blood than I expected during the process of getting back my throne,¡± Juan said as he looked at Hela. ¡°Perhaps it was because all my acquaintances around me tried their best to avoid mass destruction as much as possible. I am quite grateful for their hard work. I do not enjoy slaughter, but there is one thing that everyone should keep in mind.¡± Juan twisted his lips and continued. ¡°So many soldiers died, but almost all of the nobles remained safe. I think this is quite remarkable, since I have a feeling that the nobles might have driven the soldiers and commoners to death, not knowing how precious their lives were. So as the emperor leading the people, I thought that teaching all of you a lesson was absolutely necessary.¡± Juan picked up one of the body parts scattered on the floor and showed it to the nobles. ¡°Can you tell that this piece of meat was once a noble?¡± The nobles could not answer. Then the rest of the pieces of flesh scattered on the floor began to stick to the piece in Juan¡¯s hand as soon as a subtle flame rose. The nobles opened their mouths in shock and stared at the sight as if they could not believe it. They wanted to scream upon seeing the pieces of meat gradually taking form. Finally, as the last piece of flesh was completely gathered, the noble who had just died was ¡®revived.¡¯ The noble began to scream and then went on a rampage as soon as he was revived. No one knew what he went through or what he saw after his death, but it was a terrible scream that shook everyone¡¯s soul. But the scream soon died down when Juan slammed his head on the desk. The resurrected noble had to die again less than three seconds after his revival. ¡°I don¡¯t know. To me, it looks like the nobles are just like the other ordinary people; they scream when they suffer or are scared.¡± Juan crushed the body with his palm. ¡°Let me say this once again. I don¡¯t like this kind of slaughter. But I can do it as many more times as needed to those bastards who think that only their own lives are precious.¡± It became difficult for the nobles to breathe every time Juan looked at those who were still alive. ¡°I feel the need to rewrite the definition of nobles. I introduced the old-fashioned system and stuck to it in the past for the sake of peace and unity. Maybe Harmon Helwin could have made improvements to this system if he was still here. But he is dead, and I have returned.¡± The aftermath of the treason did not simply end with the punishment of the traitors. What they did in their attempt to commit treason not only angered Juan but also left him with concerns that the system that he had set up in the past could be destroyed at any time. Juan figured that he must organize and rearrange everything from the very beginning. ¡°A noble is someone who takes the lead on the battlefield. It refers to the first person to open their storage to the public when a famine occurs. It refers to the person who is the first to help when they meet a person in need. Nobility is not determined by blood, but by action.¡± Juan scanned the faces of the remaining nobles one by one, then finally stopped when he saw Hela. Hela was looking at Juan with bloodshot eyes. ¡°If you wish to claim to be a noble in the future and wish to be involved in politics within the House of Peers, you¡¯d better keep everything I just said in mind. If there¡¯s another bastard who doesn¡¯t follow those words, I will come and check myself whether they are a true noble or not.¡± *** ¡°By any chance, have I ever been a disappointment to Your Majesty?¡± Hela followed Juan as soon as he came out of the House of Peers building. Juan shook his head, dumbfounded at the sight of Hela scolding him immediately after following him, unlike how she was frozen speechless by his murderous intent back in the House of Peers. ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as someone on the same level as those bastards. My history on the battlefield is no less than that of Your Majesty¡¯s. I¡¯ve seen much worse things than what happened back there,¡± Hela said. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve never felt disappointed in you nor have I thought that you weren¡¯t good enough. To be honest, there are fewer than five people in the House of Peers that I consider to be true nobles. That includes you and Heretia.¡± ¡°Then why do you keep ignoring my advice, Your Majesty? I already had the plan to sentence them to a severe punishment. There was no need for Your Majesty to be so cruel and invoke the fear and complaints of the nobles. Is it Your Majesty¡¯s intention to rule the empire with fear and terror?¡± Juan raised his hands, surrendering. ¡°I was planning to discuss with Heretia to reorganize the feudal system anyway. As you know, there has only ever been the Imperial family or Church at the center of humanity until now. What I did was something necessary¡ªthough I will admit that I needed to vent a bit.¡± ¡°Vent?¡± The moment Hela was about to say something, Juan opened his mouth. ¡°Anya¡¯s gone missing and Dilmond is dead.¡± Hela immediately shut her mouth at the news. Hela and Anya hadn¡¯t known each other for long. Even if they had the opportunity to talk to each other occasionally, Hela had always been dissatisfied with Anya¡¯s blind respect and faith toward Juan. But it was only recently that Hela acknowledged that Anya¡¯s blind respect and faith might be something necessary to Juan. Someone had to be there to do something illegal, deal with the insults, and take the blame in order for Juan to remain a ¡®noble emperor¡¯. Anya was perfect for such tasks. On the contrary, Hela decided that she would give Juan advice so that he would not go astray even if he ended up hating her or being annoyed by her. It was a hard job to do, but Hela thought she had to at least come up with a system before she returned to the east. Anya¡¯s help was absolutely essential for Hela¡¯s plan, but now she was missing. ¡°...Dilmond was the deputy of the Order of Huginn, right? But how did he¡­ wait. Was the carriage coming from the south a trap? Is the reason why we were preparing for a defensive battle related to that?¡± Pavan and Hela were preparing to defend Torra at the time when Anya was fighting Iolin. Hela couldn¡¯t help but be nervous, since it was her first time seeing Juan act so urgently. She even wondered why a person who became the emperor after killing the gods would suddenly be so nervous. But on the other hand, it made perfect sense why he was so nervous. Juan was almost the only person who had ever properly faced god. Fear toward something can only be understood by those who have confronted something. ¡°Yes. Iolin was about to be resurrected¡ªperhaps that was their means of committing treason. It makes sense that they thought they had a good chance of winning if that was their plan. But Anya stopped Iolin¡¯s resurrection. Diamond protected her when she had fainted, but he eventually died and it looks like Anya has been abducted. A search party has been organized by the Order of Huginn and we are preparing for a hostage negotiation request that we might receive.¡± ¡°That is just¡­ I see.¡± Hela could now understand Juan¡¯s anger. There was no way he couldn¡¯t be angry at the attempt to use a god; he knew better than anyone how terrifying the gods were. On top of that, he lost two of his subordinates he was quite close to. Even Hela herself would have exploded out of anger. Yet Hela bit her lips; she felt that all this was even more reason for why Juan shouldn¡¯t have behaved that way at the House of Peers. Hela stopped in the middle of the hallway and Juan looked back at her. ¡°I understand Your Majesty¡¯s anger. But Your Majesty did something that wasn¡¯t supposed to be done. Bringing the dead back to life in front of the nobles was especially disgusting and¡­¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring anyone back from the dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°All I did was stimulate the body fragments by lumping them all together. Humans can be made to move and make sounds with just that. You can try catching a dead frog and experiment with it yourself or ask Opert if you don¡¯t believe me. On the other hand, true resurrection is a difficult task with the power that I have now. It¡¯s not about a lack of power, and more about the rules of the world. However, I¡¯m sure that I could do it if I got my original body back,¡± Juan shrugged. Hela looked at Juan for a while and answered briefly. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really intend to do something like that anyway. But what if I did? Would you punish me?¡± ¡°No way. How could I? I have no intention of making Your Majesty bear such a burden.¡± Juan made eye contact with Hela instead of answering her. Hela¡¯s gaze was calm. ¡°I already owe Anya, so I¡¯ll bear the burden. Your Majesty, please do as you please. However, I would appreciate it if you could acknowledge that there are people who have expectations and hopes for all of your actions.¡± *** ¡°I¡¯ve caught all the rebels.¡± Nienna had a complicated expression on her face when she saw Juan lying in a negligent position on the throne inside the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace. Juan leaning his head against the handle of the throne while he lay across it did not look so comfortable, nor was it good for his spine. However, Nienna figured that it would be pointless to point out health problems to the emperor, someone who was even capable of restoring his limbs that were cut off. While Nienna was contemplating whether or not she should nag at Juan, Juan was spinning and playing with the black ring placed on his chest. It was a ring found in the hands of Iolin who had turned into ash. Juan did not wear the ring. After all, Iolin had already engraved the name of the ring¡¯s owner on the ring in gold. ¡°Dad, did you hear me?¡± Nienna gave up on pointing out Juan¡¯s posture and opened her mouth again, causing Juan to turn his head toward her. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I have caught all the rebels and their families, burned what should be burned, and taken back what should be taken. What should I do now? Should I kill them all and hang them on a pole to display them on the walls?¡± Harmon, who had created the Imperial Code, only said that he would dispose of the traitors in an extreme form, but did not set a specific norm. However, the law code, which had many concrete systems, had all kinds of terrible examples as annotations due to the gathering of many scattered systems. What Nienna had just mentioned was the most lenient of the punishments listed. Juan pondered for a moment and asked a question. ¡°Are there children among those that you caught?¡± ¡°Of course there are.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask them for their faults. Send the children who have not yet become adults to orphanages and interrogate the adults¡ªquietly cut off the necks of those who are found to be involved, and deprive those who do not seem to have joined the treason of their property rights and conscript them into the military.¡± ¡°Are you talking about sending them to the Punishment Unit? I¡¯m not very fond of that idea. Joining the military should be honorable and proud. It shouldn''t be made into a punishment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very fond of the idea of the Punishment Unit either, but I want to avoid the guilt-by-association system as much as possible. One¡¯s lost honor should be recovered by themselves only.¡± In fact, Juan thought it was right not to punish them all, except for those who were directly involved in the treason attempt. But the anger lurking in his heart did not allow that. Even so, it was such a generous decision that Nienna looked surprised at his suggestion. ¡°Why? I heard that Hela was quite merciless to the nobles. Is it your strategy to show generosity when Hela is being ruthless?¡± ¡°Wait. What did Hela do?¡± ¡°Hela brought the Imperial Army and chopped up the nobles in the House of Peers right in front of the uninvolved nobles. I thought it was about time she tamed them properly. I mean, everyone knows that Hela had a hard time in the east. It¡¯s rather surprising that she managed to endure it so well until now.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t quite understand Nienna¡¯s words, nor could he understand why such a rumor had spread in such a short time. But he soon realized Hela¡¯s thoughts and what she meant in the hallway of the House of Peers building. Juan rose from his seat. ¡°Where is Hela right now?¡± CH 197 Before knocking on Heretia¡¯s door, Haild took a deep breath and made sure that his clothes were neat and the bandages were neatly wrapped around his face. A man who was known to be Heretia¡¯s guard looked at Haild suspiciously from beside him. As far as Haild knew, the guard was the man who had a broken leg when he first met Heretia when the carriage was overturned. Haild thought that he knew the guard¡¯s name, but he forgot¡ªnot that it was important anyway. ¡°Please feel free to go inside.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± Haild cleared his throat and nervously prepared to knock on the door. He had encountered Heretia several times in the Imperial Palace, but it was the first time that he was invited to Heretia¡¯s room. Whenever he ran into Heretia in the Imperial Palace, Haild had tried to hold a conversation with her as he recalled his memories from the Magic Tower, but she didn¡¯t seem to care much¡ªit was as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Heretia had too much work to do and did not have time to have a good laugh while reminiscing about the past. Although Haild was considered one of the closest acquaintances of the emperor, no specific job was assigned to him. This was only natural, since Haild was taken to the island to be taught about the Crack and train his swordsmanship even before he had a chance to receive proper education. While he did not have the knowledge needed for administration or tactics, he wasn¡¯t even used to having a conversation with women. Haild eventually failed to find a common interest between him and Heretia. Thus, Heretia¡¯s invitation this time was quite meaningful to him. At last Haild knocked on the door. ¡°Miss Heretia, this is Haild. May I come in?¡± ¡°Yes. Come on in.¡± Haild placed his hand over his beating heart and walked into the room. His face brightened up upon seeing Heretia sitting at the tea table. However, his heart stopped beating the moment he saw the person sitting on the opposite side of the tea table. Hela Henna was sitting in front of Heretia. ¡°Welcome, my son,¡± Hela said. Haild was about to turn around and leave the room, but the door suddenly slammed shut behind him, almost as if Hela already expected his next move. As he contemplated whether or not he should run out the window, Hela grabbed him and quickly sat him down next to her at the tea table. He could have easily resisted if he wanted to, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t move a muscle. Heretia smiled and stood up using her crutches. ¡°I¡¯ll get going then. Enjoy your conversation.¡± ¡°Miss Heretia! Your legs!?¡± Haild was surprised to see Heretia standing up. Although she was relying on crutches, it was impossible for Heretia to ¡®stand up,¡¯ since both of her legs had been cut off. Heretia slightly lifted up her skirt as if she already knew how Haild would respond. At that moment, the carved prosthetic leg was exposed through her skirt. ¡°It¡¯s a prosthetic leg made of ivory that was brought in from the south. I requested it from a skilled craftsman and it was only completed recently. Using a wheelchair was comfortable enough, but it was difficult to use it to climb the stairs.¡± Haild blushed at the sight of Heretia lifting up her skirt despite it only being prosthetic legs beneath it. Find the original at "pawread dot com". Then, Heretia smiled at Hela and left the room. Soon, there was only silence in the room where only Hela and Haild were left. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be so hard to just have a one-on-one conversation with you, son.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Unlike how Haild tried his best to run into Heretia, he had been trying his best to actively avoid Hela as much as he could. He had been avoiding Hela without even knowing why he was avoiding her. He could give dozens of excuses¡ªHela had already seen his funeral; he felt awkward talking to her when he had been hiding the fact that he was still alive for decades; or that he lost his chance to tell her the truth after failing to talk to her several times. Yet he had no excuse about him avoiding Hela, even though she had tried to talk to him several times. Hela slowly scanned Haild and then opened her mouth. ¡°What was that corpse I saw?¡± ¡°Father was¡­¡± ¡°It was that asshole, Gerard¡¯s work, huh? I assumed it was him when I found out that you were alive. Then tell me what you¡¯ve been up to. Make it short.¡± Haild already knew that his first proper conversation with Hela would not be so heartwarming as to be filled with hugs and tears. Yet he didn¡¯t expect it to happen in such an interrogative atmosphere. Then, Haild carefully summarized what had happened to him in a polite manner. He omitted the parts that would make Hela angry, but the summary was enough to make her feel dizzy. ¡°...You learned the magic of the Crack? The only thing that Gerard taught you while holding on to you for such a long time was swordsmanship and magic? You attacked His Majesty? You almost died trying to pull out the power residing within His Majesty?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ Father was just trying to¡­¡± ¡°Do not call that asshole your father. I cannot and will not forgive him. That bastard who didn¡¯t even show up when I gave birth to you decided to show up out of nowhere to abduct my son and make him suffer?¡± ¡°Oh, um¡­ Then I¡¯ll call him Mr. Gerard Gain, mother. Anyway, all of what happened had a reason for happening and it was all inevitable. Thanks to that, aunt Nienna learned how to escape from being encroached upon by the Crack. And His Majesty has regained his true strength to¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about getting away with this by convincing me that the results were good.¡± Haild could only close his mouth. Hela contemplated something in silence. Haild swallowed a gulp and nervously waited for her next words everytime she took a glance at him. Hela had been a strict mother ever since Haild was young. It was only natural that she had gotten worse since she went through so many hardships on numerous battlefields. However, Hela didn¡¯t question him anymore. She sighed deeply and opened her mouth to say something that Haild had never expected. ¡°How long has it been since you were interested in Miss Helwin?¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m sorry? Well, I mean¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say that I¡¯m interested. But I just¡­¡± ¡°Come to think of it, what happened to your face? Did you get a scar or something? I think that my son is pretty good-looking, but I only say that because you are my son. I bet Miss Helwin thinks otherwise. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve bandaged your face because you got ugly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I got ugly. This is¡­¡± ¡°Besides, you¡¯re all grown up now. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time you throw away those gloomy clothes that make you look like you¡¯ve had a sad past and wear something brighter? Miss Helwin is a smart lady from a prestigious family. You need to dress up and try your best to get on her level if you really want to¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ stop! Mother!¡± Haild lifted both of his hands and raised his voice. Seeing this, Hela finally closed her mouth and looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t have any special feelings for Miss Heretia like you think. It¡¯s just that Miss Heretia is¡­ damn it. She just happens to be the first young woman I¡¯ve ever met since I left the island. The only ¡®woman¡¯ I¡¯ve met since I was taken away by Father¡­ I mean, by Mr. Gerard Gain was Entalucia. Not only is Miss Heretia a different race from Entalucia, but she also is much younger. The way she talks is also very different and¡­ shit. Mother, you will understand me once you have a conversation with Entalucia. Look, I can¡¯t take these bandages off of my face, and I don¡¯t even know how to properly talk to women. Do you really think I could have feelings for someone when I am so clueless about everything? Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s fair for me to want to have conversations with Miss Heretia as friends when she¡¯s the only woman I¡¯ve ever met?¡± Hela flinched when Haild poured out his words nonstop. She couldn¡¯t close her mouth for a long time; she had no idea that he had been feeling so complicated. Seeing Hela¡¯s reaction, Haild blushed and closed his mouth upon realizing that he talked too much. There was a moment of silence between Haild and Hela. Finally, Hela was the one who broke the silence again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who felt awkward about this conversation. The same is true for me as well. It¡¯s been decades since I last talked to my son and I thought that I¡¯d never be able to see you again. I guess I ended up nagging you too much as a result.¡± Just as Haild had difficulty talking to women, Hela had difficulty talking to her own child. She slowly reached her hand out toward Haild, who flinched and shivered when Hela¡¯s hand touched the bandages on his face. ¡°Take off your bandages.¡± Haild hesitated, but he thought that he would never be able to show his face unless it was now. He slowly brought his hand to the bandages and started removing them. Under the bandages that were slowly falling off, Haild¡¯s face was revealed. A large slash that began from his one eye that was encroached upon by the Crack split his face disproportionately. He gave off an ominous impression even when his face was covered with bandages, but the dark slash and the hole in his eyes gave off an impression that was beyond ominous. Hela slowly touched Haild¡¯s face along the slash. ¡°You do have a little scar on your face, but you still look good. Thanks to me, of course.¡± ¡°...Everyone told me that I look like my father¡­¡± ¡°You resemble your father in terms of personality.¡± Hela laughed and began a proper conversation with Haild. Most of their conversation consisted of cursing Haild, followed by how to talk to Heretia. ¡°By the way. You said you don¡¯t know how to talk to women, but it¡¯s not that different. Just think of them as men and talk comfortably. It all starts there. I heard you had a normal conversation with Miss Helwin at the Magic Tower. Just do exactly what you did then.¡± ¡°Exactly what I did then?¡± ¡°Yes. Everything becomes a game rather than a conversation if you understand it. Then it only becomes the matter of whether you win or lose, succeed or fail.¡± ¡°Is that how father¡ªno. Mr. Gerard Gain treated you, mother?¡± Hela smirked. ¡°No way. I¡¯m the one who seduced him. He came on to me even before he finished a cup of tea.¡± *** It was the next day when Juan found Hela. Hela appeared at the Imperial Palace, smelling like alcohol with dark circles under her eyes. Juan had a dumbfounded look on his face when he encountered Hela sitting in front of the office. ¡°I was wondering what you were up to after taking the blame for me. I see that you¡¯ve been drinking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the perfect example of a person who¡¯s committed a massacre and feels guilty of her own actions. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Juan grabbed Hela¡¯s hand to help her up and injected mana into her body at the same time. The heat from Juan¡¯s mana quickly drove alcohol out of Hela¡¯s body. The smell of alcohol spread around her, but Hela quickly came back to her senses. ¡°Ugh, keuk. You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you so messed up like this before. Is it because of Anya?¡± Juan asked. ¡°No¡­ I had a drink with my son for the first time. He fell asleep after only one shot, so Miss Helwin and I were the only ones who actually drank, but it was still a good time.¡± ¡°You drank at a time when our friend was abducted?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason to drink.¡± Hela stared blankly at Juan. Her eyes looked tired from hangover and fatigue, but he could see a certain determination in them. ¡°Your Majesty, please send me to the west. I will negotiate with Dismas.¡± ¡°You want to negotiate with Dismas?¡± ¡°Come on, Your Majesty. Your Majesty and the rest of the empire already knows that Dismas was the one behind this treason attempt. It was Dismas who tried to resurrect a god, it was Dismas who abducted Anya, and it was also Dismas who killed Dilmond. There¡¯s only one reason why your Majesty is still here, not taking any action.¡± Juan did not answer. ¡°It¡¯s because Your Majesty is afraid that Anya might die. I mean, Anya would probably say that she doesn¡¯t mind sacrificing her life for the sake of Your Majesty. But we should still try our best if she is still alive. So, I will go and negotiate with Dismas. This kind of work is way too trivial for Your Majesty to take care of. By the way, I¡¯m not being sarcastic. I''m more serious than ever.¡± ¡°Do you think that Dismas will be willing to make a compromise?¡± ¡°Your Majesty would have run and killed Dismas at once if he was a being like god or a monster. But unfortunately, Dismas is not only a human being, he is also an adopted child of Your Majesty. Yes, I do think he will compromise. I¡¯ve prepared a very attractive bait for him. Oh, of course. It¡¯s not a condition that Your Majesty won¡¯t be able to accept.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you in that case. Also¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°The reason why I didn¡¯t take action is not because I¡¯m afraid that Anya might die. I only sent the army first rather than stepping out myself because I was afraid that Dismas would become frightened and lock himself up. Pavan was already moving the Imperial Army westward while you were getting drunk. We are preparing for a war¡ªthe war that would have been fought anyway.¡± Hela grinned upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°As expected, Your Majesty is definitely the perfect emperor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if the war will actually begin; it will all depend on your negotiations. I might be able to forgive him if he sends back Anya, my original body and the Pope. He will also have to reflect on himself and be ready to suffer from the consequences of his sins. Dilmond¡¯s funeral will be done after Anya¡¯s return.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s going to be the most difficult negotiation ever. But I guess I have no choice but to try my best,¡± Hela murmured with a sigh. But Juan shook his head. ¡°There have been several opportunities when I could have been quite terrifying.¡± Hela remained silent. ¡°But I think it¡¯s thanks to you guys that I did not turn out that way. Going to the west will be a test of how terrifying I can get. I wish all the problems would be solved by me being terrifying, but you wouldn¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, Your Majesty.¡± Hela answered with a chuckle. ¡°It is my dream to manipulate Your Majesty to take my test and thus make you be remembered as the greatest emperor ever, to be praised for generations to come. I don¡¯t mind if I have to be painted as a petty traitor for it.¡± CH 198 The waves surged and wet her feet, while the wind blew through her hair, scattering it in all directions. Anya took a step forward. The soles of her feet touched the soft mud as she blankly looked back at the setting sun. The long shadow caused by the setting sun seemed darker than usual. There, at the end of the shadow that seemed to be leading to the horizon, she saw someone. Anya fiercely dashed forward. Her feet kicked mud up into the air, and seawater splashed up everywhere as she ran. The mud soaked her, and the sharp shells hidden in the soft mud cut her feet. Anya fell and rolled around in the mud several times, bleeding from her feet, but the sea was nowhere to be seen¡ªin front of Anya was just an infinite mass of muddy blobs. ¡°Master! Now you are even selling and buying children?¡± She still remembered the disturbance she heard one night¡ªhis voice that she heard for the first time when she was just a little girl and had a chain restraining her. She also remembered the warmth that she felt when the white-colored incarnation of death, wrapped in darkness, entered the cage she was hiding in. ¡°Captain!¡± Their conversation from back then echoed inside her head. ¡°You need to fight for His Majesty, Anya¡ªnot for me.¡± ¡°But I like you.¡± Anya liked how he was perplexed at his own voice that he synthesized using magic as he whispered to her gently. She started talking exactly like he did, following his tone. No one else could tell his feelings from his voice, but Anya could¡ªat least she believed she could. She was also the first to feel the presence of another being in his voice. ¡°Ras! Ras Raud!¡± At that moment, Anya¡¯s foot suddenly slipped. She stumbled and helplessly fell into the mud. Despite her efforts to try to get up again, the mud that engulfed her all the way up to her waist held her down. Anya clawed at the mud and struggled to get out until her nails broke. However, her lower body did not budge; it was almost as if the part of her that was engulfed by the mud was gone. Anya let out a loud cry. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been running for, but it felt as if he was waiting for her somewhere she couldn¡¯t reach. *** Anya opened her eyes with a loud scream. The cloudy winter sky filled her sight. The moment she tried to pick herself up, she realized that she didn¡¯t have any strength in her lower body below her waist¡ªher legs that were helplessly dropped felt like they belonged to someone completely different. Yet she didn¡¯t stop trying. As soon as she tried to force herself to stand up using her arm strength, an intense pain came from her waist. ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t move a single inch if I were you.¡± Anya turned her head toward the sudden voice. She didn¡¯t know since when, but a man wearing red armor was looking down at her. His figure was so huge that for a moment, she thought that she was seeing Barth Baltic. But she quickly realized that he was slightly smaller than Barth Baltic after she took a closer look at him. However, the fact that he was inhumanely big still remained unchanged. She couldn¡¯t see his face, since he was wearing a helmet. ¡°Who are you?¡± Anya asked. The man in red armor pointed toward a direction in silence. Upon looking at the direction he pointed to, Anya found some loosely built tents. They were so shabby that they didn¡¯t even have ceilings, and in the middle of them all was a flag flying wildly in the wind¡ªa flag with the symbol of a hand holding a bloody hammer. ¡°The Order of Surtr?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you abduct me while I was down?¡± ¡°The abduction was done by him, not me. He said that the least he could do is take you back with him, since fixing the Cainheryar we sent to Torra looks like it will be impossible now. But judging from your condition, it seems that it was something useless.¡± The man had pointed toward a knight who had bandages wrapped all around his head and under his nose. At the same time, the knight¡¯s bloodshot eyes were glaring at Anya with clear murderous intent. ¡°Cuare, go and sleep. Everyone was already aware that there was a chance that we might not be able to retrieve Iolin¡¯s Cainheryar, given that our opponent was not an easy one. You¡¯ve done good enough by catching one of the confidants of the fake emperor. His Holiness will help you make a new jaw when we return to Cabragh.¡± Instead of speaking, the man called Cuare simply answered using the military sign language. The man in red armor frowned and sighed like he was annoyed when he understood what Cuare was saying. ¡°Go and drink or something if you can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m sure you still have a throat left even if your jaw has fallen off.¡± But Cuare continued to use sign language discontentedly. The man in red armor slowly rose from his seat. Then, he punched Cuare, who was still fiercely complaining about something using sign language, in the abdomen. The man¡¯s punch was strong enough to throw Cuare¡¯s body into the air, despite the heavy armor being worn by Cuare being just as bulky as his heavy armor. Cuare¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he immediately fainted right away. Then, the man in red armor dragged him out with a calm manner and handed him over to the guards standing outside. The guards then dragged Cuare along as if they were already used to it. ¡°They¡¯re all very temperamental, so they never listen to me the first time I tell them something,¡± the man shrugged. Anya had never heard of Cuare¡¯s name before, but it was clear that he was also a knight from the Order of Surtr. She could only think of one person who was capable of acting so firm and overbearing toward the knights of the Order of Surtr. ¡°Dismas Dilver?¡± The man in red armor looked down at Anya in silence instead of answering. Meanwhile, she decided to stop trying to think and tried to condense her mana to use magic. But to her surprise, she couldn¡¯t condense any mana¡ªnone at all. She couldn¡¯t even condense as much mana as a speck of dust. Right as she was feeling perplexed, Dismas opened his mouth. ¡°Were you trying to use magic? It¡¯s going to be impossible at the moment. Your mana heart was ruined when your spine was broken. It will be hard for you to use magic like you used to even if His Holiness himself were to use his healing Grace on you. According to Cuare¡¯s report¡­ that was written rather than spoken, of course, I understand that you¡¯re quite a capable necromancer.¡± Dismas stopped speaking for a moment to make the sign of a cross on his chest¡ªhe only continued to speak after that. ¡°That is a type of profane magic. His Majesty buried Nigrato, as well as all the necromancers deep under the desert sand¡ªthat was until my evil brother went and pulled them out of their graves.¡± Anya gritted her teeth and picked up whatever she could grab at, throwing it at Dismas. Seeing this, Dismas didn¡¯t even bother to dodge, and the glass cup thrown by her broke against his armor. ¡°But now, you have lost your ability to use magic and your lower body is paralyzed. I¡¯m a man who can show kindness to a lost soul. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I promise that you will be able to plead with His Holiness to be granted forgiveness.¡± ¡°Well, all that sounds like nonsense. Will you cut off my neck if I refuse?¡± ¡°No,¡± Dismas shook his head resolutely before continuing. ¡°Burning in flames is the only way to cleanse a sinner who refuses the chance to repent. You¡¯ll be burned after being placed with rice straws soaked in oil. At that time, I will try my best to burn you for as long as I can; after all, the more painful it is, the more it will seem like you are reflecting on your sins. Some people say that it¡¯s not right to repent due to the fear of pain, but I think it¡¯s better to use any means necessary to get at even one more person to follow His Majesty and thus receive his protection. That especially applies to people like you, since you are still so young.¡± Dismas continued to speak as he kindly patted Anya¡¯s head. ¡°This place is quite close to the sun, so His Majesty will definitely pay attention to you. I¡¯ll help your ashes to rise as high as possible. You won¡¯t be able to be loyal to His Majesty while you are alive, but you will be able to serve him right by his side, since you will get to know the true meaning of who His Majesty is.¡± Anya opened her eyes wide upon hearing Dismas¡¯ words. But she soon smiled and opened her mouth to answer. ¡°I think so too.¡± *** ¡°The Loen Basin?¡± Hela asked. ¡°People usually consider Loen Basin to be the beginning of the Western territory,¡± Pavan answered. Looking at the map while riding a horse would cause him the worst motion sickness, but he was slowly getting used to it now. On the map was a red line that was temporarily drawn by Pavan. This line was the one that separated the capital from the western territory. At the same time as the Order of Huginn began their search for Anya, Pavan had quickly deployed the Imperial Army. The capital¡¯s Imperial Army had already noticed the movements in the West, since they had their eyes on Dismas. When Juan had stormed into Torra, the Western Army had formed a frontline between the west and the Capital¡ªa proper boundary between the Capital and the west was something that was made for the first time. While there was no armed conflict yet, this caused the awkward tension between the Capital and the west to continue. The headquarters of the Order of Surtr, which were found around the Loen Basin, was considered to be the entrance to the west. This was also where Anya was assumed to have been abducted to. Right now, Hela and Pavan were on their way to the Loen Basin. ¡°The soldiers from the search party passed by the Western Army a few times, but it is said that they neither attacked, nor threatened the search party. It seems like the soldiers feel quite awkward about raising their swords against each other, given that they had all been on the same side when facing the returned emperor up until just a few days ago. The public opinion will drop and the morale of the soldiers will start to fall if the battle starts as it is now,¡± Pavan said with a worried look. ¡°Are there any moves from the people of the Western Army to surrender?¡± ¡°I think some among the ordinary soldiers are willing to surrender, but none among the commanders are willing. They are the people that Dismas chose carefully based on their faithfulness after all.¡± ¡°Faithfulness, my ass.¡± Hela snorted and threw the map against Pavan¡¯s chest. ¡°It¡¯s quite ironic, don¡¯t you think? Pavan Peltere. Both you and I have no such thing as ¡®faith¡¯ between us.¡± ¡°But we both have our loyalty to His Majesty instead, master.¡± ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t be like this, Pavan. I know that you¡¯re not a man who is driven by loyalty.¡± Pavan could only give a perplexed smile. ¡°There are various forms of loyalty. But I am not the type to betray my allies. I only follow the ruler of the empire.¡± ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t consider enticing and taking dozens of your peers from the east to be a betrayal, huh?¡± Hela derided. ¡°East is called the land of treachery. Do you think it would have been possible for me to be successful and get ahead over there? I only grabbed the opportunity when it came by. I had no choice but to cut ties with the east in order to succeed. I¡¯ve already said this before, but I had no intention of hurting you, master. I would have shot you first when I ambushed your army if I really wanted to do that. ¡°No. Your intention must have been to capture me alive and bring me to Balth Baltic. You give too many excuses, Pavan. I have not yet forgotten that you were going to destroy me along with the warriors of Arbalde using Suvole.¡± ¡°About Suvole,¡± Pavan sighed and muttered. ¡°I did not send Suvole to you with such an intention, master. But I can¡¯t think of any more excuses anyway.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to give me any more excuses, Pavan. You have been a monster full of dirty lies and desire for power ever since you were young. You were also the best among my disciples as well. Back then, I was desperate, and thought that your characteristics would be beneficial to the east, but not anymore. I¡¯m both glad and worried to see you become the Captain of the Order of the Capital.¡± Pavan only gave a subtle smile instead of answering. ¡°As I said. I won¡¯t betray you.¡± ¡°More like you don¡¯t have a reason to betray me. You will continue to succeed as long as you stay loyal to His Majesty. Talent is talent and I acknowledge your capabilities. Come to think of it, I¡¯m genuinely curious. How far do you want to go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Pavan shrugged. ¡°My question is how far do I have to go to reach the end?¡± ¡°The farther you go, the longer and more terrible the fall will be. I¡¯d love to see your end, but unfortunately, the time I¡¯m allowed isn¡¯t that long. Anyway, I hope you can at least become a useful monster now that you are serving His Majesty, just like me.¡± When Pavan was about to nod and willingly say yes, Hela¡¯s fist struck his fist. This caused Pavan, someone who was beaten with steel gloves when he wasn¡¯t even wearing a helmet to protect him, to almost fall off his horse. Pavan glared at Hela as he stifled a nosebleed. ¡°I hope this resolved the old grudge between you and I, master.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°You piss me off even more because you didn¡¯t dodge that one on purpose.¡± The soldiers hastily approached them upon seeing the sudden scuffle between the commanders, but Pavan simply signaled to let them know that they did not need to intervene. The soldiers quickly stepped back. ¡°You didn¡¯t hesitate to punish me even when I was young, master. Have you ever thought it might be your fault that I went down the wrong path?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Hela scoffed and laughed at Pavan. ¡°I would have thrown you out of the wall of Beldeve into the sea a long time ago if I hadn¡¯t been so desperate to keep the east safe. Many of my disciples betrayed me, but you¡¯re the only one that I despise. We¡¯ll never make up for the rest of our lives. There simply isn¡¯t a reason for us to.¡± ¡°How ridiculous of you to assault your colleague at a time when something so important is about to happen. Is it okay for a commander to do such a thing based on your personal feelings?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Hela chuckled and strode forward as she left Pavan behind. ¡°But His Majesty instructed you to take responsibility for my safety. So you¡¯ll have no choice but to carry out your mission despite your personal feelings.¡± Half a day later, Hela and Pavan ran into the Order of Surtr. CH 199 Pavan could not hide his perplexed feeling when looking at the huge structure that surrounded the top of the Loen Basin in a circular form. Pavan used to come to the Loen Basin quite often, since it was a place Barth Baltic frequently visited when he wanted to think in silence. However, he had never seen such a structure before. Hela curiously looked at the structure built on the top of the basin. ¡°What the hell is that? Is that a castle? No, I think it¡¯s made of steel¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of a castle that¡¯s built out of steel before.¡± ¡°Me neither, master. There was no such thing here until just a few weeks ago. At the same time, it¡¯s not something that can be built in just a day or two, is it?¡± ¡°Then that can only mean one thing,¡± Hela said as she kicked her horse to ride faster. ¡°It must be Dismas messing with us using some kind of a trick.¡± Pavan was startled and quickly caught up with Hela as she suddenly rode ahead on her horse. He bit his lips; he was worried about her going so far from the other soldiers behind them. Despite his personal feelings about Hela, any chance of her dying or getting hurt had to be avoided at all costs. ¡°Slow down, master!¡± As Pavan rode his horse up the slope, he was able to see Hela wandering around the huge steel wall. She was looking around in amazement at the enormous size of the steel structure. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that it¡¯s perfectly built, but it¡¯s still pretty solid. Steel walls, huh? How did they even come up with such a reckless idea? And how did they even manage to bring it all the way up here?¡± ¡°Master, at least stay away from the walls. What if they shoot an arrow at you from the top?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There were no guards on the wall. I¡¯m here to negotiate with Dismas anyway¡ªthere¡¯s no need for me to enter while bringing a group of soldiers.¡± ¡°I alone am not able to take the responsibility for your safety, master.¡± ¡°Oh really? My plan was to do my best to put you in danger.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been very successful so far,¡± Pavan answered with a fed-up look. Hela walked along the steel wall and tapped it with the tip of her sword. Then she shook her head upon hearing the dull and heavy sound. ¡°They didn¡¯t just coat the castle wall with steel. The entire wall is made entirely with steel. I¡¯m curious as to how they were able to pull it all the way up here. And it¡¯s not just that there are no guards. There¡¯s one more thing that¡¯s missing, unlike any other ordinary fortress wall.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°The entrance.¡± As Hela said, the steel walls were lined up with steel plates that were about five meters wide and fifteen meters high¡ªbut the door was nowhere to be found. Hela and Pavan couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded, since they came all this way just to meet Dismas and negotiate with him. But Hela decided to think simply. She grabbed her sword and began to slam it against the wall while sitting on her horse. Clang! Clang! Clang! A loud clanging noise rang out, causing Pavan¡¯s ears to ring. ¡°Hey! Is anyone there? I¡¯m here to see Dismas Dilver!¡± Pavan felt utterly uncomfortable about making a fuss right in front of the enemy camp. But he knew that they had to try everything they could to meet Dismas, even if that meant having to make a fuss in front of the enemy camp. Still, instead of joining Hela in making a fuss, Pavan kept a close eye on the walls so that Hela wouldn¡¯t get shot by an arrow. It was at that moment. Hela and Pavan instantly stopped as they were upon seeing the steel wall suddenly tremble and shake for a brief moment. Then, the two steel plates right in front of Hela and Pavan slowly lifted up and slightly split on both sides. It was such a cramped space that only two people could pass through the gap. ¡°They want us to come in, right?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a trap, master. I feel like we will be crushed as soon as we enter.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go in first, so you risk your life to save me. Okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that it might just be easier to leave you here to die instead of working my ass off to try and save you; I can just ask His Majesty for forgiveness later.¡± Hela simply ignored Pavan and led the way in. Pavan gritted his teeth and followed her. Fortunately, the walls did not close down on them to crush the two. And it wasn¡¯t until they had fully entered that they realized what the steel wall looked like. Behind the wall stood huge giants that were supporting the steel wall. Pavan and Hela opened their mouths wide at the sight of twenty-meter-tall giants that were holding onto huge iron shields that were as big as their bodies in both hands and leaning against them. The wall was formed by the giants as they lined up and surrounded the basin. Hela recalled how the wall surrounding Torra was made of Golems. The wall built with the giants was definitely much more sloppy compared to the wall around Torra, but it was a realistic moving wall that could be used even by those who were not as powerful as the emperor. ¡°Those are giants that have been turned into slaves. It seems like they have been captured from beyond the western boundary,¡± Pavan muttered. As Pavan said, the giants were all wearing blindfolds, and had all sorts of strange devices embedded into their skin on their heads, spines, and limbs. While rare, there were some giants that weren¡¯t blindfolded, yet they already seemed to be out of their minds. Then Hela and Pavan saw people riding on the giant¡¯s back. When the people pulled on something tightly, the giants who had split apart to open the wall slowly closed it up once again. ¡°Do you think the Imperial Army would be able to break through this wall?¡± Hela asked. ¡°They might have been able to do it if this was a flat land, but it would be very difficult if it is this high up. But that¡¯s not even the real problem. Maintaining morale would be the main issue if such giants armed with steel shields decided to go wild. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to bring those Golems of Torra to fight against them rather than seeing the innocent Imperial Army suffer helplessly?¡± At that moment, the sounds of horse hooves were heard. A knight in red armor was riding a horse and approaching Hela and Pavan from inside the basin. Upon seeing the symbol of a hand holding a bloody hammer, they figured that he must be a knight of the Order of Surtr. The knight who soon stopped in front of Hela opened his helmet. ¡°Nice to meet you both. You are Duke Henna and Captain Pavan of the Order of the Capital, right? Doctrinal General Dismas awaits you.¡± *** ¡°Duke Henna. Long time no see.¡± As soon as Hela and Pavan entered the tent, a huge man in red armor spoke to them. His voice was deep and powerful. Hela couldn¡¯t recognize him because he was wearing a helmet, but she could tell based on Pavan¡¯s nervous expression that the man was Dismas Dilver. Yet, his greeting remained confusing and incomprehensible. ¡°Have we met before, General Dismas?¡± Hela asked. ¡°I would appreciate it if you would call me Doctrinal General. You may not remember it, since I was too young back then. I used to visit the east with my older brother back when dragons were still flying around in the sky.¡± Dismas slowly lifted up his helmet after he finished speaking. He was a man with short red hair who gave a warm and kind impression. He had such a gracious smile on his face that Hela could hardly believe he was an enemy that could start a war at any moment. Dismas rose from his seat and clenched Hela¡¯s hand. That¡¯s when Hela finally recalled him. However, it was difficult to think that the Dismas in her memory was the same man that was standing in front of her right now. ¡°You¡¯re that skinny and weak¡­ oh, excuse me. I mean¡­ you¡¯ve gotten a lot¡­ healthier than before,¡± Hela stuttered. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my efforts to try and keep His Majesty¡¯s grand ambition in my heart. I was allowed to have the power of a strong god, but I still need to have control over my own body to contain such a strong god¡¯s power inside me.¡± Although Hela and Dismas were both the commanders of the Imperial Army, it was difficult for them to meet each other, since they were both located at the eastern and western ends of the empire. Hela had heard through the rumors that Dismas had grown into a huge man, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to have become such a muscular macho man. Meanwhile, Dismas also greeted Pavan. ¡°Long time no see, Captain Pavan. Is the Regent doing well?¡± Pavan made a strange expression upon hearing Dismas¡¯ question. Pavan didn¡¯t witness Barth Baltic¡¯s final moments, but he had collected and stored the spear which had fatally wounded him. It was a spear with a clear symbol that belonged to the Order of Surtr. Pavan could not tell whether Dismas was simply pretending not to know or teasing him. Therefore he had no choice but to also give an ambiguous answer. ¡°Yes. Thanks to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. It¡¯s all thanks to His Majesty¡¯s grace.¡± Hela and Pavan glanced at each other; they predicted that negotiations would be much more difficult than they had thought. By all accounts, Dismas seemed to be completely out of his mind. Dismas smiled warmly as he shook Hela¡¯s hand, and then he suddenly got straight into the negotiations. ¡°I know why the two of you are here. It¡¯s because of that girl named Anya, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hela¡¯s eyes narrowed. She had been thinking about what Dismas might say to them for a long time. Not only had she expected him to unconditionally reject all negotiations or deny the fact that he had abducted Anya, but she had also devised a counter-argument and suggestions to make him agree to negotiate with him. But she hadn¡¯t expected him to be the one to bring up the issue first. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s a girl¡­ but it is true that she¡¯s still young. Doctrinal General Dismas, old people like us don¡¯t care when we die, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to give younger people more opportunities and show them mercy?¡± ¡°I know that you must have had a hard time coming all this way, but you seem to have come in vain.¡± ¡°What do you mean we have come in vain?¡± Hela asked. ¡°I already burned that girl named Anya yesterday. I sent her ashes to His Majesty.¡± A long silence filled the tent. Then, Pavan cleared his throat to break the dead silence. It was only after Hela heard his cough that she managed to come back to her senses. For the first time, she was grateful for Pavan¡¯s inhumane character. When Hela didn¡¯t open her mouth for a long time, Pavan decided to open his mouth first. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". ¡°Would it be possible for us to see her remains?¡± ¡°They have already turned into ashes, but sure. If that¡¯s okay with you.¡± Dismas nodded to the guard standing by the entrance. The guard soon left the tent and quickly came back with a small box. The small square box was filled with white ashes. Hela looked into the box that reeked of the smell of ash for a long time and then finally opened her mouth. ¡°Why did you burn her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Of course I had to burn her, since she refused to repent. Those who have been cleansed by flames will rise to the sun without any of their sins from the world. It is said that His Majesty¡¯s body remains on land, but his soul resides in the palace of the sun and he rules over both the surface and the underworld. Although she was a girl who had stained her soul by using profane magic, I¡¯m sure His Majesty would be generous enough to welcome her into his arms, since she was still so young,¡± Dismas answered. ¡°Did she suffer a lot from the pain?¡± ¡°The amount of pain becomes a measure of self-reflection. If the soul can be cleansed by the pain of the body, what is more valuable than that? The girl¡¯s screams were painful for us to hear, but we were relieved to think we were able to rescue even one more person¡¯s soul safely and send it to¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that she was screaming.¡± Hela cut Dismas¡¯ words off even before he could finish speaking. Dismas flinched and paused for a moment, but soon nodded. ¡°Yes. She did.¡± Then, Hela poured the contents of the box she was holding onto the floor without any hesitation as soon as she heard Dismas¡¯ answer. Just as Dismas¡¯ expression became stiff due to the white ash covering the inside of the tent, Pavan placed his hand over the handle of his sword in a nervous manner. ¡°As far as I know, Anya doesn¡¯t scream no matter how much pain she is suffering from.¡± Dismas looked down at the scattered ashes and soon became expressionless. The air in the tent froze in the face of Dismas¡¯ cold expression, almost as if his kind and warm smile from earlier had all been a lie. Dismas bent down and picked up a handful of the ash. ¡°That I can confirm.¡± ¡°...Why did you tell us such a lie?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Because I wanted to see you, the fake emperor¡¯s dogs, be surprised. That frozen look on both of your faces just now was quite a sight.¡± Dismas¡¯ tone that suddenly became arrogant as if he no longer felt the need to pretend to be nice made him seem like a completely different person from before. Based on this, Hela judged that Dismas had to have a very elusive character. The negotiations had begun. ¡°Is Anya still alive?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t think there''s any reason for me to give her back to you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even listen to any of my suggestions yet.¡± ¡°The fake emperor insulted my father, His Majesty, and His Holiness. If he really wants to make a suggestion that suits my taste, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else he can offer me other than his own head. Of course, the rest of his subordinates better make a run for it after that.¡± ¡®Us offering to keep you alive might be the most attractive suggestion we have.¡¯ Hela thought to herself. But instead of saying useless things, she decided to persuade Dismas. ¡°Anya isn¡¯t a useful hostage. She¡¯s simply not worth it. I¡¯m sure you already know this, but I heard that Anya has lost her abilities as a necromancer. She¡¯s just an ordinary person now.¡± Hela had already heard from Juan that Umbra had been destroyed and that Anya had lost most of her necromancy. Furthermore, Hela also knew that Anya was severely injured from her fight against Iolin. Dismas didn¡¯t seem to care about what Hela had said, but he was listening quietly in silence. Hela sighed and made a suggestion. ¡°I will suggest a better hostage to you that is worth a lot more than that. I will be your hostage instead of Anya.¡± CH 200 Pavan¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at Hela. Hela¡¯s suggestion wasn¡¯t something that had been discussed with Pavan, and he didn¡¯t know what to do in this situation, since he had been tasked with protecting Hela. Meanwhile, Dismas twisted his lips in a sneer. ¡°What a ridiculous suggestion. A worthy hostage, you say? Why would I give up the young Captain of the Order of Huginn for a handicapped senior like you?¡± ¡°The Order of Huginn¡¯s fame is all in the past. Their legendary knights are all dead, with Dilmond being the last one to have died. The only ability that they had left was their Captain¡¯s necromancy, but Anya doesn¡¯t even have that anymore. It¡¯s a waste to call her the Captain of the Order of Huginn,¡± Hela said. She thumped her chest. ¡°On the other hand, I created my own value regardless of my ability to use magic or swords to begin with. I am the ruler of the East by myself, am a Duchess, and now hold the core power of Torra. As you know, the East has no successors. So the capital giving up on me is no different from them giving up on the East.¡± Hela¡¯s story was convincing enough to intrigue even Pavan. It was quite a famous story that there was no successor in the East. In fact, the East had suffered from great confusion and chaos due to the absence of a successor when Hela was assumed dead for a while. It was certainly guaranteed that the people in the east would be quite shaken if Hela was known to have been taken as hostage. However, there was no change in Dismas¡¯ expression. ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that political bullshit. All that matters to me is that I have to be loyal to His Majesty.¡± ¡°His Majesty would have gladly agreed to my suggestion if he could occupy the entire east without shedding a single drop of blood.¡± ¡°Having you does not mean that I will have the East. Besides, I am not His Majesty. I just follow his will, that¡¯s all. It is my duty to preach his will, teach people of his will, and cleanse those who do not accept it. So tell me. Why shouldn¡¯t I burn Anya, you, and this Captain of the Order of the Capital?¡± Pavan felt the strong urge to ask Dismas if he was really planning to kill the envoys sent from the Capital, but he barely managed to hold himself back. After all, it was Hela who was sitting at the negotiating table. It was not Pavan¡¯s place to step up. But Hela seemed to focus on the other part of Dismas¡¯ words. Given that he had also mentioned Anya, she certainly seemed to be alive. Hela sighed. ¡°You would have already burned us all as soon as we arrived if you were really intent on killing us. I have nothing more to offer you other than this. But I think this is an attractive enough suggestion already. I would have offered you the Captain of the Order of the Capital as a hostage as well if I could, but¡­¡± Hela shrugged. Pavan looked at Hela with a shocked expression, but Hela didn¡¯t even spare him a single glance. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t agree with me because not only does he never listen to me, but he is also a terribly selfish human being. Besides, we already have a lot of things we need to get back from you, Doctrinal General Dismas. I¡¯m afraid you will start to doubt us if we offer you too much. Let¡¯s call this a nice start, shall we?¡± Pavan grew nervous upon seeing Hela''s arrogant attitude, while Dismas smiled as if he was interested. His face which had been expressionless like a frozen mask suddenly turned into a kind and warm face just like when he first met Hela and Pavan. ¡°Duke Henna, you never fail to impress me. I must say I am quite amazed at your guts to be able to put yourself up as a bet,¡± Dismas approached Hela again and shook her hand. ¡°To be honest, we were also thinking of sending back Miss Anya for humanitarian purposes. She was quite a pain to deal with. But it would be rude of me to turn down your offer. Please, do stay with us and provide a bridgehead for negotiations with those who are currently illegally occupying Torra.¡± Dismas and Juan could never tolerate each other in the first place. Being a faithful believer of the Church, Dismas couldn¡¯t forgive Juan who had ¡®illegally¡¯ occupied Torra and expelled the Pope. Meanwhile, Juan had many things he had to get back from Dismas including his original body as well as the Pope. Hela wondered if it would be meaningful to serve as a bridgehead for negotiations at a time when both sides had no choice but to fight unless they suddenly made up, yet she was relieved that Dismas had accepted the negotiations for now. ¡°Then can I see Miss Anya please?¡± Hela asked ¡°Yes, of course. Please follow me,¡± Dismas answered. Hela tried to follow Dismas, but Pavan suddenly grabbed her by the hem of her sleeve. ¡°What the heck are you doing, master? You should have let me know in advance if you had a plan like this.¡± ¡°A plan, my ass. Even His Majesty doesn¡¯t know about this.¡± ¡°Then what is it? You could be burned to ashes at any time if you stay around Dismas. I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that the Captain of the Order of Huginn was burned earlier. Rather, I was surprised to hear that she is still alive.¡± A terrible rumor about the west had spread throughout the Capital. The atmosphere of Torra which was dominated by the Church was considered rather secular compared to the west. This was also due to the influence of the House of Peers and Barth Baltic. But in the west where there were no such checks from different forces, stories related to flames, ashes, and chains were heard quite often. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d be afraid of being burned to death at my age? Save the maiden and sacrifice the old lady¡ªthat¡¯s good enough trade in my opinion.¡± ¡°Maybe for you, but I have to send you back safely to be acknowledged by His Majesty. You can¡¯t just recklessly make decisions on your own and¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s even better. I will be able to damage your career.¡± ¡°Master, please¡­¡± Pavan sighed and shook his head. Then, he suddenly asked a question as if something had inadvertently come to his mind. ¡°Come to think of it, how did you know that the Captain of the Order of Huginn doesn¡¯t scream no matter what?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just threw a bait and Dismas took it. I didn¡¯t have much to lose since the ashes can simply be gathered up again,¡± Hela shrugged. Pavan was left speechless. At that moment, Dismas¡¯ voice was heard. ¡°Duke Henna and Captain Pavan, we are here.¡± The place that Dismas led Hela and Pavan to was an unusually large tent. *** A vile smell burst out when the door of the tent was opened. It was a smell that both Hela and Pavan were familiar with¡ªit was the smell of rotting corpses and blood. The two flinched and got nervous. ¡®They have kept Anya in a place like this?¡¯ Hela glared at Dismas. ¡°Please go on in. Don¡¯t worry, none of the people in there are dead.¡± Pavan grabbed Hela by the arm, but Hela shook off his hand and entered the tent. Dismas and Pavan followed right behind her. The inside of the tent was so dark that it took some time for their eyes to get used to the darkness. As their eyes slowly got used to the darkness, the red flesh and blood that was scattered everywhere began to fill their sight. Hela covered her nose with her sleeves and hastily looked around. In the middle of the pieces of flesh was Anya, who was tied to a pillar. Hela was about to rush toward Anya, but was once again stopped by Pavan. ¡°Master, please move with caution. We don¡¯t even know what these are.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t careful enough. Of course my life is more important than yours. Pavan, you take the lead.¡± ¡°Master, please.¡± Pavan was forcibly pushed by Hela to approach Anya first. Meanwhile, Anya was helplessly tied to the pillar, almost as if she had lost consciousness. While Hela was taking a closer look at her to examine her condition, Pavan glared at Dismas to check whether he was planning something behind their backs. However, Dismas didn¡¯t do anything other than standing far behind to watch them. Meanwhile, on Anya¡¯s back, they found clear wounds and scars caused by whipping. It was a clear sign of harsh torture. At that moment, Dismas suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Oh, by the way. There¡¯s one thing I forgot to tell you.¡± Hela and Pavan turned their heads toward Dismas. ¡°What we are doing is making something that I like to call a ¡®Cainheryar.¡¯ It¡¯s nothing too special; its purpose is to bring the fake divine beings back to life and control them using the power of His Majesty. The gods used to enslave us humans, but now we get to be the ones to enslave the gods.¡± Hela knew what Dismas was talking about, since she had heard about Iolin¡¯s resurrection. However, she couldn¡¯t understand why he suddenly brought up that matter in the midst of their conversation. ¡°That woman in front of you ended up destroying Iolin¡¯s Cainheryar. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t even have a chance to fix it. At the same time, she lost her necromancy and became nothing more than an ordinary human in return. So, I had originally thought about burning her in flames of repentance, but then I happened to find a unique potential from her while trying to urge her to repent,¡± Dismas said with a benevolent smile. ¡°That woman has the potential to become Nigrato¡¯s Cainheryar.¡± After he finished speaking, Dismas immediately pulled the device that was hanging down on one side of the tent. The ceiling of the tent suddenly split in all directions, and the gloomy light of the cloudy sky poured in to brighten the surroundings. For a moment, Pavan saw a fierce light. He hurriedly pulled Hela off of Anya. ¡°Master! Stay away from her!¡± Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. ¡°What the hell are you doing, you bastard!¡± Hela punched Pavan in his nose. Blood spurted out of Pavan¡¯s nose once again, but he did not let go of Hela. ¡°It¡¯s a trap, master! That asshole has no intention of sending Anya back!¡± ¡°I know that!¡± Instead of persuading Pavan, Hela reached out her hand and drew a sword from the sheath on his waist. Seeing this, Pavan freaked out and let go of Hela, and Hela did not miss her chance. She immediately ran straight to Anya as soon as she drew out the sword, while Dismas smirked at the sight. ¡°There is a high possibility of failure, since her body isn¡¯t completely divine, but a possibility is still a possibility. A Cainheryar of the god of death is definitely worth trying for, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Anya, who was still tied to the pillar, began to tremble after the sunlight hit her body. The color of the meat that was scattered everywhere quickly changed as it all began to dry up at the same time as Anya started trembling. At the same time, Hela took Pavan''s sword and hurriedly rushed toward Anya to cut off the rope tying her to the pillar. Seeing this, Pavan bit his lips at the sight and took something out of his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll take it that the negotiations have failed, master!¡± His hand reached out and aimed for the sky as he tightly held some kind of a stick. Hela could not understand his actions nor did she know the identity of the stick. ¡®Is it supposed to symbolize a white flag or something?¡¯ At that moment, flames soared into the sky, piercing through the clouds and soon spread out in the sky. Dismas looked at the sky in curiosity, but soon became expressionless. ¡°A signal flare?¡± A small dragon began to descend through the clouds. ¡°Your Grace!¡± Horhell and Orca were approaching Hela and Pavan at a rapid pace. Although Orca was a dragon, Dismas laughed upon seeing its small size; it almost looked as if it had just hatched yesterday. ¡°Duke Henna. That dragon is way too small compared to the ones I saw in Beldeve back in the day. If you thought that a dragon could act as your plan B, you are too¡­¡± However, at that moment, the air throughout the basin was being swept away. The tents on the basin were immediately blown away and scattered as if they were simply dust. The shock was so great that even Dismas staggered on his feet. His face hardened once again as he turned his head toward the sky. The shockwave that destroyed the tents had also scattered the dark clouds in the sky. However, the clear sky was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a huge dragon that was hundreds of meters long and seemed to cover the entire basin was hovering in the air. It was Entalucia. *** [I have come hither only to protect Orca. I have vowed not to intervene or release I¡¯s flames, whether the opponent be a giant or a human, so thou shouldst handle the rest.] ¡°I know, I know,¡± Juan calmly replied. Dragons had vowed not to intervene directly in the wars between humans, and Juan also remembered hearing about such a vow. Meanwhile, Juan¡¯s eyes turned to Haild, who nodded upon receiving his signal. Juan quickly jumped into the air. Flames appeared around his rapidly descending body, and Juan¡¯s body fell into the center of the Loen Basin like a falling meteor. A huge dust cloud rose as he fell, but the fierce heat soaring up from the middle caused the dust cloud to burn even before it could rise up to the sky. Dismas silently stared at Juan who was approaching him while covered in flames. ¡°I apologize for messing up the negotiation table like this. But¡­¡± Juan opened his mouth first. ¡°I assume that you don¡¯t have much to be upset about, since you also used the negotiation table as a trap, right?¡± CH 201 Entalucia roared once again. The sudden shockwave caused a commotion as the soldiers fell to the ground and the tents collapsed. When the tents collapsed and smoke started rising as if they had been caught on fire, the giant slaves that made up the walls also became agitated. The giant metallic wall shook like a wave as the giants who made up the walls grew more and more agitated. Despite all this fuss, Dismas looked at the man who was wrapped in flames and approaching him while remaining silent. The short dry grass started burning and smoke rose every time Juan took a step forward. However, he continued to approach Dismas slowly as if he didn¡¯t care the slightest bit about the surroundings being destroyed. Dismas had seen such a being before. His lips were trembling, but he was smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve fought countless times against false beings like you.¡± Dismas slowly pulled out the huge two-handed hammer he had been carrying on his back. The head of the battle hammer alone was as long as the length of his arm. Strangely enough, the head of the hammer was already dripping blood, even though the battle had not even begun yet. ¡°I chased and killed those who were expelled from the empire by my father, as well as those who fled beyond the boundary. I held a ritual with their blood and bones everyday¡ªthat was almost my daily routine. I¡¯m used to delusions and lies.¡± A red and bloody trajectory remained in the air when Dismas swung his hammer around. The speed at which it was swung was neither fast nor slow, but the appearance of the space being distorted in its wake gave off an ominous feeling¡ªit gave off the feeling that recklessly approaching the hammer would get anyone killed. Juan realized that the hammer that Dismas was holding was a weapon that Juan had made with his own hands. But it was strange. When Juan had made the hammer for Dismas, it was not a weapon that dripped blood on its own or caused such a strange delusion. ¡°You are the worst out of all those bastards!¡± Dismas stormed toward Juan with a loud roar. At the same time, the heavy head of the hammer flew straight toward Juan. Meanwhile, Juan grabbed at the hammer head with the intention of completely crushing it. However, he was momentarily lifted into the air by it. Juan hastily jumped with surprised eyes, then quickly flipped over to land on the ground. At the same time, Dismas was looking at Juan with surprised eyes. ¡°Who are you? It¡¯s not possible to simply flip over like a feather and¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is that hammer? That¡­¡± Juan had many questions he wanted to ask, but he chose to close his mouth. The moment Juan grabbed Dismas¡¯ hammer, he felt as if he had grabbed the entire mountain range. There was a huge amount of mass condensed in the hammer, to the extent that the surrounding space was being distorted by it. Speed was no longer important when that kind of weight could be wielded. The hammer was something that was smelted by Juan himself. But back then, the hammer had been simply a heavy and hard hammer, and it had no such ability. Juan could only guess that a lot of black magic and sinister energy must have been absorbed by the hammer throughout Dismas¡¯ life. Dismas also seemed to be perplexed, since most of the enemies he encountered so far were helplessly smashed in the face of his hammer. But Juan actually grabbed the hammer and then threw himself into the air to dodge, thanks to the acceleration and shock provided by the hammer. ¡®...This battle won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Dismas was definitely strong; he had not even exerted half of his strength yet. The truly dangerous ability that Dismas possessed was Spirit Calling. Juan had never been too worried about Dismas having such an ability, since he believed in Dismas¡¯ kind nature, but it would certainly prove to be a fatal ability if Dismas ever became his enemy. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Juan took a glance in the direction where Anya and Hela were. The situation over there was turning dire. Yet Dismas was much too dangerous of an opponent to leave him unattended to go and help Hela. Juan sighed. ¡°I had really hoped that we would be able to solve the issue through a conversation, son.¡± Juan drew out Sutra from his waist. Sutra began to burn slowly but fiercely upon being touched by the sunlight. ¡°Yet I have no choice but to admit that sometimes it is necessary to punish my children and teach them a lesson.¡± *** Hela clenched her teeth as she saw the chunks of meat sticking to Anya¡¯s feet. Meanwhile, Anya groaned painfully every time Hela used the sword to cut out a chunk of flesh that was getting stuck to her skin. But the speed of the flesh sticking to Anya exceeded the speed of Hela cutting them out, making it impossible to completely separate Anya from the pieces of flesh. The pieces of flesh were even starting to stick to Hela as well. ¡°Damn it. What the hell are these stinky chunks of flesh?¡± Hela didn¡¯t know much about magic, but she could tell that these chunks of flesh were serving as a powerful medium for black magic. The pieces of meat stuck to Anya dried up rapidly, and she slowly started emitting cold energy while seizing. Then, Anya suddenly grabbed Hela by the neck. ¡°Keuk!¡± Hela groaned. ¡°Who dares to awaken death!¡± ¡°Shut up and go back to sleep, you asshole!¡± Hela didn¡¯t hesitate to slap Anya¡¯s head with the handle of the sword. Anya grabbed her head as if she was in pain, but roared at Hela once again. This time, Hela struck Anya¡¯s head with her fist while wearing an iron glove. Only then did Anya become quiet, losing consciousness. It became much easier to pull her out of the chunks of flesh when Anya had completely stopped moving. However, cutting out pieces of meat stuck to Anya with only one hand was still a very difficult task. ¡°Pavan! Come and help me!¡± Meanwhile, Pavan was fighting against three of the knights from the Order of Surtr who had rushed toward them. Although Pavan was at the top of the empire in terms of his swordsmanship, the skills of the knights of Surtr were also quite formidable. Pavan gritted his teeth; he was using a random butcher knife that was rolling around on the ground as his weapon instead of his own sword. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you teach me a technique to beat three people at once in just an instant! Can you at least give me back my sword?¡± ¡°Hurry up! Cut off their necks and get your ass over here!¡± Pavan let out quite a few curses in his mind upon hearing Hela¡¯s outcry, but then he raised the butcher knife and charged toward the nearest knight from the Order of Surtr. The knight tried to block with all his might, but Pavan¡¯s attack easily penetrated his armor and his throat. The knight grabbed his throat to stop the blood flowing out through the armor, but Pavan pushed him toward the other two knights. The remaining knights tried to fight back while dodging their colleague who was falling toward them, but Pavan was already gone by the time they pushed their falling colleague away. Then a cracking sound came from under their chins¡ªthe knights never got the chance to understand why their headless bodies were collapsing to the ground. Pavan exhaled a rough breath and fell to his knees. He hurriedly threw off his armor which had become too hot and cooled off his burned hands by rubbing them against the ground. Pavan was able to use Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword, in the short moment he created when he killed the first enemy. But performing the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword even for just a short moment made him feel like he had almost died. ¡®I thought I would never perform the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword in a real battle because I knew just how dangerous a skill it was.¡¯ Pavan had also never thought that he would be fighting with a butcher knife due to Hela¡¯s urging him on. The knights from the Order of Surtr were definitely powerful opponents, but there were only three of them. If Pavan had a proper weapon and some more time, he could have killed them all within a short time. Pavan clicked his tongue in annoyance; he thought it was a waste to use Fleeting Moment against them. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and come over here if you¡¯ve killed them all!¡± ¡°Ugh, damn it. Yes, master!¡± Pavan staggered toward Hela with a pale expression. ¡®I thought I had barely escaped from that witch when I left the East, but I¡¯m once again in hell at this age.¡¯ Pavan quickly ran over to Hela in order to examine Anya¡¯s unusual condition. Hela had already left many wounds on Anya as she tried to remove the pieces of meat clinging to her skin. This was inevitable, since the meat did not simply stick to Anya¡¯s skin but it dried up and completely melted into her skin, almost as if it was a part of her to begin with. ¡°What even is this?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°Do you think I told you to come over here to teach you what these things are? I¡¯ll continue to cut out these pieces of meat, so you take care of Anya.¡± Pavan obediently followed Hela¡¯s orders. ¡®We need to get out of this mess as soon as possible to make sure that she doesn¡¯t do anything reckless like suicide.¡¯ At the same time, Pavan vowed that he would refuse duties related to Hela as much as possible in the future, even if they were ordered by His Majesty. Pavan handed Hela the butcher knife to make her work a little easier. ¡°Where did you get this from?¡± Hela asked. ¡°Do you think I brought it here to teach you where I got it from, master? Just do what you need to do as quickly as you can, please,¡± Pavan answered. Hela looked at Pavan as she contemplated whether she should wield the butcher knife in her hand toward him. Meanwhile, Pavan quietly lowered his head and looked away; he had a feeling that she might actually attack him if he didn¡¯t shut up. Anyway, the butcher knight brought by Pavan was a lot more suitable for removing the pieces of meat compared to Pavan¡¯s sword. Hela quickly dismantled the pieces of meat and then she and Pavan began to drag Anya out. As soon as Hela thought that she had finally gotten away from the pieces of meat, Anya stopped, almost as if hanging in the air. Then, she opened her eyes and started to undergo a seizure at the same time. This time, Anya was screaming so loudly, it almost looked like she wanted to tear Hela and Pavan¡¯s ears off. Hela raised her hand, which was covered by an iron glove with surprised eyes, but Pavan hastily stopped her. ¡°Oh my goodness. What the hack are you doing, master!¡± ¡°She shut up when I punched her earlier.¡± ¡°You do realize that I was able to endure your punches because, well, I¡¯m me. But she¡¯s different. She has lost her special abilities now, right? Ordinary people can¡¯t endure being smacked by your iron fist! You might actually end up killing her!¡± ¡°I know how hard I have to hit ordinary people to not kill them, idiot. But it certainly doesn¡¯t seem to be a matter of making her faint.¡± Pavan looked back at Anya and agreed with Hela¡¯s words. At the same time as Anya was convulsing, something that looked like black fog was flowing out of her eyes and nose. Pavan stepped back without even realizing it; he could smell the cold scent of death. On the other hand, Hela began to scrutinize Anya. There was a high possibility that there was something else other than the pieces of meat that were causing the black magic to continue affecting Anya. Hela soon found a big wound on Anya¡¯s back, with a few words painted in red. The red phrase was constantly increasing in size as more and more letters appeared even as Hela was looking at it. Hela sensed that the letters had come from the pieces of meat she had been removing from Anya earlier. ¡°This is the problem.¡± ¡°What do we do, master? Should we just cut them out?¡± Hela didn¡¯t think the problem would be resolved by simply cutting out the painted phrase. However, they didn¡¯t have any time to think¡ªAnya¡¯s condition was rapidly deteriorating. Hela gritted her teeth and cut out the flesh around the red phrase on Anya¡¯s back. Soon, a part of Anya¡¯s skin fell off to the ground along with a wet sound. However, the letters began to be engraved in the air after the flesh fell off of Anya¡¯s back. The letters then extended and stretched out toward Anya and continued to carve something on her skin. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a physical substance but has something to do with black magic¡­¡± ¡°Stop muttering nonsense to yourself and think of something!¡± Hela grabbed the sliced off flesh and tried to take it far away from Anya, but it was useless. At that moment, Hela felt a sudden tingling pain in her hand. A phrase was also starting to be engraved on Hela¡¯s hand which was holding the piece of flesh. ¡°How about we try setting it on fire? We might have a chance with His Majesty¡¯s fire,¡± Pavan suggested. Hela took a glance at Juan and Dismas. However, it seemed that Juan didn¡¯t have any time to spare either. *** Sparks sprang up every time Sutra met with Dismas¡¯ hammer. Juan frowned at the unease he felt every time he clashed with the hammer. The bleeding hammer was not only heavy, but was also filled with an enormous amount of curses and a deep-seated grudge. To make it worse, it was no ordinary grudge¡ªit was a grudge against the emperor. ¡°This is the first time my hammer has become so excited!¡± Dismas shouted as if he was having fun while wildly swinging his hammer. Sutra¡¯s flames gradually weakened and flickered little by little every time it was hit by the bleeding hammer. ¡°Dismas, just how many people have you killed in the name of the emperor with that hammer?¡± Juan growled. ¡°Why would I count such useless things? I chased and killed the gods that His Majesty could not kill, and I also punished the humble beings who weren¡¯t worthy of repentance using this hammer. There is no prayer as sweet as their curses and screams.¡± The Dragon Lord had created a magical armor with a grudge against Juan, but the bleeding hammer held by Dismas was simply a cursed weapon that was made naturally. It was not strange to say that it was a weapon made entirely with blood. And ironically, such a weapon exerted its greatest power against the emperor. Juan felt increasingly compelled to take a bold course of action. *** ¡°His Majesty cannot afford to come and help us at the moment,¡± Hela said to Pavan. The sudden appearance of the emperor was enough to surprise the Order of Surtr¡¯s camp, but that did not mean the situation was settled. Horhell and Haild were struggling somewhere and were certainly outnumbered as well. Meanwhile, Anya¡¯s condition was getting worse and worse over time. While the simmering darkness and the force of death was crawling deep into her heart, Anya¡¯s condition was rapidly deteriorating as well. It was unknown whether or not her body would be able to sustain such power. Although Nigrato was the god of death, it was clear that he would also fail to revive if his host ended up dying. If Anya somehow managed to hold out and really ended up becoming a Cainheryar, that would also be a terrible ending. It was not a matter of success or failure anymore. Someone had to stop this black magic right now. Hela bit her lips as she stared at the red letters carved onto the back of her hand. ¡°Alright. So you need at least one sacrificial offering, huh?¡± Hela muttered briefly and then threw Anya¡¯s flesh into her own mouth. CH 202 As soon as Pavan saw Hela trying to swallow Anya¡¯s flesh, he rushed toward her with a shocked expression, but the flesh had already been swallowed by Hela by the time he managed to get to her. ¡°Oh my goodness, you crazy grandma!¡± ¡°Watch your manners, punk.¡± Hela was planning to force herself to vomit the flesh if Anya¡¯s condition remained unchanged despite her swallowing that piece of flesh. Hela swung her fist at Pavan, but missed miserably as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Pieces of flesh and blood clots instantly poured out of Hela¡¯s mouth and her nose. Hela felt dizzy and felt as if a herd of ants were crawling all over her. ¡°Why the fuck would you swallow that!¡± The sound of Pavan shouting at her buzzed and rang in her head. Hela felt like she was going to lose consciousness at any moment, but examined Anya¡¯s condition one last time. It was unknown as to whether it was because Hela had swallowed those red letters or not, but Anya certainly seemed to be much more comfortable than before. Anya¡¯s seizures had died down and the black fog was no longer being emitted from her body. Above all, the red letters had not only stopped increasing, but they even began to shrink one by one. Hela didn¡¯t know what this meant but figured that it must be a positive sign. ¡°Keuk!¡± However at the same time, Hela clutched her stomach in pain and collapsed to the ground. Hela recalled Dismas telling her that Anya would turn into a Cainheryar of Nigrato, since she once accepted Nigrato¡¯s essence into her body. ¡®But what would happen to me?¡¯ Hela had never once believed in or accepted any god even until this time. If the red letters she swallowed were a medium that triggered one¡¯s transformation into a Cinaheryar, she could not know what she would turn into¡ªalthough Dismas¡¯ other words did come to her mind. ¡®I would probably turn into a failure like the one he had mentioned.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t tell what she would look like or what pain she would go through once she turned into the failure that was mentioned by Dismas. So, Hela thought that she had to finish her work before she lost consciousness due to the pain or something even worse happened to her. Hela grabbed Pavan by his collar as soon as she came to such a conclusion. ¡°Take¡­ Anya¡­ now!¡± ¡°Master, now is not the time to worry about that girl. You need to¡­¡± ¡°Listen to me when I speak, you punk!¡± Hela held Pavan by the collar and slammed her head into his head. Pavan clasped his forehead and looked at Hela with frustrated eyes. For a moment, Pavan felt like he had returned to the time when he was five years old¡ªthe time when Hela picked him up on the battlefield. Pavan gritted his teeth as he knew that he couldn¡¯t choose to not obey her. Pavan hastily rushed toward Anya, but did not forget to leave some words for Hela at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can, so don¡¯t die until I come back!¡± Pavan immediately dragged Anya out of the tent. Meanwhile, Hela grinned at the sight. ¡°That bastard hasn¡¯t changed a bit. He always tries to have the last word every single time¡­¡± Then came a burst of intense pain. Hela didn¡¯t know how long she would be able to hold out. She tried her best to hold onto her consciousness, but she had a feeling that she would not be able to last long. At that moment, the pieces of meat still scattered everywhere on the ground came into Hela¡¯s sight as she realized that she had not yet figured out their identity. She knew that those pieces of meat were serving as a medium to catalyze one¡¯s transformation into a Cainheryar, but Anya seemed relatively more stable when she was in contact with those pieces of meat. Hela came to the conclusion that it would be better to find out what Dismas was up to rather than simply dying of pain. She slowly crawled toward the pieces of meat and bit off the metal glove on her hand with her teeth. Then she slowly used her bare hand to touch the piece of meat. In that moment, an overwhelming number of hallucinations flooded her brain. *** Pavan managed to take Anya out of the tent. There was no power holding her back anymore, but she was still in quite a dangerous state. The dragon was still hovering in the sky, yet Pavan didn¡¯t know where he could take her to keep her safe. It would only be a matter of time before they once again fell into danger if they ended up being surrounded by the knights from the Order of Surtr. Pavan was growing more and more anxious. ¡°Damn it! Hey! Anyone! Is there no one here who serves the real emperor?¡± Pavan shouted, thinking that he would kill any enemies that approached him or leave Anya to the allies that approached him. When Pavan shouted once again, someone wearing red armor charged toward him from beyond the smoke. Seeing this, Pavan clicked his tongue and prepared to place Anya down on the floor for the upcoming battle. But the area behind the knight from the Order of Surtr suddenly brightened for a moment and then a fierce fire engulfed him in the blink of an eye. Pavan flinched in the heat as he saw the knight from the Order of Surtr instantly bursting into flames and collapsing to the ground into a ball of black ash. ¡°Pavan? Is that you?¡± It was Horhell and his dragon that approached Pavan as soon as the flames died down. Of course, Pavan who had been taught not only by Hela, but also Horhell did not get along well with him. In fact, their relationship couldn¡¯t be defined as being simply ¡®bad.¡¯ There was once a time when Pavan chained the ankle of Horhell¡¯s dragon and left a hole in Horhell¡¯s side to make him suffer. It wouldn¡¯t be so strange if Horhell came to kill Pavan one day. ¡°Is that Anya with you?¡± But instead of attacking Pavan, Horhell asked as he scattered the blood of the knight from the Order of Surtr from his sword. Fortunately, Horhell didn¡¯t seem to have any ill feelings toward Pavan for now. At the same time, Horhell quickly saw through Pavan¡¯s thoughts. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about what you did to me later. Let¡¯s just focus on what we have to do now,¡± Horhell said. ¡°I seem to have a tense relationship with all of you for some reason,¡± Pavan replied with a sigh. ¡°Well, you brought that on yourself.¡± Pavan handed Anya over to Horhell, who carefully placed her on Orca¡¯s back. Then Horhell found Pavan immediately turning around and running. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To rescue master!¡± Pavan ran forward before listening to Horhell¡¯s answer, hoping that he wasn¡¯t too late. He passed through the tents in an instant and found a knight of the Order of Surtr on his way. But before the knight from the Order of Surtr could even see him, Pavan had already drawn his sword to cut the knight¡¯s arms. The reason why Pavan did not cut his fatal area was not for humanitarian reasons. Rather, it was the other way around. Pavan smacked him on the back of his head to knock him out, and then dragged him into the tent where they found Anya earlier. Pavan, who rushed into the tent, grew perplexed when he couldn¡¯t find Hela anywhere. But he was soon able to find Hela near the pillar where Anya had been tied. Pavan¡¯s face brightened upon finding her, but soon hardened when he noticed that Hela was trembling, with her hands touching the pieces of meat. ¡°Master!¡± Pavan roared as he threw the knight from the Order of Surtr he had dragged to the ground and ran toward Hela. He tried to remove the pieces of flesh attached to her with his sword just like she did for Anya earlier, but he flinched as soon as he brought his sword near Hela. Hela¡¯s only hand was already buried in the pieces of meat all the way up to her elbow. Meanwhile, Hela was whispering something with her eyes rolled backward. ¡°Master! Come to your senses!¡± Pavan grabbed Hela and shook her to try and wake her up, but there was no response. Pavan bit his lips tightly. He held his sword perpendicular to Hela¡¯s arm, then he instantly thrust it with all his might. ¡°Keugh!¡± Blood burst out and Hela¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of her head. Pavan broke into a cold sweat, but didn¡¯t hesitate to cut the pieces of meat to try and save Hela¡¯s arm; however, he couldn¡¯t find the hand inside the pieces of flesh at all¡ªthe flesh and muscles had already been tangled up with the pieces of meat. Then Pavan heard Hela whispering with difficulty. ¡°Pavan.¡± ¡°Did you walk all the way here by yourself, master? Why do you keep trying to kill yourself like this? If you wanted to screw me up so bad, why didn¡¯t you just feed me the chunk of meat instead of eating it yourself?¡± ¡°What are you talking about, you bastard¡­ it¡¯s not suicide, but it¡¯s called efficiency. More than that¡­ you need to tell HIs Majesty about the identity of these pieces of meat. This is¡­¡± ¡°You should make that report yourself, master! The only duty I was given was to protect you!¡± Hela¡¯s expression became distorted. ¡°You never listen at once, do you?¡± Pavan was forced to make a difficult choice, since it was impossible to separate the pieces of meat from Hela without harming her. Finally, Pavan held the sword perpendicular to the remainder of Hela¡¯s arm and asked. ¡°Master. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience, but it seems like I will have to cut off the rest of your arm as well. But it¡¯s not your first time, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to hold out just fine. Right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one who can screw me up as good as you do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re old enough to be in a nursing home anyway. I¡¯ll get you a good errand boy who will listen to you at once unlike me.¡± ¡°Get out of here, punk. What are you going to do next if you cut off my arm? You¡¯ve seen what happened to Anya. Removing the pieces of meat doesn¡¯t stop the process. It will just make me suffer in pain and lead me to an even slower death.¡± ¡°Then what do you want me to do?!¡± Pavan screamed and exhaled a rough breath. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Hela frowned and looked at Pavan. ¡°What, why are you¡­ now you¡¯re sad that I¡¯m going to die?¡± ¡°...I¡¯d be lying if I said that I¡¯ve never wanted you to die before. I¡¯m just afraid that His Majesty will hold me accountable for your death. I¡¯m in charge of your security, after all.¡± ¡°How responsible of you,¡± Hela pulled up the corners of her mouth while looking fiercely at Pavan. ¡°I¡¯m glad that I at least didn¡¯t fail completely in educating about being disciplined.¡± ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m past the age where I would become happy at being praised by my master. I¡¯m the Captain of the Order of the Capital even if you don''t compliment me. It is no exaggeration to say that I hold the most authority, right next to the Regent.¡± Pavan stared intently at Hela. There was only one thing he could do now. He nervously bit his lips and finally opened his mouth with difficulty. ¡°Master. There is one solution I¡¯ve come up with.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°At least hear me out, will you?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say bullshit like ¡®I¡¯ll open your stomach to cut out the flesh with the red letters engraved on it and swallow it?¡¯ Do you have any suggestions other than that?¡± ¡°Your evaluation of my humanitarianism has changed significantly after I left you. I have no idea how you came up with such a terrible idea, but you¡¯re right. My plan is to grab out that terrible problem from inside your stomach. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t come up with that terrible idea on my own, and that it was thanks to your teaching,¡± Pavan shook his head. Cold sweat formed on his forehead before he opened his mouth again. ¡°But the last part is different. Why would I swallow that?¡± Then Pavan pointed toward a direction¡ªthere was a knight from the Order of Surtr on the ground with all his limbs amputated. Hela clicked her tongue and smiled as if she was dumbfounded at the sight. ¡°You¡¯re such a fucking psycho, Pavan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment, master.¡± Pavan turned Hela¡¯s body over and tore her clothes to reveal her skin. All sorts of terrible scars were visible on her wrinkled skin, but Pavan carefully wiped the blood from his sword and placed it against her skin without being surprised. But when Pavan¡¯s sword neared her skin as he hesitated to cut her, Hela opened her mouth. ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re not confident in what you¡¯re doing¡­ listen to the identity of the pieces of meat first, just in case.¡± ¡°...Yes, master. I¡¯ll listen.¡± Hela smiled and whispered in Pavan¡¯s ear about the hallucinations she saw, as well as the identity of the pieces of meat. Pavan¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing Hela¡¯s words, but he did not have the time to think too deeply about it or stay startled. ¡°Do it,¡± Hela gave a short order. Then, Pavan¡¯s sword split through Hela¡¯s skin. *** A strong beam of light was shot toward the sky as a dragon soared into the sky. Juan, who was fiercely clashing against Dismas, quickly bounced back upon seeing the green light coloring the sky. Orca was now heading toward the east over the wall created by the giant slaves, meaning that Anya¡¯s rescue was successful. ¡°I see that the creation of the Cainheryay has failed,¡± Dismas muttered as he looked in a completely different direction from where Orca flew toward¡ªit was toward the tent with its ceiling completely collapsed. Juan was relieved when the energy of Nigrato, which had been growing little by little, subsided, but for some reason, he still felt uneasy and uncomfortable. The battle with Dismas had been going on for a long time, but they weren¡¯t making any significant progress. Juan thought that drawing out the power of the crown could be a quick way to settle this battle, but that also meant that Dismas would then summon the power of gods using Spirit Calling. Juan clicked his tongue as he figured that it would be difficult to take responsibility for the safety of the people who still remained here if two such powerful forces collided. Meanwhile, Dismas slowly turned his head to look at Juan, but there was no expression on his face. ¡°The creation of the Cainheryar has failed and I also failed to get rid of you. But I think I¡¯ve dragged this long enough to buy me some time.¡± ¡®Buy some time?¡¯ Juan suddenly had an ominous feeling about Dismas¡¯ words. At the same time, Dismas held the bleeding hammer with both his hands and lifted it up high into the sky. Then he quietly muttered while looking at Entalucia who was hovering high in the sky. ¡°Fall.¡± CH 203 As soon as Juan heard Dismas, all of Juan¡¯s muscles became taut out of anxiousness. ¡®Was he targeting Entalucia to begin with?¡¯ Juan looked up at the sky in a hurry, but Entalucia was still hovering around in the air just fine. When nothing happened even after a while, Dismas lowered his head with an embarrassed expression. ¡°Well, this is kind of embarrassing. This is my first time trying this, so it¡¯s taking some time to¡­¡± At that moment, Juan immediately jumped off the ground and charged toward Dismas before he could finish his sentence. Meanwhile, Dismas quickly spun his hammer around to swing it toward Juan as if he was already expecting Juan¡¯s actions. Dismas was actively making use of his bleeding hammer upon realizing that Juan was avoiding the hammer due to the discomfort that it caused. But Juan didn¡¯t dodge this time. He planted his foot firmly into the ground and caught hold of the hammer that was flying toward him. He suddenly experienced a sense of discomfort throughout his entire body as he exerted his full strength by tensing all his muscles. At the same time, a great force began to distort the hammer. Dismas was taken aback when he saw that Juan had grabbed onto his hammer, but his surprise quickly turned into laughter; he was looking forward to what Juan was about to do. Dismas had wielded his hammer to strike the heads of countless people and smash countless weapons up until now, but it had not sustained any damage whatsoever. The hammer not only contained a mass similar to a mountain, but it also harbored a lot of curses and resentment, all of which amplified its might. Above all, his hammer was something that was smelted by the Emperor himself. ¡°How laughable of you!¡± Dismas let out a roar and tried to push Juan down with his hammer. However, his eyes soon opened wide as the resentment and curses held within the hammer were released along with a scream. The resentment and the curses that spewed out of the hammer caused Dismas to cough, and the red-hot hammer that was heated up by Juan¡¯s hands started to distort at a strange angle. ¡°What is going on¡­!?¡± Dismas decided that he could no longer go easy on Juan and leave him unattended like this. His hammer was a gift from His Majesty and he couldn¡¯t let it break under any circumstances. Dismas attempted to get Juan off of the hammer by kicking him, but Juan reluctantly clung to the hammer; it was almost as if his hands were stuck to the hammer. Dismas figured that he had no choice, and inevitably made a terrifying decision. At that moment, he came to a stop as he saw something being reflected in Juan¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t long until Juan also noticed what Dismas was looking at. A huge beam of light was stretching all the way from the West toward the Loen Basin. ¡°Damn it.¡± It was too late by the time Juan tried to take action. The sight of a huge beam of light hitting Entalucia with the intention of making her drop from the sky filled Juan¡¯s eyes. Entalucia seemed like she wanted to try to avoid the beam of light, since she sensed danger, but the beam of light narrowly brushing against her was already enough to leave damage. The huge beam of light punctured her wings, ripped off her scales, and left a huge wound on her. Seeing this, Juan immediately used Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword, as soon as he took his hands off of Dismas¡¯ hammer. His heart constricted and his skin was suddenly set ablaze, but all his concentration remained on Entalucia. At this moment, Entalucia was falling to the ground while shedding an enormous amount of blood. The biggest disadvantage of using Fleeting Moment was that everything happened so quickly that even the user could only do actions that they had pre-planned. Yet, using Fleeting Moment was what allowed Juan to have a short moment to think. The moment Juan¡¯s sword flew past Dismas¡¯ hammer and attacked his wrist, he pondered about the identity of the beam of light as well as Dismas¡¯ malevolent scheme. It was unknown as to how badly Entalucia had been injured, but everyone would be in danger the moment she fell on the basin. Juan grew anxious and impatient as he remembered that Hela had yet to escape. He blamed himself for not being able to make the right judgment quickly enough due to being too focused on his confrontation against Dismas. Despite coming up with his next course of actions during the moment he used Fleeting Moment, Juan was left with a lot of regrets. Dismas¡¯ wrist was cut off in just an instant when Juan used the Fleeting Moment. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. While he was no longer able to hold his hammer anymore, he didn¡¯t miss the opportunity created at the moment when Fleeting Moment was over. Dismas stretched out his wristless arm and punched Juan¡¯s face. Seizing the opportunity when Juan stumbled, Dismas pinned him down and mercilessly rained blows on his face using both his wrist and fist. While it didn¡¯t hurt much, Juan had no intention of letting Dismas continue punching him. So, Juan struck Dismas¡¯ nose with his head. The moment Dismas staggered back, Juan¡¯s fists smacked into Dismas¡¯ head and torso consecutively. Smack! Smack! A dull and heavy shock continuously struck against Dismas. His face instantly became bloody, but he was still smiling. ¡°This is amazing, Fake emperor!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still crazy about battles, aren¡¯t you?¡± Entalucia crashed onto the basin with a loud roar. A huge cloud of dust soared from the ground as countless soldiers and giant slaves were crushed in just an instant. Just before the dust rushed in to blur their vision, Juan stretched out his fist with the intention of completely overpowering Dismas at once. Dismas burst into laughter and blocked Juan¡¯s fist with the elbow of his wristless arm. Crack! With a grotesque sound, Dismas¡¯ arm was dislocated and bent at a strange angle. Dismas made a dumbfounded expression upon looking at his dangling left arm. ¡°This is just incredible. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ever win.¡± ¡°What even happened to you? Did you lose your mind?¡± Dismas had always been fond of battles, but what he liked was pure competition, rather than this kind of wild fighting. On the other hand, the only thing Juan could feel from Dismas right now was madness. Instead of answering Juan¡¯s questions, Dismas smiled and stepped down. ¡°Haha. I¡¯m now one hundred percent sure that I can¡¯t win against you today. So I guess I might as well stop now.¡± The fact that his wrist was cut off didn¡¯t seem to matter to him at all. Not only did Dismas have the essence of the emperor, he also had the Pope on his side. Healing and recovering from his wounds was easy as counting one two three. But the same was also true of Juan. Although he was also drenched in blood, he was more bothered by Dismas'' attitude rather than his own injuries¡ªit was a matter of great displeasure. Meanwhile, Dismas picked up his hammer with his remaining hand and began to run away. ¡°I promise to kill you and take your corpse with me the next time I see you!¡± Dismas quickly disappeared amidst the thick dust. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to chase after him, but Juan figured that Dismas¡¯ situation was no longer an urgent problem that must be dealt with immediately. Juan took a look at the traces left behind by a huge beam of light that had just passed by. Dragons were species with a considerable amount of magic resistance, since they were quite good at magic. But that beam of light had penetrated the basin and even extended to the East even after hitting Entalucia and blowing away dozens of giant slaves. Even Juan wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it if he was hit directly by such a beam of light. All Juan could hope was for Entalucia, Hela, Pavan, and Haild to be safe. ¡°What have you made, Dismas?¡± Juan muttered to the air. ¡°And what the hell did you make it for?¡± *** Entalucia¡¯s fall left behind a huge impact on the basin. Juan was able to confirm that Entalucia was alive by checking for her presence, but it was not clear whether she was conscious or not. He had no choice but to leave her to Haild for now. On the other hand, Hela¡¯s situation was far more urgent than Entalucia¡¯s. Although it was much weaker than earlier, the ominous energy still remained where she used to be. This could only mean one thing¡ªthe process of the formation of the Cainheryar was not completely over just yet. The surroundings were full of dust and corpses. The soldiers covered in white dust staggered past Juan, while the knights from the Order of Surtr seemed to have already escaped. Juan could only hope that Hela wasn¡¯t swept away by this disaster. Shortly after, Juan arrived at the place where he could feel Hela and Pavan¡¯s presence. The large tent was torn due to shockwaves and completely blown away, and a part of Entalucia¡¯s tail was covering the surrounding area. Juan was speechless upon seeing the oddly inflated pieces of meat in front of him. Juan strode up and split the pieces of meat in half when he felt Pavan and Hela¡¯s presence from inside it. The heat emitted by Sutra instantly cut the meat with a burning smell, and Juan started looking for Hela and Pavan by cutting up the pieces of meat one by one. At that moment, pink body fluid suddenly sprang up. When Juan opened the area where the fluid sprang up from, he found someone lying face down. It was Pavan with a huge cut on his head. Pavan had hurt his head in the aftermath of Entalucia¡¯s fall, but it looked like the protection from the pieces of meat managed to save his life. Juan quickly tried to pull Pavan out of the pieces of meat, but soon stopped when he saw Hela beneath Pavan. Pavan was tightly holding onto Hela¡¯s sleeve and refused to let go of her. ¡°Please¡­ Please let me go..¡± Juan let go of Pavan at the sound of his moaning. Meanwhile, Pavan seemed to have come back to his senses and staggered to get up. He tried to head outside but failed; he couldn¡¯t even stand up properly due to the exhaustion. ¡°Pavan.¡± ¡°...We found it.¡± Pavan stared blankly at Juan with cloudy eyes and held something out. It was hard to see, since it was covered in blood, but it looked like a piece of flesh with red letters engraved on it. ¡°It took a long time¡­ because there was too much blood¡­ I couldn¡¯t see¡­ but all we had to do now was to just move it¡­ but then¡­ something suddenly came over us¡­¡± Pavan stuttered and tried to mutter something constantly. It was hard to understand, but Juan could quickly tell what Pavan was trying to say to him. Then, Pavan handed over a piece of flesh to Juan. ¡°Please either ask His Majesty to get rid of this¡­ or put it inside that bastard¡¯s mouth,¡± Pavan muttered. Pavan didn¡¯t seem to be able to recognize Juan, perhaps due to the shock, as well as the blood covering his face. Juan grabbed the piece of flesh from Pavan¡¯s hand and then Pavan stumbled with his head down in relief. However, the effect of dark magic in the piece of flesh had long since disappeared. Pavan tried to approach Hela once again but Juan stopped him. ¡°Pavan, stop.¡± ¡°I¡­ have to tell¡­ master that everything is okay now¡­¡± ¡°Hela is already dead.¡± Pavan blankly stared down at Hela upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. Hela¡¯s limbs were already melted amidst the pieces of meat. The only parts that remained to help Pavan recognize her appearance from when she was still alive was her upper body¡ªand even those parts were terribly damaged, as most of her skin was cut out. There was no expression on Hela¡¯s face. Looking at her stomach which was cut wide open, as well as her exposed organs, Juan could assume what had happened while he was fighting against Dismas. Pavan had done his best, while Hela did everything she could do to save Anya. ¡°No¡­ no¡­ no way¡­ There¡¯s no way. She was talking to me until just now.¡± Pavan shook off Juan¡¯s hand and approached Hela to examine her condition. He quickly checked Hela¡¯s eyes, her breathing, and her heartbeat, but she showed no response. Pavan stared blankly at Hela for a long time and then turned his head toward Juan as if he had suddenly remembered something. Pavan staggered toward Juan, but soon slumped to the ground; his legs were already numb. Nevertheless, Pavan crawled toward Juan and muttered while grabbing his feet. ¡°Your Majesty, please¡­ please save her using your power. I¡¯m sure she can still come back¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use. She¡¯s already dead. And she will only suffer and die once more in her current state even if I manage to get back my full power to try and revive her.¡± ¡°But¡­ but still. If Your Majesty could at least give it a try¡­¡± Juan didn¡¯t move and Pavan clenched his teeth. He clenched his teeth so hard that his teeth broke and blood started flowing out of his mouth. Pavan glared at Juan, but Juan was just standing there, motionless like a pillar. Pavan could no longer see Juan as human¡ªhe could only see Juan as a rock that just stood still from the beginning to the end of the world. Pavan lay down at Juan¡¯s feet for a long time and then slowly raised himself up. His eyes were blank and cloudy. He stood as if he would collapse if even the slightest gust of wind blew toward him. Then, he slowly saluted Juan. ¡°Captain Pavan Peltere of the Order of the Capital¡­ reports the failure of the mission¡­ to His Majesty.¡± Pavan¡¯s salute was formal and perfect even when he was almost out of his mind. Juan knew that Pavan and Hela were not on good terms. But he also knew Pavan¡¯s obsession toward his missions and his desire to succeed. The reason why Pavan was out of his mind was unclear; it could either be because Hela had changed him or because he was shocked by the fact he had failed his mission. But one thing that was clear was that Pavan was a different person from who he had been until now. ¡°Mother?¡± But all this didn¡¯t matter to the young man approaching them. Haild was staggering toward Hela and he also appeared to have been injured by Entalucia¡¯s fall. Haild looked back and forth between Juan, Pavan, and the unidentifiable mass of meat. ¡°Entalucia was critically injured¡­ I was in the middle of chaos¡­ then mother sent me a signal¡­ so I came running¡­ but¡­ am I too late¡­?¡± Haild muttered with blank eyes. Haild was connected to Hela through the Crack and was able to receive her signal. He stammered and found Hela amidst the pieces of meat. Then he immediately recognized that Pavan¡¯s sword had Hela¡¯s blood on it as soon as he found Pavan standing there with an expressionless face. Haild could feel his blood going cold. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Haild charged toward Pavan without thinking any more. He was so out of his mind that he couldn¡¯t even think about drawing his sword. Haild¡¯s fist struck Pavan¡¯s face in just an instant, knocking him down to the ground. ¡°You son of a bitch! You were supposed to protect my mother!¡± Haild cried as he continued to punch Pavan recklessly. Pavan didn¡¯t budge and let Haild punch him as much as he wanted¡ªhe did not dodge or defend himself. At the same time, Haild showed no signs of stopping while Pavan¡¯s face was getting helplessly crumpled. However, when he pulled out Elkiel in his seething rage, Juan grabbed Haild¡¯s wrist to stop him. ¡°Pavan did everything he could to protect Hela¡± Haild looked at Juan as if he had a lot to say. But when Haild faced Juan¡¯s heavy eyes, he had no choice but to drop Elkiel to the ground. He breathed heavily for a long time, and then got up to head toward Hela. Juan also approached Hela along with Haild. Meanwhile, Haild stared at Hela for a while and then quietly removed her eye patch. Then he muttered while holding her eye patch in his hand. ¡°She can¡¯t be given an open casket funeral looking like this,¡± Haild looked at Juan. ¡°I would like to request your assistance, Your Majesty.¡± Juan found it hard to find the right words to answer. ¡°Hela died because of my orders. I don¡¯t deserve to do this for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure my mother will find her grave on her own,¡± Haild spoke firmly despite hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°And no one would take her death lightly if Your Majesty collected my mother yourself.¡± Juan looked at Haild. Haild¡¯s eyes were burning with anger and a desperate urge to get revenge. Juan suddenly felt dizzy. In the end, it was Dismas who had killed Hela, but Dismas was also Juan¡¯s son. If Juan had been a little more determined when fighting against Dismas, Hela might have still been alive. Juan couldn¡¯t help but go easy on his son, and Haild was looking at Juan as if he already knew this fact. ¡°All sinners¡­¡± Juan reached out his hand toward Hela¡¯s body. ¡°...will surely pay for their sins.¡± Hela¡¯s body burst into flames in an instant. The acrid dust began to rise toward the sky, and Pavan looked blankly up at the sky with his bruised face. The smoke dissipated toward the East in the wind. CH 204 The moon was gleaming as it emitted a green light. As the gloomy light colored the ground, people hurriedly went into their houses upon feeling a chill¡ªit was just another ordinary winter day, but it felt especially windy today. The sudden late cold spell caused the land of Torra which had just begun to melt to freeze over once again. Heretia let out a long breath, as she hadn¡¯t expected the weather to get this cold once again, especially when she had thought that it was finally starting to get warmer. The cold wind permeated every corner of Torra, even the inside the Imperial Palace, causing all the rooms without any flames burning in the fireplace to be freezing cold. However, on this day no one could think about lighting up the fireplace. Heretia moved her wheelchair along the corridor and stopped in front of a room. After hesitating for a while, she carefully grabbed the doorknob to open the door. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s here.¡± Inside the room Nienna, Pavan, and Juan were waiting for her. To Heretia, Juan had always been a man whose sight alone was enough to chase away the cold and cause one to feel the heat. But today, she couldn¡¯t feel any warmth whatsoever from Juan. ¡°How¡¯s Anya doing?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°She¡¯s still unconscious. Fortunately, the injury to her spinal cord was curable. But more than that¡­ I don¡¯t know what to tell her when she wakes up.¡± Hela and Dilmond both ended up dying while trying to save Anya, while Anya ended up losing her ability to fight as well. Such a tragedy would normally be considered an excessive loss if put bluntly, but no one here thought so. The only thing they felt was pity. ¡°That¡¯s something that Anya will have to take care of on her own,¡± Juan answered quietly. Some would think that he was a cold-hearted person, but Heretia knew that he only said such words because he believed in Anya. Then, Juan turned his head toward Pavan. ¡°You said that Hela left behind her last words, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Pavan answered in a hoarse voice. Pavan¡¯s face was full of severe bruises as well as scratches from the injuries he had received. He could have asked the Priests to use their healing Grace on him, but he did not even bother to visit them. ¡°Her last words¡­ were about the nature of the catalyst that is used in the making of a Cainheryar.¡± ¡°Catalyst? You mean those pieces of meat? Like the ones in the carriage we confiscated from the southern boulevard?¡± Nienna asked. Pavan nodded upon hearing Nienna¡¯s question. ¡°Yes. According to master¡­ I mean Duke Henna, those pieces of meat awaken the faint remnants of the divinity left behind in a body and explosively boost its strength. Rather than creating power that doesn¡¯t exist, it can be said to be drawing on power from another world.¡± ¡°Another world¡­ is it the Crack?¡± Nienna was the first to react upon hearing Pavan¡¯s explanation. When it came to the power from another world, the first thing that came into everyone¡¯s minds was the Crack. However, Pavan shook his head in denial. ¡°No. While the power is from another world, it follows the laws of this world.¡± ¡°But how? How is it possible to draw the power of another world while following the laws of this world?¡± Nienna hastily asked as she felt frustrated; she felt that it might have had something to do with the Crack. ¡°Nienna, let¡¯s listen to Pavan first before asking further questions.¡± Nienna bit her lips and nodded upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s the power of Spirit Calling,¡± Pavan answered in a quiet voice. The entire conference room suddenly fell silent. Initially, Nienna and Heretia blinked their eyes; for a moment, they didn¡¯t understand what Pavan meant, but soon their mouths opened wide in shock when they understood what he meant. Meanwhile, only Juan was able to remain calm as he opened his mouth to break the silence. ¡°Those pieces of meat must have been pieces of Dismas¡¯ flesh.¡± ¡°Dismas¡¯ flesh? But dad. Such a thing is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly possible. He can even regenerate easily after losing his physical body¡­ After all, not only does Dismas have my essence, he even has the Pope by his side. Considering that Dismas is naturally gifted with the ability of Spirit Calling, of course his body would function as an effective catalyst that can even call out a dead god in just an instant.¡± Nienna was left speechless as she covered her mouth with her hand. Being able to regenerate the body and maintain an eternal life definitely sounded attractive to Nienna, since she lived a life where she fought on the battlefield almost every single day. However, the only thing that regenerative power guaranteed was an extra life on a battlefield where swords clashed and people died. Before this, no matter how desperate Nienna was, she had never thought about cutting off her own hands or feet to use them as weapons and throwing them in her enemy¡¯s face. But now that she thought about it, the cut-off hands and feet would work as a great weapons, especially if they contained the power of god inside them. ¡°When a Cainheryar is used to resurrect a god, it is basically using the remnants of that god¡¯s power and Dismas¡¯ Spirit Calling, with the body of the god acting as a medium and Dismas¡¯ flesh as the catalyst. The process is instantaneous and controlling the god is quite easy; after all, it is all done by using Dismas¡¯ power,¡± Juan explained. Nienna opened her mouth after a long silence. ¡°If anyone else had been doing something like this, I would have said that they were being quite effective. But knowing that this is my little brother¡¯s business, I would love to ask him if he is out of his mind.¡± ¡°I would still ask them whether they were out of their mind even if they were not related to me,¡± Heretia answered. ¡°It¡¯s not worth asking. It doesn¡¯t matter if all this is done by a stranger, by a little brother, or by a son. Dismas has gone crazy. Whatever his reasons are, nothing can justify his actions,¡± Juan said in a cold voice. Of course, Juan cherished all of his children. While Hela was also a cherished colleague to Juan, it was only natural that he cared more about his children than her. However, Juan understood that he must take the lead to knock his children down if their actions started entering a realm he couldn¡¯t understand¡ªespecially if those actions were entering the realm of madness. ¡°Dismas is my son and he is able to commit to his madness using my own power,¡± Juan said, feeling like he was squeezing his heart out. ¡°So I¡¯ll be the one to kill him with my own hands.¡± The room fell silent. Then someone knocked on the door of the room where no one was able to bring themselves to say a single word. While Heretia was the one closest to the door, Pavan stood up and opened it for her, since she had difficulty moving. Sina could be seen on the other side of the door. Sina spoke to Juan with somber eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all ready.¡± *** Juan and the rest of the party headed to the front yard of the Imperial Palace. There weren¡¯t many people out in the front yard except for some of the important members of the Eastern Army, the Order of Huginn, as well as Juan¡¯s colleagues. Horhell was looking ahead with blank eyes, while Orca was letting out a small growling sound as if it was worried about Horhell. Meanwhile, Entalucia was in her human form and standing on top of a small tower far away, looking down at the front yard. She looked quite pale, but she didn¡¯t seem to want to miss the event. At this moment, Dilmond¡¯s body was placed on the top of a high pile of firewood in the front yard. ¡°Don¡¯t you think the knights from the Order of Huginn might want to revive him as the Knight of the Dead?¡± Heretia cautiously whispered to Juan. Up until now, the Order of Huginn had been reviving all of their dead knights as Knights of the Dead except for those whose bodies couldn¡¯t be recollected. But this event was meant to cremate Dilmond¡¯s body rather than to revive him. Juan shook his head. ¡°The Order of the Huginn only did that to help the remaining colleagues who were in a desperate situation. No one truly wanted to become a Knight of the Dead. The Order of Huginn was a knight order meant to confront Nigrato¡¯s Army of the Dead in the first place. Calling the Knights of the Dead ¡®senior¡¯ is nothing more than their way of showing respect¡ªafter all, the Knight of the Dead don¡¯t even have any intelligence. But now¡­ there are people who can get revenge for Dilmond.¡± Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Heretia nodded. At that moment, someone slowly walked out amidst the crowd. It was Haild holding a wooden box in both his hands. He was no longer wearing any bandages around his face, and everyone was perplexed not only due to seeing his bare face that looked quite similar to Juan¡¯s, but also due to seeing the huge scar crossing his face. But most of the Eastern Army was surprised for a different reason¡ªespecially Horhell. ¡°Haild¡­ Haild Henna?¡± Horhell had been aware that Haild shared the same name as deceased Hela¡¯s son, but he had only considered it to be a coincidence. However, now that Haild revealed his bare face that looked the same as a seventeen-year-old boy from his memory, he was shocked. Haild seemed to no longer have any intention of hiding his identity. He approached the pile of firewood and lifted the wooden box to scatter the contents on top of it¡ªthey were the ashes left behind by Hela. ¡°Duke Hela Henna was the heir to the Arhen kingdom, the opponent of the Kaliduk dragons, the conqueror of Arbalde, the daughter of Bordeaux Benkel and Heila Henna, the head of the Henna family¡­ and she was also¡­ my mother.¡± Haild quietly recited all of Hela¡¯s titles. The members of the Eastern Army were greatly agitated upon hearing Haild¡¯s last sentence as they finally figured out his identity. It was only natural for them to be surprised, since the person who they had thought to be dead for so long had suddenly come back alive. However Haild continued to speak regardless of their agitation. ¡°I bury you here¡ªin my heart and soul. May you rest among the waves.¡± Haild stepped back in silence. Next was the time to pay respects to Dilmond. No one was able to come forward, since the Order of Huginn had lost both their Captain and their Deputy at the same time. Due to this, Juan was supposed to come forward and represent them on his own. However, someone unexpectedly came forward. It was Anya. Juan was a little surprised, since he had heard that she was still unconscious. But Juan easily moved out of the way for her. Anya was almost entirely wrapped in red bandages that were soaked in blood, likely due to the fact that she was forcing her body to move. ¡°Deputy of the Order of Huginn. The Dilmond ¡®blacksmith¡¯ Debussy.¡± Anya looked at Dilmond as he lay on top of the firewood with blank eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to rush forward like that when you would have eventually died when the time came anyway. I¡¯ll see you again soon enough.¡± Anya didn¡¯t speak any longer, and turned around to step back. Blood colored the ground red everywhere she passed by, but she continued to stand upright to watch the funeral. Then, people looked at Juan; it was his turn. Juan slowly walked forward and Nienna handed a lit torch to Juan. This time, Juan did not use any magic. He was the first to throw the torch over the firewood. Following Juan, other people began to throw their torches one by one. As the torches piled up, flames slowly began to burn. Dilmond¡¯s body quickly burst into flames. At that moment Juan noticed some people approaching the front yard of the Imperial Palace. They seemed somewhat frightened, but they were firmly approaching the yard step by step. When Juan turned around, he saw the sight of many people marching in a long line while holding torches. There were nobles who had admired Hela who had been guarding the East, the knights of the Order of the Capital who had left Hela and the East behind for the sake of success at the capital, as well as the refugees who were helped by Hela when Torra was turned into ruins. The nobles among them didn¡¯t dare to make eye contact with the emperor. However, despite their fear of the emperor, they had stepped into the Imperial Palace, determined to pay a tribute to Hela. Despite all the conflicts, the number of people who visited to pay a tribute to Hela was enormous. The flames burned more and more fiercely as they threw the torches over the firewood. The bitter cold disappeared without a trace in the face of the burning heat. Juan sighed. ¡®Come to think of it, there was once a time when I thought that both Hela and Dilmond were already dead.¡¯ Juan recalled the time when Dilmond disappeared during his battle against Nigrato and the time when Hela was thrown into the sea from the wall of Beldeve. He had thought that both of them were dead, but they somehow managed to survive and even came back to Torra with him. Juan didn¡¯t want to think like this, but he thought of the phrase ¡®mother will find her grave on her own¡¯ that was said by Haild. Both Hela and Dilmond finally met their deaths only after waiting for the return of the emperor for a long time and then seeing Juan retrieve Torra once again. Perhaps they had already been looking for their own graves ever since then. ¡®Then where is my grave? When will I meet my death?¡¯ Juan came up with a question that he had never thought about before. He did not intend to rule forever nor did he plan to live forever. If he tried, it really would be possible; however, Juan never wanted to do so. There was once a time after he was resurrected when he was only alive because he couldn¡¯t find a way to die. But before he knew it, he had forgotten all about his desire for death¡ªhe suddenly felt the weight of the rest of his life. Looking at the flames burning high and the embers scattering away, Juan thought that it would be nice to know when his own flames would go out once they finished burning as fiercely as they could. However, there was one more place that these flames needed to burn before they went out. *** ¡°Good job! You did great!¡± Ten days ago, at Cabragh¡¯s training ground. Dismas smiled joyfully and patted Imil Ilde on the back. It was such a strong pat that Imil Ilde coughed in pain. Imil forced a smile and looked back at Dismas. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s all thanks to you, Doctrinal General Dismas. It must have been difficult to make so much of that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you can do just about anything as long as you have faith. All I had to do was lie still. It was my men who suffered more than I did. That work gets exhausting much faster than you would think.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ it¡¯s something that I can¡¯t even imagine.¡± ¡°So, when do you think you¡¯ll be able to send them all?¡± Imil looked around at the hundreds of carriages that filled up the entire huge training ground. The carriages were all loaded with red pieces of meat, and were fully prepared to depart at any time. Soon the carriages ought to be sent to all areas of the empire along the trade routes of Ilde family¡¯s merchants. Imil Ilde smiled and opened his mouth. ¡°I will send them all as soon as possible, along with the other shipments bound for Torra. They should all have arrived by the time you return from the Loen Basin, Doctrinal General Dismas. But more than that¡­¡± Imil looked at the huge tower located to the west of Cabragh with a concerned look on his face. ¡°Please take care of His Holiness so that he can properly use Telgramm. Using the Telgramm and the Cainheryars, these two weapons from the Mythological era, we will be able to overpower and defeat any opponents in this world.¡± CH 205 Learo, the trade city connecting the West to the South and the Capital, had many rumors due to the high number of people. The rumor about the battle between the Order of Huginn and the Cainheryar on the southern boulevard of Torra was quickly spread throughout the city. This was because not only were there quite a lot of witnesses, but also due to the aftermath. This certainly wasn''t some good news for the trade city of Learo, since this meant that trade was about to be cut off once again as soon as it just barely started again. ¡°I heard that there was a huge fuss in Torra once again.¡± One of Learo¡¯s guards glared at the peddler who casually made the unpleasant comment. The peddler quickly closed his mouth as if he had realized that he made a mistake, but such a reaction was understandable. Life was the most thing owned by anyone, and it was only natural for the merchants to avoid crossing paths with those who have experienced the battlefield. ¡°Yes, there was. But it was quickly handled by the Order of Huginn, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± the guard answered in a cold tone. ¡°I heard that the Captain of the Order of Huginn died.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Duke Henna who died, not the Captain of the Order of Huginn. Also, she died in a place that has nothing to do with Learo. So, stop talking nonsense and get lost already.¡± The peddler shrugged upon seeing the Guard¡¯s defensive attitude and hurried his steps. He was originally headed for Torra, but he figured that it would be a good idea to go to Hiveden instead when considering the current atmosphere of the empire. It was said that Hiveden, the southeastern area of the empire, had been actively revived lately despite the fact that it had been in a state of turmoil for a while. In particular, Hiveden was more attractive to the merchants, since it had little to do with the Capital and the West which were currently in a conflict. The peddler who was passing through the gates came to a stop when he saw a large carriage parked behind the wall. A well-made carriage that any merchant or peddler would covet was entirely covered in dust. ¡°Hey, what is that? Why is there an abandoned carriage over here?¡± The guard looked at the peddler with an irritated expression on his face, but he sighed when he saw the direction the peddler was pointing toward; the guard also had a lot to say about the abandoned carriage. ¡°That¡¯s a carriage owned by the merchants of the Ilde family. They said they will be back soon to retrieve it, but I haven¡¯t heard from them for a long time. Perhaps they were stabbed to death somewhere. I don¡¯t know what to do with it either. I mean, I can¡¯t just throw it away.¡± The peddler nodded as he was convinced by the guard¡¯s answer. The Ilde family¡¯s merchants were the most powerful merchants in the empire and at the same time were also the biggest supporters of the Church. Despite their influence and power, even the Ilde family could not possibly have remained intact at a time when the emperor had returned and the Church had been abolished, with the Pope being kicked out. The commoners couldn¡¯t understand why the returning emperor had destroyed the Church that had been faithfully worshiping him, but they had assumed that His Majesty must have a reasonable cause. Anyway, it was common for the merchants to run away when their trade group collapsed. Upon coming to the conclusion that the merchant in charge of the abandoned carriage must have fled, the peddler began to greed for the carriage. ¡°Hey, if getting rid of that carriage is such a pain in the ass for you, why don¡¯t you leave it to me?¡± The guard seemed to be contemplating the peddler¡¯s offer. Putting hands on the Ilde family¡¯s items was normally impossible, but not only did the Ilde family seem to be done for good, but the abandoned carriage was also quite difficult to deal with. When the guard seemed to be hesitant, the peddler handed a few pieces of silver to the guard. It wasn¡¯t much, but the guard gladly beckoned at the carriage as he thought that he just got lucky. ¡°All right. But take it away as quietly as possible. Do you have a horse with you? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to pull that carriage away with the donkey you just brought. Oh, by the way¡ªthat carriage smells quite terrible. Maybe they were carrying some food ingredients or something? But make sure to take care of all of them outside the city.¡± ¡°Of course! Haha!¡± The peddler joyfully hurried to the carriage. ¡®Thank goodness. There was no way I could have made enough to buy a carriage like that by selling the donkey I brought. I can¡¯t believe that such a small amount of money was enough for me to get such a high-quality carriage.¡¯ The peddler was happy when he thought that he would be going back to his hometown with his hands full of precious items for his wife and his children. Some rotten smell was not a problem for him at all. The peddler covered his nose with his hand as he approached the carriage that was reeking of a rotten smell, but he couldn¡¯t help smiling. The cloth covering the carriage was colored red and rotten water was dripping to the ground. ¡®There can¡¯t possibly be some corpse inside, right?¡¯ The peddler decided to look at the condition of the carriage first, just in case there actually happened to be a corpse inside. The inside of the carriage was revealed to the bright sunlight when the peddler lifted the cloth covering the carriage. What he saw wasn¡¯t a corpse, but it was something much more grotesque than that. The peddler made a strange expression. ¡°What the¡­¡± However, his words didn¡¯t last long. *** Juan suddenly lifted his head due to a sudden feeling of sharp pain pricking at his head from all directions. He wrapped his hands around his head even before realizing it due to the sudden explosive headache. The moment Juan was about to collapse to the floor due to the intense pain, Sina hurriedly caught him. ¡°Juan? Juan! What¡¯s going on? Juan!¡± After attending Dilmond and Hela¡¯s funeral, Juan and Sina were headed toward the conference room to announce the operation plan of the first day of preparations to advance directly toward the West¡ªJuan was fully prepared to lead the army. However, at that moment, Juan suddenly realized that a great disaster that was not even comparable to Dismas was approaching him. Juan suppressed his fluctuating heart and began to run in a hurry. Seeing this, Sina rushed to follow him. When Juan stormed into the conference room, people who had been waiting for him inside there immediately stood up from their seats. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Haild asked, perplexed. Juan tightly clenched his teeth and pointed toward the ceiling. ¡°Check the fire beacon.¡± ¡®Fire beacon?¡¯ Everyone was perplexed by Juan¡¯s unexpected words. However, Nienna and Horhell, the only ones who had lived through the mythological era, made a stiff expression. Nienna immediately ran outside to head toward the highest spot of the Imperial Palace. The others hastily followed her, but Juan called for Heretia and Pavan to stay. ¡°Heretia, messengers will start to arrive soon and they will continue to come for at least a few days straight. You¡¯ll have to plan for support and distribution, since Hela isn¡¯t with us anymore. I¡¯ll give you the authority of the Regent so that you can pick out the necessary administrators. Also, don¡¯t even think about refusing.¡± Heretia couldn¡¯t even think about rejecting Juan¡¯s order upon seeing his firm attitude. Then, Juan immediately turned toward Pavan and gave another set of orders. ¡°Pavan, set up plans for evacuation and acceptance of refugees that will be coming from the big cities. Order the Imperial Army not to confront the enemy until reinforcements arrive from the Capital; tell them to do their best to rescue and accommodate the refugees. It will only be a matter of time before they all die if they are isolated in this type of weather.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then, should we start with Torra?¡± Pavan asked in a calm manner. Juan shook his head. ¡°No, Torra is still pretty safe. Perhaps it¡¯s due to the early eradication of Iolin, but that¡¯s beside the point. However, other places don¡¯t seem to be as lucky as Torra.¡± After leaving these orders, Juan hurried to the tower where Nienna and the rest of the party had gone earlier. Nienna and the party were looking at the horizon, but they had yet to find anything. Haild turned toward Nienna. ¡°Aunt Nienna, what does the fire beacon signify?¡± Haild asked. ¡°...Before His Majesty appeared, the appearance of gods and monsters approaching the empire was reported by using fire beacons. They had the purpose of catching everyone¡¯s eyes and giving them a warning. Those who raised the beacon risked their lives and were the first to die after reporting the appearance of a god or a monster.¡± Haild¡¯s expression turned pale upon listening to Nienna¡¯s explanation. ¡°Did you just say gods? But¡­ hasn¡¯t it been a long time since the gods disappeared? Is there anyone in the empire right now who knows about the tradition of the fire beacons? Even I found out what it means just now.¡± ¡°People always find a way out from referring to their history when they¡¯re in a crisis. I¡¯m sure there are some people who still remember,¡± Nienna answered. At that moment, Nienna quietly pointed to one side of the horizon. A thin pillar of smoke was rising from the southwest. ¡°A city in the southwest¡­ maybe it¡¯s Learo. Do you think it¡¯s a fire coming up from there by any chance?¡± Haild murmured, confused. ¡°There¡¯s smoke coming up!¡± Horhell shouted. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Haild wondered if Horhell had belatedly discovered the smoke only now, but the direction he was pointing toward was completely opposite to that of Learo. And right then, reports of smoke rising started coming from various directions simultaneously. Haild¡¯s face turned absolutely pale at the sight of the fire beacons rising from just about everywhere in the empire¡ªit looked as if the entire empire was burning. ¡°Juan, this is just¡­¡± Sina muttered while looking like she might faint at any time. ¡°Morguld, Arleyahir, Laboros, Ogustro, Aldeil, Rahab¡­¡± Juan quietly murmured the names of various gods. Everyone¡¯s faces turned pale when the names that they had only seen in the short excerpts about the mythological era were mentioned. While there were bad gods and generous gods, just hearing their names in this situation gave them the chills. Juan tightly bit his lips after muttering all those names and then turned his back. He glared toward the West, the only direction from which there were no fire beacons rising. The western region seemed to be provoking Juan, as if it was telling him to come for it and at the same time laughing at him as it knew that Juan wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the burning empire unattended. ¡°Juan?¡± Sina called out Juan, but soon closed her mouth when she saw the look on his face¡ªhe was neither angry nor frightened. He just looked like he was barely holding back his nausea. *** Juan was able to detect a total of forteen Cainheryars. However, the number of Cainheryars which were reported ever since then through various means such as the fire beacons, messenger pigeons and crows, messengers, and the use of Grace were sixty-seven. ¡°The only Cainheryars I detected were those belonging to gods. I can¡¯t feel the rest of the weaker Cainheryars that don¡¯t have any divinity,¡± Juan clearly explained the reason for him detecting fewer Cainheryars. A big wave could be seen when stones were thrown into a pond, but nothing could be seen if small grains of sand were thrown into the same lake. Nevertheless, Juan figured the rest of the Cainheryars should still be those of legendary monsters, considering that Dismas went out of his way to revive them as Cainheryars. ¡°The monsters may be strong beings, but they are not something humans are incapable of competing with. They will eventually die if you stab and chop them, since they don¡¯t have any divinity.¡± ¡°But fourteen of them are still gods who have been resurrected, aren¡¯t they?¡± Horhell asked, concerned. Juan also had a lot of worries about the sudden appearance of the gods¡¯ Cainheryars. He would have postponed the punishment of Dismas and headed toward the Cainheryar if there was only one of them. But the various Cainheryas were spread throughout the entire empire made it hard for him to decide where he should go. After all, even the weakest among the Cainheryars of gods had enough power to destroy a whole city with ease. ¡°This is frustrating because we don¡¯t know how much control Dismas has over the Cainheryars. If he still has even the smallest amount of self control, he wouldn¡¯t allow Cainheryars that are so strong to go out of his control. So, I don¡¯t think they will be as strong as they used to be in the mythological era,¡± Juan said. ¡°Do you think the Imperial Army has a chance of dealing with them? There are still some divine weapons in the warehouse,¡± Pavan asked. ¡°All those weapons will do is temporarily bind their hands and feet. The strength of the Imperial Army alone won¡¯t be enough to deal with them,¡± Juan answered as he shook his head. Then Haild stood up and started to speak. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try attacking the West with all our might? Ultimately, if Dismas is the one who controls the Cainheryars, we might be able to incapacitate all the Cainheryars just by getting rid of Dismas.¡± ¡°And we let the various Cainheryars run wild in the meantime?¡± ¡°...We can bear that much damage for the sake of a greater purpose, can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t sit back and watch as the resurrected gods are running wild in my empire. By the time we are done, only ruins will be left in the empire even if all of us flock together and try to subdue Dismas. I do not wish to become the ruler of ruins,¡± Juan said with his eyes closed. Everyone waited in silence for Juan¡¯s decision. Whatever he decided, they had no choice but to tolerate bloodshed. Time was running out and Juan¡¯s agonizing silence didn¡¯t last long. The emperor¡¯s mouth slowly opened. CH 206 Arkul gate was a fortress located to the South of the Loen Basin, and functioned as the gateway to connect Torra and the West. Its original purpose was to act as the final fortress meant to prevent the Western Giants from invading the Capital, but now it was being guarded by the Giant slaves to prevent the emperor from advancing to the West. The appearance of Giants who were lined up on top of the huge and thick walls that were originally designed to prevent Giants from being able to climb up was enough to make just about anyone feel pressured. It had already been a long time since tourists and merchants had stopped visiting the West, but the Western Army had no major problems due to a lack of supplies, since they had collected enough food during the fall. ¡°This is wonderful. How spectacular!¡± Dismas made a satisfied smile while standing on top of the tallest tower at the Arkul gate. Numerous fire beacons could be seen rising over the horizon, indicating that his plan was successful. ¡°It¡¯s a huge success, Imil!¡± ¡°All I did was to move around those carriages.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have been able to see such a spectacular view if it wasn¡¯t for the excellent trade network of your family. None of this would have been possible without you.¡± ¡°We could have pressed our enemies with the power of Cainheryars alone. I¡¯m afraid that our power might have become dispersed due to scattering them everywhere for no good reason. Besides, some of the Cainheryars look like they have lost their chance at resurrection due to the horsemen carrying their carriages running away in fear.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about it; after all, we can¡¯t be perfect as long as we¡¯re human beings! That¡¯s why we need the eternal teachings of His Majesty.¡± Dismas¡¯s plan was rather simple. When the Cainheryars attack the various parts of the empire and the power of the fake emperor is dispersed to take care of the Cainheryars, Dismas would appear to defeat the fake emperor. Then, by once again placing all the Cainheryars back to sleep as soon as the fake emperor¡¯s rebellion is over, Dismas will be able to regain the emperor¡¯s empire and also gain the respect of the humans who still lacked faith in the emperor. ¡°The fake emperor is not the only enemy we have, Imil. Those who lack faith in the emperor are also going to be subjected to edification and punishment. Those types of people do not have any fear of gods, and at the same time, they have no respect for His Majesty. I think we should constantly remind them of how His Majesty saved us from bizarre beings like this.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more, Doctrinal General Dismas.¡± ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll go back to Cabragh for now. I need to make sure that His Holiness has learned how to properly make use of Telgramm. Then, I¡¯ll advance eastward as soon as I have confirmed it.¡± ¡°I must inform His Holiness that all of the Imperial people might die if he does not hurry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad result either. Starting anew on a white drawing paper where there¡¯s nothing drawn on it. The current empire is wrong and polluted right now, so it might be better to start over. Anyway¡­¡± Dismas, who was about to go down the stairs, suddenly came to a stop with a strange expression on his face. ¡°Doctrinal General? Is everything okay?¡± Imil asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ We might need to hurry more than I expected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°One of the Cainheryars has just been destroyed. And¡­ there¡¯s more than just one or two that are under attack right now.¡± *** Winter citadel had no specific name for it, and was simply called the winter citadel. The winter citadel of the North served as the Capital of the North, as well as the last bastion to protect the empire from the Crack. All the people living in the city except for the children were all trained to play the role of soldiers. Over the years, the winter citadel had been attacked by all sorts of mysterious monsters that had crawled up from the Crack, while at the same time, the chilly wind of winter wasn¡¯t new to them either. Crash! Walter from the Order of Fenrir hastily hid behind the wall upon hearing a deafening noise. Soon after, screams broke out from all directions as the ground started to tremble. Walter looked out of the window with a pale expression. One side of the wall which had protected the winter citadel for hundreds of years had collapsed and red lava was soaring into the air from everywhere. The earthquake and the heat that were unfamiliar in the north shook the winter mountains, causing avalanches in the surrounding mountains. Countless people were burned to death or crushed to death by the avalanches. And in the middle of all the surging lava stood a huge giant while looking down at all of them with burning eyes while holding a hammer in his hand. Walter recalled a record of that giant in the library. The giant¡¯s identity was Laboros¡ªhe was often confused with the god of fire due to his physical characteristics, but his exact title was ¡®the mountain builder.¡¯ Some also called him the master of all metals, the blacksmith god, or the god of dwarves. He held many titles, but what was certain was that lava would soar from any spot that he struck with his hammer to form a mountain, be it land or the sea. Walter didn¡¯t care about what that meant or why he was doing what he was doing. What was important was that a crazy giant was making a volcano in the middle of the city. The city was already covered with surging lava and volcanic ash in many places. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Walter picked up the bag he had dropped and began to once again climb up the tower. It was unknown as to when the tower would collapse amidst all the earthquakes and the flowing lava, but he couldn¡¯t stop climbing. Walter wasn¡¯t the only person who was moving to stand up against the enemy. In fact, there was no one who was panicking or any fugitives in the entire winter citadel. The northerners guarding the winter citadel were ordered by Nienna to protect the winter citadel. They all had the mindset that if it has been ordered, then it must be protected. They had no intention of leaving the winter citadel even if lava filled up all the way up to their ankles. All they did was to quickly find whatever they could do to help. And if they failed, then their duty was to move on to the next thing that they could do to be of help. Right now, Walter was trying one of the many ways he could help. Finally, Walter was able to reach the top of the tower. The tower was inclined at an angle, and there were numerous battles going on underneath it. Once Laboros struck the ground with his hammer, lava started to flow everywhere. That¡¯s when miniature dwarves jumped out of the thick and sticky lava while emitting small amounts of heat, and spread everywhere to attack the people. Sharp blades barely left any damage on the dwarves, since they were entirely made up of stones, but when the northerners noticed their characteristics, they started to strike the dwarves¡¯ heads with hammers. Such unexpected battles were rather familiar to the people of the North. After all, thousands of unknown monsters constantly popped out of the Crack, and the northerners had to be quick to adapt to be able to stand up to these monsters. Walter tightly clenched his teeth and took out the spears he had filled the bags with. Then he began to load them onto the huge crossbows placed on top of the tower. ¡°You think you¡¯re so special just because you¡¯re a god!?¡± Crack! The spear, which was fired with a sharp sound, narrowly brushed past Laboros¡¯ head. While it failed to injure him, it was enough to grab his attention. Laboros turned his head and slowly began to approach Walter. Meanwhile, Walter gritted his teeth upon seeing a huge burning giant half the size of the tower approaching him. But then he loaded another spear into the crossbow in a calm manner. ¡°Die, you bastard!¡± The spear did not miss this time, since it was fired at a much closer target compared to the previous attempt. Laboros didn¡¯t seem to care too much about the small spear that was flying toward him, but the moment he was struck in the middle of the forehead by the spear, his neck was bent. ¡°Ugh, ha! Haha! How does that taste, you asshole?!¡± What Walter had fired toward Laboros was no ordinary weapon¡ªit was a divine weapon that was used in the mythological era. Back then, all gods were a threat to humans, but some gods were hostile to each other as well. They created weapons to attack each other, and those weapons that were created for such a purpose came in quite handy even during the emperor¡¯s era. The gods had disappeared, but the divine weapons that they left behind still remained in their warehouses. The left side of Laboros¡¯ head flew off due to the divine weapon¡¯s blow. This caused Walter to be delighted, since he thought that he had defeated Laboros; however, he soon felt a feeling of fear that made him freeze on the spot. Before he knew it, Laboros was already looking down at him from a higher position. Laboros aimed his huge hammer toward the tower. Amidst this situation where he was about to be crushed like a lump of iron placed on an anvil, Walter decided to load the crossbow one more time. ¡°Ha, haha! You think you¡¯re the biggest and hottest? You will also helplessly freeze and get destroyed once General Nienna comes!¡± Laboros¡¯ hammer struck the tower at the same time as Walter¡¯s roar. Walter managed to dodge the hammer, but ended up being thrown into the air, and the tremendous height made it so that he couldn¡¯t guarantee his survival. Expecting his upcoming death, Walter raised his middle finger toward Laboros just before he was about to crash. ¡°Well done.¡± At that moment, something suddenly grabbed his middle finger. Even before Walter could realize what had grabbed him, the sight of a giant white wolf biting off Laboros¡¯ neck entered his eyes. ¡®Fenrir.¡¯ A pillar of steam immediately soared into the air as soon as Fenrir¡¯s icy fangs tore into Laboros¡¯ neck. Any part of Laboros¡¯ body that Fenrir bit and scratched turned gray and dull. While Fenrir¡¯s current appearance made it look like a lump of steam, Laboros¡¯ movements had also gotten quite sluggish. With a thud, Walter realized that he had once again arrived on a tower. Then he soon realized that he was riding on the back of another white wolf. A woman with silver hair and skin as pale as snow was holding onto his wrist. ¡°General Nienna!¡± ¡°All right. Fold your finger back down, will you? I¡¯m starting to get pissed off.¡± Walter nodded and folded his finger in a hurry. Nienna casually looked toward Laboros who was standing up in the middle of the winter citadel once again. The burning heat that was still being emitted by Laboros was bothering her. ¡°You¡¯ve come to a land that doesn¡¯t suit you. I¡¯ll let you know your place.¡± *** The emperor¡¯s mouth slowly opened. ¡°Nienna. Head to the north with the Northern Army. You have left the Crack unattended for too long. The empire will definitely fall into a disaster if the Crack joins the battle to worsen the situation. Make sure to overpower the Cainheryars as much as you can as well,¡± Juan ordered Nienna right away. Nienna nodded with a relieved expression. Although Cainheryars were a huge threat to the empire, Nienna had confronted the Crack even in the days of the gods. Her true enemy was the Crack, rather than the gods. She was relieved to hear Juan¡¯s order, since she had been anxious that the northern city might lose its ability to deal with the Crack due to the arrival of the Cainheryar. ¡°Leave it to me, dad. I¡¯ll send every one of them back to their coffins.¡± *** This novel is available on "pawread dot com". The devastation that struck the Eastern coastal city of Orsk came without any warnings or foreshadowing. A huge deep sea creature called Rahab coiled its huge octopus feet over the wall, while a lump hung from its foot¡ªit almost looked as if a flower was blooming. The lamp which was emitting green light erased the sunlight, as well as the moonlight, causing everyone¡¯s attention to be attracted by it. People stared blankly at the light, falling into a dream about a quiet, deep sea. Then a quiet whisper came from Rahab¡¯s mouth, causing the desire of wanting to breathe through their gills after swallowing the seawater slowly started to erode everyone¡¯s brains. [Come! Return to your true home to serve the master of the Abyss¡­] Crash! Crash! Crash! The sudden noise and heat that burst from nowhere caused people to collapse to the ground. The people who were just released from the hallucinations were all gasping for air, and in pain as if they had forgotten how to breathe for a moment¡ªit was like they had suddenly turned back into human beings after they had been turned into a fish for a very long time. Those who just came back to their senses belatedly found something beyond the wall and screamed in astonishment¡ªRahab¡¯s lamp that had been luring them in was now burning in the flames of a huge dragon. *** ¡°Horhell and Haild, you two head to the East with Entalucia. Entalucia, I know that you have decided not to intervene in this war and that your injuries have not yet healed. But I would like to ask you to do me a personal favor¡ªand I request this as the emperor. Please help to subdue the Cainheryars in the East.¡± Entalucia, who was still in an injured state, nodded easily upon hearing Juan¡¯s request. [When will there be another situation like this, where I can make the emperor owe me a debt? I have no choice but to accept it,] Entalucia answered. ¡°And Anya.¡± ¡°No.¡± Everyone looked surprised upon hearing Anya¡¯s remark, since they had all thought that she would be the last person to disobey the emperor¡¯s orders. Anya was still entirely covered in bandages, and everyone belatedly recalled that she had lost her necromancy due to the destruction of Umbra, as well as her mana heart upon seeing her appearance. In all honesty, she couldn¡¯t play any significant role in this war that could help lead them to victory. ¡°You were about to tell me to head to the South with the Order of Huginn, right? I always think Your Majesty is right, but I must refuse this. After all, if I have to die, I would like to die beside His Majesty,¡± Anya said with a firm expression. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to go to the South. I have something to give you.¡± What Juan pulled out of his pocket was a ring. CH 207 At that moment, everyone in the room gasped and swallowed a gulp. Anya stared at the black ring on Juan¡¯s hand for a while and then looked at Juan with a suspicious look on her face. ¡°There¡¯s something written on the ring. What does it say?¡± Anya asked. ¡°To a true knight,¡± Juan answered. The black ring was the ring that Iolin had handed over to Juan earlier. The ring symbolized the lake and it contained the power of Umbra inside it. Due to this, the ring was filled with not only Ras and Nigrato¡¯s powers, but also Iolin¡¯s power. ¡°I¡¯m giving this to you due to your courage. This ring will replace your mana heart. Go on and take it.¡± Anya hesitated for a second, but soon held out her hand to accept the ring while blushing. When she held out her hand toward Juan but didn¡¯t take the ring from him, Juan looked at her, wondering what she was trying to do. When he finally realized that she was asking him to put it on her finger with his own hands, Juan brought the ring close to her finger. The moment Juan tried to put the ring into her index finger, Anya quickly folded her index finger and pushed her ring finger toward the ring. ¡°I guess I have no choice now that I even got a ring,¡± Anya said triumphantly. Upon looking at people around him in shock, Juan belatedly realized that his intentions had been mistaken. Juan placed his hand on his forehead and then opened his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s no time for jokes, Anya. I¡¯m serious. Now do me a favor and¡­¡± ¡°Head to the South. Got it.¡± Anya willingly agreed. Then she added with a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to bring a nice wedding gift on my way back.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give you that ring with such an intention. I don¡¯t need a gift either. Just come back safely, will you?¡± Juan clarified his intentions, but Anya didn¡¯t seem to care at all. ¡°I¡¯ll kill as many as I can to send them as gifts to Dilmond and Duke Henna. Then I can bring all of them back to life to give them to Your Majesty as a gift. I¡¯m frugal, you know.¡± ¡°Yes. That should be a good enough gift.¡± *** ¡°To be honest with you, I don¡¯t know how to kill a god,¡± Anya murmured with a devastated look on her face. Learo had already been turned into a mess by the time she arrived. The Cainheryar that had appeared in Learo was the one belonging to Morguld¡ªalso known as the god of war. He was the god of all warriors, as well as the ruler of all weapons. Morguld had conquered Learo in a chariot that smelled like gunpowder while wielding an oiled whip. Meanwhile, the ironclad knights summoned by Morguld quickly began to turn Learo into a fortress¡ªthat was until Anya arrived. ¡°So I have no choice but to cut him into small pieces like this for now. I¡¯m only asking because I¡¯m not entirely sure yet, but can you be said to be dead right now, by any chance? Anya cut Morguld into tiny pieces in less than an hour after her arrival at Learo. His fragments were scattered here and there all over the city, and Anya was running around chasing after his face after arranging the other body fragments in order. ¡°...Captain Anya? What are you doing? Why are you talking to yourself over there?¡± One of the knights from the Order of Huginn who was watching the scene asked with a fed-up look on his face. ¡°Oh, this is Morguld¡¯s ear. I was in the middle of asking his opinion.¡± Anya answered the knight and then ran toward Morguld¡¯s dismembered chin. After putting her ear close to Morguld¡¯s chin, Anya shook her head with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve asked several times, but he¡¯s not giving me any answer. Hmm, I thought that he would still have some strength left to give an answer, since I had heard that gods don¡¯t really die easily. Oh, Perhaps he lacks the intelligence to give an answer?¡± ¡°Or he could already be dead. I mean, you cut him into so many small pieces like this¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that he¡¯s already dead. He holds the mighty title of the god of war, after all. Come to think of it, he¡¯s not worthy of that title at all. His Majesty is actually much more suitable for the title of god of war and god of death.¡± Anya calmly made remarks that Juan would have been irritated by if he heard them in person. Then she raised her hand with a smile, looking at the ring that Juan had given her. ¡°It is quite unfortunate for the citizens of Learo, but I¡¯m glad to have a lot of gifts to bring back to His Majesty. In fact, I think the Army of the Undead might be a better gift for him than living citizens.¡± Anya climbed up on the back of the bone crow as she vigorously bent her shoulders. ¡°But let¡¯s speed up and deal with everything as soon as possible, since His Majesty seems to prefer living citizens unlike me! Our mission is to sweep through the Cainheryars before anyone else and be the first to return to His Majesty before he burns them all!¡± *** Haild, who was listening to the conversation quietly, opened his mouth. His face was full of frustrations and concerns. ¡°Wait, Your Majesty. Then what are we going to do about Dismas? Please don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going to go alone. That¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s happening. Dad, Dismas is much more dangerous than we had thought. And there is no guarantee that the Cainheryars we have detected so far are all that he has. I know how powerful you are, but you cannot face more than two gods at the same time on your own. Besides, we haven¡¯t even figured out the identity of the strong beam of light that caused Entalucia to fall down on the Loen Basin,¡± Nienna interrupted Haild to Nag at Juan. ¡°I understand. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going alone¡ªSina and Pavan will be coming with me.¡± Pavan bowed his head in silence upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. Ever since Hela¡¯s death, Pavan hadn¡¯t been very vocal and often showed strong murderous intent. Juan couldn¡¯t tell what Pavan was thinking, but his murderous intent was exactly what was needed at the moment. ¡°I¡¯ll join you, Your Majesty.¡± At that moment, someone else opened the door and walked in. It was Captain Lenly Loen of the Imperial Guards. The Saintess Ivy Isildin also followed him with hesitation. Seeing them, Juan pointed toward the two and spoke, ¡°See? Even the Captain of the Imperial Guards will join me to protect me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the Captain of the Imperial Guards properly play his role before. The previous Captain failed to protect Your Majesty and led to your death, and the current Captain allowed the enemies to take away Your Majesty¡¯s body. Am I wrong? Besides, he still looks blind.¡± Lenly¡¯s face stiffened upon hearing Nienna¡¯s cold voice. Then Juan stopped Nienna. ¡°Nienna, don¡¯t be rude. They tried their best and I won¡¯t blame them for the inevitable events. Lenly¡¯s wounds have recovered considerably. He did become somewhat color blind, but he can still fight just fine.¡± ¡°...Fine. I apologize, Captain of the Imperial Guards. But is the Saintess who is standing behind him seriously joining you as well? She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll be of much help. Do you even know how to ride a horse?¡± Ivy blushed out of embarrassment when Nienna pointed her out. However, she took a step forward and opened her mouth, determined. ¡°The Pope is obsessed with me, and Dismas won¡¯t disregard someone that the Pope is obsessing over. I have my worth as bait. Wouldn¡¯t that be enough of a reason for me to go as well?¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Nienna laughed out loud. She hadn¡¯t expected Ivy to stand up for herself. It was known from many reports that the Pope was obsessed with Ivy, and Nienna nodded, since she figured that Ivy would serve as a good means to expose the enemy¡¯s weakness if she was to join them as they headed to the West. ¡°...This lady is more determined than I had thought. Hey, Captain of the Imperial Guards. Did you approve of this?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°...I objected, but I will respect the Saintess¡¯ decision,¡± Lenly answered in a worried voice. For some reason, all the people in the room thought that Lenly was only participating in the expedition to the West because he was afraid that the Saintess would die. Then, Haild opened his mouth as if he could not understand something. ¡°But we can¡¯t use a vulnerable woman as bait to¡­¡± ¡°Haild, do not look down on her courage. She is willing to fight as hard as she can,¡± Nienna cut off Haild¡¯s words. Haild closed his mouth, while Ivy nodded with her trembling, yet determined eyes. ¡°The Pope has already killed me once,¡± Ivy said. Lenly opened his eyes wide and looked at Ivy. No one had ever heard of such a story before. ¡°Then he brought me back to life right after. I saw my own brain fluids, blood, as well as pieces of my broken skull. I am aware that revenge is not a good thing, but I want him to experience what I went through as well.¡± ¡°You want him to see what color his own brain is?¡± Nienna chuckled. Ivy smiled awkwardly upon hearing Nienna¡¯s unexpected joke and nodded. ¡°That would be nice. I actually think that¡¯s what I want.¡± ¡°I like this lady. It would have been nice if I had a chance to get close with her.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. Juan stood up from his seat as he figured that they had come to a conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s an unexpected combination, but it¡¯s the best we¡¯ve got. We are lacking in everything right now, so we can¡¯t move as leisurely as we did when we attacked Torra. Above all, what we lack the most right now is my mercy.¡± Juan continued to speak in a calm manner. ¡°Our tactic for the war against the West is simple. Burn everything before it burns us first. That¡¯s the end of our plan.¡± *** A sudden vibration began to shake the spire of the Arkul gate. Dismas briefly came to a stop on his way to head down the stairs, then he climbed up the spire once again. At the same time, Imil looked toward the East with a puzzled expression¡ªa cloud of dust could be seen rising from the East. Imil gritted his teeth and shouted. ¡°It¡¯s the Capital Army!¡± The Capital¡¯s Imperial Army was fiercely running toward the Arkul gate with the intention of splitting it in half¡ªit looked as if they were going to resolve their resentment. Imil figured that they must be the knights of the Order of the Capital, as well as the elite among the elites of the Cavalry, considering their speed. ¡°They are moving much faster than we had expected. They got so close in just one day¡­ but that is¡­?¡± Imil couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed as he watched the scene. Although the Imperial Cavalry was strong, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance in a confrontation against such a fortress¡ªunless the horses could climb over the wall. Imil looked back at Dismas in a hurry. ¡°What are they planning to do? Does the Cavalry have enough strength to split the wall in half just like the knight orders led by Templars? Wait¡­ it can¡¯t be that the Bishops of the Capital have granted them a Grace, can it?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible. Granting a Grace is controlled by the Pope now. Bishops are only capable of giving Blessings. Blessings are limited to reinforcing someone¡¯s physical abilities, and that alone would not allow them to gain enough strength to break through the wall¡­ Wait¡­ Break through the wall?¡± Dismas turned his eyes to the top of the wall. Giant slaves were rushing to prepare for defending upon finding the Cavalry. At that moment, Dismas found a bright spark in a hill near the Arkul Gate. It was something that he had mistaken for a fire beacon. Dismas suddenly felt a chill running down his spine. ¡°Everyone!¡± Dismas¡¯ loud roar rang throughout the entire Arkul Gate. Imil plugged his ears and staggered before collapsing to the ground. ¡°Get off the wall!¡± Dismas¡¯ extremely loud voice reached not only the entire wall, but also the eardrums of the Capital Army¡¯s Cavalry. Of course, it also reached Pavan¡¯s ear, since he was charging at the very forefront of the cavalry. Pavan grinned as he revealed his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s already too late, you son of a bitch.¡± A sudden whip of flame split the walls of the Arkul gate in half. *** Juan took a deep breath and raised his arm. His arm that was holding Sutra felt a pleasant amount of muscular pain. The place Juan was standing at was the top of a small mountain overlooking the Arkul gate. Juan had climbed up the mountain much earlier and arrived way before the Capital Army¡¯s Cavalry. After waiting for the Cavalry to arrive, Juan swung Sutra at just the right time. In just a single blow, the Arkul gate lost its function as a fortress. Meanwhile, dozens of Giant slaves rapidly turned into ashes and fell off the wall. The wall collapsed as it was cut diagonally, but Juan had no intention of stopping after only one blow. ¡°All right¡­ One more time.¡± Juan lifted Sutra high into the sky. Sutra, which was glowing red due to the heat, began to burn even more fiercely and violently as it absorbed Juan¡¯s mana as much as it could. The red flames around it soon turned blue and then began to burn and melt everything around it. When Juan thought that enough force had been condensed within the Sutra, he swung the burning sword once again. Another disastrous wave of fire split the Arkul gate. This time, the gate completely collapsed and was fully exposed. The Giants and soldiers that were still alive hurriedly descended from the wall to prepare for the battle inside the gate, but now they had to face the Order of the Capital¡¯s spears and swords. In the meantime, there was one tall spire that did not collapse even amidst all this. Juan kept his eyes on this spire. An invisible and intangible energy was pushing Juan¡¯s power away from around the spire, almost as if it was a belatedly used defensive magic. But all this didn¡¯t matter to Juan, since he had no intention of wielding Sutra anymore. Juan let out a long breath. Sutra was an unsuitable weapon for a large-scale battle like this. Although it wasn¡¯t very efficient, it helped Juan to achieve the desired effect. Swinging Sutra one more time could completely destroy the Arkul gate for good, but Juan decided to save his strength. After all, he was yet to face his true enemy. ¡°Dismas.¡± CH 208 Dismas revealed his teeth as he looked at the Arkul gate, which had been completely destroyed in only two blows. ¡°Imil, head over to Cabragh,¡± Dismas ordered as he looked for Juan, who had disappeared from the mountain. ¡°Doctrinal General?¡± Imil looked at Dismas with a perplexed expression on his face, but soon realized his intentions. ¡°Doctrinal General, you must come with me! This is not your ordinary battlefield. The Order of Surtr isn¡¯t here and neither are the Cainheryars! Above all, Telgramm is not fully ready to operate just yet!¡± Imil shouted in a hurry to stop Dismas. ¡°He is still here, Imil. He has already done such terrible damage to our soldiers. We can¡¯t just let him leave him like this without getting revenge on him.¡± ¡°But you already know that we can¡¯t win!¡± Dismas turned his head and glared at Imil with sharp eyes. Imil gasped when he met Dismas¡¯ gaze, but gritted his teeth and continued to speak. ¡°You¡­ must come with us¡­ without you¡­ we will not be able to hold out¡­ Doctrinal General¡­¡± Dismas frowned and lifted Imil up by the collar. Then, he pulled off the necklace hanging around Imil¡¯s neck and forcibly put mana into it. Imil tried to shout something, but his body soon disappeared as if it had just been erased by that light. Only then did Imil realize that he was forcibly being sent to Cabragh. To prepare for the upcoming battle, Dismas took out the bleeding hammer that he carried on his back. The handprint on the hammerhead left by Juan was clearly visible. The hand that had left this handprint had also left a scratch on Dismas¡¯ pride. ¡°You should have just run away along with him.¡± Dismas immediately brandished his hammer at the sudden voice behind his back. The walls of the spire that were struck by his hammer burst like sand, but Dismas did not feel any bones breaking or flesh being torn. The moment Dismas¡¯ gaze turned toward his back, something black had tightly grabbed his head. *** Juan used Blink and slammed against Dismas even before the latter could blink. Using Blink¡¯s tremendous acceleration, Juan smashed Dismas¡¯ head against the spire wall. The spire wall instantly burst and scattered into debris everywhere. The two plunged down. Then, a loud bang rang throughout the entire Arkul gate; however, not a single person looked up. The Arkul gate had been turned into a battlefield when the Capital Army¡¯s Cavalry rushed in. The Cavalry rushed into the gate like a surging wave as they began to ruthlessly slaughter the soldiers inside. Giant slaves let out a few roars as they tried to punch a few of the cavalry to death, but soon, dozens of spears pierced through their heads, causing them to drop to the ground. Mid-flight, Juan grabbed Dismas¡¯ face with his left hand and punched him with his right. Dismas¡¯ jaw was shattered and fragments of his teeth flew out with every thud. But Juan did not stop or slow down until Dismas¡¯ head hit the ground. The impact of the fall made the stone pavement on the boulevard crack in all directions. The shock was so great that Dismas¡¯ head was almost buried under the stone pavement. Yet Juan didn¡¯t stop even then; he repeatedly punched Dismas. At that moment, the bleeding hammer that Dismas was holding in his hand struck Juan¡¯s side. Juan only felt a slight pain, but he was thrown into the air and flew to the other side of the boulevard before he even knew it. ¡®The weight difference between him and me is so big that I won¡¯t be able to hold out if I don¡¯t prepare myself enough.¡¯ Dismas, who was lying as if he were dead, slowly raised himself up, using his hammer as a cane. His face was so badly damaged that it was hard to even recognize him, but it quickly recovered like a piece of clay that was being molded. Juan clicked his tongue as he confirmed that Dismas¡¯ hand, which he had cut off the last time, had already grown back and was fully intact. It was only natural that Dismas had the ability to regenerate, since he had Juan¡¯s essence, but even taking that into account, his rate of recovery was extraordinarily fast. ¡°You¡¯re a strong man, and yet you¡¯re still not letting your guard down. That¡¯s pretty impressive, fake emperor!¡± Dismas said as he spat out the last bits of his broken teeth. All the missing teeth had already grown back. ¡°You¡¯ve become a monster, Dismas,¡± Juan said with a frown. ¡°A monster? No¡­ All I did was train the abilities given to me by my father. Just as muscles grow when you constantly use them, skills also improve when you use them.¡± Juan was already aware of the fact that the catalyst used to revive a Cainheryar was Dismas¡¯ flesh. This meant that Dismas had voluntarily butchered himself hundreds of times. Juan had a fed-up look on his face as he imagined just how many pieces of meat would have been needed to revive a Cainheryar. ¡°You are just¡­ I don¡¯t even know if you¡¯re really Dismas at this point. Do you even feel pain? Do you have at least a little bit of your human heart left in you?¡± ¡°Of course I feel pain and of course I have a human heart within me.¡± Dismas placed his hand over his chest in a calm manner. His expression seemed somewhat sad and determined. ¡°My heart aches even now if I think about His Majesty¡ªmy father. It hurts as if I¡¯m about to die at any moment. But that¡¯s also why I¡¯m fighting. I¡¯m fighting to be healed. My physical body means nothing to me. If His Holiness hadn¡¯t shown me the way, I would have been nothing better than a piece of meat, rotting away slowly.¡± Juan clenched his teeth. His heart ached upon seeing Dismas calling himself a lump of rotting meat. He felt that everything was his own fault, and he knew that it was irreversible. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I can give you now¡ªdeath.¡± Sutra¡¯s flames began to burn slowly but fiercely. ¡°But this is also a sin that I must bear.¡± *** A Giant slave struck down with his huge shield. The enormous weight bore down on a cavalryman, splitting him in half before he could react. Blood dripped down the shield as the Giant pulled it back. This Giant slave was rampaging more violently and intensely compared to the other Giants. It was not easy for the Capital soldiers to approach him, since he was standing between the cramped buildings. Pavan frowned at the Giant. ¡°Ureal, Orn. Take a detour with the soldiers. It''s a waste of time to be held back by this one Giant. Kilt, you check the rear of the Arkul gate. I¡¯m not getting any reports from there¡­ Don¡¯t give them breaks. Make sure to turn this place into their graves. Hila, you go and catch the Giants¡¯ attention. I¡¯ll handle this myself.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sina approached Pavan as he constantly gave orders to his subordinates. She was drenched in blood, but showed no signs of injuries. The same was also true of Pavan. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°We are being held back by a Giant slave.¡± ¡°But Giants have not been a problem so far, have they?¡± Sina asked. ¡°There are individual differences among the Giants¡ªit¡¯s just like how not all humans are the same. That guy is a pain in the ass.¡± Pavan raised his sword and pointed it at the back of the Giant in question. On the Giant¡¯s back was a dead soldier hanging upside down. Countless arrows had pierced through his body. Sina quickly judged the situation. Unlike other lethargic Giant slaves that were still under control, this violent Giant was already out of the soldier¡¯s control and had thus begun to make a fuss once he had regained his true nature. Sina assumed that he had been one of the most outstanding warriors among the Giants in the past. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He will soon be overpowered. We can¡¯t have this guy slowing down the siege,¡± Pavan said. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Sina answered briefly and jumped off her horse. Upon seeing Sina charging toward the Giant, Pavan made an order to the other soldiers instead of stopping her. ¡°Everyone, cover Dame Sina! Break through the road as soon as Dame Sina charges at the Giant!¡± The Giant didn¡¯t hesitate to swing his shield at Sina when he saw her approaching him. The shield didn¡¯t even brush against Sina, but the Giant swept the entire alley without stepping back. This blow left a long trail of blood on the road as all the remaining soldiers who managed to dodge the previous attack were swept away in an instant. It seemed like Sina had no way out of this attack either, but she quickly disappeared before the Giant¡¯s eyes the moment his shield struck. The Giant looked around with a perplexed expression. He saw Sina running on the wall from the opposite side of the road. To be exact, she was stepping on the fine bricks and decorations that were popping out of the wall, but to the Giant, that was no different from running on the wall. In spite of her heavy armor, Sina easily jumped up to meet the Giant¡¯s gaze, and her blade came crashing down on his head. The Giant hurriedly raised his shield to block Sina¡¯s attack, but it was no use. Just as the shield appeared in front of her sword, the Giant split in half from his forehead all the way down to his belly button, with a grotesque ripping noise. The Giant collapsed, while blood and intestines poured out from the long-cut wound. As soon as the Giant collapsed to the ground, the cavalry immediately trampled on his body to rush forward. Then, a massacre began elsewhere as the siege began in earnest. Sina exhaled a long breath as she looked at the Giant¡¯s body getting helplessly crushed by the cavalry. ¡®He was as powerful as the one-eyed Giant from back in Tantil.¡¯ Sina recalled Talter¡¯s avatar that was killed by Juan back in Tantil. Although a bit smaller than the Giant Juan had killed, the Giant that Sina had just killed seemed to be on the same level as Talter¡¯s avatar, considering that he was not only faster, but also armed. To think that she couldn¡¯t even see herself facing the one-eyed giant back then¡­ Sina realized that she had grown beyond imagination. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s all thanks to the gift General Nienna left for me, but still¡­¡¯ Sina clenched her pocket, recalling the items that Nienna had left her with before leaving for the North. Pavan approached Sina. ¡°That was incredible. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take care of him as fast as you did, Dame Sina.¡± Sina hurriedly shook off the white frost on her hands. ¡°I just got lucky. Is the occupation going well?¡± Sina asked. ¡°The east wing has not yet been cleared. I guess there¡¯s a troublesome enemy there¡­ but it¡¯s only a matter of time before it is fully occupied, since the soldiers who took a detour to the rear are about to enter the fray as well. The left wing will be finished in less than ten minutes. You don¡¯t need to worry about the Capital, since His Majesty is there to take care of the situation. There seems to be a few remnants that have escaped, but I don¡¯t think they will be a big problem.¡± Pavan reported the current progress of the battle in a calm manner. SIna was surprised that Pavan, who had neither the ability to detect the enemy¡¯s presence like Juan, nor the ability to look down on the battlefield from the sky, was able to accurately explain the situation of the battlefield. Pavan added an explanation upon seeing Sina¡¯s expression. ¡°Considering the ability and characteristics of the knights, the strength of the squads, the speed at which the enemy¡¯s support team arrives, the frequency of the launch signals and the messengers¡¯ arrivals, I can get a rough understanding of how things are going.¡± ¡°...I see. I can¡¯t imagine myself being able to do the same.¡± ¡°Given the speed of your growth in swordsmanship, it seems like you will be able to learn tactical skills just as quickly. Let¡¯s head over to His Majesty, since it looks like the Arkul gate will be completely taken care of in forty to fifty minutes.¡± *** Dismas¡¯ hammer was damaged every time Sutra¡¯s flames clashed against it. The hammer, which had already been damaged by Juan¡¯s hands, was no longer able to use the strong resentment of its past victims like before. The only place the victims¡¯ souls could go to was hell, but Juan was already presenting them with fire even hotter than that of hell. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± Dismas burst into a roar and threw himself at Juan once again. Juan chose to dodge the attack this time, since he figured that there was nothing good about directly taking the attack of the bleeding hammer. Grabbing the hammer just once was good enough after all. After dodging Dismas¡¯ attack, Juan immediately charged at the group of soldiers wandering around, aiming to cut them down. A dozen of soldiers were instantly split in half and collapsed to the ground. Dismas clenched his teeth and rushed toward Juan. Instead of focusing on the battle against Dismas, however, Juan continued to inflict damage on Dismas¡¯ subordinates at his leisure. Dismas couldn¡¯t help but burst into anger, since he had been expecting a thrilling fight with Juan. ¡°Fight with all your might, you son of a bitch!¡± Dismas roared. ¡°Would you be able to hold out if I did that?¡± Juan asked back with a smile. Dismas gritted his teeth and kept swinging his hammer. With that, Juan was convinced that Dismas was unable to use Spirit Calling. He didn¡¯t know whether Dismas was incapable of doing it or he simply wasn¡¯t doing it of his own will, but he was refusing to use Spirit Calling. Dismas¡¯ ability to summon the power of a god through his own body made Juan concerned beyond wonder. However, it was clear that the ability had some restrictions, considering that Dismas wasn¡¯t using it even though he was having a difficult time facing Juan. The moment the bleeding hammer flew toward his head, Juan quickly swung Sutra at it. Slash! A corner of the bleeding hammer flew away with a sharp noise, and the scattered pieces knocked down several buildings with a loud noise. Dismas was bewildered. ¡°But how¡­?¡± In fact, Juan had not broken the corner of the hammer in a single strike; rather, he had struck the part that he had already scratched with dozens of slashes. Even the power of Sutra was not enough to break the bleeding hammer in a single strike¡ªbut Dismas wasn¡¯t even able to perceive such a fact. ¡°You¡¯re slowly getting tired, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dismas¡¯ expression hardened upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. It wasn¡¯t just the bleeding hammer that was damaged. Dismas was also burned here and there after being struck by Sutra several times. Even if he was granted the power of healing due to the emperor¡¯s essence, the burns caused by these flames couldn¡¯t be easily treated. Unlike Juan, Dismas had no innate resistance to flames. His healing abilities gradually declined, slowing down his recovery. Yet, that was not Dismas¡¯ only concern. Only now did Dismas realize that Arkul gate had already become quiet. The only things that Dismas could hear right now were the sound of the explosives, instead of the screaming and shouting. Dismas realized that all his soldiers that had been on standby at the Arkul gate had been completely wiped out during his short battle against Juan. Twenty thousand of the Western troops and eighty Giant slaves had been slaughtered in less than half a day. ¡°There is no one on your side now, Dismas,¡± Juan spoke slowly. But Dismas did not stop. ¡°Then we can finally focus on our battle now!¡± Dismas snorted and lifted his hammer toward Juan. At that moment, Dismas realized that his shoulder felt empty¡ªthe momentum of the hammer was carrying his right arm up into the air. Dismas¡¯ eyes widened at this sight. In front of him stood a blindfolded knight who was holding a sword. Dismas lost his balance and stumbled, but tried his best to stand upright. Yet, a moment later, another female knight slashed his knees. Dismas dropped down to his knees. When Dismas barely managed to look ahead, he saw Juan standing right in front of him. ¡°How pathetic.¡± At that moment, Dismas tried to use teleportation magic with his remaining hand. However, it was too late; Juan¡¯s Sutra had already pierced his throat . A hot flame burned inside him and Dismas¡¯ vision turned white in just an instant. CH 209 Dismas, the head of the Western Army and the one who was the one to start this civil war, was overpowered on the first day of their advance to the West. This was quite an amazing achievement, but the atmosphere among the emperor¡¯s chief executives was not very celebrative, since Dismas was still alive. ¡°Why are we keeping him alive?¡± Pavan was particularly dissatisfied with this. ¡°We can¡¯t even torture Dismas to find out useful information because he¡¯s someone who regularly butchers himself. And, that makes him quite a bad hostage too, since he will definitely show his hostility toward His Majesty. Then what is the purpose of keeping him alive? To edify him or something?¡± ¡°Captain Pavan, calm down,¡± Lenly stopped Pavan from spouting out his complaints. Pavan closed his mouth, but he wasn¡¯t the only person who didn¡¯t understand the situation. The same was also true of Lenly and Sina; they were also puzzled. Juan only tapped on the desk without a single word, causing Pavan to once again begin raising his complaints. ¡°There are many people throughout the empire who are suffering due to the Cainheryars created by Dismas even now¡ªnot to mention our comrades who are still fighting against them. We must kill him right now to¡­¡± ¡°It is unclear as to whether killing Dismas will stop the Cainheryars or not,¡± Juan answered in a calm manner. Pavan closed his mouth once again and looked at Juan. ¡°Spirit Calling does not stop just because the user dies. It only slows down gradually. If Cainheryars are operated by some kind of Spirit Calling, we have to make that clear.¡± Juan explained. ¡°Then do you plan to persuade Dismas, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I mean, why not? After all, I¡¯ve never had a proper conversation with him.¡± Pavan opened his mouth wide and looked at Juan with a surprised expression. Meanwhile, Juan frowned upon understanding why Pavan was shocked by his decision. ¡°...I¡¯m not doing this due to my personal feelings toward my son. He will get the punishment he deserves for putting the empire at risk, and I will make sure that everyone is satisfied with his punishment. But we can¡¯t let him die while believing that he is a martyr, not to mention that we still have a lot to figure out about the Cainheryars. We need to make him realize his mistakes.¡± ¡°Your Majesty probably already knows this, but¡­ whether one dies while reflecting on their actions, denying their sins, or being falsely accused and getting killed unjustly, none of that matters once they are dead.¡± ¡°I can see that you prefer a quick and easy revenge,¡± Juan sighed. ¡°Master Hela taught me to triumphantly mock the enemies from right in front of their severed heads.¡± Pavan did not deny that what he wanted was revenge. Juan somewhat agreed with him; he also thought that he must accurately and quickly kill the enemy when he had to¡ªalthough the part about ridiculing the enemy was not exactly to his taste. If someone asked him, Juan would not hesitate to say that Dismas did not deserve to live, but now was not the right time. If Dismas was being manipulated by someone, he had to find out who it was that was manipulating Dismas and how. It would make everything a lot easier if he was simply being manipulated with the help of a mental domination magic, but in reality, there was a high possibility that Dismas was deceived by someone¡¯s false enticement. Although he had gone insane, Dismas¡¯ agony and will were completely sincere. Yet he was an adult who was capable of making his own decisions and held a position where he shouldn''t be making reckless decisions. It was only right for him to take responsibility for his decisions. ¡°I will be the one to decide the disposition of Dismas,¡± Juan said firmly. Pavan did not hide his dissatisfaction at Juan¡¯s words. ¡°But Your Majesty, considering his ability to quickly regenerate, he will try to escape whenever he has a chance, despite the fact that we have fully unarmed him. After all, the Order of Surtr, Imil Ilde, and the Pope are still alive and intact.¡± At that moment, Pavan paused as if he had thought of something and then continued to speak. ¡°Is it because he can¡¯t be killed, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Juan asked. ¡°He has Your Majesty¡¯s essence, which has maximized his regenerative ability. Not only Dismas, but even General Nienna is also not aging at all. Does everyone who has the essence of the emperor have the power of immortality?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± When Juan tried to open his mouth to answer Pavan, Lenly suddenly stepped forward. ¡°There is no need to answer him, Your Majesty. This is also a matter related to Your Majesty¡¯s safety. It looks like Captain Pavan needs to calm down a little, considering that he made a reckless comment about such a serious matter. I think it would be better for you to take a break for a while, Captain Pavan,¡± Lenly said as he glared at Pavan with sharp eyes. Only then did Pavan realize that he was asking about the emperor¡¯s weaknesses and quickly admitted his fault. Pavan knelt in front of Juan and bowed his head to ask for forgiveness. ¡°Please forgive me for my careless question.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Lenly, I appreciate you coming forward for me, but I choose what I have to say. Not you,¡± Juan said firmly. ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty,¡± Lenly apologized. ¡°Pavan, this is probably one of the things you wanted to ask. Didn¡¯t I get revived after death? Doesn¡¯t that already go beyond not aging? I will answer this question.¡± Juan lit a small flame at his fingertip. ¡°In conclusion, yes. Those with the emperor¡¯s essence can be killed. There is a very difficult but easy way and a very comfortable but difficult way. Of these, all you can try to do is the former. Even with the emperor¡¯s essence, one¡¯s regenerative ability is limited. What you can do is completely neutralize them and then chop them up into fine pieces.¡± Lenly frowned and turned his head away. ¡°And this is true for any human being. The only difference is that those with the emperor¡¯s essence are much harder to kill. But those who simply took over my essence¡ªlike Nienna, would be easier to kill. Lenly, there¡¯s nothing to be offended about. Pavan won¡¯t put this knowledge in action,¡± Juan said as he looked around at Pavan, as well as everyone else gathered in the room. ¡°The reason why I answered this question is to answer a question that has been asked by many people for a long time. The question is: Is the emperor an immortal god? I was asked that question countless times even before I died.¡± No one in the room knew the answer to that question. Juan not only destroyed a fortress with the help of Sutra and destroyed the gods, but he also came back to life after his death. It was clear that he was no ordinary human being. ¡°The answer is no. I¡¯m just a human being like one of you, but the only difference is that I have reached the absolute peak, since I was given a special opportunity.¡± Juan recalled Aruntal telling him the exact same words ever since he was young. Aruntal was also being deceived by Dane at that time, but Juan lived by those words and considered it his life motto¡ªthat he was no god, but just a temporary agent and a guardian of humanity. ¡°My adopted children have only shared some of my power, but the power I shared with them is not a blessing. I didn¡¯t share my power with my children to make them immortal and reign like gods, nor did I share my power with them to make sure that they can govern the people well. That power is nothing more than a shackle. You¡¯ll know what I mean soon enough, Pavan.¡± *** Crush! Upon hearing a faint noise, Dismas opened his eyes while suffering from a headache. As he tried to take a big breath, he realized that he couldn¡¯t move his body at all. He blinked his eyes upon realizing that someone was right in front of him. The face of the man standing in front of Dismas was barely visible under the moonlight that shone through the window bars. ¡°Are you finally awake?¡± It was Juan. Dismas tried to say something, but he couldn¡¯t even speak, since he couldn¡¯t move his jaw properly. At that moment, Juan reached his hand out and pulled out something sharp from both of Dismas¡¯ cheeks. When the sharp metal rods that had been plugging the severed parts of the jaw were pulled out, the parts quickly healed to allow movement once again. ¡°What happened to me? I¡¯ve never fainted for this long before,¡± Dismas asked. ¡°I blocked those of your nerves that connect your brain and spine to make sure you can¡¯t regain consciousness even after you fully recover,¡± Juan shrugged. Restraining him was of no use, since no chains could ever bind Dismas¡ªhe was too powerful. Therefore, Juan chose a much more difficult and primitive method of embedding foreign substances into Dismas¡¯ joints, major nerves, and muscles throughout his entire body after cutting through them. Thanks to Juan¡¯s clever methods, Dismas couldn¡¯t feel anything, let alone move his hands and feet. The only thing that he could properly move was his tongue. Dismas tried to turn his head, but soon gave up and helplessly looked up at the ceiling as if he was in despair. Then, Dismas opened his mouth with a curious look on his face. ¡°Wait, we are not in Torra. We¡¯re still in the West, right? Where are we right now? I don¡¯t think we are at the Arkul gate right now.¡± ¡°I targeted Bangkang gate right after I caught you, since I figured that it would be good to finish everything while the enemy is still under-prepared. But how did you know that we are still in the West?¡± Dismas stuck out his tongue instead of answering. Upon realizing that he was pointing at something with his tongue and not ridiculing him, Juan looked at the direction where the tongue was pointing. In the direction pointed by Dismas¡¯ tongue was a symbol of the emperor that was made with wood hanging on the wall. However, it seemed a little different from the symbol that he usually saw. ¡°It is the symbol of the broken emperor¡ªit¡¯s supposed to symbolize His Majesty, who was betrayed by humans and suffered at their hands. I came up with it on my own and all the symbols in the West look like that. I also tried to make sure the broken pattern looks as natural as possible.¡± ¡°Well, the reason for my suffering is different right now.¡± ¡°¡®My¡¯ suffering, you say?¡± Dismas burst into laughter for a long time. ¡°You really are an interesting opponent, fake emperor. You¡¯re so shameless that I can now somewhat understand how you were able to trick my sister. Your appearance, your voice, your tone, your attitude, and your eyes¡­ it all reminds me of my father. It¡¯s just unbelievable.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just acknowledge me as the emperor at this point?¡± Dismas was still laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I¡¯ve attended my own father¡¯s funeral, saw his corpse, and mourned him for forty-eight years. If you were put in my shoes, would you believe a stranger who just appeared out of nowhere is your father, just because he looks like your father? I even had his corpse next to me.¡± Juan felt something strange from Dismas¡¯ words. All the fanatics of the Church that he had met so far had believed that the emperor was still alive and the fact that his power was granted to them in the form of Grace was the evidence to support their belief. However, Dismas was convinced that the emperor was already dead. It was quite an odd stance for someone who worshiped the emperor the most other than the Pope. ¡°Even the Pope can bring the dead back to life as far as I know. Do you really think that the emperor can¡¯t overcome death?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The Pope can bring back the dead, but His Majesty can¡¯t. To be exact, he won¡¯t. Resurrection is something that goes against not only His Majesty, but also against all living beings. His Majesty¡¯s lifelong pursuit was to build the empire for human beings only. It doesn¡¯t make sense for His Majesty himself to set up a false precedent, even if he was assassinated through unfair means.¡± Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" Juan began to feel increasingly strange. Dismas was the first person who trusted and talked about Juan¡¯s values so seriously. Even now, everyone secretly hoped for Juan to continue ruling the empire, since they thought that he was strong and the resurrection of the emperor. Even his colleagues that were following him thought so. ¡°His Majesty is not a god¡ªhe is just a viceroy who has reached the peak of humanity. His only hope was for this empire of humans to stay intact. If he were to be resurrected and come back to life, then he would no longer be an emperor¡ªhe would be a god. Then, every time there is a crisis, humans will believe that the emperor will return and save them rather than looking for a solution on their own.¡± Juan remained silent, since there was nothing wrong about Dismas¡¯ words. But he couldn¡¯t understand how Dismas came to become so extremely twisted even when he understood Juan¡¯s will so well. After all, Dismas¡¯ actions were directly opposing his will. ¡°...It is up to you to believe whether I¡¯m really the emperor or not. I¡¯m not going to try to convince you about that. But what if I really am your father? How would you think and act if your father was watching you right now?¡± Dismas quietly closed his eyes upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. ¡°My father would be very angry. He would either kill me or beat me to death.¡± ¡°At least you know that you have messed up.¡± ¡°Of course I do. There¡¯s no way my father would approve of my plan to thrust most of the people of the empire to the battlefield. But my father is no longer here to scold me; I¡¯m too deep in the mire now. Who knows? Maybe I¡¯m also waiting for my father to come back running to save the empire that is now in crisis¡­¡± Juan looked at Dismas without a word and slowly lowered his head. Dismas¡¯ eyes were filled with a mix of unbearable agitation and distress. Juan slowly pat Dismas¡¯ head and then placed his forehead against Dismas¡¯. ¡°Dismas.¡± Dismas did not answer. ¡°You lying piece of shit.¡± At the same time Juan swung his fist at Dismas, Dismas spat out something that he had kept hidden in his mouth. A sharp piece of metal brushed against Juan¡¯s cheek in an instant. At the same time, Juan¡¯s fist smashed into Dismas¡¯ right cheek, and then Juan glared at Dismas while healing the wound on his cheek. Dismas, who had been lying quietly with his eyes closed, almost as if he was reflecting on himself, was laughing at Juan, mocking him. ¡°Ha, haha! I was so close to tricking you! Haha! How did you know that I was lying? I thought you were completely convinced upon seeing that sad expression on your face!¡± Dismas laughed to the extent he ran out of breath. ¡°I thought you just might fall for it when I saw just how obsessed you were with that stupid fake emperor act you are putting on! What a shame¡­ I had even expected you to just let me go if I pretended to reflect on myself like that!¡± Juan clenched his teeth and grabbed Dismas by the collar. ¡°Why?! Why are you doing this?! You even understand the will of the emperor so well¡­ So, why?!¡± ¡°The emperor is dead, you dumbass!¡± Dismas laughed and snapped at Juan. ¡°My father was killed by my brother¡¯s sword while I was getting drunk and having fun! You think the emperor is the only one who died back then? No¡­ The entire empire died with him. Nienna, Ras, and I¡­ all of us died that day! That¡¯s when I realized that the empire established by an emperor also falls when the emperor falls. If you are truly the emperor, then it¡¯s not you who was resurrected, but it¡¯s the empire that died and found its place right beside you! All I did was show everyone what hell is supposed to look like!¡± Juan trembled and glared at Dismas. He could kill Dismas right away or he could torture him horribly. But neither of them held any meaning to him. ¡°Are you saying that you turning the empire into this hell has something to do with Gerard?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Of course it has to do with Gerard? I have wanted to kill him every single day.¡± Dismas could lie as much as he wanted, but Juan was certain that this time he was telling the truth. Dismas truly didn¡¯t know anything about Gerard¡ªall he seemed to be interested in was how to passionately ruin the empire. Juan knocked Dismas to the ground and glared at him. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moratorium until the sun rises.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting?¡± ¡°Either tell me how to stop the Cainheryars or surrender. Otherwise, I will kill you.¡± Dismas snorted, dumbfounded. ¡°What makes you think that you have the right to judge me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. It will be the people you killed who will judge you, not me.¡± Juan whispered in a cold voice. ¡°My job is to send you to them.¡± CH 210 ¡°Are we doing it right?¡± Pavan turned his head toward Sina upon hearing her question. Sina was quietly looking at the burning stove as it made a crackling sound; her eyes sparkled whenever the firewood in the stove cracked and let out a spark. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Pavan asked back. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Dismas.¡± ¡°Of course we are not doing it right. We need to kill him as soon as possible, but those who are dying instead of him are the people of the empire.¡± Pavan still looked displeased at Juan¡¯s decision. ¡°But His Majesty has a point. If there really is no way to stop the Cainheryars right now, the empire will eventually suffer from irreparable damage. Think about it this way¡ªthe Cainheryars that are spread throughout the empire will be gone after a week if His Majesty can convince Dismas,¡± Sina said as if she was warning Pavan. ¡°But one more day of destruction will be added for every single day if we don¡¯t kill Dismas,¡± Pavan derided and made a cold smile. Sina didn¡¯t answer Pavan, but instead, she tried to approach the matter from a different perspective. ¡°What I was talking about was not Dismas or the Cainheryars, but about Dismas and His Majesty. We all know that Dismas is a human being who doesn¡¯t deserve to live. But¡­ I¡¯m afraid that we are asking His Majesty for too much.¡± ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°Yes. I mean the filicide.¡± Pavan did not answer. Although he did think that Juan was being too generous with Dismas, he hadn¡¯t once considered how hard it must be for Juan to kill his own child. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have considered killing Dismas a difficult thing to do if I was placed in His Majesty¡¯s shoes,¡± Pavan said. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say, Captain Pavan. But I would like to believe that His Majesty is a different person from you.¡± ¡°Are you saying that it is okay for someone who is the ruler of everything to be unable to make the right judgment just because of a family issue? Especially when they aren¡¯t even related to each other by blood?¡± ¡°...I believe that His Majesty will make the right decision; he always has. In fact, I know that he will make the right decision in the end. But I just feel that we are pushing His Majesty too hard. His Majesty is already making many sacrifices¡ªhe is shedding his own blood for the empire right now, not to mention all that he did in his past life. Even his corpse is being used against his will. But now, we are asking His Majesty to kill his son with his own hands.¡± Pavan frowned and closed his mouth. There was nothing wrong about Sina¡¯s words. Juan was sacrificing too many things for the sake of the empire. Not only had all of his family members sacrificed themselves for the empire, but all of his acquaintances had either betrayed him or died. He had also lost two colleagues recently at the hands of his own child, and now he had to punish his own child with his own hands. Pavan thought that this was only natural, that it was something Juan had to bear as the emperor. But it was also true that it was too harsh on Juan. Pavan opened his mouth, almost as if he was trying to make an excuse. ¡°Nevertheless, Dismas deserves to die.¡± ¡°But His Majesty has no reason to go through such a harsh ordeal.¡± Pavan squinted his eyes at Sina. ¡°What are you trying to say, Dame Sina?¡± ¡°His Majesty said that those who have the emperor¡¯s essence aren¡¯t immortal. Then why should HIs Majesty execute Dismas with his own hands? I think it would be best to suggest to His Majesty to allow us to take care of him,¡± Sina said in a calm manner. *** ¡°What did you say? You want to meet Dismas?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The Saintess Ivy Isildin approached Juan, who had been wandering around the hallway in front of the prison after interrogating Dismas. After hesitating for a long time, Ivy carefully approached Juan to tell him that she wanted to meet Dismas. Juan had an unwilling expression on his face. ¡°Just because Dismas is restrained right now doesn¡¯t mean that he can¡¯t kill you. He can easily pierce your neck by breaking his teeth and spitting them out.¡± Juan recalled thoroughly checking where the piece of iron that brushed against his cheek earlier had come from. As a result, Juan was able to find out that Dismas had pushed that piece of iron down his throat and forcibly threw it up when needed. Juan figured that Dismas wanted to annoy him, since they both knew that he couldn¡¯t kill Juan. We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. However, things would be very different if Ivy was the one meeting Dismas. In Juan¡¯s eyes, Ivy looked so vulnerable that she could die simply due to Dismas coughing. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to be okay. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to kill me.¡± ¡°Do you know each other very well?¡± Juan asked. Ivy hesitated to answer, but soon nodded. ¡°He is from the West. Not only have I seen him from afar, I¡¯ve also met him a couple of times after I was appointed as the Saintess. He was always very polite to me. If he respects me as the Saintess as much as he respects the Pope, then I might be able to persuade him.¡± ¡°I feel like he would see you as a traitor instead.¡± Juan looked around, but Lenly, who always followed Ivy like a shadow, was nowhere to be found. ¡°Did Lenly agree to this?¡± Juan asked. Ivy shook her head, causing Juan to nod as if he already knew it. ¡®Of course. There is no way he would agree with this.¡¯ But that was none of Juan¡¯s business. Juan¡¯s command of protecting the Saintess had already ended at the time when he had arrived in Torra, and Lenly was the only one who was still obsessed with that past order. ¡°I can see that you want to be alone when you talk to Dismas, considering that you didn¡¯t bring Lenly with you. It¡¯s your own decision, so I won¡¯t take responsibility for your life. Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Ivy answered in a trembling voice. Juan was worried, but also somewhat relieved. No one other than Ivy wanted to talk to Dismas; everyone just wanted to kill him. The optimal result would be for Ivy to successfully persuade Dismas into stopping the Cainheryars. ¡°He is a good liar, so do not trust him easily. And make sure that you don¡¯t touch him under any circumstances. All right?¡± Ivy nodded upon hearing Juan¡¯s warning. Juan opened the prison door to where Dismas was locked and stepped aside to allow Ivy to talk with Dismas on her own. When Ivy entered the prison, Dismas rolled his eyes to look at the entrance. His expression changed rapidly upon realizing that it was the Saintess who had entered, but he soon calmed down. ¡°Saintess, I had thought that you were in Torra.¡± ¡°No,¡± Ivy¡¯s lips trembled, but she carefully continued to speak. ¡°I have met His Majesty and have decided to follow him.¡± Dismas remained silent instead of answering Ivy. He quietly closed his eyes, and Ivy cautiously approached him. At some point, upon seeing the pieces of iron embedded everywhere on his body, Ivy tried to reach out her hand toward Dismas without even realizing it. But at that moment, Dismas suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Please do not touch me, Saintess.¡± Ivy flinched. ¡°I am dirty and covered with blood and dust. I don¡¯t want your hands to get dirty.¡± Ivy was relieved to hear Dismas¡¯ words. When Ivy confirmed that Dismas showed no sign of hostility toward her, she went closer to Dismas; however, she was still not touching him. Meanwhile, Dismas was trying to avoid making eye contact with Ivy. ¡°Have you talked to His Majesty?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°Do you mean the fake emperor?¡± ¡®The fake emperor¡­¡¯ Ivy lost a little bit of her confidence when she saw Dismas¡¯ determined attitude. ¡°He is the real emperor who borrowed my voice to convey his will through me. I have experienced it many times even after meeting him in person. I have also gotten advice and help from him.¡± Despite Ivy¡¯s words, Dismas looked at her expressionlessly. ¡°Yes. All the Saintesses have delivered His Majesty¡¯s words. The Saintess announces the will of His Majesty and His Holiness acts upon the will of His Majesty. I am nothing but their agent, so how would I ever know the will of His Majesty?¡± ¡°Doctrinal General Dismas. I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°I know that you believe in him, Saintess,¡± Dismas answered in a quiet voice. Ivy grew impatient as soon as she heard Dismas¡¯ words. ¡°Then can¡¯t you just trust me and believe in him? There is no reason for us to fight in the first place. We are all in a position to support and serve HIs Majesty, aren¡¯t we? We should be working together as one to serve His Majesty, not trying to consume each other like this¡­¡± ¡°Saintess, what do you think will happen if I show my loyalty to him now?¡± Ivy closed her mouth. The harm that Dismas had already done to the empire was indescribable. Even if he surrendered now, there is no way he could avoid an extremely harsh punishment, since the anger and resentment of the people of the empire was fierce. To tell Dismas to surrender now was no different than telling him to kill himself. ¡°But we can at least reduce the damage if you surrender now. If even one less person dies, that alone is worth it. Dismas, I¡¯ll talk to His Majesty and try my best to convince him. You might be able to avoid the most extreme punishment if you put everything down and humbly accept the punishment.¡± ¡°Saintess, you are trying too hard,¡± DIsmas smiled. ¡°If he really were the emperor, what value would you, the Saintess, hold when he has come back to the empire on his own? Now, you are nothing more than an ordinary maiden who is beneath him. How are you going to persuade the emperor? Do you intend to loosen your hair and beg from under his feet?¡± ¡°If that can persuade him, then¡­¡± ¡°If you want me to trust you, you should also be willing to trust me.¡± ¡°What do you want me to trust you with?¡± Dismas struggled to twist his neck with difficulty and turned his head toward Ivy. At that moment, his firm eyes met with Ivy¡¯s. ¡°Please listen to my secret. Then I¡¯ll think about accepting your offer.¡± ¡°Go ahead and tell me.¡± But instead of answering, Dismas looked toward the door. Only then did Ivy realize what Dismas was worried about. While she suddenly remembered Juan¡¯s warning, Ivy decided to lower her head toward Dismas after a short hesitation. Ivy felt that giving up her own life to change Dismas¡¯ mind was worth it. When Ivy¡¯s ear got close to Dismas¡¯ mouth, he whispered in her ear. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill everyone here, except for you, Saintess.¡± Ivy¡¯s face turned pale as soon as she heard Dismas¡¯ whisper. At that moment, Juan hastily broke through the door. But it was too late¡ªDismas was already biting Ivy¡¯s neck. Ivy stepped back with a scream, but Dismas did not let go of her. When Dismas and Ivy fell down together as a lump, Dismas muttered. ¡°Burn it up.¡± When those short words were muttered by Dismas, Juan felt a strong wave of power, along with a beam of light¡ªit was the same power that had forced Entalucia to fall from the sky. But this time, Juan was not perplexed, since he had already been preparing for a situation like this from the moment he had captured Dismas on the battlefield. Juan used out the power of Kelegranon, which he had wrapped around himself. The power of the mana-eating devil quickly stretched out, while Juan adjusted the power of Kelegranon as much as he could in order to prevent any innocent victims. At the same time, Juan¡¯s body started overflowing with flames, causing the people in the fortress to feel an intense burst of heat for a moment. But Dismas¡¯ attack was powerful¡ªthe moment the flash penetrated into the fortress, screams broke out from all directions. Juan¡¯s eyes widened when he found out the identity of the alien sensation he felt when he was attacked by the same beam of light back at the Loen Basin. This attack was no simple magic. ¡°Telgramm¡­!¡± Juan was surprised by the unexpected magic contained within the beam of light. Within that beam of light, Juan could detect Telgramm¡¯s magic, which had completely melted into it. But what was even more surprising was how strong the beam of light was. This type of strength could only be extracted from Telgramm if Juan was the one wielding it and squeezing out all its power for a one-time use. But it was already the second time Dismas had used this beam of light. ¡®Does he have at least two or three Telgramms with him?¡¯ But there was no time to find an answer to his question. Juan gritted his teeth upon seeing that his surroundings were melting like the inside of a furnace. However, thanks to Juan¡¯s defensive magic, the number of victims seemed to be quite small. However, at that moment Juan inadvertently realized that his defensive magic wasn¡¯t the only reason why the damage was not as severe¡ªfor some reason, the attack made using Telgramm¡¯s power was on an entirely different scale from the previous attack at the Loen Basin. Instead, the attack was aimed at the ground at an angle, and was much more concentrated, almost as if it was someone sniping a target. ¡®I wasn¡¯t the target.¡¯ The target was at the place where Dismas was standing. CH 211 As soon as Juan realized that the attack was targeted toward Dismas, Juan let out a roar and pushed away the smoke around him in a hurry. Dismas was still in the prison cell, but this time he was standing up. His back, which had certainly been struck by the beam of light, was already recovering itself amidst a gurgling sound. Only then did Juan realize that all the pieces of iron embedded throughout Dismas¡¯ body had melted away. ¡®Did he attack himself all in order to get rid of the restraints keeping him in check?¡¯ Before anyone knew it, Ivy was already in Dismas¡¯ arms. She was bleeding from the back of her neck, but she didn¡¯t look like she was seriously injured. ¡°Stay back. Do not come near me, fake emperor,¡± Dismas shouted, almost as if he was warning Juan. Although his recovery was already underway, his ability to recover was not the same as before due to the burns; not to mention that the iron pieces that were embedded inside him had not been completely removed. There was no other way for Dismas to stand up to Juan other than holding Ivy hostage. However, Dismas¡¯ plan was not effective enough to restrain Juan. Juan simply ignored Dismas¡¯ warning and strode closer toward him with the intention of killing both Ivy and Dismas if need be. At that moment, someone threw a spear toward Ivy and Dismas. The spear that was clearly aimed at Ivy was bounced off by Dismas when it got close to Ivy¡¯s chest. Upon glaring in the direction the spear came from, Dismas found Pavan preparing to throw a second spear straight toward them. ¡°Pavan!¡± At the same time, Lenly charged toward Pavan with a loud roar. Thanks to Lenly¡¯s interruption, Pavan stumbled and missed his chance to throw the next spear. Juan ignored the two and used Blink to rush toward Dismas. However, at that moment Dismas used his own hands to penetrate his chest. Just as Juan was feeling perplexed at the unexpected sight, Dismas pulled out a small necklace containing teleportation magic from inside his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Dismas tightly held Ivy in his arms and in the blink of an eye disappeared amidst a burst of light. *** ¡°Your Holiness. How much do you happen to know about Telgramm?¡± A few days ago in Cabragh, Helmut and Imil Ilde were climbing up the tall tower on the outskirts of the city. Helmut was perplexed by Imil¡¯s sudden question. Although Telgramm was well known as a weapon that was used by the emperor, no one knew much information about it. Come to think of it, it was said that Sutra as well as Dismas¡¯ hammer were created by the emperor himself, while Nienna¡¯s Oberon was a weapon created by the king of the fairies. On the other hand, too little was known about Telegram other than its power. ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but I¡¯ve never really thought about it. Is there any other information on it besides the fact that it was a weapon used by His Majesty?¡± Imil smiled and looked back at Helmut. Helmut was irritated by Imil¡¯s smile, but he couldn¡¯t say anything since he owed far too much to the Ilde family; Imil was the one who introduced him to the Order of Surtr, and Ilde family was the one who made a counterattack against the fake emperor possible with the help of their enormous fortune and widespread distribution networks. Considering that Imil Ilde had even sacrificed his youngest son, who was a Templar, he had earned enough merit to even appoint him as a Saint of the Church. ¡°It is only natural that you don¡¯t know much about it, Your Holiness. After all, it¡¯s not a very well-known story. This is because those who created Telgramm disappeared even before they were recorded in history,¡± Imil Ilde said. ¡°Those who created Telgramm? Who are they?¡± Helmet asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure Your Holiness will find them to be familiar. They are the Hornsluines.¡± Helmut paused for a moment. The only Hornsluine he knew of was Barth Baltic. ¡®Did Barth Baltic create Telgramm?¡¯ Helmut thought so for a brief moment, but he soon realized that Imil meant the ¡®Hornsluine race¡¯ itself¡ªa race that was extinct now. ¡°You should already know that the Hornsluines confronted the gods in the past and in return, their species went extinct. But it is not known specifically how the Hornsluine tried to confront the gods. At that time, Hornsluines did not try to face the gods alone; instead, they tried to join forces with a group of wise men called Aruntal. You might have heard of Aruntal already, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°Are you talking about His Majesty¡¯s teachers? Yes, I have. I know that one day they all suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. Hornsluine had a meeting with Aruntal before their extinction. The strongest and the most powerful race at the time had a meeting with Aruntal, the organization that had the most amount of information among all races, all in order to confront the gods together. The two groups thought of ways to fight against the gods on the spot. The Hornsluines came up with a weapon, while the Aruntal came up with the process of creating an adversary capable of fighting against the gods. However, their opinions clashed, and in the end, they couldn¡¯t reach an agreement. So, the two groups decided to go their separate ways.¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Imil continued to climb up the stairs, then paused to catch his breath. Climbing up the stairs was not as exhausting for Helmut, since he had undergone the same procedures as the Templars, but he could still tell that the tower was quite tall. He could see the whole of Cabragh when he looked out of the window. ¡°Hornsluines hid from the eyes of the gods to make a weapon¡ªa spear that could stab gods to death. And finally, they stabbed one of the gods with that spear and drove him to the brink of death.¡± Imil exhaled a long breath and looked back at Helmut. ¡°That was their last resistance. Upon feeling threatened, the gods started placing curses on them. That¡¯s how the empire¡¯s most supreme race went extinct in just an instant. At the same time, the spears made by them were abandoned on the outskirts of the empire¡ªexcept for one.¡± ¡°Is that what Telgramm is? The one that I handled?¡± Helmut asked. ¡°To be precise, what Your Holiness handled was not really Telgramm. That¡¯s only a fraction of it.¡± Finally, Imil and Helmut reached the top of the tall tower. Imil took a long time to catch his breath, and then slowly opened the door. What was revealed behind the door was a space where strange-looking pillars stood at an angle, while silver-colored vertical patterns covered the walls. Just about when Helmut was about to ask Imil what this space was for, he closed his mouth upon looking closely at the vertical silver-colored patterns on the wall. Those were not some simple inscriptions¡ªthey were all Telgramms. Hundreds of Telgramms covered the walls of this space. ¡°No way! Don¡¯t tell me these are all¡­¡± ¡°Yes, your Holiness. They are all Telgramms. To be precise, Telegramm refers to the bow created to kill gods, and the ¡®spear¡¯ which Your Holiness used can be said to be an arrow of that bow. But for the sake of simplicity, let¡¯s call those arrows Telgramm. Those arrows alone have the power to change history, even if you just use them as spears. That should pretty much explain just how powerful Telgramm is,¡± Imil explained. ¡°But¡­ if it had such amazing power, why were the Hornsluines so helplessly destroyed at the hands of the gods¡­?¡± ¡°Gods are powerful beings. I can say with confidence that the power of the gods who are resurrected using Cainheryars is less than one-fourth of their original strength. Restraining their power is a necessity, since there¡¯s a chance that they¡¯ll free themselves from Doctrinal General Dismas¡¯ control. Even Doctrinal General Dismas doesn¡¯t want the divine to be truly resurrected¡ªhe just wants to use them as his slaves.¡± Imil approached the slanted pillar in the middle of the round room. The pillar was not embedded in the ground¡ªit was floating slightly above the ground. ¡°From now on, Your Holiness must learn how to properly handle Telgramm.¡± ¡°Handle Telgramm? Me?¡± Helmut asked back. ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. Who else could dare to use the weapon entrusted to us by His Majesty?¡± Imil said as he put on a thick glove made of some unknown material to pick up a Telgramm. Then he carefully held it out in front of Helmut. The plain-looking and strange spear with no boundary between the blade and its handle looked more like a needle than a spear. But Helmut knew that this was the true form of Telgramm that the emperor used in the past. The thunderbolts that spewed out its power in all directions were only a fraction of the power of this mighty weapon. ¡°For your information, this Telgramm is not bound to you like the Telgramm used by His Majesty or Your Holiness. For this reason, it won¡¯t respond to any of your summons. Even so, it still holds the purest form of the power of lightning.¡± Helmut was startled for a moment, but he started burning with desire upon hearing Imil¡¯s words that this was the true form of Telgramm, something that even the emperor himself had not touched before. Helmut¡¯s oldest desire was to be like the emperor after years of respecting and admiring him. Finally, it was the moment Helmut¡¯s dream would come true¡ªthe dream to hold power in his hands that not even the emperor had ever held in his hands. Helmut¡¯s hand grabbed Telgramm. With a sharp shock, a flash of light spread throughout the surroundings for a moment. Upon seeing Telgramm, which was burning and emitting a subtle glow in Helmut¡¯s hand, Imil slowly stepped back while admiring quietly. ¡°Only Your Holiness, the representative of His Majesty, will be able to handle this weapon in the empire.¡± ¡°How do I¡­ How do I use this? Do I just wield it like Telgramm?¡± ¡°You can take the position of the designated shooter by standing in front of the pillar and then throwing it toward the target. It is a weapon that can be shot from a long distance, but it will take a long time to learn how to use it properly. Let¡¯s stop here for today since everything will be in vain if we are caught by the enemy due to using it recklessly. We have done enough for today, since we found out that Your Holiness is capable of handling it safely.¡± Helmut alternated between looking at Imil and at Telgramm, almost as if he was disappointed to hear that they should stop for the day. Unlike the Telgramm that he used before, the one that he had not been able to handle properly, the refined light of the Telgramm in front of him gave him a strange sense of exaltation¡ªit was as if it acknowledged his authority as the only true authority. But Helmut knew that he had to be patient. He carefully handed over Telgramm to Imil. ¡°I hope that I will be able to handle it again in the near future,¡± Helmut said. ¡°By all means, you will, Your Holiness.¡± Imil took Telgramm from Helmut and carefully put it back on the wall. Upon looking at the scene, a sudden question popped up in Helmut¡¯s mind. ¡°Come to think of it, you told me that the Hornsluines made a weapon and the Aruntal made a great adversary capable of killing gods, right? If the weapon created by the Hornsluines is Telgramm, then what happened to the adversary that was created by the Aruntal? Did they succeed?¡± Imil smiled at the question. ¡°Of course they succeeded. That¡¯s why all the gods in the world are dead and gone now.¡± Helmut was horrified to realize who the adversary created by the Aruntal was and that he had asked a stupid question. The man who killed all gods was so famous that no one even had to say his name out loud. The moment Helmut thought that he had finally caught up to the emperor, he felt the gap between himself and the emperor widen once again. ¡°...I see. That¡¯s how it is all connected¡­¡± Helmut said as he turned back to look at Imil. ¡°How do you know all these stories? Even I didn¡¯t know any of this, and I¡¯m the Pope.¡± Imil did not answer him, only giving a strange smile. *** A group of lights suddenly began to gather in the middle of Cabragh¡¯s red fortress hall. Soon, Dismas and Ivy appeared in the middle of the hall as the light spread all around them like an explosion. Dismas collapsed to the floor as soon as the teleportation magic was over. His half-melted body was bubbling as self-recovery was underway, repeatedly destroying and healing itself. Ivy had also immediately lost consciousness due to the heat from Telgramm, as well as the aftermath of the teleportation magic, despite being protected in Dismas¡¯ arms. Imil and the knights from the Order of Surtr hurriedly rushed into the hall. ¡°Doctrinal General!¡± Imil approached Dismas who was gasping for air with difficulty. Burns were difficult to heal even with Dismas¡¯ recovery ability. Although it would heal on its own over time, Dismas had to endure terrible pain until then. Imil pulled a thin bottle out of his pocket and sprinkled it over Dismas. Just when Ilil was about to bring the bottle to the corner of Dismas¡¯ mouth, Dismas grabbed his hand to stop him. ¡°Is it medicine?¡± Dismas asked. ¡°...All it does is relieve pain to some extent,¡± Imil answered. ¡°Pain gives me the feeling that I¡¯m being forgiven by His Majesty. So leave it alone.¡± Dismas chose to suffer through the pain, but there was no reason for Imil to not nurse him. Imil quickly instructed the knights to bring water and some towels to cool Dismas down. None of the knights refused to follow Imil¡¯s order, since he had already taken an important position in the Western Army. Meanwhile, Imil took a glance at Ivy who was still unconscious. ¡°Why did you bring her with you, Doctrinal General?¡± Imil asked. Dismas glanced at Imil like he was talking nonsense. ¡°What kind of question is that? That¡¯s the Saintess. It is our duty to rescue the Saintess from the vicious enemies who have forced her to come to the battlefield. May His Majesty be our witness as both His Holiness and the Saintess are in our army.¡± Imil nodded with his mouth closed. Ivy was not only worthless as a hostage, but she was also a nuisance to the Western Army¡ªespecially for someone. At that moment, the door of the hall opened with a loud bang. Helmut, who had run all the way from the tower housing Telgramm, was approaching them while gasping for air. Imil sighed. ¡°If His Majesty is not really our witness, then those two being on the same spot won¡¯t necessarily mean a good thing for us.¡± CH 212 Helmut roared as soon as he saw Ivy upon entering the hall. ¡°You bitch!¡± Helmut jumped toward Ivy who had collapsed onto the floor even before anyone could stop him. Then, he immediately grabbed Ivy¡¯s thin neck. Being as powerful as the Templars, he could instantly break her neck. However, at that moment, someone strongly pushed Helmut away from Ivy. Helmut helplessly rolled around on the floor due to the enormous force that had pushed him. He looked forward with shocked eyes. ¡°Oh¡­ it was you, Your Holiness. I inadvertently used too much power without even realizing it. Please forgive me.¡± Only then did Helmut notice Dismas lying face down on the floor, protecting Ivy. Despite being terribly injured due to the burns all over his body, Dismas was much stronger than Helmut. Helmut could only grit his teeth, since he did not intend to fight against Dismas. Meanwhile, Dismas continued to apologize. ¡°Please forgive me, Your Holiness. I don¡¯t know what to say other than that I¡¯m sorry... But I would like to ask you to not touch the Saintess so recklessly.¡± ¡°Why are you protecting that bitch? That bitch is the fake emperor¡¯s confidant! She¡¯s nothing but a bitch making false prophecies, all in order to trick everyone!¡± Helmut shouted. ¡°Why would you say that, Your Holiness? Didn¡¯t you also say that the Saintess¡¯ prophecy was correct? It was you who said that the Saintess is sent to us by His Majesty, all in order to deliver his words to us.¡± Helmut was speechless, since it was true that he had said such a thing back in the days when he used the Saintess as his puppet to make false prophecies according to his needs. ¡°But this bitch fell into the hands of the fake emperor in the end. She recited false prophecies and caused chaos within the empire after she fell for the temptation of the fake emperor,¡± Helmut complained. ¡°Even so, it is still true that she was sent to us by His Majesty, all in order to deliver his words. While she has been deceived by the fake emperor, we can show her the truth and enlighten her once again. I would like to have a word with the Saintess. Who knows? Maybe she¡¯ll deliver His Majesty¡¯s advice to overcome this difficult situation,¡± Dismas answered. Helmut wanted to scream that ¡®the Saintess is my bloody creation and she is nothing more than a petty apprentice Priestess who I beat to death and then brought back to life.¡¯ However, in the end he swallowed his words despite his unease. Helmut had used the existence known as the Saintess to give his own status as the Pope legitimacy and to cover up his faults all this time. The position of the Saintess could even be said to be equivalent to that of the Pope, or even higher¡ªat least in the eyes of the people of the empire. Of course, Helmut deliberately encouraged such an image, all so that he could control the Saintess and keep her at his disposal. But never once did he think that Dismas would believe in such nonsense. And due to this, Helmut couldn¡¯t do anything but shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Dismas seemed happy, almost as if he had interpreted Helmut¡¯s silent out dumbfounded response a little differently. ¡°Your Holiness and the Saintess are the two pillars that can revive the Church once again. The Saintess will deliver the words of His Majesty, while Your Holiness will put those words into action, and I will become your hammer that is swung whenever necessary. When that happens, I have no doubt that His Majesty¡¯s empire will surely rise again,¡± Dismas said. Helmut felt as if the floor was collapsing upon hearing Dismas¡¯ words. He had thought of Dismas as some easy-to-handle fanatic, but he had never imagined that such a fact would get in his way like this. Ivy herself had no power, but no one knew what might happen if she messed everything up by speaking using the emperor¡¯s voice in front of Dismas. Helmut turned around and looked back at Imil, almost as if he was asking ¡®are you really going to sit back and do nothing about this?¡¯ Imil seemed to be pondering with his hand placed on his head. There was nothing Imil and Helmut could do if Dismas decided to be stubborn, since there was no way logic would work on a fanatic. ¡°...How about we do this? Let¡¯s just ¡®protect¡¯ the Saintess in a safe place for now. If the enemy knows the value that the Saintess holds, they might try to come and retrieve her. Although she might feel trapped, I think the tower of Telgramm would be the most adequate place to¡­¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". ¡°No, I will protect her in the Red Citadel. His Holiness seems to be uncomfortable around the Saintess and I don¡¯t want him to be worried,¡± Dismas said firmly. Imil sighed once more, while Helmut bit his lips at the thought that he had only made Dismas even more wary. ¡°Then let¡¯s do that. Doctrinal General Dismas, you should take care of your wounds first. I will make sure to take Miss Ivy in a proper room and protect her. And Your Holiness, please allow me some of your time. I would like to discuss something with you.¡± Dismas headed toward his room with the help of the knights. At the same time, Ivy was also carried by a knight and taken somewhere. Helmut glared at Ivy for a long time even after she had disappeared from his sight. It was not until the surroundings were completely quiet that Imil approached Helmut. ¡°Why are you acting like that, Your Holiness?¡± ¡°You gave an order to kill that bitch, right?¡± Helmut didn¡¯t answer Imil¡¯s question, and only continued to show his hatred toward Ivy for no reason. Seeing this, Imil grabbed Helmut¡¯s hand strongly and turned him around. While Imil was only as strong as a fly compared to Helmut, he turned around easily without realizing it. Imil opened his mouth once more. ¡°Your Holiness. I asked you why you¡¯re acting like that.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t it only natural for me to want to kill an apostatic bitch? The Church collapsed from the inside all because of her. She is even involved with treason and¡­¡± ¡°The Saintess holds no power. She might have been a problem when she was inside the Church that you ruled, but she is nothing now. Neither is the Church loyal to the Saintess. Although not right now, the Church might become loyal to the self-proclaimed emperor in the future¡ªand that is only if he doesn¡¯t destroy the Church. Above all, the reason why Your Holiness collapsed is due to the fake emperor, not the Saintess. Yet you are showing quite a bit of hatred toward the Saintess for some reason.¡± Imil glared at Helmut with sharp eyes. ¡°Let me ask you again. Why do you hate the Saintess so much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more curious about the reason why you keep asking. I don¡¯t hate her in particular just because she¡¯s a Saintess. I hold the same hatred toward the fake emperor and would have tried to kill him as well if he was in front of me right now. How dare he refer to the emperor like that? He deserves to die and¡­¡± ¡°If Your Holiness had a chance to kill either the Saintess or the fake emperor, who would you kill?¡± Helmut was perplexed by Imil¡¯s question for a moment and hesitated to open his mouth. This brief silence was a good enough answer for Imil. Imil quietly glared at Helmut and then opened his mouth. ¡°Remember that hesitation just now, and I want you to think again about whether the hatred you have toward the Saintess is reasonable.¡± Then, Imil immediately left the hall, leaving Helmut behind. Helmut glared at the floor of the hall for a long time and then stomped his feet angrily on the floor. Helmut could not answer Imil why he hated the Saintess. ¡®Why did His Majesty choose the saintess? Why did His Majesty decide to exercise his will through the Saintess? ¡­Why didn¡¯t he choose me? Why her?¡¯ Helmut couldn¡¯t answer Imil that the reason for his hatred toward the Saintess was jealousy. *** ¡°For His Majesty!¡± Loud chants rang from place to place within the burning fortress. Pavan felt as if he was going to lose his mind upon hearing the chants coming from all sides. The chants were being shouted not only by the Imperial Army, but also by the Western Army. Those who fought for the emperor under the emperor¡¯s name were stabbing and killing each other. Seeing this, Pavan decided that he would not shout the slogan praising the emperor¡ªit was out of his opposition to such a bizarre scene. ¡®For revenge, blood, and punishment.¡¯ That slogan sounded much sweeter. He did not shout the slogan out loud, but Pavan impulsively rushed toward the enemies and cut their throats upon feeling his blood boiling with anger. In response to the sudden charge by their commander, the Order of the Capital also charged together and fiercely ran forward. ¡°Kill everyone!¡± Pavan shouted. ¡°And do not leave a single man alive!¡± The Imperial Army followed Pavan¡¯s simple order. Fire, blood, and metal were all mixed together in the fortress. And amidst the Imperial Army was a man who was on a rampage even without Pavan¡¯s order. Lenly Loen was drenched in so much blood that it was hard to recognize his white-silver armor that represented the Imperial Guards. He jumped into the enemy line before anyone else and quickly made a mess. The moment everyone thought that Lenly would be crushed to death by the enemies, a fog of blood swept over the battlefield. Flesh and broken weapons sprang up into the air. When the enemy¡¯s screams and shouts finally stopped, Lenly, who was completely soaked in blood, walked out of the crowd while breathing heavily. Then he rushed back into the battle to attack the remaining enemies. ¡®He looks like one of the fanatic warriors of the north.¡¯ Pavan clicked his tongue when he saw Lenly running around the battlefield. The way he fought made him look more like a beast than a knight. While it was true that the battle got easier thanks to Lenly, the way he was fighting could easily get him killed. Yet many soldiers began to fight just like Lenly after observing him. The battle at the fortress ended quickly and with ease. Capturing the fortress without the Order of Surtr and the giant slaves guarding it was easy. When the battle was over, Pavan sat on the collapsed fountain in the middle of the square, with corpses scattered all around. He just sat there, chewing on a jerky. Then Kilt, the deputy of the Order of the Capital, approached Pavan. ¡°Captain, I found the enemies who had been hiding underground. There were about four hundred and sixty of them, but all of them have surrendered. What should we do with them?¡± Pavan pondered for a while as he chewed on the jerky, then he soon opened his mouth. ¡°Kilt, you probably already know this, but our priority is to increase the speed of our advance. We are already in a hurry and we are being rushed by someone over there.¡± Pavan pointed toward Lenly Loen, who was nervously wandering around the square, fully covered in blood. Lenly has been unable to sleep ever since Ivy was abducted and had begged for the quick advancement and special attack. ¡°His Majesty ignored his request, but it is true that we are advancing much faster than we had originally scheduled. We are moving so fast that I¡¯m actually getting worried about our supply line. Do you think we can afford to take care of the prisoners in this situation?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°Well noted,¡± Kilt answered. Kilt bowed his head toward Pavan and quickly headed somewhere. Pavan figured that he must be heading toward the prisoners. It was only natural for this type of bloodshed to occur in the wake of the emperor¡¯s footsteps, especially when he had to hurry to save his colleagues. It was not like Juan didn¡¯t know what was happening right now, but he was silently acquiescing with it for now. Juan comforted himself that he had no self-interest in the decision he made about the prisoners. Meanwhile, Lenly Loen constantly walked back and forth from one corner of the square to another corner with a crazy look on his face. It was not until a long time later that Juan appeared in the square, and Lenly hastily ran toward him. Juan had a dumbfounded expression upon seeing Lenly getting in his way out of nowhere. ¡°Your Majesty. Please resume our advance.¡± ¡°We are spending the night here,¡± Juan answered firmly. Lenly bit his lips. ¡°But Your Majesty, we need to hurry. Who knows where the Saintess is and what is happening to her right now¡­¡± ¡°Lenly, we have already occupied two more fortresses in the last two days after Dismas abducted Ivy. Given that the main forces of the enemy have already been exhausted, Dismas is probably preparing for a showdown. I don¡¯t want the soldiers to be exhausted when fighting the Western Army, especially now that Cabaragh is just around the corner.¡± Despite Juan¡¯s comforting words, Lenly nervously bit his nails. ¡°Haven¡¯t you transferred your spirit into the Saintess¡¯ body before, Your Majesty? Could you at least check how she is doing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult thing for me to do. But we have no idea about what the enemies will do when they find out that I¡¯m inside Ivy¡¯s body. Doing so would instead place Ivy in even more danger. I¡¯m certain that Dismas will sense the sudden change.¡± Lenly looked hopeless. It seemed like he was aging day by day as time passed, causing Juan to also feel uneasy. ¡°Lenly, as I said. I have no problem with you going to save Ivy on your own. You can even go rescue Ivy right now if you want, but Ivy promised me that she would take responsibility for herself. I¡¯m just saying that you can¡¯t put the other soldiers in unnecessary danger.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave by myself, Your Majesty,¡± Lenly muttered in a frustrated voice. Lenly did not add any further explanation, but there was only one reason he insisted on staying¡ªit was because the Imperial Guards had pledged not to leave the emperor¡¯s side under any circumstances. It didn¡¯t matter when the emperor¡¯s body was still in Torra, but Lenly couldn¡¯t leave Juan¡¯s side now that he decided to serve Juan as the emperor. Lenly could only leave with Juan to go and save Ivy. ¡°Don¡¯t be bound by such a useless vow. I have neither received nor forced such a pledge from the Imperial Guards. It¡¯s my corpse that received that pledge.¡± Juan sighed. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much about this. Ivy didn¡¯t have a single wound on her even when Telgramm attacked her, and Dismas protected her when Pavan tried to attack her. It is clear that Dismas doesn¡¯t think of Ivy as some ordinary hostage.¡± ¡°But I cannot leave the safety of the Saintess to such luck.¡± ¡°Ivy is not the type to leave her fate to luck.¡± Juan comforted Lenly. ¡°Maybe Ivy will create an unexpected twist. She came to this battlefield at the risk of her life from the very beginning. So, you should trust her judgment.¡± CH 213 Despite Juan¡¯s persuasion, Lenly only nodded in silence and didn¡¯t answer. Then, he headed somewhere with heavy steps while dragging his feet. Juan could understand where Lenly was coming from; however, he couldn¡¯t move the entire army for just one person. Not only was the Imperial Army already exhausted, but the speed of their current march was also way too fast. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Juan saw Pavan upon turning his head toward the voice. Pavan was holding a leather bag toward Juan, and inside it was a liquid swaying around. Juan took the leather bag and drank from it. He frowned slightly at the bitter taste of the low-grade alcohol, but he drank it anyway since he was thirsty. After quenching his thirst, Juan handed over the leather bag to Pavan. ¡°Did I look like I needed a drink?¡± ¡°I know that Your Majesty doesn¡¯t drink often, but you looked thirsty.¡± Juan smiled bitterly at the fact that Pavan knew him very well despite having served him for only a little while. Just like he didn¡¯t need to eat, Juan didn¡¯t need to drink anything either. Yet the thirst he was feeling was psychological. ¡°This war is strange,¡± Juan said. ¡°Aren¡¯t all wars strange?¡± Pavan answered. ¡°Maybe. But a lot of the wars I¡¯ve been through have been much simpler than this. The gods who deserved to be destroyed were walking on our land and there were people who stood up against them out of anger and for the sake of survival. It was a terrible war, but these days, I somewhat miss those days¡ªa time when a clear line was drawn between the good and evil.¡± Pavan tilted his head, unable to understand Juan¡¯s words. ¡°The enemy tried to annihilate our people and killed several friends of Your Majesty. He even resurrected those terrible gods. So, do you still feel that there is no evil?¡± Juan sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that they aren¡¯t evil. I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s unclear whether I¡¯m good or evil. Just because I¡¯m confronting evil doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Well, all the soldiers think of Your Majesty as the absolute good.¡± ¡°And I know better than anyone that they¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°Then a philosophical debate will begin among the soldiers.¡± ¡°What we are talking about isn¡¯t suitable for the battlefield. It would be better to talk about this later.¡± Pavan laughed in a low voice. ¡°Yes, it would. But Your Majesty, while the good is wondering if his sword is too sharp, the evil will have ten swords that are well maintained and ready¡ªall while thinking about slaughtering the good with them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Neither is there a shortage of swords on our side nor are our swords blunt.¡± Pavan bowed his head and stepped down in response to Juan¡¯s firm answer. He had no doubts about the ability of the sword held by Juan. In fact, he had already seen enough of what Juan was capable of and had also seen the miracles that he could perform. ¡®But what¡¯s the use of a well-maintained sword if the holder of the sword is hesitant about using it?¡¯ Pavan thought that it might be better to prepare another sword, just in case. He grabbed one of the soldiers walking past him and asked. ¡°Where is Dame Sina Solvane right now?¡± *** Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°A gift from General Nienna?¡± Pavan met up with Sina near the walls of the fortress which they had occupied, at a place where the traces of collapse and burning were evident. As soon as he saw her, Pavan asked about the gift Nienna had given Sina. Sina was perplexed, wondering how Pavan had found out about it, but answered while maintaining a calm exterior. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°I already know that General Nienna gave you a gift. No matter how much General Nienna believes in His Majesty, there is no way that she would send him off without a plan B when the opponent is none other than Dismas. In fact, I even know what the gift is. I¡¯m only asking, since I¡¯m curious whether you know how to handle it.¡± Sina¡¯s expression distorted as she glared at Pavan. ¡°Did you get the soldiers to search through my belongings?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go that far. I only ordered them to keep their eyes on you. Please don¡¯t be offended. To be fair, you had no proper position in the Imperial Palace or in the Imperial Army. It was only a matter of course, for security purposes,¡± Pavan made excuses in front of Sina in a brazen manner. Sina bit her lips; she knew that there was nothing wrong about what Pavan had said. ¡®But I thought that we were comrades. I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s been secretly monitoring me all along.¡¯ ¡°The item that General Nienna gave you is Oberon. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Pavan asked Sina once again as if to confirm. Sina clenched the pocket around her waist. The cold energy permeated through her and a thin layer of frost covered the back of her hand. However, it wasn¡¯t cold enough to make her feel pain. Oberon, the Ice Spirit spear that Nienna used to fight against Juan back at the fortress of Beldeve, was one of Nienna¡¯s primary weapons. Some people even considered Oberon to be on the same level as the emperor¡¯s Sutra, since it had the ability to attack with an unlimited number of ice spears, without any limit on size. ¡°Why do you ask when you already know?¡± Sina asked coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡ªI don¡¯t intend to take Oberon away from you or argue with you. How would I dare to do that when it¡¯s clear that General Nienna would cut my neck and decorate it on her spear if she finds out about this? I asked you this question earlier, but let me ask you again. Do you know how to handle Oberon?¡± Sina was hesitant, but opened her mouth to answer. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even given a brief instruction. I¡¯ve been practicing whenever I have time, but¡­¡± ¡°Oberon has more abilities other than just making ice spears. There¡¯s a lot it can do, even on a much larger scale. Of course, General Nienna wouldn¡¯t have needed to use such skills, since she can control the cold itself. But Dame Sina needs to be wise when using Oberon, since you are weaker than General Nienna.¡± While it was only natural for Sina to be weaker compared to Nienna, she still felt strange upon hearing Pavan call her weak. Meanwhile, Pavan drew his sword. Sina flinched and took a step back, but Pavan raised his other hand as if trying to reassure Sina. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s practice while we have some, alright?¡± ¡°...What do you mean practice?¡± Pavan looked at Sina with a dumbfounded expression¡ªit was as if he was asking ¡®why are you asking me such an obvious question?¡¯ ¡°Practice how to kill Dismas.¡± Sina was startled. She had already told Pavan that Juan shouldn¡¯t be the one to kill Dismas, but from Pavan¡¯s point of view, it didn¡¯t matter who killed Dismas. Yet Sina had no choice but to suspect him, especially when he offered to help her all of a sudden. ¡°Do you believe that His Majesty won¡¯t be able to kill Dismas even when the time comes?¡± Sina asked. ¡°To be honest with you, it¡¯s hard to trust His Majesty completely. What happened back at the Loen Basin might just be a coincidence. But losing him even at Arkul gate doesn¡¯t feel like a coincidence to me. His Majesty did say that he kept Dismas alive to stop the Cainheryars, but as a result, Dismas ended up escaping. That¡¯s not like His Majesty, is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a useless distrust. His Majesty won¡¯t hesitate¡ªhe will firmly cut his own child¡¯s neck when the right time comes.¡± ¡°And I bet that¡¯s what Lenly Loen thought as well.¡± Sina closed her mouth and remained silent. Lenly also believed in Juan¡¯s judgment at first and entrusted him with everything. But now that Ivy had been abducted, he was almost out of his mind. Pavan shrugged his shoulders and continued to speak. ¡°Sina, to be honest with you, I really don¡¯t care who kills Dismas. All I need to see is Dismas'' neck falling off his shoulders. I cannot and will not see him running away in front of my eyes a third time. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust His Majesty. But isn¡¯t it true that the more swords there are to stab Dismas, the better?¡± ¡°...I mean, you¡¯re right. But¡­¡± ¡°The one who cuts an enemy general on the battlefield does not necessarily have to be the general. An ordinary soldier can also step up and pull him down as well, don¡¯t you think? Didn¡¯t Dame Sina tell me that it would be right for someone other than His Majesty to kill Dismas? So, Dame Sina will be the one to take on that role. You have both the will and power. I think you are the most suitable person for the job.¡± Sina sighed. The last thing she wanted was to see Juan being ruined by revenge, slaughter and filicide while fighting this war. Sina believed in Juan, but decided to warn him if he was headed the wrong way. Juan might regret killing his child with his own hands, and it would be better if there was someone else to exact his revenge. In that regard, Pavan¡¯s words were absolutely right. However, it was also true that Sina felt uneasy upon thinking that Pavan must have manipulated a lot of people. Sina hesitated and opened her mouth with difficulty. ¡°We haven¡¯t even figured out how to stop the Cainheryars yet¡­¡± ¡°The Cainheryars will last for longer if Dismas is able to flee alive. In the meantime, the empire might fall back to the state of the mythological era again¡ªwhen it was split into smaller kingdoms. Perhaps it would be better to kill Dismas first and have His Majesty quickly destroy the rest of the Cainheryars.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s only easy to say, Pavan.¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but what I¡¯m thinking about is much simpler than what you think. I just want to kill Dismas, that¡¯s all. I just want to prepare a lot of swords to stab him. We all have different reasons¡ªDame Sina doesn¡¯t want His Majesty to commit filicide, and Sir Lenly is trying to rescue the Saintess. Meanwhile, I¡¯m just seeking simple revenge and victory.¡± Sina nodded with unease as she came to a conclusion¡ªthat Pavan wasn¡¯t hiding anything from her. She hesitated for a long time even after deciding to agree with Pavan, but soon grabbed something out of her pocket. It was a white brooch that was shaped like a snowflake. Pavan stared at the brooch. ¡°Is that Oberon?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s what General Nienna gave to me.¡± Sina quietly clasped the brooch. A subtle light leaked through Sina¡¯s fingers and disappeared a little later like the fog. Pavan looked at Sina with a suspicious look. Meanwhile, Sina quietly looked down at her palm and stretched her index finger up. At that moment, an awl made of ice that was about thirty centimeters long appeared along with a cracking sound. Seeing this, Pavan shook his head in admiration. ¡°What an amazing weapon¡­ it allows you to use this much magic just by holding it. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to handle it well?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll need a little practice.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so I guess all we can do is trust in Dame Sina¡¯s capabilities.¡± *** Ivy was standing in the middle of a purple valley. ¡®It¡¯s this place again.¡¯ Ivy realized that she was dreaming. Rocks that emitted bright and shiny lights rose everywhere and formed a valley. Ivy stomped her feet to find out if the ground she was standing on was real or not. Fortunately, the ground was hard. However, it did not seem to be real when she saw the architecture scattered everywhere¡ªthe architecture that made it hard for her to know what era she was in. Ivy couldn¡¯t figure out why this strange space kept appearing in her dreams. It was difficult to estimate the time it started, but she figured that it must have been before the time she was appointed as the Saintess. Ivy felt like she could see the images of her brain fluid and skull scattered all over the purple rocks. She didn¡¯t know how, but it felt like something strange had entered her when she was forcibly revived by the Pope. She didn¡¯t know where this place was, but she decided to take a step forward; she thought that she would eventually wake up when the time came. The purple valley was quiet, and it was neither cold nor hot. She couldn¡¯t even tell if there was any air, since there was no wind. After walking for a long time, Ivy came to a sudden stop as she found something. Someone was sitting in a chair. Ivy, who almost let out a scream without even realizing it, quickly covered her mouth. The man sitting in the chair had purple moss growing all over his body and it was hard to tell how long he had been sitting there for. ¡®Is he even alive?¡¯ Then the man slightly turned his head in response to the sudden noise. Seeing this, Ivy¡¯s face hardened. CH 214 ¡°Are you awake?¡± Ivy opened her eyes upon hearing the voice. She was startled to see Dismas looking down at her, but she soon wrapped her arms around her head due to a terrible headache. Ivy had a feeling that she saw something important in her dream, but she couldn¡¯t remember anything now that she was awake. Dismas held out a glass of water in front of Ivy when she quietly groaned. Ivy hesitated for a moment, but took the glass to her mouth. Upon glancing around at her surroundings, Ivy saw walls made of red granite and countless symbols representing the emperor built outside the window. There was only one place like this throughout the entire empire. It was Cabragh, the capital city of the West. To be exact, Ivy was in the Red Citadel, the base of the Order of Surtr. ¡°I know that you¡¯re worried. But you are safe here, Saintess. I promise you that there is nothing to worry about,¡± Dismas said. Ivy bit her lips. ¡°Am I a hostage?¡± ¡°Hostage? No way. How could I dare to treat the Saintess as a hostage? All I did was rescue you. I apologize for taking advantage of your good intentions in the process of doing so. I will ask for forgiveness by getting myself whipped a hundred times.¡± Ivy looked slightly fed up. She had seen a knight of the Order of Surtr getting whipped as a piacular rite before. They borrowed the hand of a fellow knight, since punishing themselves on their own could weaken the intensity of the whipping. She recalled not being able to watch the piacular rite until the end due to its violent nature. ¡°Um, no. You really don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Ivy wasn¡¯t cold-hearted enough to openly say ¡®Yes. Go ahead and whip your back until you become drenched in blood.¡¯ On the other hand, Dismas opened his eyes wide at Ivy¡¯s words and soon nodded. ¡°Thank you, Saintess. It seems like you are slowly turning back to normal after you¡¯ve escaped the evil spell of the fake emperor. I appreciate you for your understanding that I was moving for a greater purpose.¡± Only then did Ivy realize that Dismas had misunderstood her words. Ivy frowned and opened her mouth again. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I forgive you. I¡¯m just saying that your habit of trying to be easily forgiven using pain is inappropriate. You are just trying to be forgiven quickly and comfortably by choosing to endure simple pain.¡± Dismas slightly opened his mouth and looked at Ivy with trembling eyes. After remaining silent for a while, Dismas lowered his head. ¡°...That is something I need to think deeply about. But I appreciate you for your considerate advice.¡± Ivy wondered if she had made a mistake. She could have bought Dismas¡¯ trust by lying and telling him that she agreed with him. But she had a feeling that she ended up making him even more wary by saying unnecessary words. ¡°Are you planning to lock me up in here?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°No. I have ordered the knights to honor the Saintess and treat you the same as His Holiness. You can freely access any location, but please understand that it is limited to the inside of Cabragh. It is for the sake of your own safety, since we are at war right now. Also, one of the knights will always be with you to guarantee your safety.¡± In other words, Dismas was telling her that he will always have a watchman to keep his eyes on her. Yet, Ivy was surprised to see Dismas offer her more freedom than she had expected; she thought that she would be locked inside this fortress until His Majesty or Lenly came to rescue her. ¡°You seem to be quite surprised. As I already said, you were only deceived by the fake emperor. I was shocked at first, but now I understand after meeting him in person. He looks remarkably like His Majesty, doesn¡¯t he? No wonder you fell for his tricks. After all, my sister Nienna and the majority of the empire also fell for it. False prophets always tend to appear with applause.¡± ¡°He¡¯s never been applauded,¡± Ivy answered in a cold voice. Dismas looked back at Ivy. Ivy couldn¡¯t figure out why she was standing up for the fake emperor. She was in a dangerous situation where her neck could be cut off at any moment if she was not careful with what she said. However, due to being someone who had already heard a lot about Juan through Sina, Ivy couldn¡¯t help but stand up for Juan. ¡°His Majesty has returned after being sold to a slave merchant to roll around in blood, dust, and mud in the Colosseum. No one applauded him until he set his foot in Torra. He had to prove to everyone that he was the true emperor, all the way until the end.¡± Dismas looked at Ivy without saying a word. ¡°It seems like his grip over you is much stronger than I had expected, Saintess.¡± A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. Ivy realized that even the little freedom she had been allowed was now gone due to her words just now. She could have found a better chance of escape, but her chance quickly disappeared as soon as she opened her mouth to say a few words in the emperor¡¯s defense. ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to talk about this for a while until we reach an agreement. I¡¯m preparing for a showdown with the fake emperor in Cabragh anyway. Before this, I was nothing but His Majesty¡¯s sword that was being used to destroy evil, but I promise to do my best to save you from the fake emperor¡¯s evil tricks.¡± *** The hammer narrowly brushed past Sina¡¯s nose. Even though her face was on the verge of being flattened by the hammer, Sina didn¡¯t even seem to perceive this situation as dangerous. This was only because she had purposely dodged it by a narrow margin. In fact, the knight from the Order of Surtr who was swinging his hammer in front of Sina¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on her¡ªhis hammer was just too slow for Sina, and he couldn¡¯t hurt her even after getting two more knights to help him. ¡°Are you ever going to do anything other than dodging!?¡± the knight from the Order of Surtr shouted angrily. Of course, Sina didn¡¯t intend to do anything. She was just patiently waiting for the right moment to draw the picture she wanted. Upon coming to the conclusion that Sina was an opponent stronger than the three of them combined, the knights from the Order of Surtr acted quickly. Right as one of them charged forward while risking his life, the other two quickly fell back. Their night raid had already failed and retreat could no longer be delayed further just because of Sina. And this was the moment when the picture that Sina had been waiting for was finally completed. The moment she stamped her foot down, an ice spear soared from the ground and penetrated through the abdomen of the knight charging toward her. The knight who was charging toward Sina struggled in the air, then soon drooped down helplessly. Then, the long ice spear grew and extended toward the heart of another knight from the Order of Surtr. Meanwhile, the last knight was cursing at Sina from atop his horse. Seeing this, Sina stared at the knight for a brief moment, and raised her empty left hand in the air. Instantly, seven ice spears popped out and pierced through the knight¡¯s neck, lungs, heart, and other vital organs. The knight finally fell off of his horse, unable to even let out a scream. The battle was still ongoing in the dark, but there would be no more tricky opponents once the knights from the Order of Surtr were overpowered. The fact that the sounds were dying down alone showed that the battle was already in its final stages. At that moment, Sina heard the sound of horses approaching her. It was Pavan. He had been observing Sina ever since the night raid began. ¡°You¡¯re already pretty good at handling it. Connecting three different forms of attacks in a row, huh? You are a bit slower than when you practiced, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll improve quickly considering your learning speed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for compliments,¡± Sina answered coldly. But she also realized that she had become much stronger than before. Her mana heart wasn¡¯t fully trained yet, but she wouldn''t have to worry about shortage of mana in a battle like this as long as she had the essence of the emperor. When Pavan trained with Sina, he also trained her on how to use the Baltic Sword using Oberon as well. Its effects were beyond imagination. It was only natural that Sina wasn¡¯t as good as Nienna, but even so, she could now be considered to be a huge threat to the enemy. Sina was proud of her improvement, but it was hard for her to erase the thought that her achievements were not entirely thanks to her own abilities. She decided to change the subject; she didn¡¯t wish to talk about her improving skills anymore. ¡°By the way, everything went according to your plan. I can¡¯t believe that you anticipated all their moves. They really did conduct a night raid to attack the supply forces tonight.¡± ¡°It was only natural for them to do so if they had a brain. As soon as they started abandoning their fortresses, only leaving the bare minimum number of troops behind, I knew that the enemy would try to destroy our supply line. They probably thought that this would accelerate our advance.¡± However, at that moment, Pavan raised the corners of his mouth and shook his head. ¡°Heh. I am just kidding¡­ it¡¯s nothing more than a bluff. It wasn¡¯t me who anticipated the enemy¡¯s next move, but His Majesty. I don¡¯t know if His Majesty had the same thoughts in mind, but he asked me to keep an eye on the rear supply unit today. Perhaps he sensed something before any one of us.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°His Majesty¡¯s abilities never fail to amaze me every time I see them. But we can¡¯t always count on him and expect him to do everything for us.¡± ¡®And now we are back to this story again.¡¯ Pavan looked at Sina. It was almost as if he was hinting something to her, but Sina just turned her head away. Pavan was suggesting that they had to kill Dismas with their own hands in case of an emergency, since they couldn¡¯t always rely on the emperor. ¡°I already know. You don¡¯t have to keep telling me that,¡± Sina said. ¡°Cabragh will be just around the corner by tomorrow. Dismas is not going to give up on defending it, so this is going to be a siege war. He has concentrated all his elite soldiers in Cabragh¡ªwhich means that the fortress attacks that we have done so far will be considered nothing but a joke compared to what we are about to face tomorrow.¡± Pavan drove his horse closer to Sina. ¡°His Majesty will not be able to fully concentrate on Dismas. While we might see more Cainheryars, there¡¯s also the Pope. Oh, and don¡¯t forget about the existence of Telgramm. One thing that is clear is that it might be a difficult battle for His Majesty to handle on his own.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness¡­ I know! I already know all this. How many times do I have to tell you?¡± Sina answered irritably. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you know.¡± Pavan smiled and slowly drove his horse away from Sina. ¡°I don¡¯t wish for you to hate me any more than you already do, so I¡¯ll go on and track down the remnants. Dame Sina, I wish you the best of luck.¡± Sina glared at Pavan as he disappeared beyond the darkness. *** ¡°That¡¯s the plan, Your Majesty.¡± Juan looked at Pavan with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Dame Sina can be considered to be capable enough to kill Dismas. It¡¯s actually more than enough. Your Majesty would also have thought the same if you looked at her skills and combat capabilities while handling Oberon¡ªalthough she seems to underestimate herself.¡± ¡°This is quite confusing, Pavan. Isn¡¯t this supposed to be something you planned behind my back? Why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s no way that I can deceive you, Your Majesty.¡± Juan sighed and shook his head. Pavan¡¯s words were true. Juan already knew quite early on that Nienna had given Oberon to Sina and that Sina was training with it. He also knew that Pavan was helping her do so. ¡°What¡¯s the point of letting me know after you¡¯ve already done it?¡± Juan asked. ¡°It is to motivate Dame Sina. She wants to simply be someone who observes Your Majesty, but she also wants to be of help. Who would want to kill Your Majesty¡¯s child? No matter how much Dismas deserves to die, he is still Your Majesty¡¯s son. Who knows whether or not Your Majesty would later punish the person that kills Dismas? In that sense, this is the most perfect duty for Dame Sina.¡± ¡°Perfect, huh?¡± ¡°Perhaps she might think that it is only fair for her to kill Your Majesty¡¯s child, since Your Majesty annihilated the Order of the Blue Rose,¡± Pavan added. ¡°Do you realize that Hela¡¯s irritating and unpleasant tone has rubbed off on you? Even Hela couldn¡¯t be forgiven if she talked to me like that. And you¡¯re not even Hela, are you?¡± Juan grabbed Pavan by the face. Pavan was feeling extreme pain from Juan¡¯s hand grabbing his cheeks. However, Juan soon sighed and let go of Pavan¡¯s face. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t pull out the commander¡¯s teeth with the battle just around the corner. You should be sleeping and eating well. Don¡¯t think about playing dirty tricks, and just lead the battle well, will you? Don¡¯t worry about Dismas anymore.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Juan glared at Pavan with displeased eyes. Pavan swallowed a gulp upon facing Juan¡¯s eyes that were rife with murderous intent, but he managed to barely stand without collapsing to the floor. ¡°I will be the one to kill Dismas. It¡¯s a shame that your work will go to a waste, but Sina won¡¯t have the chance to play an active role. This is the answer that you wished to hear, isn¡¯t it? That I¡¯ll hurry up and kill Dismas without any hesitation to keep Sina out of danger?¡± Pavan bowed his head instead of answering. Juan looked at Pavan for a while and chewed his words. ¡°You really want to kill Dismas that badly, huh. Are you trying to manipulate me at the cost of your own life? Do you have a life to spare or something?¡± ¡°The weak have their own ways. No matter how disciplined I am, I¡¯ll never even be able to reach even the feet of Your Majesty¡¯s children. So what else can I do?¡± CH 215 Dismas was standing in the tower housing Telgramm as he looked out the window with anxious eyes. Imperial flags could be seen waving in the air between the rocky mountains outside Cabragh. In just less than a week, Juan¡¯s imperial forces had managed to break through the West and were just around the corner of reaching Cabragh¡ªthe furthest point in the West. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. While the imperial forces must be suffering from a lot of accumulated fatigue, they would still be full of morale, since they had won consecutive battles. Furthermore, all of them also wanted revenge for Hela Henna, a well-respected noble. It was clear that the Capital Army would recover from their fatigue and that they will also get more reinforcements as time goes by. If the Imperial Army decided to just block Cabragh as it is, the Western Army would have no choice but to surrender in less than half a year. Of course, the blockade would not succeed. After all, Dismas¡¯ side had the Telgramm, the Cainheryars, and the Pope. However, the enemy¡¯s side had the emperor. While it was unknown whether the emperor was real or not, it was true that he had enough power to make such a claim and had even successfully convinced everyone. At the same time, the fortress would be meaningless if Nienna and the dragon joined the battle as well. At most one or two major battles will be fought, each of whose outcomes will be very critical to each other. At such an urgent time, Dismas, the commander in chief of the Western Army, did not even show up on the wall. Helmut stood in front of Telgramm, looking irritated. Telegramm required two people to operate¡ªone had to be the shooter who launched the Telgramm, and one had to be the observer, who observes the target point. While Helmut was appointed as the shooter to handle Telgramm, Dismas was appointed as the observer. Helmut could see and hear Dismas from the end of the obliquely erected cylinder in the center of Telgramm. On the other hand, Dismas had been engaged in a heated debate with Ivy for two days straight. They constantly held conversations and voiced their opinions at every meal and stroll. Helmut couldn¡¯t understand Dismas¡¯ bizarre enthusiasm to convince Ivy. Up until now, Dismas would simply torture any discredited men and burn them if they resisted. ¡®But why is he making an exception for the Saintess?¡¯ ¡°You look nervous.¡± Helmut turned his head at the voice coming from behind him. He could see Imil slowly approaching him. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating that the Doctrinal General is only focusing on this type of doctrinal dispute when the enemy is just around the corner,¡± Helmut answered. ¡°I understand your frustration, Your Holiness. The soldiers also seemed quite puzzled. While the preparation is going well because the Order of Surtr is quite competent, it would be nice for him to show up and say something to the soldiers now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? As far as I remember, Doctrinal General Dismas is not the type of a person to try and persuade or convince someone.¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s the reason why it¡¯s taking him so long. It¡¯s probably because he respects the Saintess, don¡¯t you think? Unlike other humble unbelievers, the Saintess is above everyone when it comes to listening to His Majesty¡¯s noble voice.¡± Helmut felt like he wanted to cry; after all, it was him who had created such an image for the Saintess. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that there¡¯s a chance that she¡¯ll persuade the Doctrinal General to¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. I overheard their conversation once, but it¡¯s the same story every time. They are reluctant to hear each other out and keep going nonstop like squirrels running non-stop on a wheel. Doctrinal General Dismas¡¯ faith is quite strong. But I gotta admit that I was surprised to see the Saintess have such strong faith as well.¡± Imil smiled and continued to speak. ¡°To be honest, I think it would be more effective to torture the Saintess rather than trying to persuade her. I bet a little pinch on her arm would change her position really quickly¡ªeven if she just tells a lie.¡± ¡°Well, we at least need that right now¡­¡± Helmut bit his lips. ¡°It would be nice to keep that bitch away from Dismas, even if it¡¯s just for a little while. If I could spend some time with her alone, I could put some sense into her.¡± ¡°Your Holiness.¡± Imil sighed and approached Helmut. ¡°Even if the Doctrinal General Dismas is failing to come to his senses, at least you should remain rational¡ªyou are the Pope. Please set your priorities straight. This is not the time to cause internal strife just because of one girl. Disaster is just around the corner.¡± Then he pointed outside the window. ¡°I can feel Your Holiness has become quite skilled in handling Telgramm and is now much more accurate. As long as you can handle Telgramm with accuracy, the fake emperor will be of no match against us. Without the fake emperor, their traitorous party is like a group of ants in front of Your Holiness.¡± Helmut did not answer. He wondered whether the empire would really come into his hands again even if the fake emperor were to disappear. There were many things that Helmut did not know about¡ªsuch as the truth behind the appearance of Telgramm or the Cainheryars created by Dismas. Helmut couldn¡¯t figure out how many more secrets there were, and it occurred to him that maybe he had been nothing more than a puppet for the last few decades. ¡°Your Holiness,¡± Imil put a hand on Helmut¡¯s shoulder and whispered. ¡°Fulfill His Majesty¡¯s will. That is the right thing to do.¡± Helmut nodded as Imil¡¯s hand patted him on the shoulder. *** Cabragh was a fortress built to fight against the giants beyond the western border. The fortress built around the Giant¡¯s Backbone mountain range was particularly tall and hard toward the west, but relatively gentle and shallow toward the east. Even so, it was still bizarrely tall. The reputation of the fortress city that was challenged by numerous giants, but never collapsed even once was quite famous within the empire. ¡°But for some reason, now it seems like it has become a fortress that belongs to the Giants,¡± Pavan answered joyfully. Huge Giant slaves stood there with iron armor and iron shields in both of their hands. The huge Giants that were standing up tall made the wall look at least several tens of meters higher than it actually was. The number of Giant slaves surrounding Cabragh seemed to be several times as many as the number of Giant slaves that were seen at the Loen Basin. Juan frowned upon thinking that there must be more of them lurking behind the wall. ¡°I heard that Giants value their honor more than anything. I bet it must be hard for them to stand being ridiculed like that,¡± Juan said. ¡°I heard that they use magic through the use of medicine or nerve manipulation on the Giants. Apparently some of them come back to their senses, but it¡¯s very rare. Oh, yes¡­ we might be able to turn them to our side if Your Majesty knows how to make them come back to their senses,¡± Pavan answered. Pavan¡¯s idea was not a bad one, but unfortunately Juan didn¡¯t know how to release the Giants from the spell. The Emperor¡¯s voice wouldn¡¯t work on the Giants, since they were of a heterogeneous race. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make them come back to their senses, but I can grant them freedom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we would have the time to do so, but¡­¡± In other words, Pavan was stating that they had to kill all of the Giant slaves. He let out a sigh and scratched his head. ¡°Giant slaves are not a big problem for skilled knights, but they are definitely problematic to the ordinary soldiers. There are fewer than ten knights who are skilled enough to deal with the Giant slaves. To be honest, even if the Cainheryars make an appearance, they will not be the ones killing the highest number of our soldiers¡ªit will be the Giants.¡± ¡°There¡¯s Cainheryars and then there¡¯s also Telgramm. I have no idea how the hell Helmut is able to handle Telgramm like that. It¡¯s going to be a tough battle. Pavan, use any and all means to break into Cabragh as quickly as possible¡ªeven if that means making a few sacrifices. No matter how strong Telgramm is, it will be hard for them to use it when their allies are on the battlefield as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the Pope has enough common sense to consider his allies, but I guess that¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°And Lenly.¡± Lenly, who had been listening to Juan and Pavan¡¯s conversation in silence, quickly raised his head. ¡°The moment you have been waiting for all along has finally come. We must have a siege to finish the Cainheryars as soon as possible. We cannot afford to waste time on a blockade. I¡¯d like you to be in charge of a special attack,¡± Juan ordered. ¡°But I must stand by Your Majesty¡¯s side as a member of the Imperial Guards¡­¡± ¡°I will already be in Cabragh by the time the siege begins. Wouldn¡¯t that be enough? Pick out the soldiers you need and begin the operation from within. But keep in mind that your mission is to infiltrate, and not to rescue.¡± Lenly¡¯s expression hardened again. But Juan clicked his tongue and added some more words. ¡°So I would like you to secure an ¡®important person¡¯ from within in advance, before everything turns into chaos. I¡¯ll leave it up to you to decide who¡¯s the important person.¡± Lenly¡¯s face brightened up. Others would consider this a suicide mission, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter much to Lenly. Then Juan turned his gaze toward Sina. Sina, who held no specific position in the Imperial Army, had remained silent throughout the meeting. ¡°Sina, you stay out of this battle.¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone looked at Juan with surprised eyes. Although Sina did not have an official position in the Imperial Army, her exquisite fighting capabilities and performance was so famous within the Imperial Army that there were soldiers saluting her when she wasn¡¯t even officially their superior. However, Juan continued to speak in a calm manner. ¡°You¡¯re basically a civilian since you don¡¯t have a position in the Imperial Army. I¡¯ve made an exception and considered you an observer until now, but not anymore. You will not be participating in this battle.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve been¡­¡± ¡°If not, then make up your mind. You¡¯re the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose. All knight orders belong to the Imperial Army, and the Imperial Army is loyal to the ruler of the empire. And I am the ruler of the empire. Sina, can you be loyal to me?¡± Sina flinched. Although she was the Captain of the Order of the Blue Rose, she had not yet pledged her allegiance to Juan. Her ambiguous position as Juan''s trusted comrade who is not loyal to him had already been maintained for a long time now. Even Sina couldn¡¯t tell how that had been possible until now. Yet the reason was quite simple¡ªit was because Juan wanted Sina to maintain such a position. He wanted her to be the watchman rather than a subordinate. If Juan had told her to be loyal to him, Sina would have pledged her allegiance to him a long time ago. ¡°I am¡­¡± ¡°My friend,¡± Juan cut Sina off and said in a firm voice. ¡°This was what forced me to make a decision more than ever. All of my colleagues, subordinates, enemies, and family are all trying to fulfill their will through me. Yes¡ªthe emperor is always forced. And that¡¯s why, more than ever, I need a friend to watch over me.¡± Sina couldn¡¯t open her mouth at Juan¡¯s pleading words for a long time. *** A flag with a hand-holding hammer flapped over the walls of Cabragh. The western soldiers lined up atop the wall and silently looked at the Imperial flags glittering over the ridge with anxious eyes. The Capital Army was on standby beyond the hills and rocky mountains; they were wary of Telgramm. This was the same force that went to support Barth Baltic when he issued an order to convene not long ago. Back then, they surrendered without shedding a single drop of blood, but they were attacking the West as soon as the emperor returned. ¡®Is the man sitting on the throne the real emperor?¡¯ Most of the soldiers had similar thoughts. They had already heard of the new emperor¡¯s achievements and power. It was known that he used Sutra and was able to magically raise the walls of Torra. But even if he was the real emperor, they couldn¡¯t understand why he drove the Pope and themselves¡ªthose who supported him most passionately¡ªinto a corner. They had no doubt that they, the Westerners, had always been the most loyal to the emperor all this time. Then there was only one more question left for them to ask. ¡®If the man who appeared is the real emperor, then who is the emperor that we served all this time?¡¯ Then one of the soldiers suddenly began to tremble. His faint groan and anxiety quickly began to spread to the other soldiers as well. At that moment, a thick and huge hand was placed on that soldier¡¯s hand. The soldier flinched and turned around. A huge man in red armor was quietly looking over the wall. With his hand placed over the soldier¡¯s hand, Dismas opened his mouth. ¡°His Majesty simply wants faith.¡± The soldier breathed heavily, but soon calmed down and looked ahead. There was no need to think about unnecessary things¡ªHis Majesty just wanted simple faith, and it was their duty to understand His Majesty¡¯s will and carry it out. Otherwise, all their lives that they had spent believing the emperor would be denied completely. As soon as Dismas appeared, the agitation and anxiety that had spread amongst the soldiers disappeared in an instant. After all, Dismas, the emperor¡¯s own son, was on their side. Instead of pondering any further, the soldiers decided to believe in him. Imil, who was looking ahead while standing on the wall, felt the change in the soldiers¡¯ morale. He smiled bitterly and approached Dismas. ¡°As expected. Our soldiers¡¯ anxiety reduced as soon as the Doctrinal General showed up.¡± ¡°I apologize for leaving everything to my subordinates until now.¡± Dismas looked visibly tired, but it didn¡¯t seem to be physical exhaustion. Imil decided to test the waters. ¡°So? How did the debate go? Was it meaningful?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Dismas¡¯ face was absolutely expressionless. CH 216 ¡°The Saintess was very firm in her opinions¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like she has been threatened, but maybe she has been brainwashed. Ah¡­ If only I had better talking skills to convince her,¡± Dismas said, sighing. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that there is no change in your opinion, Doctrinal General Dismas?¡± Imil asked. Dismas looked at Imil with a strange expression. ¡°Change in my opinion? Why would there be a change in my opinion? There is no doubt that the holy body that we are serving in Cabragh right now belongs to His Majesty, and His Holiness acting on behalf of His Majesty to execute his will is proof of that. But the Saintess is not listening to me when I say so¡­¡± Dismas clicked his tongue and looked out of the wall. ¡°Well, that will change after I cut off that fake emperor¡¯s neck. Defeating the fake emperor is an important matter for everyone.¡± The Capital Army was in the midst of the preparations for the charge, ready to attack at any moment. Siege equipment that was usually only seen in the siege war was nowhere to be found in the Capital Army. This was not only due to their rapid advance, but also because they did not need it, since they had Juan on their side. ¡°But it won¡¯t be that easy this time,¡± Dismas muttered to himself. The wall wouldn¡¯t be easily destroyed by magic attacks this time, since it had already been blessed by Helmut. At the same time, Helmut had become quite accustomed to using Telgramm. In addition, only the elites of the Western Army were gathered in the fortress of Cabragh. ¡°Please begin, Your Holiness,¡± Dismas spoke briefly. *** ¡°They are moving.¡± Pavan lay down atop the ridge to keep his eyes on Cabragh. The Capital Army had completed the preparations for the charge, but they couldn¡¯t rush toward the wall, since they were without any help from Juan. Although Juan wasn¡¯t with them at the moment, they knew that his signal for them to begin the attack would be clear enough to be visible to everyone. At that moment, a huge spire built to the West of Cabragh began to tilt. The tower tilted at an angle and cast a huge shadow across all of Cabragh. Seeing this, the Imperial soldiers grew perplexed, while Pavan focused on the reaction of the western soldiers. The western soldiers barely showed any reaction¡ªwhich meant that they had already seen such a thing several times. ¡°Everyone in the cave!¡± A brown flag was raised at Pavan¡¯s instruction. A procession of brown flags soon rose like a series of dominoes along the ridge. The imperial soldiers quickly ducked into the caves that they had burrowed out, but Pavan stood up to stare at the tower instead of hiding like the others. ¡°Captain! That¡¯s dangerous!¡± Despite the knights¡¯ concerns, Pavan refused to take his eyes off of the tower. The tower was tilted at such a sharp angle that any other ordinary tower would have already collapsed, but it was still standing strong as it aimed toward the East. Just as Pavan was wondering when the attack might begin, a terrible wave of heat suddenly surged along with a huge clump of light. The hot wind swept over the ridge along with a roar that was loud enough to rip one¡¯s eardrums. At the same time, Pavan was pushed down the ridge by a sudden gust of wind. ¡°Captain!¡± However, Pavan soon raised himself up once again and stared at the location where the beam of light passed by. A small rocky mountain had completely disappeared. Despite the soldiers hiding in the caves, all that remained in that place was ash and melted rocks that were boiling to form a stream. The surroundings were full of soldiers screaming in chaos. A small troop was wiped out in an instant, and so, Pavan¡¯s reaction was simple. ¡°There is no point in hiding. Get ready to charge right away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? But Captain¡­ We have yet to receive His Majesty¡¯s instruction to¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty probably knows better than anyone that now is the right time to charge if he doesn¡¯t want to see the whole army getting wiped out. Charge!¡± At the same time, the knights ordered the soldiers to charge upon hearing Pavan¡¯s instruction. Soon, the Imperial soldiers rose like wildfire from atop the ridge and began to advance fiercely toward Cabragh. Meanwhile, Pavan followed the soldiers on his horse, since it was better to directly jump into the battle and lead from the field in a battle where the situation could be changed due to the interference of powerful beings. Pavan charged forward while shouting an insincere slogan. ¡°For His Majesty!¡± The soldiers and the knights repeated the slogan in a single loud voice. The scene of such a huge number of troops charging toward the huge wall looked like a flock of moths jumping into flames. Meanwhile, Telgramm slightly changed its position to aim toward the Imperial soldiers again. Meanwhile, Juan watched the whole scene from the wall of Cabragh which was the target that the Imperial Army was charging toward. ¡°Well, I guess Pavan is doing things his own way.¡± Juan muttered to himself, but he had no complaints; he too would have ordered the charge if he was in Pavan¡¯s position. Although preparations were not yet complete, there was no time to hesitate in a situation where the troops waiting on standby over the mountain could be wiped out in an instant. Just then, Juan shook off his hands and was getting ready to move, when he suddenly encountered the western soldiers. ¡°Who is it!?¡± Juan stopped upon hearing the voice asking for his identity. Meanwhile, the western soldiers were perplexed to see a black-haired man wearing unusual-looking armor while standing with iron pins stuck all around him. It was only after they saw the bodies scattered all over the place that they realized all the ¡®iron pins¡¯ were actually the armors and weapons of the dead western soldiers. The western soldiers¡¯ mouths widened in shock, since they couldn¡¯t understand how Juan had managed to slaughter dozens of people without making a single sound. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°I recommend jumping down the wall if you wish to live,¡± Juan said. The western soldiers looked under the wall without even realizing it. The wall seemed to be at least tens of meters tall, causing the soldiers to turn their heads back toward Juan, thinking that he was crazy. However, Juan was nowhere to be found. Then the soldiers belatedly spotted Juan, who was running down the wall. ¡°But how¡­¡± At that moment, another beam of light was fired from Telegramm with a loud bang. Although Telgramm was the subject of fear among the western soldiers in the beginning, they were no longer impressed to see it fire; they had already seen their enemies getting ripped apart by Telgramms¡¯ enormous power numerous times. Yet, at that moment, beyond anyone¡¯s expectations, the beam of light fired by Telgramm was bent at an irregular angle. And that was the last thing these soldiers ever saw. The obliquely bent beam of light swept through the wall of Cabragh in a blink of an eye. *** Crash! Crash! Crash! Screams broke out from all directions when the beam of light fired by Telgramm swept through the wall of Cabragh. Meanwhile, Dismas, who was smiling contentedly at the power that blew up a whole mountain up until just a moment ago, couldn¡¯t understand what had happened just now. Many soldiers and Giants helplessly disappeared without even leaving behind any ashes, while the soldiers whose bodies caught on fire jumped down the melted and broken walls with terrible screams. Although the Pope¡¯s blessing alleviated some of the damage, Telegramm was powerful enough to ignore such a blessing. Shock and anger filled Dismas¡¯ face. ¡°What is going on! Didn¡¯t you tell me that His Holiness had already mastered how to handle Telgramm?¡± Imil¡¯s face turned beyond pale. He looked like he couldn¡¯t understand this situation at all. ¡°It seems like something has gone wrong. I saw Telgramm bending in the air for a brief moment. Perhaps the enemies have messed with the Telgramm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me that the enemies can get their hands on Telgramm?¡± Dismas grabbed Imil by the collar. ¡°You said that Telgramm is a weapon that is capable of killing gods, you bastard! But I had been thinking that it¡¯s power was not as strong as I had expected. Yet, I entrusted you to do whatever you wanted with it, since it looked useful enough, but you¡¯re telling me that other people can use Telgramm as well now that the battle has begun!?¡± Imil tapped on Dismas¡¯s hand while hanging in the air. He couldn¡¯t say a word, as he was being suffocated. When Dismas angrily threw Imil to the ground, Imil finally opened his mouth with difficulty while gasping for air. ¡°The only ones who can use Telgramm¡¯s power to its maximum capability are the Hornsluines. Even if an ordinary human borrows the power of the emperor¡¯s Grace, they can only use a part of Telgramm¡¯s power. Although it¡¯s true that Telgramm is a powerful weapon, its principle only uses a natural phenomenon. If we have enough energy and preparation, we can still¡­¡± ¡°Enough with your excuses.¡± Dismas pushed Imil toward the stairs. ¡°Go to His Holiness and assist him right away. There better be no more mistakes¡­ or else.¡± Dismas glanced angrily at the wall. Cabragh¡¯s wall, which was swept through by the beam of light fired from Telgramm, had turned into a total mess. One-third of the wall was destroyed and the Imperial forces were climbing along the collapsed area. Seeing this, Dismas burst into a rage and directly jumped into the battlefield. *** ¡®Telgramm¡¯s bombardment has stopped.¡¯ It was only natural for the enemy to be unable to use Telgramm again until they found out the cause behind it attacking their own allies and inflicting a fatal blow on their defensive line. Furthermore, the western army¡¯s morale must have sunk to rock bottom, since they now knew that Telgramm could end up attacking them as well. This was a relief for Juan. Changing Telgramm¡¯s trajectory was only possible once, since Juan¡¯s magic circle had been completely destroyed after one use. In the meantime, Telgramm needed to be neutralized as quickly as possible. At that moment, Juan flinched and paused for a moment upon finding Dismas commanding from atop the watchtower of the opposite wall. It was true that he had to kill Dismas. However, Telgramm¡¯s bombardment could end up resuming if he were to go fight against Dismas at this moment. Juan couldn¡¯t help but compare the strategic value of both the choices. Dismas wasn¡¯t strong enough to change the complete situation of the battlefield, as long as he didn¡¯t use Spirit Calling. At the same time, Telgramm was a very dangerous weapon. Juan came to the conclusion that it would not be too late to return and face Dismas after he had completely disabled Telgramm, especially when considering that Sina did not participate in the war. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Pavan shouted from a distance upon finding Juan. ¡°Now!¡± ¡°I know.¡± The Imperial Army was climbing over the collapsed walls to gradually attack Cabragh step by step, but the Imperial Army¡¯s primary enemy was not there. At the same time, the Imperial Cavalry was fiercely charging toward the gates under Pavan¡¯s command. Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. Juan felt bitter upon seeing Pavan accurately following his instructions. Pavan was a talented man who was not only good at swordsmanship, but also had remarkable intelligence as a leader. At that moment, Juan flew through the sky like an arrow released by a bow. The soldiers couldn¡¯t even see Juan flying over their heads. Juan slowly ignited Sutra, while stomping a few times in the air to gain more acceleration. Meanwhile, the soldiers had an illusion of a meteor passing over their heads. In the meantime, the knight running at the forefront of the line could see the thick grain of the gate. His heart was beating so loudly that it was almost as if it could blow up at any moment. He was also out of breath. He suddenly thought that he might just end up becoming a part of the gate¡¯s pattern if he slammed against the gate at such a speed. Then the knight shouted loudly without even realizing it and crashed into the gate after panting for a while. ¡°For His Majesty!¡± At that moment, Cabragh¡¯s gate was smashed and shattered into pieces with a loud bang. The knight running at the forefront of the line was the first to jump into Cabragh while facing the debris of the broken gate. The soldiers who had been waiting on stand by behind the gates were instantly trampled by the knight¡¯s war horse and collapsed. The Imperial Army quickly began to flood in through the broken gate. Their attack was clean and well-connected, with no separation between the time the gate was broken and the time the soldiers charged in. The knight in the lead could see Juan holding the burning Sutra in front of him. The knight shouted the emperor¡¯s name while constantly slaughtering the western soldiers he could see all around one by one. That¡¯s when the knight saw something strange standing in front of him. It was a Giant. The knight thought that it was one of the Giant slaves, but the Giant standing in front of him was so huge that he was quite a bit bigger than the ordinary Giants. The moment the knight looked up at the Giant in bewilderment, the Giant also looked down at the knight. The Giant had a shaggy black beard and was wearing an eyepatch on one of its eyes. At that moment, the knight remembered a name that he had only read in fairytale books. ¡°Helgrim¡­¡± Then, the knight was trampled beneath the Giant¡¯s foot and disappeared in just an instant. The Giant let out a loud roar. At the same time, the Giants who had helplessly collapsed to the ground, as well as the giants who had been fighting unconsciously raised their heads at once. All of them also let out a loud road¡ªit was almost as if they were responding to the roar of the Giant with the eyepatch. ¡°It¡¯s King of the Giants! Giant King Helgrim!¡± A fearful cry broke out among the soldiers. The identity of the Giant was Helgrim, the king of the Giants, known to be the first among those killed by Dismas and turned into Cainheryars. While he wasn¡¯t as strong as resurrected gods, his strength did not need to be lowered forcibly unlike the other gods¡ªthe resurrected gods needed to have their strength forcibly lowered in order to prevent the complete resurrection of the gods. Helgrim, who had played the role of the villain in all kinds of stories for hundreds of years, caused everyone on the battlefield to be immensely fearful¡ªto them, it was as if he had popped out of the fairytale books they read as children. Few of the Giants shook off the people who had been controlling them and ran toward Helgrim. Meanwhile, Helgrim looked around and upon finding Juan, started heading toward him. However, Juan was not even looking at Helgrim. Helgrim tried to follow Juan as soon as he saw Juan moving, but he came to a stop when he felt a sudden pain coming from his left calf. Upon turning his head, he saw Pavan glaring at him with a grotesque smile. ¡°Do you think you are worthy of His Majesty¡¯s attention? I am your opponent. I¡¯ll make sure to chew you up thoroughly and then spit you out.¡± CH 217 ¡°You dirty apostatic bastards!¡± The Imperial soldiers¡¯ heads were falling as soon as Dismas wielded his hammer. Every time Dismas swung his hammer, the Imperial soldiers collapsed like wheat being harvested. Despite their high morale as the emperor¡¯s army, the soldiers couldn¡¯t hold out against Dismas anymore¡ªespecially when shields were of no use against him and he showed no response even after being stabbed by their swords. In fact, the Imperial soldiers chose to jump on top of the Giant slaves to attack them rather than deal with Dismas. This caused Dismas to glare at his surroundings with a growl as the soldiers faltered away in fear. Dismas was not interested in dealing with ordinary soldiers. He gritted his teeth upon thinking that his true opponent must be slaughtering more of his allies even as he was dealing with these trivial soldiers. At that moment, a loud roar rang out from the gate. The corners of Dismas¡¯ mouth went up when Helgrim¡¯s roar was heard. As someone who had spent a long time fighting against the Giants, Dismas knew better than anyone else what this type of roar meant. It meant that an enemy worth fighting against had finally appeared. ¡°Fuck off!¡± The imperial soldiers hesitantly retreated upon hearing Dismas¡¯ fierce roar. Then, Dismas strode through the encirclement of Imperial soldiers to head toward the main gate, assuming that the fake emperor had certainly appeared there. ¡®This war will simply be over after I cut off his neck.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter to Dismas that he had been constantly defeated by the fake emperor until now. After all, he hadn¡¯t been fighting with all his might until now. Although it had been for strategic reasons, things were different now. After having a long discussion with Ivy, Dismas was confident that killing the fake emperor would solve everything. ¡®Because of that, first of all I should¡­¡¯ Dismas quickly raised his right arm even before he could finish thinking. His right arm was cut off in an instant, while a feeling of cold and sharp pain assaulted him. Then, the ice spear that cut off Dismas¡¯ arm in the blink of an eye brushed against his neck. Dismas was shaken by the opponent¡¯s clean and powerful attack that came so suddenly. There was only one person in his memory who could use such powerful magic against him. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Older sister Nienna?¡± There was no answer to his question. Instead, more ice spears poured over him one after another with a sharp trajectory. Despite the attacks being quick and strong, they were all meaningless. The ice spears that continued to fly toward him non-stop were blocking Dismas¡¯ view and penetrating his legs, leaving scars that looked like someone had thoroughly minced him. Dismas gritted his teeth and swung his hammer with a roar. Numerous ice spears that were waiting to be thrown toward Dismas exploded and instantly burst at his loud roar. At the same time, his opponent was helplessly pushed back as well. The space where Dismas¡¯ hammer passed through was strangely distorted, but soon recovered on its own. It was an attack so powerful that it could never be endured without dodging. Only then did Dismas have a chance to look and glare at the opponent who had attacked him. ¡°I thought it was my older sister Nienna. I¡¯m not going to lie¡­ You have surprised me.¡± ¡°...Doctrinal General Dismas,¡± Sina snapped back sharply. ¡°I am Sina Solvane from the Order of the Blue Rose. I will summarily dispose of you on the charge of treason.¡± A stream of cold sweat ran down Sina¡¯s forehead. This was not only because of the tension over the fight making her nervous, but also because she was violating Juan¡¯s words by stepping out right now. Juan had asked Sina not to step up if she considered herself as his friend and not his subordinate. However, that was why Sina had no choice but to step up. ¡®What he said was basically an order.¡¯ Sina doing just as Juan told her was no different from obeying his orders. As Pavan said, it didn¡¯t matter who it was that cut off the neck of an enemy commander on the battlefield. However, Juan couldn¡¯t be allowed to be the one to kill his own child. Sina couldn¡¯t sit back and watch as Juan was forced by the world to make such a harsh decision. Sina let out a shout and once again raised her sword against Dismas. The two started clashing on the steep wall. Dismas punched out the two extended blades of Sina¡¯s ice spear with his left hand. The ice spear was instantly smashed and scattered everywhere, but the fragments of the ice spear managed to pierce through Dismas¡¯ forearm. Then, those pieces melted down instantly, but the wound was left behind. However, such a wound would not affect Dismas in the slightest. The walls burst like clay and the debris scattered to the surroundings every time Dismas¡¯ hammer swayed violently. Sina gritted her teeth. She knew that there was no way she would be unscathed after being hit by just the scattering debris, let alone Dismas¡¯ hammer. If she stopped moving for even just a second, she would instantly be trampled under Dismas¡¯ hammer. Although Juan had given Sina his essence, she had no idea how strong its power was or how to use its power. One might assume that it would give her the phenomenal ability to recover like the children of the emperor, but she didn¡¯t seem to be as strong as them by any means. ¡®What is it that you wanted from me, Juan? Did you just keep me alive because you didn¡¯t want me to die back then?¡¯ But that was not what Sina wanted in the first place. ¡°What are you waiting for, knight? Did you only come to drag out this fight and waste my time?¡± Dismas shouted and quickly stamped his hammer down toward Sina. The hammer was incredibly fast despite its heavy weight, and brushed past Sina¡¯s head by a narrow margin, slamming against the ground. With an explosive sound, the ground under Sina¡¯s feet disappeared¡ªthat part of the wall had collapsed with a single attack from Dismas. But Dismas did not stop there. He quickly jumped toward Sina who was falling after losing balance. What he didn¡¯t realize was that Sina had been waiting for him to move from the moment the ground under her feet had collapsed. At the same time as Sina created a horizontal ice spear over the wall, she also created a huge hell of ice thorns for Dismas who was falling toward her. Dismas burst into laughter upon seeing more than a hundred ice spears aimed toward him and curled up to avoid as much damage as possible, giving up on attacking Sina. On the other hand, Sina didn¡¯t hesitate to relentlessly throw the ice spears toward Dismas. Only a few among the hundred ice spears were powerful enough to pierce Dismas¡¯ thick and muscular body. If Nienna was here, she would have been able to create ice spears harder than steel, but Sina was not good enough to handle Oberon to such an extent just yet. However, Dismas fell to the ground, looking like a hedgehog even with only a few of the ice spears piercing him. Sina didn¡¯t let her guard down; she figured that it wouldn¡¯t be late to speak after cutting off the enemy¡¯s neck. Sina pulled out one of the ice spears stuck all over Dismas and stabbed him non-stop. When Dismas finally fell, Sina directly jumped toward him to cut him. A dull crashing sound rang out throughout the wall. *** Juan turned his head toward the loud roar that shook all of Cabragh. Parts of Cabragh¡¯s wall were collapsing, and Juan could only think of one person who had the strength to break down the wall. Juan figured that Dismas must be fighting in the direction where the sound came from. But Juan couldn¡¯t afford to focus his attention on the sound. ¡°And I¡¯m stuck here again,¡± Juan sighed. His path to where Telgramm was located was blocked by a huge man with long black hair. He was wearing a black fur cloak, and stood with his back toward Juan. He seemed just as tall as Barth Baltic, but Juan felt an intense divinity from him. Juan instinctively realized that the opponent standing before him was a Cainheryar. The Cainheryar looked a little bit smaller compared to the other gods, but was emitting a dangerous presence. Seeing that the opponent was not moving at all, Juan briefly contemplated whether he should just turn around and go back to come from a different direction. There was no way Juan would walk past his enemies at normal times, but the situation right now was urgent. There was no reason for Juan to do anything about a Cainheryar that wasn¡¯t working properly. But as soon as Juan tried to jump past him, the man suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Kneel.¡± Juan¡¯s legs trembled and his knees almost bent for a short moment. A heavy weight was weighing down on his shoulders. Juan looked around the surroundings with a shocked expression, but the buildings did not collapse nor was the ground crushed. The sound was only affecting Juan. Juan clenched his teeth and surrounded himself with flames. ¡°Hah.¡± As the heat began to burn up the path, the man belatedly turned his head, surprised. Only then did Juan notice the two huge and sharp horns that soared out of the man¡¯s forehead toward the sky. The horns immediately reminded Juan of the Hornsluines. ¡°...Gepelude?¡± Juan muttered, dumbfounded. ¡®Gepelude, the god of arrogance and domination¡­¡¯ Gepelude was the first god who created life just to use as his soldiers and was obsessed with biological desires. Juan remembered the endless conflicts between Gepelude and Morguld, the god of war. Yet there was a clear difference between the two¡ªif Morguld¡¯s purpose was to partake in an endless battle, Gepelude¡¯s purpose was to conquer and dominate. The result of the war was Gepelude placing most of the continent under the control of the Hornsluines. In a sense, one could say that Gepelude was the first emperor of the continent. However, he was also the first god to be killed by Telgramm, a weapon created by Hornsluines¡ªthe race that resembled him not only in his appearance, but also his arrogance. ¡®But now, he is protecting Telgramm after his resurrection.¡¯ Juan felt that it was quite ironic. ¡°State your name,¡± Gepelude spoke in a calm manner. But Juan felt the intense shock that shook his very soul even from Gepelude¡¯s calm words. This was a force that drew out the answers from within Juan¡¯s lungs. Juan clenched his teeth and answered. ¡°Juan.¡± Juan noticed that Gepelude¡¯s reaction was a little different from that of other Cainheryars. ¡®Maybe the god whose very nature is domination and arrogance can¡¯t be controlled by anything.¡¯ As soon as he answered Gepelude, Juan immediately ignited Sutra. Juan raised the corners of his lips when he saw the shock and anger begin to seep into Gepelude¡¯s face. Gepelude burst into an angry roar. ¡°The arrogant emperor who stole my throne!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak as if I stole your throne. After all, what you ruled was the kingdom of the Hornsluines. It¡¯s unfair for you to blame me, especially when it was you who ruined the Hornsluine¡¯s kingdom,¡± Juan shrugged. The Hornsluines had three kingdoms in total, and all three had been ruled by Gepelude from behind the scenes. But Gepelude has been urging the three kingdoms to fight against each other and encouraged war among them. ¡®But at the same time, the Hornsluines had also been planning to bring down their own god behind his back¡­ They certainly resemble their own creator.¡¯ ¡°Shut up!¡± Gepelude screamed. Juan bit his tongue to stop his tongue that almost rolled back into his throat by force. Then, he spat blood out of his mouth. He had dealt with all kinds of gods before, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that Gepelude¡¯s ability to dominate all things was quite difficult to handle. The ability to give orders to all living things was an especially tricky ability for Juan to deal with, since he didn¡¯t have divinity. But that was all. Juan smiled with blood dripping from his mouth. ¡°I remember the time I cut off your neck, Gepelude. Oh, how excited Barth Baltic was¡­ he was like a child when he kicked your head. It was a shame that I couldn¡¯t pull out your tongue back then; however, this time around I¡¯ll make sure to pull out your tongue and stick it up your ass.¡± Gepelude burst into a rage and spat out unintelligible words¡ªit was a Hornsluine curse. This curse was a disaster for those under Gepelude¡¯s domination since he was an ungodly god, but it was rather fortunate at this moment since the curse was not exactly an order. The legendary clash between the former emperor and the current emperor as they confronted each other began in the back alley. *** Sina quickly retrieved her sword; she didn¡¯t feel any thrilling sensation from cutting the opponent. She soon realized that Dismas had already disappeared. ¡°Geugh, Keuk, Guek!¡± Huge amounts of ice fragments scattered like snow as they fell apart. A grotesque laugh came from inside the lumps of snow and dust from the collapsed wall. Dismas was walking toward Sina with ice spears embedded everywhere, causing his limbs to bend. He seemed to be incapable of making a proper voice due to the ice spear stuck in his neck. Dismas smashed the ice spears stuck in his body and managed to barely straighten his back to look at Sina. After fiddling with the hole left in the middle of his neck like clay, Dismas soon smiled and looked at Sina as if her attack hadn¡¯t even harmed him a little. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good.¡± Sina bit her lips; she realized that she couldn¡¯t hurt Dismas even if she fought with all her might. There was a chaotic and bloody battle being fought all over Cabragh. Imperial forces managed to tear down the wall and broke through the gate, but the Western army was still dominating inside Cabragh, since the Imperial soldiers were held back by the Giant King Helgrim. But that didn¡¯t mean that Dismas could let his guard down just yet. Dismas was nervous, since he didn¡¯t know when Juan would appear and turn the tables around. Meanwhile, Sina was nervous because she didn¡¯t know when Juan would arrive. But it was true that both of them were exhausted. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there was a strong knight like you in the Imperial Army. I gotta admit that you deserve sister Nienna¡¯s gift. Have you been designated as the successor of the North or something?¡± Dismas asked. ¡°I¡¯m from Tantil in the south. I can¡¯t live in the cold.¡± Sina wasn¡¯t in the mood for a joke, but she answered Dismas while searching for the right timing to attack again. Despite Oberon assisting her, there was a limit to Sina¡¯s own ability. She groaned as her chest felt stuffy. Sina knew that she had to kill Dismas, but she had hoped for Juan and Dismas to meet up and have a sincere conversation and solve the issue. She could understand Dismas¡¯ rebellion and betrayal, but she hadn¡¯t expected Dismas to unconditionally deny that Juan was the real emperor. Dismas showed no change in his stance even after he had abducted Ivy. ¡°Why are you going against His Majesty?¡± When Sina opened her mouth, Dismas looked at her with an expression like he was asking her what the heck she was talking about in the midst of the battle. However, Sina just poured out her words, almost as if she was expressing her frustrations. ¡°He is the real emperor who came back to our side. In addition to the numerous Imperial citizens, even General Nienna has acknowledged him as the real emperor¡ªand she is His Majesty¡¯s daughter. So why are you being stubborn without even considering the possibility that he might be the real emperor?¡± Dismas frowned. ¡°You speak just like the Saintess and I¡¯m sick of it. You guys must have a tradition to fight with only your mouths. I will never fall for it even if the rest of the world does.¡± Sina couldn¡¯t understand Dismas¡¯ stubbornness and distrust. It was true that Sina herself had also found it hard to believe that Juan was the emperor when she first met him in Tantil, but by now, Juan had almost completely gained back his appearance and power. At that moment, Sina felt a cold chill running down her spine. ¡°Why do you think that? Do you have some proof to support your distrust?¡± Dismas looked at Sina in silence. After pondering deeply about something for a while, he soon opened his mouth. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say this before, since I felt complicated after having a conversation with the Saintess, but¡­¡± Dismas glared at Sina and continued to speak. ¡°...I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if I tell you, since you will die soon anyway. That fake emperor you have so much faith in can never be the emperor in the first place¡ªafter all, I have already resurrected the real emperor¡ªHis Majesty.¡± CH 218 Sina¡¯s expression froze upon hearing Dismas¡¯ answer. ¡°Did you just say that you have already resurrected His Majesty again?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you think that Gerard, that meticulous son of a bitch, really failed to assassinate His Majesty in the past? No¡ªhe was successful and His Majesty really did pass away at that time. I have no idea where that asshole is right now, but I hope that he will be cursed for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°But Barth Baltic said that the assassination had been a failure and His Majesty had only been unconscious until now¡­¡± ¡°He only said that to prevent the empire from collapsing. Do you think the empire could have been maintained like this without His Majesty¡¯s authority? His Majesty is at the center of the empire¡ªthat doesn¡¯t change, whether he is alive or dead. It was only a matter of time before the empire would be torn apart, since we no longer had a common enemy.¡± Sina grew confused upon hearing Dismas¡¯ words. Until now, she had just assumed that Juan¡¯s body sitting on the Eternal Throne must have been maintained by some mysterious power of the emperor. Most of the people from the empire, including Sina, grew up hearing about the emperor¡¯s achievements, as well as his tragic death from the moment they were born. It was said that His Majesty was not really dead¡ªthat he was just asleep, and that one day he would wake up once again and take care of the empire. ¡°Wait, then what do you mean when you say that you have resurrected His Majesty? How did you¡­¡± At that moment, Sina¡¯s pupils widened as if she had just realized something. She swallowed a gulp upon recalling the resurrection of the dead gods. ¡°No way¡­ did you¡­ actually¡­¡± Dismas felt both frustration and anger when he saw Sina¡¯s expression. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt an unknown feeling of guilt surging into his mind when he saw Sina¡¯s shocked expression. Dismas tightly clenched his hammer and changed his position. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to die, knight. I¡¯ll make sure to silence you forever.¡± With a loud roar, Dismas raised his hammer and charged straight toward Sina. Meanwhile, Sina quickly dodged away from the hammer which was being swung much more viciously and faster than before. At that moment, a tremendous sound suddenly rang out throughout the wall. It was the sound of Telgramm releasing another beam of light. Yet, neither Sina nor Dismas had any time to pay attention to the sound. ¡°Dismas, wait! What the heck have you done¡­!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Dismas shouted. Dismas¡¯ face was red with anger. Even he himself couldn¡¯t figure out why he shouted in such an impulsive way. But the more he saw Sina, who seemed to be the peak of innocence, the more he could not hide his lies. ¡®Why, Dismas? Why do you believe that His Majesty, who has finally returned, is fake?¡¯ He felt as if he could hear the Saintess¡¯ whisper in his ears. The Saintess¡¯ question was something that he couldn¡¯t answer. Dismas believed that while he had failed to change the Saintess¡¯ attitude, his stance hadn¡¯t changed either. But he was wrong. The emperor¡¯s death had left a small crack on him from the moment of the assassination. The Saintess had scanned him thoroughly and found this fact, and Sina had just stabbed him directly in that crack. The wall that Dismas had built inside him was about to break. ¡°My father died that day!¡± Dismas cried out furiously. An ice spear brushed against his cheeks and drops of blood scattered everywhere. Despite the freezing cold that even froze the scattered drops of blood, Dismas swung his hammer once again. ¡°And it was I who brought him back to life!¡± Sina¡¯s expression distorted as she tried to shout something. But she didn¡¯t have the time to speak, since she was facing a much more intense and fierce attack than before. Even if she had an opportunity to speak, her voice would have been drowned out by Dismas¡¯ voice, since he was constantly shouting. ¡°So how could it be possible that the fake emperor is my father!? My father is still present in this world with his holy body! How am I supposed to tolerate the fake emperor¡¯s madness of referring to himself as the emperor when His Majesty is still alive?¡± ¡°Then tell me. Has His Majesty ever said a word to you!?¡± Sina shouted in a desperate voice. Dismas flinched upon hearing Sina¡¯s question, but he did not stop swinging his hammer. He continued to push Sina¡ªit was as if he was ready to completely destroy the wall of Cabragh. ¡°No, my father did not say a single word to me. But my father has spoken through the Saintess¡¯ mouth! He said to obey His Holiness, to defend the Church, and to spread his doctrine throughout the empire!¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t Juan!¡± Dismas suddenly stopped upon hearing Sina¡¯s voice. Sina took advantage of Dismas¡¯ pause and quickly prepared the ice spears for a counterattack. However, Dismas did not budge. But his two eyes were full of shock and astonishment. ¡°What¡­ who are you?¡± Dismas¡¯ spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°How did you make my father¡¯s voice¡­? How do you have my father¡¯s essence?¡± Find the original at "pawread dot com". *** Juan dodged the blade flying toward him and struck a soldier¡¯s chest. The soldier vomited blood at Juan¡¯s attack, but continued to swing his sword toward Juan while trembling. Juan frowned at the sight of the soldier charging at him even though his attack should have burst the soldier¡¯s guts. Juan¡¯s attacks targeted at injuring the soldiers to such an extent that they couldn¡¯t fight anymore were of no use. The soldiers even tried to bite Juan when their arms were pulled off of their bodies, and they crawled to approach Juan despite their legs being cut off. The soldiers that were already sabotaged were constantly charging toward Juan despite their injuries, all due to a single word shouted by Gepelude: fight. Everyone, including the Imperial as well as the Western Army were charging toward Juan with murderous intent. Juan felt as if their murderous intent was stabbing his skin. Meanwhile, Gepelude was simply looking at the scene leisurely without moving a single inch. He knew that the soldiers were no match for Juan and that they could never hurt Juan; he just wanted to see Juan slaughtering humans. ¡°I see that you still have a bad habit.¡± Juan growled and raised the power of his flames. The soldiers suffered from the terrible pain caused by the burns as they stubbornly tried to attack Juan, but soon turned to ashes. Juan tried to approach Gepelude again, but Gepelude simply ordered the soldiers, almost as if he was annoyed. ¡°Get stronger and kill him.¡± The soldiers roared like lunatics with a single order from Gepelude and fiercely charged toward Juan. Then, one of the soldiers grabbed Juan¡¯s arm through the burning flames. Juan was so dumbfounded that he couldn¡¯t even speak. For a moment, he wondered if he was in a nightmare, but what was happening was certainly real. In fact, the soldiers weren¡¯t actually getting stronger¡ªGepelude was just squeezing out their potential to the very limit. It was clear that the soldiers that were following Gepelude¡¯s orders would end up like dry rags with all the water squeezed out in an instant. In the blink of an eye, countless soldiers suffered from burns as they held onto Juan¡¯s arms and legs to drag him down. They were constantly cursing and screaming¡ªit was to the extent that even their tongues almost caught on fire. Nevertheless, Juan did not stop walking toward Gepelude. Seeing this, Gepelude once again opened his mouth. ¡°Stop.¡± Juan suddenly felt his steps become heavy once again; it was as if his feet had been nailed down to the ground with just a single word from Gepelude. He felt like his feet would fall off if he moved his legs. Despite this, Juan still managed to move slowly. The fact that Juan could still move after hearing Gepelude¡¯s order was quite shocking, but Juan was annoyed by the fact that he was affected by Gepelude¡¯s order at all. Juan had been ordered to ¡®stop¡¯ several times already, and the battle was being delayed for nothing. On the other hand, for Gepelude, a god who was born to be the ruler of all things and had the habit of being arrogant, facing Juan directly seemed to be quite unpleasant for him. ¡°Hold him and make him come to a stop.¡± A rattling sound broke out among the soldiers. The soldiers who were holding and dragging Juan by his limbs began to connect themselves to each other to form a long chain. At least a hundred soldiers held onto Juan, making him feel like his muscles were being ripped apart. Finally, Juan began to slow down, causing him to grit his teeth as he glared at Gepelude. ¡°Get down on your knees.¡± Juan stumbled as if it was difficult for him to even stand anymore. Soon, Juan let out a long breath and slowly leaned down. The moment Gepelude made a satisfied smile, Juan quickly bounced forward in the blink of an eye. Bang! With the sound of air being torn apart, the muscles of the hundreds of soldiers who had formed a chain to bind Juan exploded at once. Waves of blood instantly engulfed the surroundings. Juan was so fast that Gepelude couldn¡¯t even see him. Just as Gepelude was feeling perplexed as he tried to find Juan, Juan suddenly appeared right under his nose. Juan quickly jumped up to Gepelude¡¯s chest which was much higher than Juan¡¯s height, and then shoved his hand inside Gepelude¡¯s mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve become much more pathetic after coming back to life. I remember having a hard time fighting back against you in the past.¡± Juan tightly grabbed Gepelude¡¯s tongue and clenched it as hard as he could, crushing it. Only then did Gepelude begin to struggle in a hurry and try to get Juan off of him. But Juan just grabbed Gepelude¡¯s horn with one hand and refused to fall off. ¡°You¡¯re not so arrogant now, are you?¡± Juan clenched his teeth and raised the power of his flames with all his might. Even his eyes began to burn. At the same time he let out a loud cry, Juan pulled his hand that was still holding on to Gepelude¡¯s tongue. Splat! With a grotesque sound, blood gushed out from Gepelude¡¯s mouth. Then, Juan struck Gepelude¡¯s face with his hand that was holding the fluttering tongue. Gepelude gave up on being arrogant and struggled as he tried to push Juan away. The cloak that has been covering Gepelude was torn as he tried to push Juan away. There was a huge hole in Gepelude¡¯s body that had been covered by the cloak, and Juan was able to recognize the wound at just a glance¡ªit was a wound left behind by Telgramm. Despite being revived as a Cainheryar, the wound did not seem to have been completely recovered. ¡°Hah, it wasn¡¯t just your mouth that had a huge hole.¡± Juan repositioned himself, aiming to end Gepelude completely. It was his second time ending Gepelude¡¯s life, but the feeling of killing gods always felt new to him. At that moment, Juan looked up upon sensing something. His original target, the tower housing Telgramm, seemed to have moved a little toward him. Just when Juan bit his lips as he realized that he had let his guard down, a new beam of light flew directly from Telgramm. The beam of light covered everything around him. The street with the stone pavement, as well as the groaning soldiers all turned into ashes and scattered away. There was nothing left in the wake of the beam of light launched from Telgramm. After the powerful force that penetrated the wall outside Cabragh passed, hot air rushed into the void, ripping the surroundings. There was no one standing there anymore¡ªexcept for Juan. ¡°...I feel like I¡¯m getting stronger as more and more time goes by,¡± Juan groaned with a fed-up look while looking at Gepelude, who looked completely tattered. Although Juan had managed to use Geplude as a shield to block the beam of light, it was questionable whether or not he would be able to avoid it again in the future. Juan felt sorry upon seeing Gepelude being attacked by Telgramm once again, since he already had a history of dying to Telgramm. But Juan was not the type to be generous just because he felt sorry for his opponent. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Juan held Gepelude¡¯s throat and kept his eyes on Telgramm while continuing to use Gepelude as a shield. Juan glanced at Gepelude¡¯s lower body; there was nothing left under his waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to break my promise to stick your tongue up your ass. I promise to fulfill my promise if you end up being revived once again.¡± It was unknown as to whether or not Gepelude had heard Juan¡¯s words. Meanwhile, Juan didn¡¯t take his eyes off of Telgramm as he started dragging Gepelude. Due to the incredibly fast speed of the beam of light, there was no way to avoid getting hit if he didn¡¯t prepare in advance. However, at that moment, a strange voice filled Juan¡¯s ears. Juan quickly turned his head. ¡°Sina?¡± Sina Solvane¡¯s cry that contained the power of the emperor could be heard. *** It was true that Telgramm¡¯s bombardment had stopped, since Helmut was perplexed to see Telgramm destroying the wall of Cabragh due to Juan¡¯s trick. Helmut was frustrated and did not know what to do upon seeing the wall of Cabragh being turned into a sea of flames. It was Helmut¡¯s first time seeing Telgramm¡¯s destructive power up close. ¡®But I can¡¯t believe that I hit my own allies¡­ Can I even handle this? Should I just take a Telgramm outside and swing it like a spear like I did back in Torra?¡¯ Just when Helmut was doubting himself, a commotion came from outside the window. Gepelude and Juan were fighting. Telegramm couldn¡¯t be aimed properly without an observer. However, Dismas was not playing his role of an observer, since he was fighting a knight called Sina. Helmut had basically been blind until now, since he was only relying on Dismas, but it didn¡¯t matter if he could observe the situation on his own, aim and shoot. Helmut quickly loaded Telgramm and launched a beam of light at Juan who was fighting against Gepelude. But the result was Geplude almost dying instead of Juan. Juan was still walking steadily toward the tower while looking perfectly intact. ¡°Ah, Ahhh! No, no, no! Why!¡± Helmut started screaming. Juan was still approaching the tower. Helmut ran back to the many Telgramms displayed on the wall. Then, he prepared to launch another beam of light. ¡°Just die! Die already!¡± Telgramm¡¯s light stretched out toward Juan once again. CH 219 Juan looked toward the outside of Cabragh upon suddenly hearing Sina¡¯s voice. However, he could feel a strong energy gathering in the tower. Juan hurriedly protected himself using Gepelude¡¯s body and at the same time whispered to Kelagrenon wrapped around him. ¡°Eat it up.¡± Telegram¡¯s beam of light swept over Juan once again. The heat emitted from Telgramm covered Juan completely; it was almost as if it was trying to strike him down to the ground. The rocks on the ground melted in an instant to form a boiling puddle, but the heat itself was not that big a deal for Juan. The real problem was the destructive nature of Telegramm. Every time a thunderbolt penetrated his muscles, Juan twitched and felt as if he was about to collapse at any moment. Juan clenched his teeth. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Finally, Juan parried the beam of light launched by Telgramm to the side with his hand, causing the beam of light to be bent and bounce off to the side. Helmut, who had been watching the scene from above the tower, was shocked by Juan¡¯s unbelievable move and almost fell off the railing. ¡®He just bounced off the beam of light¡ªno, the thunderbolt? But that¡¯s impossible.¡¯ Then, a sudden gust of wind removed the steam from the puddle of liquefied boiling rock. Juan¡¯s appearance revealed amidst the steam was very different from before. The dark lump he was holding in his right hand seemed to be a part of Gepelude¡¯s body, while white-colored thorn-like things floated around him. The white thorns almost looked like they were made from shards of bone and moved along Juan¡¯s body. At first glance, the thousands of thorns that were pointing in the direction of Telgramm and resembled wings. Thunderbolts could be seen rapidly running through them. Meanwhile, Juan repeatedly clenched and unclenched his stiff fist while feeling the power of Telgramm that was flowing through Kelagrenon. [It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a feast like this. It¡¯s quite a burdensome diet.] ¡°Can you have some more?¡± [Maybe one more time? And another one after that if I get a half day of rest.] ¡°It¡¯ll all be over before then.¡± Activating Kelagrenon¡¯s power to eat up mana put a considerable amount of burden on not only the allies, but also on Juan as well. However, using it to defend at just the right time was no problem and didn¡¯t cause anyone to suffer. The question was how long Kelagrenon would be able to hold out against Telgramm¡¯s power. ¡®I guess twice is the limit¡­ It¡¯s as expected.¡¯ The fact that Kelagrenon could withstand the power of Telgramm twice was already quite remarkable. After all, Kelagrenon was not a god; it was only a god¡¯s pet beast. Juan looked up at the tower. Considering the amount of time before the second beam of light was launched, Juan figured that the third beam would be launched again quite soon. However, Juan wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard again regardless of whether Kelagrenon was able to hold out or not. Juan¡¯s feet stomped on the ground. The stone pavement cracked the first time Juan stomped on the ground. The second time Juan stomped on the ground, the area around Juan sank down with a loud noise. As soon as Juan stomped on the ground for the third time, the entire area collapsed completely and Juan jumped into the air. In an instant, the lightning running through the white thorns that were Kelagrenon split apart and spread like wings. The white thorns then followed the trajectory left behind by Juan, leaving lightning-like traces that soared toward the tower. Juan, who jumped to the top of the tower in the blink of an eye, turned around and flipped in the air. He could see Helmut¡¯s shocked face while flying in the sky. Meanwhile, Helmut hastily tried to grab another Telgramm and throw it toward Juan. ¡°I¡¯ll never get used to how ugly his face is no matter how many times I see him,¡± Juan muttered to himself. Even before Helmut could throw Telgramm, Juan lightly shook his hand that was wrapped by Kelagrenon toward the tower. At that moment, Telegram¡¯s energy which had been absorbed by the white thorns of Kelagrenon, was shot straight toward the tower. Shadows throughout all of Cabragh disappeared for a moment. The energy of Telgramm that was released indiscriminately instead of being purified and shot concisely toward a point covered the skies above Cabragh. Although it only lasted for a short moment, all the ongoing battle stopped at once due to the intense light that took away everyone¡¯s sight. Soon after, all the light in Cabragh disappeared, and a series of explosive roars swept through the surrounding areas. All the windows burst, without a single one remaining intact. A short period of silence filled Cabragh after the huge noise swept through the entire fortress. Not long after, Juan landed on the spot where he had first jumped off from. Meanwhile, Kelagrenon was now returning back to its original form as an armor after releasing all of the energy absorbed from Telgramm. Juan lifted his head to look up at the tower again. The tower, which had been directly hit by Telgramm¡¯s energy from such a close distance, had not yet collapsed but was destroyed around the middle level. The tower had already been tilted to the point of instability even before Juan¡¯s attack. Probably, it had only been maintained by magic until now; however, now it was only a matter of time before it collapsed, since it could no longer maintain its original shape. Considering that its huge size towered over all of Cabragh, it was clear that Cabragh would turn into a complete mess when the collapse happened. At that moment, Juan sensed the presence of the Pope at the top of the tower. It was only a faint presence, but Helmut still seemed to be alive. Juan had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask Helmut, but he couldn¡¯t waste any more time here. He had to settle things and disable Telgramm. It was certain that Sina was inside Cabragh. If she had been left with no choice but to join the battle, that could only mean one thing. ¡°Dismas.¡± Juan tried to move to where Sina might be in a hurry. However, at that moment, Juan found a black lump that was squirming and breaking apart on one side of his field of vision. He had almost ignored the presence of the black lump, but soon came to a stop as he realized something important. The black lump was a remnant of Gepelude¡¯s Cainheryar, and it was collapsing on its own. In fact, the remainder of Gepelude¡¯s body wasn¡¯t the only thing that was collapsing on its own. All the Cainheryars throughout the empire were disappearing. This was a positive sign, but for some reason, Juan had an ominous feeling. *** ¡°Tell me right now! How do you have the essence of my father?!¡± Dismas shouted at Sina again. Sina tried her best to respond in a calm manner upon seeing the sudden change in Dismas¡¯ emotions. ¡°He gave it to me himself.¡± ¡°He? Are you talking about my father? No way, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. His Holiness can only borrow my father¡¯s power to share and grant it to others. No one other than His Majesty can give that essence to someone. That is the true power of His Majesty¡­¡± Dismas stammered and realized what he had just said. He stared blankly at Sina for a moment and then slowly opened his mouth. ¡°You are talking about the fake emperor.¡± ¡°Yes. You didn¡¯t recognize his voice, his face, or his philosophy, but you did recognize this one thing¡ªthe essence of the emperor. I guess this must be some kind of guarantee about His Majesty, huh?¡± Dismas tightly bit his lips, feeling humiliated. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t understand and never will. You don¡¯t know just how many people have tried to mislead me or deceive me. I have been deceived and betrayed countless times¡­ until His Holiness taught me about the way to resurrect His Majesty¡­ but His Holiness is¡­ His Majesty¡¯s holy body is¡­¡± Dismas continued to speak gibberish. At that moment, another beam of light was suddenly launched toward Sina and Dismas. Sina was startled and prepared to attack again, but Dismas¡¯ hammer continued to hang low¡ªit was as if he had lost his will to fight. Sina remained vigilant while keeping her eyes on Dismas. Her heart was beating fast. Meanwhile, the bombardment of the beam of light continued. If the beam of light was allowed to continue attacking as it was, Juan might fall in danger. However, it was no exaggeration to say that the battle would just end if Dismas reflected on his mistakes and lay down at Juan¡¯s feet. It would be hard for Dismas to avoid being given a heavy punishment, but at least the Cainheryars could be stopped if he surrendered now. So, Sina decided to provoke Dismas further. ¡°The only emperor is the man that you call the fake emperor. The emperor you have resurrected is¡­¡± Sina swallowed a gulp. It was hard for her to speak the last word, even though she already knew the truth. ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing more than a shell. It¡¯s no different from any of the other Cainheryars.¡± As soon as Sina uttered that last word with difficulty, Dismas'' head turned with a grotesque twist. In Sina¡¯s view, not only the holy body, even the empire was nothing more than an empty shell. That was what Sina felt after traveling around the empire with Juan. The entire empire was shallow, pretending to be a normal country under the emperor¡¯s name. The emperor and the empire were just empty shells, with nothing inside the shells. And out of everyone, Dismas was the craziest lunatic, the one who was the most obsessed with that empty shell. ¡°No! It¡¯s different! He is different! His Majesty¡¯s body is not just a Cainheryar! It is nothing like those dirty and disgusting beings! The whole process was done reverently with blessings from His Holiness! I embroidered it with gold and silver, then decorated it with jewels and silk! Do not make such unpleasant and disgusting¡­ remarks about the¡­ noble figure of¡­¡± Dismas screamed fiercely in denial, but his cries slowly died down. His eyes were empty and clouded. Sina figured that Dismas must have already known that there was a similarity between the ritual used to resurrect the Cainheryars and the ritual used to resurrect the holy body. However, he had buried his doubts deep inside his heart and tried to resolve his suspicions by insulting the remains of the gods, since he could not admit such a truth. ¡®It¡¯s different. It¡¯s completely different. The gods came back to life in a dirty and unpleasant environment, but His Majesty was resurrected reverently in a holy environment, decorated with gold and jewels¡­¡¯ But no matter how much gold he covered the emperor¡¯s body with, he could not hide the disgusting scent of the corpse. Dismas felt the inside of his head rustling and collapsing. Then, he recalled the image of Ivy who was looking at him with a determined and firm gaze. ¡°The Saintess really was conveying His Majesty¡¯s words to me.¡± Dismas turned his head slowly¡ªtoward the direction where the tower housing Telgramm was. From there, Dismas felt a huge energy and heat. The warmth he had ignored and considered as nothing more than just a deception until now suddenly felt so hot that it almost stung. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dismas faintly groaned. ¡°Ah, Ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡± The guilt that he had buried deep in his heart began to soar. Horrible emotions drowned him in an instant. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. In the meantime, beams of light suddenly spread all over Cabragh. However, Dismas didn¡¯t even notice the lights. All he could do was roar and cry. However, his despairing cries were drowned out by the loud bang, making it so that no one could hear him. Only one person¡ªSina, was looking at him with a sad expression. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡± Dismas¡¯ tragic howls sounded like he was trying to squeeze out his lungs only stopped after he had vomited blood everywhere. Then, Dismas knelt down to the ground and looked at Sina with cloudy eyes. ¡°Kill me as painfully as you can,¡± Dismas murmured in a weak voice. He slowly raised his right hand. At that moment, Sina suddenly felt something leaving her body. Although it was just by a little bit, Sina''s hand holding the sword felt a little heavier than before. Sina immediately noticed what had happened. A minor reinforcement Grace that she had received back in the knight school was gone. ¡°Give me pain for all my sins,¡± Dismas said. Sina didn¡¯t even realize what was going on, but Dismas¡¯ body suddenly began to swell. Then, tree branches split Dismas and rose up. A huge tree soared out of Dismas¡¯ stomach, while red, lava-like tears poured out of his eyes. Dismas was constantly shouting something, but it was no longer a human language. Dismas was already distorted beyond the point of destruction. He did not know how to ask for forgiveness. CH 220 Pain gives one a feeling of forgiveness. Dismas, who often acted out arbitrarily, was frequently scolded by the emperor. But even such a trait of his was defended by others, since he was well known for his good nature and not being able to hurt people easily. To Dismas, battle was nothing more than a fun game and it was very rare to see his battles getting bloody. It was even rarer to see someone dying. Even if any of the enemies lost their lives under his command, he treated them as honorable warriors and held a polite funeral for them. There were mixed evaluations about Dismas¡ªsome said that he was not suitable to be the ruler in charge of one of the corners of the empire, while some said that they wanted to be ruled by such a generous leader. Yet none of that really mattered to Dismas. The only person he admired and looked up to with a simple and upright mind was the emperor. But then, Dismas lost the only person who could scold him. It was even when he was wrestling with the Giant King Helgrim for fun and had gotten drunk after the battle. Dismas had never once imagined the emperor could be defeated or killed by someone. Dismas suffered greatly from guilt and regret, but there was no one left to forgive him now. Pain made him feel like he was being forgiven. It didn''t take long before he constantly started inflicting self-harm. The most basic ability of the essence given by the emperor was the ability to regenerate one¡¯s body, and this ability caused Dismas to go through strange hallucinations. In that instant, his upright mind became bent. And that was the moment when the Pope came to visit him with a magician that gave off a strange atmosphere. Until then, Dismas didn¡¯t attach much value to the Pope. Although he had heard that Gerard had been showing interest in the Pope, Dismas had been busy respecting and admiring the emperor. But the story told by the young child that the Pope had brought along with him was something that Dismas could not listen to in a calm manner. The young child told him that there was a way to revive the emperor and it required Dismas to suffer from pain. Fortunately for Dismas, pain was something that gave him a feeling of forgiveness. *** ¡°-----!!¡± There was no meaning in Dismas¡¯ unintelligible cry and wailing that could be heard from a distance. However, Sina felt like she was about to shed tears upon hearing his desperate screams. No one could tell just how many gods¡¯ spirits had descended into Dismas¡¯ body, but even all those gods were vomiting from pain and sadness in a single voice. It was a long wail that contained all the pain and despair in the world. Sina stumbled and tightly clutched her sword. She felt a strong urge to stop Dismas¡¯ cries right away; she had a feeling that her heart would also sink to the bottom if she kept listening. ¡°Dismas Dilver!¡± At the same time as Sina let out that scream, she summoned the biggest ice spear she could and threw it toward Dismas. An ice spear the size of a huge battering ram soared from the ground and penetrated Dismas¡¯ abdomen. Then, Dismas¡¯ body that had swollen to a huge size rose into the air with Sina¡¯s attack. ¡°Stop this right now! This is not what His Majesty wants!¡± But Dismas did not stop. He was recklessly using Spirit Calling and summoning the powers of gods way beyond the limit of his capabilities. His physical body was already collapsing, unable to maintain its original form due to the overflowing divinity that was encroaching upon him. He was slowly transforming into something that should not exist in the world. Dismas was suffering from terrible pain, but he did not stop. Before resurrecting the emperor, the young magician had warned him to never use Spirit Calling after the emperor had been resurrected. This was because the power of Spirit Calling that was granted to Dismas¡¯ used his flesh for the process, and so the resurrection of the emperor would stop completely if the gods were to descend into Dismas¡¯ body through Spirit Calling. What Dismas was doing right now was basically giving up the ability that has been supporting him throughout his life¡ªthere was no hesitation in his actions. He had never really liked Spirit Calling anyway. He had always preferred to train his pure physical strength. When Dismas had begun to insult the gods by creating Cainheryars, he noticed that the process of reviving them was very similar to the process of reviving the emperor. However, Dismas deceived himself. He told himself that the Cainheryars and the emperor were different, since the emperor was not resurrected in a vile and disgusting environment like the Cainheryars. Nevertheless, he already knew that all the Cainheryar would collapse if he used Spirit Calling. Dismas could sense that all the Cainheryars that he and Imil had scattered throughout the empire had been destroyed as soon as he used Spirit Calling. But none of that mattered to Dismas anymore. The resentment of being used, the revenge on the Pope, as well as his anger, all of that meant nothing to him now. All that remained was a desire to punish himself. He thought that being killed by his father, who he had believed to be the fake emperor until now, would be the only way to be forgiven. ¡°----!¡± Dismas continued to roar in an inaudible cry. ¡°Dismas!¡± Sina shouted desperately. She repeatedly summoned more ice spears to throw at Dismas, but his grotesque transformation did not seem to subside no matter what she did. Dismas was now crawling through the city of Cabragh as a huge unidentified mass, with only his barely recognizable face left. Meanwhile, the Western soldiers hastily attacked the monster with shocked expressions when they saw it appearing out of nowhere. However, such crude and weak attacks could not attract Dismas¡¯ attention at all. Sina was the only one who was barely able to cause some damage to him, but Dismas wanted to die at Juan¡¯s hands, not Sina. ¡°Damn it!¡± Sina let out a curse and pushed Dismas with all her might. Her heart was filled with desperation¡ªshe could not let Juan see what Dismas had turned into. She suddenly felt like all this was her own fault. Sina grit her teeth and directly stabbed her sword into Dismas¡¯ abdomen. At the same time, she made a huge flower of ice blossom around her sword. The blades of ice that blossomed in an instant caused Dismas¡¯ organs to burst. Then, the blades stretched out while scattering Dismas¡¯ body fluids everywhere. Meanwhile, Dismas roared and struggled, almost as if he could actually feel an intense pain from this attack unlike all the previous ones. Meanwhile, a hammer that was glowing a burning red struck down toward Sina. While she was able to barely dodge it, she backed away while freaking out when she saw the lava soaring from the spot where she had been standing. ¡®Is this one of the powers of the gods that Dismas has drawn into his body?¡¯ At that moment, Dismas had stopped advancing forward and began to attack Sina. He was still letting out unintelligible words, but Sina could somewhat understand what he wanted to say. Dismas was looking for Juan. Sina was no longer meaningful to him and was nothing more than a distraction. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you go,¡± Sina said as she bit her lips. She would have no chance of winning if Dismas started to attack her using the various gods¡¯ powers. Thus, she had to do her best to fight with all her might to stop him while Dismas was ignoring her and considered to be just a distraction. Sina ran ahead of the path that Dismas was crawling on and stood in front of him to block his way. She looked like a tiny bug in front of Dismas who had swollen up and become as huge as a building. At that moment, Sina¡¯s eyes flashed as she took a step forward. Sina began to move her sword in the air as she continued to walk forward. The trajectory of the tip of the sword produced a strange distortion, produced by an unknown sword dance. Sina recalled all the movements and sword dances she had seen from the moment she first met Juan in Tantil, all the way to the most recent battles without even realizing it. She didn¡¯t know how, but all of the images of Juan¡¯s steps and his sword penetrating the enemy came into her mind. The sword dance that was used by Sina with extreme concentration began to emit a strange heat. Sina¡¯s image became blurry for a short moment, and then she instantly jumped toward Dismas¡ªit was like her body was made of fog. Sina recalled the fog she saw on the day long ago when the Order of the Blue Rose was annihilated. In this terrible battle against Dismas, Sina had turned into fog itself. Meanwhile, Dismas was not aware of the tangled fog, but a huge afterimage suddenly bloomed across the middle of his path. It was the fourth stage of the Baltic Sword: Fog Dispel. Even before a stream of blood burst out of Dismas, Sina had closed her eyes to focus and stretch out her sword, preparing for the next movement. Sina remembered witnessing the clash that no one else could see on the day Nienna and Juan fought at the Fortress of Beldeve. Every second was split apart and divided indefinitely, stretching it. Sina, who had become transparent like fog, felt the sharp pain of her own body evaporating in an instant. But she wasn¡¯t the only one suffering from pain. Starting with the first afterimage, hundreds of stab wounds appeared throughout Dismas¡¯ body, almost as if flowers made of blood were in full bloom. This was the use of Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword. But Sina still felt like it was still insufficient. While she had managed to make Dismas suffer from terrible pain, it was not enough to kill him. ¡®I need to be faster.¡¯ Her attacks had to be faster, more detailed, more sophisticated, and performed in movements even smaller than now. On the day of the showdown between Juan and Barth Baltic, all their attacks went against the laws of physics. Such attacks were more of a display of laws of physics being broken than a fight. At that moment, Sina felt a familiar heat over her face. Flames flared over the letters engraved on her left eye. Her tattoo began to burn and crack in flames, and then, Sina¡¯s eyelids slowly opened. Finally, scarlet eyes that seem to contain a small sun within them were revealed. All of Dismas¡¯ vital organs that Sina had failed to cut were now being split apart and burst according to her will. If she wanted to cut something, it was already cut, and whatever she thought about doing was already done¡ªit was like magic. Sina was starting to use Causality Denial, the sixth stage of the Baltic Sword. Dismas belatedly let out a scream upon noticing the unexpected change in Sina. However, he was still alive and breathing. ¡®Please¡­ Just a little more.¡¯ But Sina was already at her limit. She felt like she could collapse at any moment and that her organs were already ruined. Her muscles were ripped and her nerves had burned up. Nevertheless, Sina clenched her teeth and pumped strength into her body. The fire in her eyes was burning more fiercely than ever, and her fluttering blonde hair rose like flames. She threw herself into the air for the final blow at the risk of her life. However, at that moment, her attack was blocked by a sword that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°...What?¡± Sina couldn¡¯t understand the current situation, since her vision had only been focused on Dismas until now. The sword that blocked her was scattered like glass as soon as it met Sina¡¯s sword. Then, the sharp fragments of shattered blade penetrated Sina all over, and her blood vessels that had already been heated to the limit began to madly pour out blood from the wounds. Amidst the soaring bloodstreams, Sina stood there with an unbelievable look on her face when she saw the person who was blocking her way. ¡°...But why?¡± The person who had blocked Sina was Lenly Loen, the Captain of the Imperial Guards. Lenly Loen, who was not supposed to be here, was standing in Sina¡¯s way. Sina blankly stared at him for a while and stretched out her trembling hand. Then, she removed the hood that had been covering Lenly¡®s eyes until now as if scratching him. Lenly did not shake off her hand. His two eyes that were revealed under the hood were clearly shining. He seemed to be clenching his teeth and in pain¡ªbut Sina couldn¡¯t tell if this was due to the pain of blocking Sina¡¯s sword or something else. At that moment, she remembered Lenly saying that he was keeping his eyes covered for training purposes, despite having recovered his eyesight a long time ago. Only then did she realize that Lenly¡¯s words had been a lie. Lenly Loen¡¯s eyes were shining with an amber light. ¡®The swordsman with amber eyes¡­¡¯ He was the swordsman who fought Sina on the day when Dane tried to assassinate Juan in the Magic Tower. ¡®He is a member of Aruntal.¡¯ There were no other witnesses and all Sina could remember about him were his amber eyes. Although she had thought that he must be hiding within the Imperial Army, she didn¡¯t think he was someone who had volunteered to become the Captain of the Imperial Guards. ¡®No, perhaps he took advantage of his position as the Captain of the Imperial Guards from the beginning, since that would allow him to come into contact with the emperor¡¯s body everyday.¡¯ Sina, who had been pushing herself to the limit, began to slowly collapse. Her life was already in jeopardy because of pushing herself past her limits. The moment her attack was forced to come to a stop by Lenly, the aftermath of pushing herself started tearing her apart. Meanwhile, Lenly backed away with a painful look as he listened to Sina¡¯s scream. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dame Sina,¡± Lenly gasped for air as he whispered. His hand that was holding the broken sword was trembling. ¡°I had no choice but to do this for everyone.¡± Lenly turned his head and looked back at Dismas. Upon coming to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t have to be the one to finish Dismas off, Lenly strode forward and disappeared. After Lenly left, Sina finally collapsed completely. She looked forward with a weak breath. All she could see was the crumbling city, a pale sky, and the corpses scattered everywhere. There was nothing she had to be ashamed of, since she was dying as a knight on the battlefield, but the fact that she couldn¡¯t end Dismas¡¯ life lingered in her mind and held her back. ¡°Juan,¡± Sina muttered with her last breath. She tried to say a few more words, but she couldn¡¯t make a voice no matter how hard she tried. ¡®Live for yourself. I root for all the paths you will walk.¡¯ Dismas'' distorted body slowly went over Sina, who had fallen to the ground. The sound of flesh being torn apart rang out. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Finally, Sina no longer felt any pain. CH 221 With Juan¡¯s every step, the ground beneath his feet seemed to be crumbling down. Juan¡¯s mouth was dry like the desert and grains of sand flowed down through his hair. The city was flooded with sand and the bodies scattered everywhere had no meaning. All the blood, screams, aspirations, pain, fear, and joy that had once been part of the city had all turned into a meaningless desert. Amidst all this, Juan stood still¡ªit was as if he had become a stone statue in the middle of the desert. Sina Solvane was lying in the middle of this desert. Juan had given Sina his essence. The essence granted some of Juan¡¯s power and abilities to Sina, but it did not grant her immortality; after all, even Juan himself wasn¡¯t immortal. A dry sandstorm blew into the city. Amidst this sandstorm, Juan was the sun that was burning red. Everything around him had miserably dried up in the wake of his blazing flames. Everything had turned into ruins. ¡°Dismas.¡± Juan blankly looked up. Dismas was restoring his own vitality by squeezing out the lives of all the living things around him and turning them into dust. He desperately wanted to die, but the gods that had descended into his body did not. The gods yearned for life, destroying everything around them. Juan¡¯s expression twisted even more upon witnessing Dismas¡¯ distorted appearance. ¡°Do you realize just who it was that you killed?¡± There was no answer. Only meaningless murmurs and groans were carried by the wind. Juan stumbled toward Dismas. When Juan approached him, Dismas slowly looked up and showed a small reaction. The only part of him that still remained somewhat intact was his face, but even his face was full of wounds. Bloody pus flowed down from his eye, which was strangely swollen. ¡°You just killed the only person who made me believe that I was still capable of loving humans.¡± Juan stumbled, feeling a rush of emotions after uttering those words. He had already reached his limit and it was difficult for him to even stay standing. Juan stood still and blankly looked up at Dismas. ¡®Can Dismas even understand what I¡¯m saying? I hope that he can.¡¯ Juan wished for Dismas to understand the sense of despair and fear that he was feeling. ¡°The possibility of your long-awaited return of the emperor has now disappeared completely.¡± Dismas¡¯ only reply to Juan¡¯s groan was an unintelligible murmur. But neither could Juan understand Dismas, nor was he interested in what Dismas had to say. He continued to approach Dismas and slowly opened his arms. ¡°The emperor has disappeared, and the only thing that remains is me, a lunatic desperately craving revenge.¡± Dismas flinched at the sight of Juan, who was approaching him. At that moment, a part of Dismas¡¯ body suddenly moved on its own and struck Juan, regardless of his intentions. Juan was flung into the air and slammed against the wall. Seeing this, Dismas let out a painful roar and bit down on his own body part that attacked Juan. Nevertheless, the gods who now resided in all parts of Dismas¡¯ body went on a rampage and poured out all their hatred toward Juan. Juan slowly got up and walked back toward Dismas, looking completely unaffected by the previous attack. The gods who took control of Dismas tried to strike Juan, but Juan did not let them do so this time. Juan firmly blocked the sharp nails and fists that were flying toward him and continued to approach Dismas. When Juan finally stood in front of Dismas¡¯ huge swollen body, he held Dismas in his arms, almost as if hugging him. When he finally fell into his father¡¯s arms, Dismas struggled and finally let out a murmur. ¡°Ugh¡­ Your Majesty¡­ hah¡­ f-father¡­¡± Dismas hunched his shoulders as if to accept Juan¡¯s hugs. But at that moment, Dismas felt like something was suddenly slipping out of his body. Dismas¡¯ body began to collapse immediately, almost as if the foundation that was upholding a huge structure had been pulled out. Dismas screamed at the pain of all his flesh and bones melting away. This was a type of pain that he had never felt before in his life; even the pain he felt when he cut out his own flesh to create Cainheryars couldn¡¯t compare to this. Meanwhile, Juan continued to hold Dismas, who was spurting pus and body fluid from all over his body, in his arms. ¡°Now, I retrieve my essence from you,¡± Juan whispered. The gods inside Dismas¡¯ body struggled and tried to escape from Juan. However, Juan had no intention of letting Dismas go. Dismas had only managed to maintain his form until now despite summoning so many powerful gods due to the essence of the emperor. As soon as Juan retrieved his essence from Dismas, Dismas¡¯ entire body was torn apart like a broken water tank, and everything inside him began to flow out. Blood and pus were sprayed everywhere, and the stench began to permeate through the streets of Cabragh. ¡°You are no longer my child.¡± Soon after, Dismas¡¯ body which had swelled to the size of a huge house, disappeared. Instead, only the dry rag-like face of Dismas was left in Juan¡¯s hands. Yet, Dismas was still alive even in such a state. Now, it was only the vitality of the gods drawn into his body that was keeping him alive¡ªbut it was clear that he wouldn¡¯t last long. Juan looked at Dismas with empty eyes. ¡°You were full of hate, but now that all of it has disappeared, you look like a ruin.¡± Dismas puffed his lips to say something in reply, but Juan didn¡¯t even bother to pay attention to him. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll also turn into a ruin like you after all of this is over.¡± Juan dropped the dying Dismas on the ground and turned his back. Sina¡¯s corpse was in front of Juan¡¯s eyes. Juan tripped and stumbled while trying to carry Sina. But he did not stop walking. He continued to stumble and walk in pain. Not everything was finished yet. But he didn¡¯t know if all that was important anymore. *** ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Juan, who was walking with Sina in his arms, ran into Pavan on the street. Pavan also looked exhausted after facing Helgrim. He was entirely covered with blood and dust, but his eyes were still burning with fierce desire. Pavan¡¯s eyes turned to Sina for a brief moment, but decided to ask Juan the most important question first. ¡°Is Dismas Dilver dead?¡± Juan walked past him without giving an answer. Pavan tried to ask again, but he turned his head instead. The road where Sina and Dismas had fought was full of blood. Then, Pavan noticed something that had collapsed in the middle of the road. Pavan, who was holding a sword dripping blood, approached the road with a look of madness. It was Dismas who had yet to die. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. It was only after staring at the grotesque figure for a long time that Pavan realized that it was Dismas. Dismas was constantly muttering something, but there was no sound coming out of his mouth. After observing Dismas¡¯ lips closely, Pavan made a derisive smile. ¡°Hah.¡± Pavan slammed Dismas on the head with the sword in his hand. Then, he slammed Dismas down several times without stopping. The blood and flesh scattered everywhere soaked Pavan, but Pavan continued to smash Dismas down like a dedicated miner. Pavan rested for a while whenever his back became stiff but diligently continued to swing his sword over and over. When there was finally no sign of Dismas¡¯ presence left, Pavan wiped the sweat off of his forehead. Pavan¡¯s sword, which had struck the stone pavement countless times, was chipped and bent all over. Then Pavan threw away his sword and untied his belt. Soon, a stream of urine began to flow down and wet the place where Dismas had been. Then, Pavan looked up at the sky with a lighthearted face. ¡°Master, who said that the taste of revenge was bitter? Nothing can be sweeter than this.¡± *** Ivy looked out the window with a pale expression. She could see a panoramic view of Cabragh. It was a scene that would make anyone exclaim at normal times, but the only emotion Ivy felt right now was fear. When the battle was about to begin, Ivy had witnessed the beams of light being launched from the tower she was in. She already knew that the huge beam of light being launched from the tower was Telgramm from the previous conversation she had with Dismas¡ªit was thanks to Dismas telling her all the confidential information due to his confidence in being able to turn Ivy to his side. Ivy thought that there was nothing she could do to stop this madness, but she couldn¡¯t stay still the moment she saw the beam of light sweeping over the imperial forces that were beyond the wall. That¡¯s when Ivy remembered that when the Pope used Telgramm on her, she wasn¡¯t affected by it at all. Ivy figured that she might be able to stop the Pope. This was the reason why she took advantage of the confusion of war to secretly head to the Pope; however, the tower was already on the verge of collapse even before she could reach the top. ¡°Why¡­ why does everything get so twisted every time I try to do something¡­?¡± Ivy muttered. It was not easy for Ivy to walk inside the shaking tower. She thought that it would be better to stop now and go back down, but such thoughts immediately left her mind as soon as she saw the path she had walked on collapsing and breaking. Now she had no choice but to move forward. ¡°Lenly¡­¡± Ivy murmured the name of the person who had always protected her. But he wasn¡¯t here now. ¡®He must be fighting somewhere outside Cabragh.¡¯ Ivy tightly bit her lips and clutched the railing to stand up. Although she had been protected by Lenly until now, he was no longer obligated to protect her. Lenly was the Captain of the emperor¡¯s Imperial Guards, not the Saintess¡¯. And Ivy had come here as a subordinate of the emperor, while knowing all the risks. Ivy gasped for air and continued to climb up the tower with difficulty. The way down had been completely cut off, but Ivy didn¡¯t know what was waiting for her at the top of the tower. ¡®Maybe I can find a way to rebuild the tower back to its original form.¡¯ Just when Ivy was getting close to the top of the tower, she heard a groan coming from the room at the top. ¡°Keuk, ugh, ah, ahhh¡­¡± Ivy peeked into the room and quickly hid herself, shocked. Pope Helmut was groaning painfully with burns all over him. The top of the tower was collapsing slowly and revealing the sky. ¡°You look in pain, Your Holiness.¡± Then, a familiar voice other than the Pope¡¯s was heard. Ivy soon found Imil Ilde on the other side of the room. Ivy had seen Imil, the biggest supporter of the Church, several times before. She had heard that he left Torra to join the Western Army, but she hadn¡¯t expected to see him at the top of the tower. ¡°What happened? Why the heck isn¡¯t my Grace working!¡± Helmut howled loudly and raised both of his arms. The burns all over him were quite severe, but what was even worse was that both of his arms had been burned completely black and almost turned into ashes. Imil looked at the Telgramm rolling on the floor. Helmut had been exposed to the destructive power of Telgramm while trying to hold it, without realizing that the power of his Grace had disappeared. When Helmut shook his arms, his burnt fingers snapped one by one and fell to the floor. Helmut screamed and tried to pick up his fingers, but they ended up getting crushed. ¡°What do you mean what happened? It simply means that your era has ended completely.¡± Imil¡¯s voice that was answering Helmut was calm¡ªit was as if he knew that this would happen. Helmut¡¯s eyes rolled like a lunatic as he glared at Imil. ¡°Right when Doctrinal General Dismas used Spirit Calling, all the Cainheryars were destroyed. His Majesty¡¯s holy body that we have been forcibly holding onto until now must also be collapsing right about now. There is no more Grace, Your Holiness. All of His Majesty¡¯s power has returned to him,¡± Imil said. Helmut gasped for air. ¡®There is no more Grace?¡¯ Only then did Helmut feel that the heat that was flowing throughout his body had disappeared. His skin suddenly felt cold and his exhausted body felt heavier than ever. The inability to use the emperor¡¯s Grace meant that Helmut no longer had a chance of winning or even a future. ¡°No,¡± Helmut groaned. ¡°No! I- I still have a lot of work to do for humankind! There are achievements that must be made on behalf of His Majesty! Without me, humanity will¡­ it will¡­!¡± ¡°It will be well off¡ªjust as how it was in the days when His Majesty wasn¡¯t here.¡± Helmut glared at Imil with his eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Imil looked down at Helmut with a pathetic expression and continued to speak. ¡°To be honest with you, I never thought you would be this pathetic, especially when you could have monopolized the power of His Majesty. It is quite a sight to see you trying to hide in the back room like a senile old man with dementia when you have such great power. You know what that means? It means that you were not even worth housing His Majesty¡¯s power inside you in the first place.¡± CH 222 ¡°You-you bastard! I am the Pope of this empire! I am the agent of the emperor who united the empire!¡± Helmut shouted. ¡°Yes, there was once a time when I really liked that slogan. Perhaps it was your passion and blind loyalty that Master appreciated so much¡­ but I wanted to make my youngest son the next Pope after coming to the conclusion that you had no hope,¡± Imil shrugged his shoulders. Only then did Helmut remember that Imil Ilde¡¯s youngest son used to be a member of the Order of the White Crow. Helmut had allowed him to become a Templar at an earnest request; however, he ended up getting killed by Juan, the devil of Tantil who had just appeared around that time. ¡°I would have killed you and handed over the position of the Pope to my youngest son a long time ago if it hadn¡¯t been for the fake emperor who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Originally, I had thought you were the one who killed my son after figuring out my intentions. Things may have been very different from now if that was the case.¡± ¡°You¡­ you really think I¡¯m going to collapse so easily to¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean collapse? Both you and I are nothing more than puppets controlled by the master. In the first place, without Master, you could not have had the power of His Majesty. Oh, of course¡­ It was only thanks to you that I was able to convince Dismas and Gerard. I do appreciate you for that.¡± Imil smiled and looked at Helmut, who was lying on his stomach. ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, since I¡¯m about to go down as well, but I don¡¯t feel too bad about it after seeing you like this.¡± Helmut let out a roar and jumped at Imil, but Imil simply took a step back to dodge him. Helmut stumbled and broke his remaining arm, which looked like a lump of charcoal. After screaming in pain for a long time, Helmut groaned and then opened his mouth. ¡°You¡­ you bastard¡­ what happened to Lenly?¡± Ivy, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, gasped upon hearing Lenly¡¯s name. Imil¡¯s eyes briefly turned toward the door of the room, before once again turning to Helmut. Helmut gasped for air and continued to speak. ¡°I saw Lenly before I held Telgramm in my hand. Lenly was protecting Dismas from that female knight¡¯s attack¡ªI saw it through the vision shared between me and Dismas. Why was Captain Lenly Loen of the Imperial Guards trying to protect Dismas? Was he also a part of this dirty plan to destroy me?¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re hilarious,¡± Imil snorted, dumbfounded. ¡°A dirty plan to destroy you? Damn, your ego is on an entirely different level. But you¡¯re somewhat right. Lenly is also a member of Aruntal, but you¡¯re nothing more than a Pope who doesn¡¯t even belong to Aruntal.¡± Helmut gritted his teeth and glared at Imil. ¡°Then Ivy¡­ Ivy, that bitch must also be a member of Aruntal. You bunch of assholes have been trying to screw me up all along. The fake emperor, Nienna, and Hela were all on your side from the very beginning!¡± Imil made a dumbfounded expression, not even bothering to answer Helmut. Meanwhile, Helmut continued to shout at Imil in anger. ¡°How?! How can you do this to me! You know how hard I tried to fulfill His Majesty¡¯s will! But how can you help that bitch ruin me like this!?¡± ¡°This is just ridiculous. Did you really think that you could even reach the level of His Majesty¡¯s foot? How did you think that such a trivial man like yourself could fulfill such a noble will? You were nothing more than a stepping stone. But now that I think about it, you couldn¡¯t even play that part properly.¡± Imil snapped back in annoyance, but soon sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather talk to the wall than talk to you. I¡¯m not doing this anymore.¡± Imil turned his back. Helmut continued to shout vulgar curses at his back while throwing up blood and suffering from pain. His joints were not moving properly, and all his entire muscles were twitching. When he felt the movement of his ruined intestines from his stomach, Helmut realized just how old he was. This was a sensation that he had never felt ever since he experimented on the Templars as his test subjects. The fear of death suddenly surged into Helmut¡¯s mind. ¡®Have I always had so many wrinkles?¡¯ Helmut suddenly felt an even more intense sense of loss than when he lost the emperor¡¯s Grace. The drooping skin, the wrinkles, and the black age spots all over his face made him feel devastated. Then Helmut belatedly shouted in a frightened voice. ¡°Wait! The magician! Let me speak to the magician!¡± Imil stopped walking and looked back. ¡°He said that the future of humankind is in my hands! That¡¯s why I agreed to a plan to assassinate His Majesty¡ªbecause humankind can only shine under the leadership of an emperor who is eternal! What happened to that plan and that will?¡± Helmut asked in a desperate voice. ¡°Oh, that plan is still solid.¡± Helmut lay flat on his stomach and begged with a distorted smile upon hearing Imil¡¯s answer. ¡°I-I can still go on! If I can meet the magician again to persuade him, I might be able to¡­!¡± ¡°But you are out of the plan now. That was actually decided a long time ago. We are already ready to greet the new emperor. It¡¯s better for you to die now rather than later.¡± Then, Imil ignored Helmut and walked on. Seeing this, Helmut, who had been lying on his stomach, immediately ran toward Imil with an angry shout. Although Imil wasn¡¯t weak enough to be attacked by an old man with no arms, he sighed and briefly muttered. ¡°Igel, Ioshiff.¡± Swoosh! Two people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The two people were wearing black robes and quickly passed by the Pope¡¯s left and right like the wind at the same time. Without even being able to realize what was going on, Helmut fell down to the floor with a loud thud. Then, Helmut, who was trying to raise himself up while screaming and rolling around the floor, felt an intense pain coming from his lower body. When he slowly looked down at his legs, he realized that even the remainder of his legs were cut off all the way up to his thighs¡ªand one more body part other than his legs was also rolling on the floor. ¡°Ugh, Ahhhhhhh! Aghhhh!¡± At the same time, the man and woman with white hair both looked at each other with displeased expressions as they listened to Helmut¡¯s screams. ¡°Hey sis, that was unnecessarily cruel of you.¡± ¡°I didn''t do that because I wanted to. I just didn¡¯t expect him to keep it on his left side. Ugh, my sword is dirty now.¡± ¡°Well, most men keep it on the left.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I didn¡¯t want to know about.¡± The man sighed and approached Helmut, who was still screaming. Right when he lifted his sword to finish Helmut off, Imil stopped him. ¡°Just leave him, Igel. I want this pig to drown in his own blood and die alone.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to get out of here now. I think he¡¯s going to die quite soon.¡± ¡®Die? Me?¡¯ Helmut gasped for air and tried to move, but all he could manage was wriggling like a bug. Imil frowned at the pathetic sight of Helmut crying and moved on. Helmut¡¯s current state was an overly ugly sight for someone who was said to be the Pope of the empire. Meanwhile, Helmut, who once again tried to stand up, slipped on his own blood and hit his face against the floor. Crack! With a terrible sound, Helmut¡¯s body lost all its strength. His face fell into a shallow pool of blood and the stagnant blood entered his nose and mouth. While it was a shallow puddle of blood that was only as deep as a finger joint, Helmut couldn¡¯t lift his head up. ¡®This is ridiculous. This is how I will die? By falling into a puddle of my own blood¡ªa puddle the size of a small dish, struggling like a trivial worm?¡¯ *** ¡°It¡¯s beer!¡± The soldiers hurriedly shared their glasses when they found a beer barrel that someone had thrown away in the barn. The inside of the barn was damp and muddy with feces due to the rain that had continued for several days. The beer also smelled strange, but to the starved soldiers, it tasted sweeter than ever. The soldiers rushed to pour beer into their glasses and proposed a toast. ¡°For Greg, Olie, and Heartmal.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about Dowd. That punk¡­ he only volunteered because of me¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give up a glass for all the idiots who died because of all the bloody gods.¡± The soldiers murmured and raised a gloomy toast. When one soldier shouted for a toast, everyone emptied their glass all at once. Then they shared another glass of beer to wait for the next soldier to shout for a toast. The soldiers were getting drunk fast, but none of them forgot to mourn their fallen comrades. ¡°Hey, Priest! Say something, man! It¡¯s your turn!¡± Search "pawread dot com" for the original. Someone shouted at a man when it was finally his turn. The man, who was just emptying his glass with a blank mind, suddenly came to his senses. This was not the tower housing Telgramm. All of his arms and legs were still intact. Only then did Helmut slowly look around as he came to his senses. He was in a dirty and damp barn that smelled of poop. ¡®I remember.¡¯ It was the time when he was on his way to overthrow Ainheryar, the god of beasts. The soldiers were attacked by a group of Beastmen. The troops were defeated and only a few of the defeated soldiers managed to escape. Even the soldiers in front of Helmut right now died less than a week after this feast. In the end, Helmut was the only one who survived. ¡°Hey, are you serious? There¡¯s beer right in front of you, but you can¡¯t drink it because you can¡¯t raise a toast? Come on, Priestman. You used to talk a lot. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Helmut hesitated when the soldiers urged him, but soon raised his glass and opened his mouth. ¡°Long live His Majesty.¡± Everyone repeated Helmut¡¯s toast in a loud voice. Finally, there was no one else left to raise a toast, and so the soldiers began to drink as they willed. At that moment, a person started talking to Helmut. ¡°Hey, mister Priest.¡± ¡®Mister Priest¡¯ was Helmut¡¯s nickname. It was a nickname given to him by his colleagues, since Helmut praised the emperor every single time he opened his mouth. In an era when gods were despised by humans, being called ¡°Priest¡± was never a good thing. But Helmut didn¡¯t think bad of the nickname; he felt like he was serving the emperor as his closest aide. ¡°You say long live His Majesty all the time. So how long do you want him to live?¡± This was a question the soldiers wouldn¡¯t normally ask, but at the moment, they were all drunk and willing to chat about anything. ¡°Ten thousand years¡ªso basically forever,¡± Helmut answered. ¡°Hah, you want His Majesty to live for ten thousand years? I mean, it would be nice, but is that even possible? His Majesty himself said he is a human. I don¡¯t think he would be a human being if he could live until he became ten thousand years old.¡± ¡°Nothing is impossible for His Majesty. Anything is possible if HIs Majesty decides to do it.¡± ¡°Haha, what are you saying? Anything is possible if His Majesty decides to do it? That¡¯s a little¡­ god-like.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. His Majesty is the god of humans.¡± The barn fell silent for a moment. The soldier who had asked the question was squinting while looking at Helmut. Before he knew it, all the soldiers in the barn were looking at Helmut. Everyone here had lost a family member or someone precious to the gods. The soldiers patted Helmut on the chest and started speaking in a tone that seemed like they were picking a fight. ¡°His Majesty is the best of all human beings. It is true that he is so strong that even gods are no match for him, but calling him a god is kind of messed up. We¡¯re doing this crap to escape the domination of gods , but you¡¯re saying that we are being ruled by a god once again?¡± ¡°But not all gods are¡­¡± Helmut couldn¡¯t finish his words. The soldier punched Helmut, while the rest of the soldiers joined in as well; some of the soldiers tried to stop the fight, while the others began to kick Helmut. All Helmut could do was roll around in a pile of feces and get beaten helplessly. ¡°Stop!¡± At that moment, the soldiers immediately stopped upon hearing a loud voice. Someone had opened the door to the bar. A man with shining blond hair like the golden sun entered the barn. As soon as the soldiers recognized the man¡¯s face, they quickly prostrated themselves. There was only one man that looked like the emperor and had blonde hair. It was Gerard Gain, the eldest son of the emperor. ¡°I heard that there were fallen soldiers, so I came to see you all. While I compliment all of you for fighting so bravely, I didn¡¯t expect you all to be drinking and even beating up your own comrade.¡± The soldiers looked at each other with perplexed expressions. They all felt more sober than ever. Gerard approached Helmut, who was still lying on the ground, and reached out his hand to help him up. Helmut hesitantly opened his mouth. ¡°Your hand will get dirty, Your Highness.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Gerard raised Helmut up from the dirty ground and then asked the other soldiers. ¡°Why were you beating this man up? Did he break any rules? As far as I know, private scuffles between soldiers are prohibited.¡± The soldiers only looked at each other and did not open their mouths. There was no way they could say in front of the emperor¡¯s own son that they were not happy with Helmut¡¯s wish for the emperor to live forever. As the soldiers remained silent, Gerard turned to Helmut. ¡°You tell me first. They will speak up if they feel anything you say is unfair.¡± Helmut hesitated for a while, but soon spoke about what happened. For a moment, Gerard had a dumbfounded expression, but soon became angry. He even placed his hand on the handle of his sword at one point of the story. As the conversation dragged on, Gerard opened his mouth with a serious look. ¡°This is a serious matter. Are there many soldiers in the military who think like you?¡± ¡°I understand that there are more than just a few. Your Highness, if you would just listen to me for a little longer¡­¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying goes against His Majesty¡¯s will. But I¡¯m worried that there are a lot of people who think like you. Come with me¡ªI don¡¯t think this matter can be solved by simply punishing you. I¡¯ll have to listen to your story in more detail to prepare counter arguments and to persuade you.¡± Gerard went out of the barn after speaking. While Helmut was discouraged, the other soldiers were laughing and glaring at him from behind. The figure of Gerard began to grow far away as he walked on. When Helmut hurriedly opened the door of the barn to catch up with him, a sudden terrible smell of blood assaulted him. It was the disgusting smell of stale blood. Helmut tried to cover his nose to avoid the stench, but he belatedly realized that he had no arms to do so. He tried to scream, but he could only hear the sound of blood bubbling. The only thing that entered his nose was blood no matter how hard he tried to breathe. None of his limbs could move according to his will. Helmut felt like he had become a worm-like young boy, once again crawling in a mining cave like a long time ago. Soon, Helmut stopped twitching. CH 223 Not long after Helmut died from drowning in a puddle of his own blood, Igel shrugged and sheathed his sword. The plan to let Helmut die alone had failed, but his death already seemed lonely enough. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of people die before, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone die like a disgusting bug like this,¡± Igel muttered. ¡°Well, he finally learned his place right before he died. Come on, we gotta go.¡± Ioshiff took a black robe out of her pocket and handed it over to Imil. Imil put on the robe and even wore a hood to cover his face. As soon as he wore the robe, his presence disappeared in an instant. Even Ivy, who was hiding right outside the door and watching the scene from the beginning, could hardly sense Imil¡¯s presence even though she was already aware that there were people inside. Then, Imil began to move toward the door. Seeing this, Ivy panicked and looked for a place to hide, but there was no where she could hide. Soon, Imil strode out of the hallway. Ivy looked at Imil with a stiff expression. She thought she would either be held hostage once again or killed, but Imil looked at Ivy in silence and then walked past her. The moment Imil walked past Ivy, he quietly murmured. ¡°Take care of her on your own. The master is waiting for us.¡± Igel passed by and winked at Ivy, while Ioshiff pinched Ivy¡¯s cheek before leaving. It wasn¡¯t until a little while after they passed by Ivy that she slumped to the floor with a puzzled expression. At that moment, Ivy felt someone carefully touching her shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± It was Lenly Loen. Only then did Ivy realize that Imil wasn¡¯t talking to her but to Lenly, who had been standing behind Ivy all along. Ivy almost ran into Lenly¡¯s arms, but stopped herself. Lenly was no longer covering his eyes. His amber eyes were quietly staring at her. ¡°I apologize for being late. I thought that you were in the Red Citadel, but I couldn¡¯t find you there. Are you okay?¡± As soon as Lenly reached his hand out toward Ivy, she flinched and stepped back. Based on the conversation she eavesdropped, she already knew that Lenly was a traitor. It didn¡¯t take long until all sorts of rumors about Lenly came to Ivy¡¯s mind. Lenly was known to be a man who gave up his chance to become a Templar and instead volunteered to join the Imperial Guards, just to faithfully serve His Majesty. He was even at odds with the Pope due to his loyalty to the emperor and controversy over the empire¡¯s current doctrine. Lenly was known to be more principled and doctrinal than even the Pope. Nevertheless, many Priests and Templars from the Church admired Lenly for his integrity and reverent attitude. After all, the Captain of the Imperial Guards did not hold much power¡ªon the surface, his role was nothing more than a corpse cleaner. ¡°Saintess?¡± ¡®But what if all of that was a lie? Did he become a member of the Imperial Guards just to get access to the emperor¡¯s body from the beginning? What if he was used by the Pope and became a member of the Imperial Guards just to make it easier for those in the shadows to make evil plans?¡¯ ¡°Saintess, you don¡¯t look too well. This tower is shaking. It might collapse at any moment, so let¡¯s¡­¡± ¡®Even the reason why we were hiding underground for days after the failed rebellion might have been a part of their plan to proceed with their next step.¡¯ Lenly used to leave Ivy behind and go away for hours back in the underground structure, and it was also through Lenly¡¯s persuasion that Ivy had attempted to rebel against the Pope. ¡®I was being used all along.¡¯ That was all Ivy could think of. ¡°Go away.¡± Lenly flinched and paused his hand that was trying to reach Ivy. Lenly dropped his hand with trembling eyes upon seeing Ivy¡¯s cold glare. Before, Ivy would have thought of Lenly¡¯s current appearance as heartbreaking, but not anymore. His white skin made him look like a skeleton, and his mouth that puffed up to try to say something felt like a snake flapping its tongue at her. It was hard to even read any emotion from his trembling eyes. ¡°...You traitor.¡± ¡°Saintess, I¡­¡± Lenly tightly bit his lips and managed to continue speaking. ¡°Other people probably can¡¯t understand me, but you have to understand. After all, you are the Saintess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some Saintess and you know that. I¡¯m just a woman who was killed at the hands of the Pope then luckily brought back to life. The position of the Saintess is nothing more than the Pope¡¯s marionette!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong!¡± Lenly shouted in a violent voice without even realizing it. Seeing this, Ivy flinched and stepped away from Lenly. Lenly gasped at the thought that he had frightened Ivy and tried to approach her, but this only scared Ivy even more. Lenly raised both of his trembling hands and opened his mouth. ¡°I understand that you are surprised. But you will know soon enough¡ªwhy you were chosen as the Saintess and why you are a true Saintess. The prophecy you made came from His Majesty¡ªit came down from a man who will become the true emperor.¡± ¡®The true emperor¡­¡¯ Those crucial words made Ivy confirm that Lenly was indeed a traitor. Ivy¡¯s eyes were wet with despairing tears. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. Tell everyone to die whether they are the true emperor or not. If there¡¯s another life, I hope to be born in a world where everyone is dead,¡± Ivy glared at Lenly and answered. Ivy turned around and began to run as soon as she finished speaking. The place she was headed to was an opening left behind by the collapsed wall. Lenly screamed and tried to catch up to her, but it was too late. Ivy began to fall down the tower as soon as she threw herself into the air. *** Juan looked closely at Sina¡¯s body that was in his arms as he walked in the city center. Her pale skin, the numerous wounds, and her chest which was no longer rising, all indicated that she was dead. Juan couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it was that killed Sina, since there were far too many wounds on her body that were fatal. Her limbs were still attached to her body, but all her muscles and nerves were ruptured and her internal organs destroyed. Then, Juan discovered something familiar from her wounds¡ªit was the side effects of forcefully using higher stages of the Baltic Sword. Even a well-trained person had to be fully prepared to be injured if they used one of the higher stages of the Baltic Sword, since failure could result in fatal damage. Juan was able to confirm that Sina had used the Baltic Sword¡ªshe went beyond the fifth stage, using the sixth stage. It was an incredibly high stage for an ordinary human, and it would be no exaggeration to say that she was the first human being to use the Baltic Sword at such a level. But she was probably also the last human being to do so as well. It was then. Crack! Crack! A black space suddenly began to appear as the air was torn apart. It was a temporary phenomenon caused by the Crack. However, Juan just passed by without even looking at the black space when the Crack opened up right next to him. Then, someone belatedly ran out of the Crack. It was Haild. He was no longer wearing a bandage on his face. After looking around as if he was searching for someone, Haild found Juan and quickly rushed toward him. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Haild, who was hastily running toward Juan, belatedly saw Sina in Juan''s arms. Haild covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Sina in silence for a while, then carefully looked up at Juan. Meanwhile, Juan was just walking with an emotionless face. ¡°...I see that Dame Sina Solvane fought bravely.¡± Juan did not answer Haild. This caused Haild to be perplexed; he had never seen Juan like this. However, he continued to follow Juan in silence. Although it was difficult to know the exact relationship between Sina and Juan, Haild knew that it was beyond that of an ordinary peer relationship. However, they weren¡¯t lovers either. Haild felt that there was a stronger bond than that between the two of them. It was not simply a normal relationship between a woman and a man. It was something much more than that¡ªit was a sense of solidarity that almost connected them as one. But Haild couldn¡¯t just stay still and watch Juan in this state. It was clear that the battle was still going on, and so, he had to inform Juan about the situations in other regions. ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive me for disturbing you in this situation, but the Cainheryars have suddenly disappeared. I thought that they might have only disappeared in the East, but it is assumed that the Cainheryars have also disappeared in the rest of the regions. It is assumed that they have disappeared throughout the empire. But that doesn¡¯t mean that the situation is completely resolved¡ªmost of the troops will remain where they are, and only some of them will come to the West. I was the first to be able to move thanks to the ability to teleport, but Captain Anya and Aunt Nienna will also arrive as soon as possible.¡± Haild explained as quickly and simply as possible, but Juan did not seem to be listening to him at all. Haild tightly closed his lips. No matter how shocked Juan was, he was the emperor and the supreme leader of the empire. It was utterly ridiculous for him to be in a state of shock in the midst of such an important battle. ¡°Where is Captain Pavan? Is he the one currently in command of the battle?¡± Once again, Juan did not answer. Feeling frustrated, Haild stood in front of Juan to block his way. Only then did Juan stop walking. ¡°Your Majesty, where the heck are you going?¡± ¡°To my body.¡± Juan opened his mouth for the first time. Haild was perplexed by Juan¡¯s answer, but was still glad to have gotten a response. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s body? Then you must be talking about the holy body. Do you know where it is?¡± Haild asked. ¡°Inside the Red Citadel. I can feel that it¡¯s there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cover you, Your Majesty. If you do find your body there¡­ you will finally regain your power as the true emperor. Um, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s what¡¯s going to really happen, but I am assuming that it will. After all, it was said that it was Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart that completed Your Majesty.¡± Juan looked back at Haild. Haild was perplexed by Juan¡¯s emotionless eyes, but quickly bowed his head. ¡°There were many heartbreaking sacrifices along the way, but Your Majesty will finally return to your rightful place. No one can stand in your way now. Of course, there will be a lot of work to do. But first of all, we will need to find my father, I mean Gerard Gain¡­ Uh, please forgive me. I know that you¡¯re not in the mood to hear this, but I keep talking too much at the thought that everything is over now¡­ It would have been nice if my mother was here to see this as well.¡± ¡®A lot of work¡­¡¯ Haild continued his gibberish, but there was only one sentence Juan paid attention to. Juan was numb as he was heading toward his body¡ªhe thought that getting his body back was another ¡®work¡¯ that had to be done. He had just been moving without any thoughts, but what Haild said inspired him in a strange way. A distorted and twisted idea popped up in his mind. ¡°No, Haild.¡± When Juan suddenly opened his mouth, Haild looked at him while blinking. ¡°I am going to bring Sina back to life.¡± *** Crash! Bang! The city center was devastated when the huge tower finally collapsed over Cabragh. The soldiers who had been fighting all over the city had slowly stopped fighting when, at some point, their commanders were nowhere to be found, and came to a complete stop now that they saw the tower collapse. The soldiers of the Western Army had already completely lost their will to fight from the time when the tower collapsed. Starting with the surrender of the Order of Surtr, the various divisions of the Western Army began to surrender to the Capital Army one by one. It was not until a long time later that the Order of the Capital accepted the Western Army¡¯s declaration of surrender under the command of Pavan who had returned. It was through Pavan¡¯s report that the news of Dismas¡¯ death was announced. The Western, and the Capital¡¯s forces started working together to rescue the people stuck under the rubble of the collapsed tower. It was a terrible disaster, but there were many signs of relief among the soldiers at the thought that there was no need for them to kill each other when they belonged to the same Imperial Army. At the same time, something major was discovered at the scene of the collapse¡ªPavan was able to rescue an unexpected person. ¡°Are you awake, Saintess?¡± Ivy slowly opened her eyes. Pavan was looking at her. She slowly realized that she was being carried somewhere. Ivy blankly looked up at the sky and muttered in a quiet voice. ¡°Am I alive?¡± ¡°Yes, Saintess. Perhaps you had the protection of His Majesty or you simply got lucky. Or maybe there was a guardian angel who saved you.¡± ¡°A guardian angel?¡± ¡°Pieces of stones were cut in a circular form around the place you were found. I don¡¯t know who it was that showed off their skills on this rubble amidst the collapsing tower, but that person wasn¡¯t there by the time we found you. I think that person might be slightly injured based on the blood stains in the surroundings, but I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s safe, since no corpse was found around that area.¡± Pavan looked as if he knew that it was Lenly who saved Ivy. But Ivy¡¯s face quickly turned pale. She screamed in pain as she tried to quickly get up, causing Pavan to hastily press down on her shoulder. ¡°I did tell you that you got lucky, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you weren¡¯t injured. Your left leg is broken and you have a lot of bruises here and there, so please stay still. I need to check where else you might have gotten hurt,¡± Pavan said. ¡°His Majesty¡­ I need to meet His Majesty. We need to hurry up and¡­¡± ¡°I will let him know if there is anything urgent. But the Western Army has surrendered and we also found Dismas and the Pope¡¯s bodies. There is no need for us to be in such a hurry to¡­¡± ¡°Lenly Loen is a traitor! His Majesty doesn¡¯t know that yet!¡± CH 224 Haild doubted his own ears; he thought he was hearing wrong. However, Juan¡¯s voice was clear and his expression was firm. He no longer seemed to be out of his mind, this caused Haild to feel a cold chill run down his spine. ¡°Your Majesty, are you in your right mind?¡± Haild asked without even realizing that he was being rude. However, Juan only looked back at him in silence. ¡°Is there any reason why I shouldn¡¯t do that, Haild?¡± ¡°Your Majesty refused to regenerate Heretia¡¯s amputated legs and my mother¡¯s arm! But Your Majesty is going to bring Dame Sina back to life? What happened to Your Majesty¡¯s will that we talked about earlier!?¡± ¡°My essence is still burning inside Sina¡¯s body and it is constantly restoring her. All I have to do is bring back her soul into her body.¡± ¡°Do you mean to say that resurrection is easier than regeneration?¡± Hearing Haild¡¯s sarcastic remark, Juan shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll fix them too.¡± Haild bit his lips tightly, while Juan continued to speak. Find the original at "pawread dot com". ¡°I¡¯ll make it so that Heretia can walk and run once again. I will also fix your left eye so you can see properly. I promise to bring Hela and Dilmond back to life as well. It will be difficult because all that is left of them are ashes, but I¡¯m sure that I can do it. No¡­ I promise to make it work no matter what.¡± Haild was no longer perplexed. Instead, he was petrified with fear. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ Your Majesty, such a thing is just¡­¡± ¡°Is it a matter of equality? Then I will revive all the soldiers who died due to this war. I will also bring back those who died before all this. I will bring back the families of all the orphans and bring back the children of all the grieving mothers in the world. No, I will completely get rid of life and death for humans, so that everyone is free of this shackle. I will pick out the good and the evil, and then separate those who should be rewarded and those who should be punished.¡± Haild looked at Juan while gasping for air. It was difficult for Haild to even estimate the scale of Juan¡¯s plan. Juan was talking about erasing the boundary between mortality and immortality so calmly¡ªit was as if it was as easy as counting one two three. ¡®Is such nonsense possible even if His Majesty gets his body back?¡¯ Finally, Haild managed to open his mouth with difficulty. ¡°Are you trying to become a god?¡± ¡°Is that all that it takes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Juan quietly asked back upon seeing Haild¡¯s confusion. ¡°If I become a god, then can I bring Sina back to life?¡± Juan refused to be a god and was stabbed by his own child due to that. Finally, after enduring countless sacrifices, he was able to get up and return to his rightful place once again. But now, he was hesitating about whether or not he should become a god. He was giving up his entire philosophy and ideology that he had kept until now just because of one person. Haild was having a hard time breathing after hearing Juan¡¯s words, but at the same time, he was quite tempted at the same time¡ªhe wanted to see Juan becoming a god. If Juan became a god, Heretia may be able to regain her legs and it might be possible for his mother to be revived. Not only would it be possible to regain the countless innocent lives that had been sacrificed, but those that deserve to be rewarded would be rewarded and those that deserve to be punished would be punished. There would be no more war, since no one would dare to stand up to Juan who had become a god. Under an absolute being like the emperor, humanity will be blessed for ever and ever. Haild felt that he couldn¡¯t stand in the way of such a blessing. Regardless of the reason Juan was trying to become a god or Haild¡¯s personal desires to bring back the loved ones, he couldn¡¯t stop Juan¡ªfor the sake of humanity and for all the people that will come later. ¡®How can I deprive humanity of an opportunity to escape from the pain of life and death, war, and the war between good and evil?¡¯ Haild unknowingly stepped out from Juan¡¯s way. Juan walked past Haild, causing a cold sweat to run down Haild¡¯s forehead. Juan¡¯s drooping shoulders looked frighteningly huge in Haild¡¯s eyes. Only then did Haild think about the possibility of ¡®Juan becoming a god.¡¯ Juan had been continuously fighting against and rejecting such a possibility until now. It was no wonder Juan had finally broken down now¡ªhe just had a small wish. After all, it could be said that resurrecting one person is trivial compared to the absolute blessing that all of humanity and its future descendants would receive. Haild staggered, following after Juan. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this was not the right thing to do upon seeing Juan deny his own will. But he couldn¡¯t stop Juan. He wished for Nienna, Hela, or even Heretia to come here and convince Juan. But Haild was the only one with Juan right now. Finally, Juan and Haild entered the Red Citadel. The magnificent citadel made up of red granite was the product of the labor of the Giants and was miraculously still intact despite the fierce war. In the middle of the citadel was where Juan¡¯s holy body was located. Juan slowly headed toward his own body like a dog being dragged on a leash. *** Pavan rode his horse as fast as he could. However, it was difficult for his horse to speed up due to fatigue from the battle and the fact that people were cluttered on the streets for restoration and rescue purposes. Above all, it was difficult for the horse to find a road to run on, since the tower housing Telgramm had collapsed right in the middle of Cabragh. Ivy groaned behind Pavan every time he roughly rode the horse and jumped over the obstacles. Although Ivy had been given first aid and her broken leg was being supported with a splint, she was not in a condition to ride a horse. But she had no intention of getting off the horse. ¡°Please hurry, we need to go faster than this!¡± ¡°I am trying my best, Saintess.¡± Pavan and Ivy were on their way to find Juan. Pavan ordered the soldiers to fire a signal and wave a flag, but there was no sign of a response from Juan anywhere. In the end, they had no choice but to anticipate where Juan would go and wait for him there. The place they were headed to was the red fortress. Meanwhile, Pavan looked back at Ivy to ask her a question. ¡°Saintess, we are searching for His Majesty because you told me we had to go, but is it really that dangerous for His Majesty that Lenly Loen is a traitor?¡± Pavan thought his own question was quite bizarre. Lenly Loen was certainly a powerful man¡ªhe may even be stronger than Pavan. But he was nowhere close to His Majesty. If he were exaggerating a little, Pavan even thought that Lenly would lose if the emperor simply blew his nose loudly. The corners of Pavan¡¯s lips slightly went up at the thought of Lenly being blown away by the wind. But Ivy¡¯s expression was firm as she had no idea what Pavan was thinking about. ¡°Lenly Loen going out of his way to volunteer to join the Imperial Guards definitely had a meaning behind it. It may have been just to hide the fact that His Majesty¡¯s body was a Cainheryar, but it is still true that he is dangerous to His Majesty. What if he poisoned His Majesty¡¯s body¡­¡± ¡®But that¡¯s just your assumption.¡¯ Pavan grumbled and muttered in his mind. All Ivy told Pavan about was the secret conversation that Imil and Helmut had with each other in the tower. Immediately after that, Ivy appeared, looking quite normal, considering that she had fallen from the collapsing tower. Pavan felt that Imil might have intentionally leaked false information. However, it was also true that Lenly had not shown up anywhere. This was certainly strange, considering the relationship between Ivy and Lenly. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no harm in being careful.¡± Pavan kicked the horse to make it run even faster. Ivy had to clench her teeth due to the pain of her left leg shaking every time the horse jumped over the obstacles. But she couldn¡¯t sit back and do nothing. She had been fooled for too long, and she thought that she had to do something to atone for her mistakes. However, Pavan wondered if it would even be possible to catch up with Juan in time. There was a considerable time difference between when Juan disappeared and when Pavan rejoined the army to meet Ivy after finishing off Dismas. Even if Juan was slow in crossing the city of Cabragh, it was certain that he would have already reached the Red Citadel by now. Pavan decided that he had to prepare for the worst, just in case. ¡°Saintess, with all due respect¡­ what kind of trick do you think Captain Lenly Loen has played? In the first place, Lenly Loen is a man who abandoned his family and his path to success just because of his loyalty to His Majesty. So why would he betray His Majesty by giving up what he had worked for all his life?¡± Ivy could not answer Pavan. This was the same question that Ivy had already asked herself countless times. But she couldn¡¯t find the answer to the question either. *** The hall was structured in the form of a huge arch. Juan noticed that the structure inside the Red Citadel was similar to the Imperial Palace in Torra; only bricks made of red granite were used. ¡®Perhaps there is a similar type of structure in the underground, since it¡¯s a magical formation used to draw power from my body.¡¯ The structure was quite clean, almost as if it was newly built, but the stagnant air showed that it had been built quite a long time ago. Juan stood still in the middle of the hall. ¡®It¡¯ was there at the end of the hall¡ªthe holy body of the emperor. It was Juan¡¯s true physical form, his old body, and the emperor that everyone in the empire believed in. Juan felt like he was being sucked in more and more with every step he took to approach his body. He thought that he had become strong enough by now, but the power contained in his old body was still quite powerful. Juan felt that the power contained in his old body was trying to sweep him away. However, Juan proceeded slowly, crushing and breaking the stone pavement on the floor. Flames slowly rose above his head as he took another step. The red flame was not intense, but it slowly turned white and started burning fiercely. It let out such a strong glow that the red walls around him started looking white. But all this had no effect on Sina¡¯s body that was held in Juan¡¯s arms. Before he knew it, Juan stood right in front of his body. Then, he carefully placed down Sina¡¯s body at his feet. Juan¡¯s old body looked like a skinny mummy, to the point where Juan had to wonder if it really was his body. Gold was used to cover the wrinkled area, and colorful jewelry was inserted into every hole created by dry skin. The hair that was once black like ink was now white in color. Juan could not understand how such a body was regarded as the emperor until now. Then, Juan tightly bit his lips and slowly reached his hand out. His fingertips were just about to touch the unhealed wound left behind by being pierced by Elkiehl. ¡°If you become a god, Your Majesty could do whatever you want!¡± Haild suddenly shouted out from behind. Juan turned his head to face Haild. ¡°Being able to revive someone means that you will be able to decide who will live and who will die, and to be able to easily give eternal life would mean that you would also be able to easily take it back as well! All of that would simply depend on Your Majesty¡¯s mood!¡± ¡°Do not talk to me like I¡¯m some whimsical child, Haild.¡± ¡°I do not want Your Majesty to become a god!¡± Haild shouted in a desperate voice. Haild¡¯s body was trembling. ¡°The great are not those who wield power, but those who can endure even though they have great power. Your Majesty would be great if you remain as the emperor. Why do you want to undermine yourself and become a god?¡± Juan quietly looked at Haild and looked down at Sina. After staying silent for a while, Juan slowly opened his mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about right now.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about and I don¡¯t think I can handle this either. But¡­¡± Haild tightly bit his lips and drew out Elkihel. The bandage wrapped around Elkiehl was cut off in an instant without even making a sound, revealing a black branch-like sword. Seeing this, Juan¡¯s face distorted. Haild¡¯s hands were trembling, but he firmly raised his sword at Juan. ¡°If I don¡¯t stop Your Majesty from becoming a god, we will all live under Your Majesty¡¯s standards forever.¡± ¡°And you are against that?¡± ¡°No, I am not. How can I be unhappy under Your Majesty¡¯s reign?¡± Haild clutched Elkiehl and continued to speak. ¡°But, but¡­ I don¡¯t know if our descendants will want that either. We can¡¯t decide on the choices they will have to make in the future. Humans go through tremendous change in just ten years. Then what about a hundred, or a thousand years? Do you believe that they will be happy under the same values forever?¡± Juan inhaled a deep breath as if to answer, but soon sighed. Then he answered in a quiet voice. ¡°You are right, Haild. I want to say I¡¯m different, but many of the heroes who became rulers and gods have repeated the same history over and over. I promised myself not to fall into that cycle, but now that I look at myself, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing now.¡± Haild¡¯s face brightened up upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. However, Juan once again turned his head toward his old body. ¡°So, from now on, don¡¯t call me the emperor. I am neither an emperor nor the god of humans. I¡¯m nothing more than a selfish idiot.¡± Then, Juan stuck his hand into the holy body. As soon as Juan¡¯s hand dug into the holy body¡¯s chest, Haild jumped in with a loud scream. But when Haild took another step forward, he couldn¡¯t take the next step; Juan just began to drift away in the distance. The hall inside the huge Red Citadel began to open into a space even larger than infinity. The interior of this space turned white from the huge amount of light being emitted from the emperor¡¯s body. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Haild shouted, but his voice couldn¡¯t catch up to the speed of the space that was drifting away. Even amidst all this chaos, Juan remained calm and dug deep inside the wound of his old body. Soon, Juan was able to find what he was looking for. It was solid like a jewel, but it felt more like grabbing at light rather than a jewel due to the intense light coming from the body. It was Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart. Juan grabbed the heart which was still beating. At that moment, something suddenly grabbed Juan by the wrist. Juan raised his head. The holy body was looking at Juan while holding Juan¡¯s wrist with its dry hand. The holy body¡¯s lips, which had been silent for decades, opened with a cracking sound. The voice that came out of those lips seemed to come out of rotten vocal cords. ¡°Finally.¡± When the heart within Juan¡¯s hand emitted a light brighter than before, Juan could feel his vision growing distant. The voice was rough and crude, but Juan could tell who the voice belonged to. He could never forget the voice of Gerard Gain, his first son. CH 225 Juan couldn¡¯t understand the situation. This holy body was certainly his own. However, the arm that was clutching his wrist and the eyes that were staring at him clearly belonged to Gerard. Juan initially thought that Gerard might have transferred his spirit into the holy body for a moment, but that didn¡¯t seem to be true. Juan realized that his inner mental world that he had opened up to absorb his original body was the one being sucked in now. The abilities that he absorbed from Talter and Nigrato were now being sucked into Gerard. Juan¡¯s consciousness began to drift away as his inner mental world started being absorbed. At the same time, fragments of Gerard¡¯s memories also appeared in Juan¡¯s mind. Only then did Juan realize that the holy body belonged to himself, but at the same time, also belonged to Gerard as well. Juan bit his lips as he grasped the fact that Dismas had revived his original body as a Cainheryar. Then, Gerard took over the emperor¡¯s body in a way different from that of Dismas. Gerard had cut off parts of the emperor¡¯s body and attached parts of his own body in their place. When the emperor¡¯s body was healed, he repeated the same process over and over. In this manner, Gerard was able to replace most of Juan¡¯s body with his own. Almost every body part except for the head and Mananen McLeir¡¯s hearts belonged to Gerard, and it was Captain Lenly Loen of the Imperial Guards who had helped him do this. After a long process, Gerard was finally able to take control of Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart. Nevertheless, Gerard did not stand up even when he could. Instead, he waited in silence for many years¡ªwaited for Juan to show up. ¡°The crown!¡± He waited for the holder of the crown to appear, whether it was the monster or the emperor who had it. ¡°Give me the crown!¡± Gerard roared at Juan. Juan¡¯s consciousness became even more distant as the power he tried to absorb was swept away by a huge flow. At the same time, Gerard¡¯s memories that had been sunk into the abyss until now began to rise to the surface like contaminants in the ocean. *** In the East, just outside the city of Arbalde, Gerard trembled as he received a letter. Next to Gerard was Deputy Bekelt Bekelsus of the Order of Lindwurm glaring at the ground while tightly biting his lips. The same was true for everyone in the barracks; they all showed signs of extreme anger. With extreme patience, Gerard managed to quietly put down the letter without tearing or crumpling it; a letter with the Emperor¡¯s Seal could not be handled recklessly under any circumstances. ¡°...Make way for the Order of Fenrir,¡± Gerard muttered. ¡°Captain!¡± Bekelt burst into a rage. If Nienna was the type to control her subordinates with overwhelming charisma, Geard was the type to maintain a relatively equal relationship between everyone in the knight order. But today was the first time he was envious of Nienna¡¯s way of handling things. ¡°Already over ten thousand civilians have been killed by the bastards from the Order of Fenrir! If we make way for them in this situation, it will¡­¡± Gerard drew his sword and struck the desk before Bekelt could even finish his words. The desk that was struck forcefully broke into pieces rather than being split in half. The fragments of the broken desk scattered all over the faces of the knights inside the barracks, making them bleed. But there was not a single knight who blinked their eyes. ¡°It is an order from His Majesty. Are you going against his will right now?¡± Bekelt did not answer. Gerard continued to speak with his sword raised and aimed at the rest of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm. ¡°If any of you have any impure feelings toward His Majesty, tell me now. I promise to kill you in a more merciful way than I would if you act on your feelings.¡± None of the knights could answer. After glaring fiercely at the surroundings, Gerard finally turned his gaze toward Bekelt once again. ¡°Bekelt. Answer me.¡± ¡°...I will obey your orders, Captain.¡± Gerard breathed heavily and sheathed his sword upon hearing Bekelt¡¯s answer. ¡°As of today, Deputy Bekelt will be demoted to an ordinary knight. He will also be prohibited from riding the dragons and he will be whipped two hundred times at every noon until further orders. I will not be disclosing his charges to the other soldiers considering the achievements he has made until now.¡± The knights showed signs of agitation over the disciplinary action that was much harsher than they had expected. However, some thought that the fact that Gerard was not disclosing Bekelt¡¯s charges was no different from giving him a grace period rather than punishment. After all, showing disobedience to His Majesty was not a charge that could be forgiven with a simple demotion or whipping. It meant that Gerard would quietly handle this matter internally. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it at that, but this is a one-time thing. Do not doubt His Majesty¡¯s orders, ever.¡± *** ¡®His Majesty is always right.¡¯ Gerard thought so as he sat on top of the pile of corpses that extended all the way to the horizon. Gerard¡¯s skills were much more useful than Nienna¡¯s when it came to killing people and disposing of the corpses; after all, Nienna controlled the cold, while Gerard could control flames just like the emperor. His flames were not only quick and instantaneous, but also adequate for killing people painlessly. The lightning that was scattered all over the sky even found those hiding in the underground and instantly turned them into ashes. It was a merciful death considering that they were unconscious at the time of their death. But it was a death that no one wanted. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Upon turning his head, Gerard found Nienna with bruises on her forehead and chin. He didn¡¯t think she looked funny or weird; he was certain that he didn''t look much better than her. In fact, they were looking better now; both had been in a worse condition before the emperor¡¯s letter arrived. The road Nienna walked on was frozen white. When Gerard didn¡¯t answer her, Nienna shrugged and looked around at the surroundings. ¡°Are you okay? I don¡¯t think anyone is alive anymore. So don¡¯t waste your energy.¡± Only then did Gerard realize that he was still creating lightning. ¡°Are they all dead? How many have died in total?¡± Instead of answering, Nienna raised two fingers. Then she folded one and continued to speak. ¡°I think you killed half of them by yourself. It¡¯s probably because of the rain, but¡­¡± Nienna had drawn over the clouds in the sky to briefly cause winter, while Gerard summoned lightning without any hesitation, pouring it over the people. The result was heavy rain and terrible thunderstorms. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that two hundred thousand people died,¡± Gerard muttered, feeling disheartened. Nienna looked at Gerard with narrow eyes and snapped. ¡°It¡¯s two million, you idiot.¡± Such a large number felt unreal to Gerard. It didn¡¯t matter if it was two hundred thousand or two million, because the fact that they were both huge numbers didn¡¯t change. Either way, the corpses were enough to line up to the end of the horizon and block everyone¡¯s view. Gerard suddenly began to tremble. ¡®Just how many memories, feelings, and dreams did each of the two million people that died have? What about their hopes and fears?¡¯ The moment he felt a chill running down his spine, Nienna covered his eyes with her hands. ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t imagine anything.¡± Gerard breathed heavily and gasped for air. Nienna¡¯s cold hands slowly calmed him down. As Gerard¡¯s breathing began to return to normal, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth. ¡°Was there really no other way?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nienna answered firmly. ¡°But we don¡¯t even know anything about the Crack.¡± ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have thought about that when I killed my own family and tribe members?¡± Nienna continued speaking in a quiet voice. ¡°My tribe has been fighting against the Crack for a long time. If they have decided that there¡¯s nothing that could be done, then there¡¯s nothing that can be done. I was the only one among my tribesmen who had not been encroached upon by the Crack, so they ordered me to execute all of them with my hands.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Gerard, think about adults ordering a five-year-old girl to kill all the members of her tribe. Then think about a girl who had to stab hundreds of her acquaintances to death, including her parents, brother, grandmother, and neighbors. Just imagine what she would have gone through every single day as she grew up.¡± Gerard closed his mouth. ¡°At that time, I decided to stop thinking about everything except for my hatred toward the Crack. When I think about other things, all that remains is regret. My heart has frozen over ever since I had to kill my own parents when I was only five years old. So you should also remember this scenery today¡ªthe moment when you had no choice but to burn your people to death with your own hands.¡± ¡®But¡­ ah, but¡­¡¯ Gerard hoped for redemption. He wanted to believe that there would be salvation somewhere. He believed that His Majesty could be his salvation. *** ¡°Bekelt.¡± Gerard lifted his head and looked up. The man who walked into the office inside the fortress of Beldeve was Belkelt, the former Deputy of the Order of Lindwurm. He was no longer wearing a cape, now that he had been demoted to a lower rank. ¡°It¡¯s late, Captain. You should take a rest.¡± ¡°I was planning to go to bed soon.¡± ¡°I heard that you haven¡¯t slept a wink for the past three days.¡± Gerard sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. He rubbed his eyelids with his hand and thought about the past few days. ¡®Has it already been that long?¡¯ Gerard closed the book he was reading. When the cover with a strange pattern was revealed, Gerard hurriedly put a different book over it. Bekelt did not miss the sight. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw you. Has it been around four months since we left the Northeast for a thorough search? I heard that there are no more signs of anyone encroached upon by the Crack,¡± Gerard said as if trying to change the subject. ¡°Yes, Captain. People will no longer be able to come back and live in the Northeast anymore, but¡­ I don¡¯t think we have to worry about it spreading any further. But the aftermath will last for a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, I guess so¡­¡± Not only did the crops fail to grow due to the polluted atmosphere caused by the energy leaking from the Crack, but the appearances of demonic beasts were also soaring in numbers. In addition, the brutal rumors spreading among the civilians played a huge part in making the empire unstable. It was the rumor that a massive amount of carnage had been committed in the East. Even Hela had asked Gerard several times whether the rumor was true, but Gerard could not say anything to her. ¡°What book were you reading, Captain?¡± Bekelt asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve already received a report stating that you¡¯ve returned, but what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I prepared a small gift for you after hearing that you¡¯ve been feeling down.¡± ¡°A gift?¡± Bekelt took a small package out of his pocket. Inside the package was a disproportionately distorted purple gem. Gerard felt an unknown displeasure as soon as he saw the gem, but he was more curious than repulsed. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a gem like this. What is it?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°Its identity is not clear, but I heard that this gem has the property of absorbing and storing dark energy. No wonder everyone feels unpleasant when they look at it. After all, it is a lump of negativity. But I understand that it is good for purifying a person¡¯s mind and body.¡± Gerard received the purple gem from Bekelt. As soon as the gem touched his hand, he could feel the negative thoughts that had piled up in his mind for a while loosening slightly. As the emotions that had been suffocating him disappeared, he lowered the boundary he had made around his own heart and let his guard down. ¡°It looks strange, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just some superstition, since I can actually feel its power.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you think it¡¯ll be of help. Then I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Bekelt saluted and turned around to leave the office. At that moment, Gerard called out to stop him. ¡°Bekelt, wait.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± ¡°I know that you have been quietly carrying out your duties as an ordinary knight for the past four months. Both you and I were emotional at the time¡ªand that was true for everyone. So I¡¯m thinking of lifting the disciplinary action as of today.¡± Bekelt looked at Gerard with a surprised expression and bowed his head. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Captain.¡± ¡°You can wear the cape of the Deputy once again starting from tomorrow. However¡­¡± Gerard dragged his words on, as if he was giving a stern warning. ¡°¡­you must never doubt His Majesty or say anything that seems to be disobeying His Majesty¡¯s orders in the future. You won¡¯t get another chance after this.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Captain.¡± Bekelt saluted once again before leaving the office. After Bekelt left, Gerard glared at the closed door for a long time. He couldn¡¯t tell whether that last warning he had just given was for Bekelt or for himself. Then, he once again took out the book he had covered with a trembling hand. It was one of the books that he had found in the ruins of Arbalde. CH 226 Gerard could immediately tell from the moment he touched the cover¡ªthat the book was not like any other ordinary books that were made with animal skin cover¡ªit was made with a human¡¯s skin. The letters engraved on the cover were in a language that even Gerard could not recognize, despite the various kinds of knowledge he had acquired. But the more he read it, the more he could feel the letters, interpreting the meaning itself. Gerard intuitively knew that this book was something from the Crack. ¡®What are you doing Gerard? Why are you even reading this?¡¯ Gerard looked at the cover of the book with a troubled expression. However, he could not stop reading. The amount of knowledge contained in the book was quite enormous. The knowledge consisted of the world inside the Crack, the creatures living in it, and the culture and customs of those creatures. It was knowledge that would be of great help in dealing with the Crack if he informed His Majesty or Nienna about it. But he could not do so, since the existence of the book would be revealed if His Majesty or Nienna asked how he came to learn of such knowledge. ¡®It¡¯s not time yet. Just a little more. Just a little¡­¡¯ Gerard thought that there must be a way to save humanity from the Crack in this book. He strongly believed that he would be the one to make up for His Majesty¡¯s only shortcomings, and that His Majesty will become even more perfect through his existence. Then, Gerard inadvertently remembered a soldier he had met a long time ago. He was a man who used to instill fanatical ideas into the other soldiers within the unit by praising the emperor. Although Gerard thought highly of the man¡¯s loyalty, Gerard had no choice but to kick the man out, since problems would rise if people like him grew in number. Gerard also thought that the man and his group were ridiculous. What they did was contrary to the will of His Majesty, yet they were ironically praising him more than anyone else. However, it was their passionate loyalty and simple faith that somehow intrigued him. ¡®Is there any reason why His Majesty cannot become our god?¡¯ In order to make that happen, Gerard had to make His Majesty more perfect than he was now. Gerard opened the book once again while fiddling with the purple gem in his hand. *** ¡®If there is salvation, will it be on land or in the sky?¡¯ Gerard stabbed a sword into the man¡¯s heart. It was already his fifth time inflicting a fatal wound, but the man continued to laugh and tried to charge at Gerard rather than dying. The man¡¯s distorted and clumped hands had a bizarre form, and it would be more suitable to call them tentacles. ¡°You¡¯re a tough one to kill,¡± Gerard murmured. Gerard tried to fight while trying to avoid blood splattering the surroundings with blood, but was eventually forced to cut off the man¡¯s waist and arms at once. The man fell to the floor in a grotesque motion, but continued wriggling relentlessly as he tried to bite off Gerard¡¯s boots. Gerard raised his foot with a frown. ¡°May there be a miserable death to the usurper,¡± the man muttered as he looked at Gerard¡¯s foot stepping down on his face. Gerard crushed the man¡¯s face in an instant. Only after the surroundings became quiet was Gerard was able to look around. Gerard was in an ancient dungeon somewhere in the Northeast. He had heard that the surrounding area had turned into a bloody forest after His Majesty caught and killed a god near this dungeon. However, the traces of the Crack could be found in the dungeon hidden here. Gerard lit a flame on his fingertip, while lightning flashed between his fingers. The surrounding area was a library full of old books. Gerard carefully looked at the books while making sure not to cause any damage to them. ¡°Here it is.¡± As expected, the books in the library were about the Crack as well. Gerard had heard of a group called the ¡®Thornbush Priest Organization¡¯ consisting of humans that had been encroached upon by the Crack. It was clear that they also had the book that Gerard found and read in Arbalde. ¡®This is one of their libraries¡­¡¯ To keep everything confidential, Gerard had visited the dungeon alone, without informing the other knights from the Order of Lindwurm. Only one of them, Bekelt, had come with Gerard to guard the entrance to the dungeon. Gerard rummaged through the books and searched for what he was looking for. Gerard was now able to easily read the unfamiliar language used beyond the Crack. There were still many words that he found difficult to read, but he was good enough to read the things he needed. Gerard, who was concentrating on reading the books while even forgetting to eat, finally stopped at a page. His eyes were filled with excitement. ¡°As expected. It exists.¡± ¡®A type of material from another world that allows one to even come in contact with abstract concepts.¡¯ ¡°As long as we have this, even the Crack won¡¯t be able to¡­¡± ¡°Captain.¡± Instantly, Gerard leapt to his feet, drew his sword and quickly swung it at the opponent. The tip of the sword stopped at a close distance from Bekelt¡¯s throat. Gerard glared at Bekelt with a distorted expression. ¡°I thought I told you to guard the entrance.¡± ¡°I came inside to tell you something.¡± Gerard¡¯s face was full of embarrassment, shame, and confusion. His sword trembled, almost as if he would stab Bekelt in the throat at any moment. Now, Gerard had no choice but to prepare himself for the upcoming punishment; after all, he was caught coveting the knowledge from the Crack. But that also meant that Gerard had to prepare himself to stab Bekelt. The knowledge that he had found was something that he could never give up. ¡®If one life can save all of humanity, then¡­¡¯ ¡°Forgive me, Bekelt. But this knowledge must be told to¡­¡± ¡°To whom?¡± ¡°To all of humanity, of course¡­¡± Only then did Gerard realize the mistake he had just made. It was a ridiculous mistake caused by the shock and confusion of the moment. This knowledge had to be hidden. Talking about it to the others was no different from directly criticizing the emperor. There was no reason to attack Bekelt in the first place. Gerard lowered the edge of his sword. ¡°I made a mistake because I was perplexed for a moment, Bekelt. But you will have to give me a reasonable explanation for breaking my order.¡± ¡°His Majesty shouldn¡¯t find out about this.¡± Gerard fell silent upon hearing Bekelt¡¯s firm voice. After looking at Bekelt with suspicious eyes for a while, Gerard barely managed to open his mouth. ¡°Do you know what I saw?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Gerard tried his best to stay calm, but his hand holding the sword was already trembling. It took him a considerable amount of time and effort to finally find this knowledge. ¡®But Bekelt already knew about this all along and he was just watching me until now?¡¯ Meanwhile, Bekelt continued speaking in a quiet voice. ¡°It is also from this dungeon that I found the gem that I gave to you as a gift, Captain. In fact, what I gave you is just a tiny fraction. But there¡¯s a reason why I didn¡¯t tell you about it.¡± ¡°Tell me,¡± Gerard said. ¡°It is because you need to be prepared to accept this kind of knowledge. Think about what would have happened if I had told you all of these things out of the blue, Captain. You wouldn¡¯t have thought or understood that this knowledge was even necessary for the empire. But now, you do.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Captain Gerard, you came to know how useful this knowledge is because you were prepared to fully understand the Crack and accepted the knowledge only after that. But do you think His Majesty will be willing to do the same? And I¡¯m talking about His Majesty here, someone who even made it a felony to show an interest in the Crack?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s all for a reason. If I give him good advice before¡­¡± ¡°You will be severely scolded and imprisoned. If you¡¯re lucky, you might be locked up in that prison where not even a single ray of sunshine reaches for the rest of your life. Though, if you¡¯re unlucky, Captain Nienna might come to visit you in person.¡± If it was Nienna, she would even mercilessly raise her sword against her own family. She already had an experience of executing her own family members with her own hands. ¡®She held a sword against her own blood relatives. Of course she would kill me, since I¡¯m not even related to her.¡¯ Gerard opened the book with a desperate look on his face. In the book, something was drawn¡ªsomething that looked like a black thornbush. ¡°Bekelt, do you know what this is? This is called Elkiehl. It is a material that can even allow one to come into contact with abstract ideas. If we have this, we can drive out not only curses, but also abstract concepts and even the Crack. With this, humans can conquer and purify the Crack. This means that we don¡¯t have to suffer from the threat of the Crack anymore.¡± Bekelt closed his mouth when he heard Gerard¡¯s desperate voice. Until now, the Crack was treated like an unstoppable plague. The Crack was a place where the creatures from an unknown world constantly moved about and it was a great threat to humanity even after the gods had all disappeared. But with Elkiehl, there would be no need for Nienna to go to war, nor would there be a need for carnage. ¡°I know that what I did was wrong, but there¡¯s no way that His Majesty wouldn¡¯t understand the value of this knowledge. With this, I can fill the gaps in His Majesty and make him even more perfect than he is now.¡± ¡°Why do you want to make the emperor even more perfect?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bekelt looked down at Gerard with somber eyes. ¡°There is already a perfect emperor standing in front of me right now¡ªthe man who loves humanity more than anything, who is strong, and also has the necessary knowledge to conquer even the Crack. So why is such a great man tied to someone else? You are the true emperor who will lead the ignorant humanity, forever.¡± *** ¡®No. I¡¯m not suitable to be the emperor.¡¯ Gerard had always thought so. He thought that he was nothing but a trivial human being compared to His Majesty. However, such thoughts only lasted until he found out about ¡®its¡¯ existence¡ªabout the existence of the crown. The Thornbush Priest Organization¡¯s remark about the emperor being an ¡®usurper¡¯ had constantly bothered Gerard for a long time. ¡®Whose seat did His Majesty steal? Does that mean that humans have taken over the world that used to be dominated by the gods? But there¡¯s no reason for the Thornbush Priest Organization to say that on behalf of the gods.¡¯ There was barely any mention of the Crown in the book. However, there was an existence that was always mentioned together with the Crown. It was Qzatquizail¡ªa dragon monster wearing a crown. ¡°What is Qzatquizail?¡± *** Gerard brought the knights from the Order of Lindwurm, who supported him, to raid the home base of the Thornbush Priest Organization. Gerard had set up an atmosphere where the rebels could be killed and the survivors could be gathered in one place to kill them all at any moment. Then he asked a question about Qzatquizail after he had sheathed his sword. One of the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization responded to Gerard¡¯s question. ¡°He is a nine-headed dragon wearing a crown; he is as big as several universes. He is infinity itself. Hundreds of millions of civilizations and creatures crawl in the space where he lies. There are even those who do not know of his existence, even when they are living on his body.¡± Gerard tilted his head. ¡°Is he like the ruler of the Crack?¡± The Priest from the Thornbush Priest Organization burst into laughter upon hearing Gerard¡¯s question. Gerard patiently waited for the answer, but he didn¡¯t intend to put up with it twice. Right when Gerard drew his sword, the Priest stopped laughing. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ He doesn¡¯t rule; he only exists. Although we serve him, he doesn¡¯t even know of our existence. Just by stretching one of his tens of thousands of his legs, he can make a hole in space and split the world in half. The Crack is just one of those countless holes. The Crack you¡¯re all so afraid of is nothing more than the traces left behind by the slightest of movements from Qzatquizail.¡± Gerard found it hard to imagine a story of such magnitude. He had never even heard of any gods being described so grandly. While it might just be a madman¡¯s delusions, training and knowledge would all be completely worthless if such a powerful existence truly existed. Gerard finally opened his mouth again. ¡°Then what is the Crown?¡± The Priest opened his eyes wide and looked at Gerard. ¡°At first, I thought it was just an expression used to refer to that thing called Qzatquizail. I thought it was supposed to mean the king of kings or the monster among monsters. But the more I looked into it, the more I came to realize that it wasn¡¯t as simple as that. It must be something important, especially when you consider that His Majesty took it away. I thought it might be the source of His Majesty¡¯s infinite power,¡± Gerard went on in a calm manner. The Priest glared at Gerard instead of answering him. Gerard sighed when he saw that the Priest had no intention of giving him an answer. ¡°If you don¡¯t answer me, then that means you¡¯re useless. You guys keep crawling out of nowhere like cockroaches, so I¡¯m sure I can find someone else to answer my question.¡± Gerard beckoned at the knights behind him, and all of them drew their swords in unison. The slaughter, which had been stopped for a while, unfolded once again. Meanwhile, Gerard continued to ponder amidst a sea of splashing blood and screams. ¡®The crowned dragon, Qzatquizail.¡¯ The Thornbush Priest Organization was referring to the emperor as an usurper. ¡®His Majesty stole the monster¡¯s crown and wore it, huh?¡¯ Of course, it was not strange for anyone to kill monsters and take their belongings as a trophy. The Order of Lindwurm also had some artifacts collected in the same way. But Gerard wondered if such a thing was possible when facing the existence called Qzatquizail. And if it was possible, Gerard couldn''t tell why the emperor had stayed silent about it until now. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®If he created the Crack, then it should also be possible to close the Crack.¡¯ Gerard¡¯s agony did not stop there. Another possibility came to his mind. ¡®Is it possible for someone else to wear the Crown?¡¯ CH 227 Gerard finally stabbed his opponent in the chest. The old elf tightly clutched the blade that had pierced his chest and muttered something to Gerard even as he was dying. Whatever he muttered sounded violent, but Gerard didn¡¯t feel the need to interpret what he meant. The elf scratched Gerard¡¯s arm and managed to hold out for a long time, but eventually dropped. A long scratch mark with drops of blood was left behind on Gerard¡¯s arm. He breathed heavily and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. There were bodies everywhere in the surroundings. Gerard killed most of his opponents by striking them with powerful lightning, but some survived and rebelled against Gerard. Among them, the old elf swordsman had been the most powerful. He had been so powerful that Gerard had never seen such a skilled man before. If the elf swordsman hadn¡¯t been injured before their confrontation, it might have been Gerard who was lying on the ground. However, the elf swordsman eventually died at Gerard¡¯s hand. Gerard inadvertently felt the chills running down his spine at the thought that each and every one of the fallen opponents here were heroes and historical geniuses, unlike when he overthrew the Thornbush Priest Organization. The bodies scattered everywhere belonged to those who had saved countless people from disaster and led the empire by finding and teaching the emperor. Aruntal, a group that consisted of the emperor¡¯s teachers, were not people who would die in vain. Gerard shuddered and slapped himself in the face to come to his senses. He had to pull himself together. Gerard rushed to find the documents hidden by Aruntal. Within the document was the secret about not only the emperor, but also the Crown. ¡°You have made quite the mess.¡± Gerard quickly turned around and raised his sword upon hearing the voice coming from the back. Before anyone knew it, a young boy had appeared and was sitting on the desk. The boy was looking at Gerard while holding a cane as big as himself in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re not as determined as I had thought. Is it because you were nervous when dealing with Aruntal? Well, it shouldn¡¯t matter, since no one is alive anyway. Don¡¯t worry¡ªI¡¯ll take care of the traces you have left.¡± The boy came down from the desk and tapped his cane on the traces left behind by Gerard. Every time the cane touched the corpses, their wounds either burst or fell off in huge chunks as if someone had cut them out. When he saw the bodies of the heroes being horribly mutilated and torn apart, Gerard shouted a loud roar. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". ¡°What are you doing! Who are you!?¡± ¡°Dane Dormund,¡± the boy answered immediately without any hesitation. For some reason, the name felt familiar, and then Gerard instantly realized who the boy was. ¡®The Grand Magician Dane Dormund.¡¯ He was the former master of the Magic Tower who was expelled from the empire around the time when Gerard was adopted. Gerard swung his sword without even realizing; he recalled that Dane was also a member of Aruntal. But as soon as Dane¡¯s cane met with Gerard¡¯s sword, the space between the two expanded, widening the distance between them. Gerard was perplexed at the sight he had never seen before. The ground stretched out as if someone was pulling it from both sides, and Gerard¡¯s sword, which met with the cane, was cut in half. Dane grabbed the blade of Gerard¡¯s sword that was stuck in the cane with his hand. ¡°You were smart to pick up a new sword to cover up your traces. But a powerful swordsman like you can¡¯t help but leave behind a unique mark. If you were going to erase all traces and hide the evidence, why didn¡¯t you bring a blunt weapon or a spear? Or, you could have even used magic,¡± Dane murmured. Upon hearing Dane¡¯s words, Gerard realized that Dane was in favor of him. Gerard looked at Dane with suspicious eyes, but Dane was silently focusing on erasing the traces left behind by Gerard. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? What¡¯s your intention? I heard you were expelled for committing a major crime against His Majesty. But you were still active as a member of Aruntal?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always considered myself a member of Aruntal, but I don¡¯t know if the rest of the members of Aruntal think so. Anyway, it is true that I felt the need to get Aruntal out of the way since they were starting to get in the way.¡± ¡°Get in the way of what?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°Who do you think told you about the location of Aruntal? Does Aruntal look that easy of an opponent to you?¡± Gerard tightly closed his mouth. How Gerard came to find out about the location of Aruntal and the fact that Aruntal had information about the Crown were the result of pure coincidence. But when he thought about it now, all of it was clearly done by someone using a precise plan from behind the scenes. ¡°Is all of this part of your plan?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that we were meant to work together,¡± Dane shrugged. ¡°Do you even know what I want?¡± Dane grinned and lifted his cane. His cane seemed to hang around in the corner of the conference room for a moment, then soon began to engrave letters with unknown meanings on the ceiling. Not long after, the flat ceiling split in half and scrolls started pouring from there. The scrolls stuck to the end of Dane¡¯s cane, and then Dane held out a bunch of the scrolls toward Gerard. ¡°...What are these?¡± ¡°The thing that you¡¯re looking for.¡± Gerard glared at Dane. The fact that Dane knew what he was looking for meant that Dane had been watching him for a long time. ¡°Since when have you been watching me, Magician?¡± ¡°Since a long time ago, even beyond your imagination, Gerard. You couldn¡¯t possibly imagine,¡± Dane answered with a smile. Gerard looked down at the scrolls and then looked back at Dane. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s written here?¡± ¡°Of course. How could I not know? It''s something Aruntal worked on for hundreds of years¡ªit has everything, all the way from the Crack, Qzatquizail, the Crown, the emperor, and finally, you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Gerard asked back with a perplexed expression. ¡®There is something about me written in these scrolls?¡¯ ¡°Take your time and read through them. If you don¡¯t want to read them all, I¡¯ll summarize them for you. I¡¯ve read them enough times to have memorized the contents. First of all, you wanted to know about the Crown. Right? The Crown is a metaphor that refers to the heart of Qzatquizail. We, of the Aruntal, stole Qzatquizail¡¯s heart by coincidence¡ªand that was done by the first member of Aruntal¡ªthe one who created Aruntal.¡± ¡°The first member of Aruntal?¡± ¡°Yes. Mananen McLeir, the Mana God.¡± Gerard looked shocked. Mananen McLeir was a god, but he had voluntarily offered his own heart and gifted his divinity to the emperor. For this reason, he was treated specially by the emperor and even called a friend, despite him being a god. Yet Gerard had never imagined even a god to be a member of Aruntal. ¡°It was something only Mananen McLeir could do. The plan to create the emperor was also designed by him. At the end, he completed the emperor by giving up his own heart. That¡¯s how the emperor was created, and this time, it¡¯s not a metaphor. It literally means ¡®creation¡¯ through the use of magic and sorcery.¡± ¡®The emperor was created.¡¯ This was not a metaphor, and in fact, had a direct meaning. Gerard was surprised by the shocking remarks that kept coming out of Dane¡¯s mouth, but Dane didn¡¯t seem to have any intention to stop. ¡°But the creation of the emperor is not what¡¯s important. It is said that children are made of sweet dreams, cat tails, and all kinds of things that smell good. Then, what do you think the emperor is made of?¡± Gerard dropped the scroll he was holding upon hearing Dane¡¯s teasing tone. Mananen McLeir stole the crown of Qzatquizail, and the Crown refers to Qzatquizail¡¯s heart. Aruntal created the emperor, and the emperor was called the usurper who stole the Crown. All this information could only mean one thing¡ªthe emperor, the guardian of mankind and the ruler of the empire, was made from a monster that could destroy the world. ¡°The emperor was made using the heart and the crown of a monster,¡± Gerard murmured. Dane smiled and flicked his finger upon hearing Gerard¡¯s answer. ¡°Correct.¡± Gerard thought that the reason why he managed to stay standing after hearing such a big secret might be due to the fact that he had also known about it to some extent already. As he found out more and more about the Crown and Qzatquizail, the emperor¡¯s identity started to feel ambiguous and sinister to him. As Gerard stood there absent-mindedly, Dane approached and looked up at him. ¡°Are you content knowing the truth? Maybe so. But if you still have the will to take another step forward, then I¡¯ll introduce you to my friends.¡± *** ¡®Everything is for His Majesty. Everything is for humankind, and everything is for stability and prosperity.¡¯ All lies were worn out, broken, and rusted away at the tip of the tongue. Gerard closed his eyes while feeling the tattoo being engraved on his forehead. A man wearing a crown made of thornbush vines was engraving a thornbush tattoo on Gerard¡¯s forehead with fingers that were as long as Gerard¡¯s arm. The wound remained only for a moment, and then quickly healed and disappeared even before the drops of blood could form. But it didn¡¯t matter, since the tattoo was engraved on the soul, and not on the body. The knights from the Order of Lindwurm were all watching the scene in a row. A tattoo of a thornbush crown symbol was also engraved on their foreheads as well, and they made up almost half of the Order of Lindwurm. In front of the knights from the Order of Lindwurm stood Bekelt. ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö.¡± The incomprehensible language of another world came out of the mouth of the man who engraved the tattoo on Gerard¡¯s forehead when everything was completed. Among all the people here, only Gerard could understand the meaning of those words. Gerard knelt down and opened his mouth to answer. ¡°I offer my loyalty to the king.¡± The language of another world was heard once again, and this time, everyone could understand the meaning right away. ¡°And how can I trust that you won¡¯t double-cross us?¡± ¡°I will get rid of the fake emperor who stole the Crown and the throne. I will ensure that a legitimate heir can ascend to the throne.¡± The man grinned upon hearing Gerard¡¯s firm answer. The man who was known to be the leader of the Thornbush Church looked surprisingly normal, unlike the other Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization. He had gray hair with gray eyes, and in a way, he almost looked like he could be an elegant aristocrat. However, his smile was quite grotesque; it was almost as if he was awkwardly imitating a human being. Gerard faced the man¡¯s smile without turning away. The leader of the Thornbush Church was in a hurry to involve the eldest son of the emperor in his plan. The emperor was currently preparing for a war against the Crack after having wiped out all the gods and demons in the empire. Although the Thornbush Priest Organization¡¯s power was somewhat on par with Nienna, they were no match for the emperor¡¯s family as a whole. The Thornbush Priest Organization was trying their best to tilt the scales, and Gerard joining the Thornbush Priest Organization would be enough to break the balance. The leader of the Thornbush Church opened his mouth with a satisfied smile. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. You are now a member of the Crack, since you made an oath.¡± After encouraging Gerard, the leader gestured at him¡ªit meant that Gerard was free to leave now that the ceremony was over. But Gerard stayed still at his seat instead of moving. There was no way he didn¡¯t know the next procedure of the ceremony, since he had already watched the ceremony several times. ¡°What about Elkiehl?¡± The leader flinched at the cold words that came out of Gerard¡¯s mouth. He could feel a depth that was difficult to gauge from Gerard¡¯s eyes. The leader bit his lips upon facing Gerard¡¯s purple eyes that resembled the cold universe inside the Crack. ¡°I need Elkiehl in order to kill the emperor. It is also a necessity to get the crown out of him.¡± ¡°...You will get it in due course.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you can¡¯t trust me for now?¡± The leader did not answer. Instead, it was the other Priest standing next to him who was angry. ¡°How arrogant of you. How dare you talk to the leader of the Thornbush Church like that¡­¡± Gerard simply flicked his finger before the Priest could finish speaking. At the same time as Gerard flicked his finger, Bekelt drew his sword. The Priest¡¯s body was then split in half in an instant and his purple bodily fluids were splattered all the way up to the leader¡¯s cheek. The other Priests immediately transformed their bodies, while the remaining knights from the Order of Lindwurm also drew their swords. The leader of the Thornbush Church and Gerard glared at each other amidst this dangerous situation where a battle could break out at any moment. ¡°Are you telling me to trust you in a situation like this?¡± ¡°What are you going to do if you can¡¯t trust me? Don¡¯t you need me to kill the emperor anyway? Or are you confident enough to deal with the emperor¡¯s family after killing me and the knights from the Order of Lindwurm?¡± The leader of the Thornbush Church glared at Gerard in silence. What Gerard just said was true, even if he could not trust him. Although the Thornbush Priest Organization could borrow the power of the Crack, it was quite difficult for them to attract the real creatures of the Crack. Compared to the empire, the Thornbush Priest Organization was nothing more than a cult of considerable size. If the emperor¡¯s family confronted them, then it would only be a matter of time before they were destroyed. ¡°I have already declared that I will kill the emperor and even promised to find the Crown. Betraying someone once is enough in my lifetime and therefore, it is an insult to doubt my words. I will kill the emperor and you will have the Crown. That was the deal, was it not?¡± ¡°...I will hand over Elkiehl to you on the day you decide to kill the emperor. I promise,¡± the leader of the Thornbush Church answered as if he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Bring it in time,¡± Gerard said as he turned his back. The tension inside the Church, which seemed like it would result in bloodshed at any moment, quickly subsided. Then, the knights from the Order of Lindwurm exited the room right behind Gerard. The leader of the Thornbush Church glared at Gerard¡¯s back and finally opened his mouth. ¡°Do you really believe that you can be the emperor?¡± Gerard came to a stop. Then he turned around and looked back at the leader of the Thornbush Church with fierce eyes. ¡°I can become a monster beyond the emperor if that¡¯s what my people need. But a trivial bastard like you would never know what the difference between the two is. You¡¯re nothing but a dirty parasite who will stick to the Crack and suck its blood for the rest of your life.¡± CH 228 The guard was strangely lax in the area, but Gerard did not doubt anything. His opponent was none other than the emperor, the guardian and the savior of humanity. No one was arrogant enough to say that they could ¡®protect¡¯ the emperor¡ªeven Winoa Weaver, the Captain of the Imperial Guards, considered himself to be a nagger rather than the emperor¡¯s guard. Gerard could see the emperor¡¯s back before his eyes. The emperor¡¯s back looked very big and dependable. All of humanity relied on that back and the emperor carried all of humanity on his shoulders. With every step Gerard took amidst the silence, he began to feel a growing sense of sin weighing down on his shoulders. ¡®Is this okay? Is this really the right thing to do? Am I capable of bearing the weight that the emperor carries on his shoulders? What if all my bones break and I end up being crushed to death as soon as I decide to carry all of humanity on my back?¡¯ Gerard tightly bit his lips to the point of bleeding. ¡®Get it together, Gerard.¡¯ The wide and reliable back in front of Gerard¡¯s eyes was the result of stealing the heart of a monster. Of course, Gerard thought that this would not damage the emperor¡¯s greatness or noble will. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that the emperor was unstable right from birth. If the emperor realized himself to be a monster, humanity would instantly perish. Gerard thought humanity could not be placed on such an unstable pedestal. In fact, the emperor¡¯s refusal to rule the empire forever could even be considered proof of his instability. The emperor had to be eternal. If he refused to be the emperor forever, at least the Crown had to be inherited. Gerard recalled hearing from Dane that Dane had created him as a replica of the emperor. Dane told him that he was created purely as a result of taking only the good parts of the emperor, which was the reason why only Gerard could be the true emperor. Gerard bit his lips once again. ¡®I will stab the emperor and take out the Crown. Then I will take over the power of the Crown to protect humanity and completely wipe out the Crack using Elkiehl.¡¯ Gerard was told that the emperor would turn into an ordinary human after losing the Crown. He thought that the emperor could still live if he were given first aid immediately after being stabbed. Of course, the emperor would definitely feel betrayed by Gerard, but Gerard believed that this was the only way and it couldn¡¯t be helped, even if the emperor ended up dying. ¡®His Majesty will understand that I did it for the sake of humanity.¡¯ This was Gerard¡¯s plan. He had no intention of letting the Thornbush Priest Organization take advantage of him easily. A chance to obtain the power of the emperor and the Crack¡¯s power by betraying both of them at the same time was the only way to make ¡®the perfect emperor.¡¯ Gerard believed that the empire would be reborn as a safer and more perfect place through this secret succession. The emperor had too much faith in humanity¡ªincluding those who joined the Thornbush Priest Organization, the Order of Lindwurm who had been inspired by the Crack, the heretics who still served the dead gods, the foolish ones who thought that the emperor should become a god, and even Gerard himself. They were all unstable human beings¡ªthey needed governance. Therefore, they needed an eternal emperor¡ªa perfect emperor who would rule over humanity forever. ¡®Only you can be the true emperor.¡¯ Gerard flinched, horrified by the feeling that he had suddenly heard a whisper in his ears for a moment. Gerard felt like he had heard the same voice when he was very young. This voice was etched deep in his memory¡ªit was a voice he had heard for a long time, but didn¡¯t even realize until now. Gerard, who was agitated for a short moment, accidentally revealed his presence, at the same time revealing that he was hiding using the power of the Crack. The emperor quickly turned his head upon feeling a sudden presence. ¡°Who is it?¡± Without any thought, Gerard immediately swung Elkihel toward the emperor. Then, Gerard felt that something had gone very wrong as soon as he felt Elkiehl penetrating the emperor¡¯s flesh. It was impossible to separate the Crown from the emperor¡ªthe power of the Crown was pushed out at the same time as the emperor¡¯s soul. It was like they were connected to each other. Gerard was perplexed. A huge flame started burning brightly outside the emperor¡¯s body, but it was nothing like what the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization had said. Instead, the flame of the Crown that leaked out of the emperor¡¯s body burned brightly. The sun-like flames lit up the night sky, turning it white. The bright light that even erased the shadows made Gerard feel like he was being dried up. Compared to the emperor¡¯s sun-like appearance, Gerard, who hid like a thief to stab the emperor¡¯s back, looked uglier than ever. Gerard begged for forgiveness while feeling like a trivial bug that was suddenly placed under the bright sun. However, he wasn¡¯t given any chance to turn back. The emperor slowly collapsed to the floor. *** ¡°I knew it.¡± Gerard, who was rubbing his head against the floor, raised his head and turned around at the sudden voice. He could see a huge man looking down at him with a heavy gaze. The man had horns that surrounded his head like a crown. It was the Great General Barth Baltic. ¡°I knew that you¡¯d eventually end up stabbing your own father. What a perfectly suitable way for the emperor¡¯s life to end.¡± Gerard couldn¡¯t understand Barth¡¯s attitude. ¡®Did he know that the emperor was made using the heart of a monster? Is that why he despises the emperor?¡¯ However, it was hard to find any sign of joy or relief from Barth Baltic¡¯s expression. Rather, only a thick and heavy murderous intent could be felt from him. ¡°But, your life will end here as well. I can¡¯t let a depraved son who killed his own father stay alive.¡± Barth Baltic let out a roar and immediately charged toward Gerard. Gerard, who was helplessly lying down with Elkiehl dropped on the floor, didn''t even have a chance to dodge such a fierce attack. However, at that moment, something suddenly pulled Gerard out of the way. But the tip of Barth Baltic¡¯s sword had already grazed his chest by then. Blood splattered in the surroundings. ¡°Get it together!¡± shouted the person who pulled Gerard. Upon looking back, Gerard saw an old man with a cane confronting Barth. It was a face he had never seen before. Meanwhile, Barth frowned at the old man. ¡°Dane Dormund? You were banished by the emperor and kept out of the vicinity of the empire as far as I know¡­ Oh, I see. The restriction must have been lifted since the emperor is now dead.¡± Barth took a glance at the emperor¡¯s body and then turned his gaze back to Dane once again. Dane was on high alert, but Barth did not show any sign of nervousness at all. Seeing this, Dane anxiously tapped Gerard on the head with the tip of his cane. ¡°Come to your senses and get up now. I can¡¯t hold out against this bastard for long on my own!¡± Gerard did not answer. He couldn¡¯t perceive this situation as reality even though blood was gushing out of his chest. This was because the light of the Crown emitted by the emperor made him half unconscious. But even in that situation, Gerard wondered why Dane¡¯s current appearance was that of an elderly man rather than a young boy. As Barth jumped toward Dane, Dane slammed the floor with his cane. The surrounding floor shook violently, the surrounding space being lengthened and shortened at Dane¡¯s will. There was no one who could stand properly on the shaking floor¡ªonly the space where Dane and Gerard were standing remained intact. Barth flinched for a brief moment, but soon used his horns. Bang! With a thud, Dane stumbled and almost fell to the floor. Dane muttered a curse and tried to use magic once again, but it was no longer working on Barth. ¡°I said wake up! Damn it, where¡¯s the Crown?¡± Dane shouted at Gerard. ¡°The Crown¡­¡± Only then did Gerard react and blankly point at the emperor¡¯s body. Dane¡¯s gaze hurriedly followed the direction Gerard¡¯s finger was pointing to, but soon made a puzzled face as if he was confused. After a short moment, Dane tightly bit his lips. ¡°You failed to take out the Crown? Why? Even Elkiehl couldn¡¯t do it? We can¡¯t separate the Crown from the emperor even with Elkiehl? No, it can¡¯t be. I¡¯m sure that it came out of the emperor¡¯s body¡­¡± Dane¡¯s face became distorted as kept asking himself questions. ¡°You missed it, you idiot.¡± Dane swung his cane and slapped Gerard on the cheek. At the same time, Barth Baltic broke the magic that Dane had used on him and charged once again. Dane swung his cane and attempted to dodge, but Barth Baltic was not slow enough to be struck by the simple attack of a magician. As soon as Barth Baltic¡¯s fist struck Dane¡¯s chest, Dane¡¯s upper body burst, scattering all the way to the ceiling like a firecracker. But Barth could immediately sense that the opponent was strangely lighter than he had expected. As soon as Barth looked back at Gerard, he saw a middle-aged woman he had never seen before standing by Gerard. She quickly supported Gerard on her shoulders and raised him to his feet. Barth hastily sent out a kick, but she was able to get a hold of Elkiehl before that. Barth momentarily saw the two moving away in the distance. In the blink of an eye, the two had disappeared from Barth¡¯s sight. Barth clicked his tongue and looked down at the place where they had disappeared. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± At that moment, the voices of the Imperial Guards and Winoa Weaver, who had arrived belatedly, were heard. Winoa Weaver, who was late due to the earthquake that was invoked by Dane, looked beyond pale. But Barth Baltic knew what he had to do. ¡°An assassin managed to attack His Majesty.¡± Then, Barth raised his hand and pointed toward Winoa Weaver. ¡°Arrest him for neglecting his duty as the Captain of the Imperial Guards. I¡¯ll interrogate him separately.¡± *** ¡°You fucking bitch! You lied to me!¡± Gerard angrily screamed and choked the middle-aged woman. His grip was strong enough to break her neck and suffocate her. The middle-aged woman¡¯s body drooped helplessly, but Gerard didn¡¯t stop and tore her body apart. The room soon turned red with blood. Gerard destroyed everything he could see and howled loudly. Nevertheless, what he had done could never be undone. ¡®I stabbed the emperor.¡¯ The moment Gerard stabbed the emperor with Elkiehl, he definitely felt life escaping the emperor¡¯s body. Gerard¡¯s plan was to only pull out the Crown while keeping the emperor alive. But the emperor died when the Crown was taken out of his body. That¡¯s where the problem began. The emperor was not a monster. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". As soon as Gerard faced the brilliant light, he was certain that the emperor was not what he had thought. Gerard could read the emperor¡¯s spirit, morality, philosophy, and anguish inside that light. At that brief moment, Gerard was closer to the emperor than anyone had ever been. But the emperor had now died to Gerard¡¯s own hands. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Gerard screamed and slammed his fist against the wall. The walls instantly turned to powder which scattered into the air. Gerard gasped for air and belatedly looked outside the broken wall. He was at an oddly high place, and only after looking at the surrounding scenery did he realize that he was at the Magic Tower. ¡°Have you calmed down yet?¡± Gerard immediately drew his sword and turned around upon hearing the voice that came from behind. Behind him stood an old man¡ªthe same old man who had showed up when he stabbed the emperor earlier. ¡®Dane Dormund.¡¯ Gerard fiercely charged at Dane with a shout, but Dane simply held out his cane while letting out a sigh. The moment Dane swung his cane through the air like a paddle, Gerard fell to the floor while feeling like the sky and the ground had turned upside down. He violently rolled around on the floor, to the extent that ordinary people would die from breaking their necks, but immediately stood up once again and charged toward Dane. But after the same situation repeated itself several times, Gerard no longer attempted to attack Dane. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to kill me by simply running around like a wild boar.¡± ¡°The only reason why I didn¡¯t kill you¡­¡± Gerard breathed heavily and went on. ¡°¡­is because I think that you¡¯re the only one who can take care of this situation right now.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t come out as my true self.¡± Dane, who currently looked like an old man, stroked his beard and looked around at the bodies scattered everywhere. When he raised his cane and tapped the floor, all the bodies melted away like a shadow and disappeared, almost as if they had never been there in the first place. Gerard groaned and opened his mouth. ¡°What happened to the Crown?¡± ¡°I have no idea. It disappeared while you were trembling and slamming your head against the floor.¡± ¡°...Is His Majesty dead for good?¡± ¡°For now, yes. But that might change depending on how we deal with it afterward.¡± Gerard slumped to the floor and sobbed. He had ruined everything because of his own stupidity, but he was given no time to grieve¡ªeverything would change rapidly now that the emperor was dead. The empire was in jeopardy. Dane stood right in front of Gerard and opened his mouth. ¡°Until now, a powerful and terrifying monster¡ªthe Crown was stored and contained safely inside the emperor. But not anymore¡ªthe container has been broken and the monster has come out of it. We have to retrieve it again.¡± ¡°Dane, you son of a bitch. I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too late to do that after we have taken care of everything. As you already know, my purpose was not to kill the emperor. I was only trying to transfer his Crown to a safer and more complete place. But it¡¯s you who failed, is it not?¡± ¡°His Majesty was already perfect! More perfect than a punk like me!¡± ¡°You might be right. Maybe I was mistaken.¡± Dane bent down toward Gerard and faced him at a close distance. Gerard felt chills running down his spine upon facing Dane¡¯s wrinkled and grotesque face that had purple eyes. ¡°But the container is already broken. Are you going to let the poison flow into the empire like this? Or will you lick the floor and swallow it up, even if you¡¯re miserable?¡± Gerard gasped for air. It was true that he was in enough pain to want to die. He had a realization that he had made a huge mistake, and he also knew that Dane¡¯s whispers to him were like a snake¡¯s whispers. However, his guilt was too great to ignore Dane¡¯s words. He had to somehow sort this situation out. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°The Crown will reappear again one day. Such great power doesn¡¯t just go away that easily. I will try to advance the timing of the Crown¡¯s reappearance as much as I can. So you have to wait until the Crown reappears. Now that the emperor is dead, you¡¯re the only one who deserves the Crown.¡± Gerard slowly raised himself to his feet. He suppressed his sadness and resumed his thoughts in a calm manner, returning to his calm and cold gaze before he knew it. Gerard glared at Dane¡ªhis gaze filled with murderous intent and doubt. ¡°How do I know that you¡¯re not deceiving me again?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying anything when you have already started to doubt me?¡± ¡°If you fail to convince me, I¡¯ll finish everything by killing you and killing myself as well. I promise to chase you to the ends of the world to kill you. I¡¯ll let you know now that your dirty tricks won¡¯t work when such a time comes. So answer carefully.¡± Dane erased the smile on his face upon hearing Gerard¡¯s cold voice. ¡°I can¡¯t say anything; you¡¯re just scaring me too much. Then let¡¯s do this¡ªwhenever the Crown reappears, I will leave it entirely to you to judge whether it is a monster or the emperor. Of course, you won¡¯t be able to tell right away when you see it. You¡¯ll have to wait and see until you come to a conclusion. But when it appears in front of you, you will eventually have to decide whether you want to ask for forgiveness or kill him and take away the Crown.¡± Dane lifted his cane and gently tapped Gerard on the shoulder. ¡°Until then, I need you to be the emperor.¡± CH 229 The sword danced on the white beach. It cut through the air, sending countless white particles flying with each swing. Not grains of sand, but bits of bone¡ªthe entire beach was made up of the minuscule fragments of dragon bones that had been ground to dust by the sea breeze. Many islands in the Kaliduk Archipelago had appeared in the same way, as wind and waves eroded the bones of who knew how many dragons. While Gerard was the true creator of this beach, since he had killed countless dragons, he actually very much liked the dragons. He liked their hot breaths, their wisdom from the bygone eras, their hard scales, and even their huge wings. Dragons were beautiful beasts, and it was only natural to be fascinated by them. However, Gerard had always been convinced that he had to subdue them if they ever threatened humanity. Or so he had thought. Now, he no longer knew if that had been the right mindset. All he could do was watch as the young man swung a sword on the beach. Every time the young man stepped on the bones of the dragons and jumped into the air, memories of the olden days came to his mind. That was a distant past that Gerard could no longer go back to. [I believe that I am becoming accustomed to this.] Gerard raised his head to the source of the voice, which was coming from a far higher position. A huge dragon was crouching on top of a hill and watching the young man with Gerard. ¡°Getting used to what?¡± Gerard asked. [This idyllic life of catching fish, farming, and watching the youngling prance about.] Gerard agreed with the dragon that they were living an idyllic life, but he felt the need to point out and correct the part about the kid running around the beach. ¡°The kid you are talking about will be the one to inherit the empire. What I¡¯m teaching him is swordsmanship that His Majesty himself devised and taught me, and inside his eyes is the sealed power of the Crack.¡± [There is indeed splendid potential in the young, is there not?] Gerard nodded in agreement. It was Gerard himself that had been the most surprised when he had found out about Haild¡¯s existence, to the extent that he had almost fainted. His Majesty didn¡¯t have any biological children, and none of Gerard¡¯s siblings had any children either. Gerard was the only one who happened to have a child. ¡°To be honest, I had thought that all of the emperor¡¯s children were infertile.¡± [Wherefore such inauspicious thoughts?] ¡°It¡¯s because neither His Majesty nor my siblings have any children. But there¡¯s more to it than that¡ªHis Majesty and his children are all so different and powerful that they seem downright inhumane. I had even thought that we might be a different species.¡± Due to this reason, Gerard had been suspicious about Hela in the beginning. Of course, he did not blame her for choosing to get married quickly. After all, the Henna family had to erase their relationship with Gerard as soon as possible. It went without saying that it would be dangerous if anyone found out that Hela was pregnant with Gerard¡¯s child. Fortunately, the man Hela got married to was kind enough and very understanding of her situation. But as he grew older, Haild¡¯s appearance became a problem. Some were already talking about the possibility of Haild being Gerard¡¯s child ever since he became twelve years old, and it was to the point that Haild had to be cautious about his looks when he reached puberty. Gerard could no longer stand by and watch. He even felt that Haild getting pierced by an arrow on the battlefield was a good thing. It was not a fatal wound, but Gerard made it seem like it was: he immediately rescued Haild using Dane¡¯s magic, leaving behind a fake corpse. Then, he stopped Haild¡¯s growth using a magic spell from the Crack. To find that magic spell, Gerard had even visited the leader of the Thornbush Church for the first time after a long time. The Thornbush Priest Organization was controlled by Dane, just like many other groups in the empire, but they completely fell out with Gerard after he failed to take the Crown out of the emperor. This was because the Thornbush Priest Organization believed that Gerard, in fact, had the Crown in his possession but was hiding it to monopolize it. That didn¡¯t affect Dane all that much, since the Thornbush Priest Organization had become useless to him as well. Thus, Gerard visited the leader of the Thornbush Church to torture him, interrogate him, and finally kill him. When he returned, he plucked out his own eye and imbued powerful magic into it. Then, he planted his eye into Haild''s empty eye socket. [I was rather bewildered seeing thee act thus,] Entalucia murmured. [Didst thou indeed have to pluck out thine own eye to cast magic? However little I know about the Crack, I feel that thou shouldst not have gone to such lengths.] ¡°It was necessary.¡± In addition, unlike Gerard, who had the essence of the emperor, Haild ended up with his face covered in cracks, since he couldn¡¯t handle the power of the Crack. It was unfortunate, but Gerard muttered to himself over and over that it was necessary. Gerard had a job to do. His son, Haild, couldn¡¯t be free from it either. At that moment, Haild suddenly seemed to become blurry for a moment. In the blink of an eye, he had moved a few steps forward. Seeing this, Gerard leaped out of his seat. The white bone powder on the beach that Haild passed by was burnt black, while Haild threw himself into the sea as if he was on fire. [Oh? The youngling has achieved what thou hadst in mind, I see. How very swift!] ¡°...Yes, he is.¡± However, contrary to his words, Gerard¡¯s expression was not bright. Watching Haild, he grit his teeth and muttered, ¡°This is enough, Haild will be my eyes.¡± And when the Crown reappears one day, Haild will be the one to make the judgment on my behalf. Gerard had finally finished all his preparations. It was now time to visit Dane. *** The emperor¡¯s skinny body was covered with gold and decorated with colorful jewels, but it gave off a grotesque energy. The first emotion Gerard felt when he saw the emperor¡¯s body that was enshrined on the eternal throne was disgust. Since he respected the emperor more than anyone else, the sight was all the more of a shock to him. Gerard endured the surge of nausea and looked around. Dane was standing beside him with a knight he had never seen before. ¡°This is His Majesty?¡± Gerard asked as if to confirm. ¡°To be exact, this is His Majesty, who was revived by Dismas using Spirit Calling. The power of the emperor¡ªno, Mananen McLeir is being squeezed out and distributed throughout the Church. Consider it to be some kind of expensive and fancy mana pump,¡± Dane answered in a calm manner. Gerard covered his mouth with his hand and managed to hold back the urge to vomit. Gerard could not understand how Dane could remain calm in the face of something so horrible even if he didn¡¯t have any respect for the emperor. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. The bastards from the Church did it purely out of respect. If you want to blame someone, then blame them for having terrible beauty standards. Some of them even shed tears of emotion at this sight,¡± Dane shrugged. ¡®This is not respectful¡­ it is insulting.¡¯ This kind of treatment was not a pleasant sight, regardless of who received it. As for the emperor, he was the one who had saved and protected all of humanity, so how could he be subject to something like this? Dane noticed Gerard feeling unpleasant. ¡°It is up to you whether or not you think this is His Majesty or not. But you¡¯d better think practically. What I will have to do from now on is even more terrible than this.¡± Gerard remained silent and barely managed to stop himself from wanting to vomit. No matter how badly the emperor¡¯s body was insulted, it was not as bad as his own sin of stabbing the emperor with his own hands. He didn¡¯t deserve to say a single word. When Gerard finally seemed ready, he gestured to the knight standing next to Dane, a man with amber eyes. ¡°This is Lenly Loen. He is a talent that the entire empire is paying attention to.¡± Lenly silently bowed to Gerard, but his face was full of distrust. ¡°Lenly Loen is the current Captain of the Imperial Guards. Thanks to him, I was able to meet His Majesty again like this. It was through the same type of manipulation through which Barth Baltic made Winoa Weaver into the one who assassinated the emperor.¡± Dane looked back and forth between Lenly and Gerard while giggling as if he found all of this to be funny. However, neither of them was laughing with him. Seeing this, Dane pouted and approached the emperor. ¡°Alright. Now¡­ we will make you the emperor.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Gerard¡¯s expression turned ugly. ¡°What do you mean ¡®what?¡¯ We already talked about this.¡± ¡°Yes, we did talk about it before. But how?¡± Dane smiled and tapped one of the emperor¡¯s fingers. ¡°As you know, those who have the essence of the emperor have boundless regenerative power. There is no need to worry about problems like mana contamination either, since the regenerative power is brought forth by stimulating one¡¯s own potential and not mana. We¡¯ll take advantage of that.¡± ¡°Take advantage of that?¡± Dane pulled a dagger out from his pocket. Seeing this, Gerard had an ominous premonition. Before he could even say anything, Dane quickly cut off one of the emperor¡¯s fingers. Gerard jumped at Dane and grabbed him by the collar. ¡°You son of a bitch! What kind of game are you playing now!?¡± ¡°I told you¡ªthink practically. This is just a corpse that is sharing its power with us. Don¡¯t attach any unnecessary sentimental values to it. Come on, we are running out of time. Stick out your finger.¡± Find the original at "pawread dot com". Gerard shuddered and glared at Dane. But at that moment, Lenly approached Gerard and put his hand on Gerard¡¯s shoulders. Seeing Lenly¡¯s eyes, Gerard understood that the man was just as angry and wanted to draw his sword at any moment as well. ¡°Hurry up and stick out your finger. I will have to cut off another one if you keep wasting time like that.¡± Gerard bit his lips and stuck out his finger in front of Dane. Dane quickly cut off Gerard¡¯s finger without the slightest hesitation, and then he placed it in place of the emperor¡¯s severed finger. Soon, only a red scar remained, which also disappeared in moments. It was utterly bizarre to see only one of the skinny emperor¡¯s fingers looking fresh, as if it had been alive until just recently. Gerard started to breathe heavily. ¡°What the heck are you trying to¡­¡± ¡°I will slowly transplant you into the emperor¡¯s body using this method.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°From fingers to arms, legs, shoulders, and finally the head. I¡¯m going to glue all of your body parts except for the heart to the emperor¡ªthe heart will remain Mananen McLeir¡¯s. Both of you have the same face and there won¡¯t be any adverse reaction, since you are a clone of the emperor. Thus, Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart will finally be yours. My plan is to destroy the old castle called the emperor and build a new castle called Gerard on top of its foundation.¡± Hearing all this, Gerard started to wonder whether Dane was right in the head. ¡°You are doing all this just to get Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart?! Can¡¯t we just pluck it out and plant it inside me? What kind of crazy shit are you trying to do?!¡± Gerard shouted. ¡°Enough with your ignorant remarks. This is the only way to obtain Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart as quickly as possible. If we plucked out Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart as it is, the emperor¡¯s body would immediately collapse. Not only would the Church fall into chaos, but Barth Baltic would also come after you to kill you. Although he doesn¡¯t care about the emperor¡¯s body, he still cares about the safety of the empire. Besides, this body will be destroyed immediately if Dismas uses Spirit Calling. You need to be here so that we don¡¯t get caught.¡± Gerard looked back at Lenly; he needed someone who could sympathize with him and thought that all of this was utterly crazy. However, Lenly was completely calm, as if he had already heard of Dane¡¯s plan beforehand. Gerard felt like his blood was starting to flow in reverse. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the Captain of the Imperial Guards? And you agreed with this insane plan!?¡± ¡°That is exactly why I agreed with this plan,¡± Lenly answered firmly. ¡°What?¡± Gerard¡¯s expression distorted as he asked back. ¡°I¡¯m the Captain of the Imperial Guards, not a corpse cleaner. The magician promised me a living emperor who would rule humanity forever. As far as I know, you also agreed to this plan. Gerard Gain, you are the one who assassinated the emperor. Right now, not only do you have no value, but you¡¯re a liability instead. The only way for you to be forgiven for your sins is to become a true and eternal emperor.¡± Gerard¡¯s face twitched. He wanted to kill these two and get out of this crazy place. At that moment, Dane opened his mouth before Gerard could do anything. ¡°Gerard, you¡¯re not as determined as Dismas.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It took Dismas¡¯ efforts to revive His Majesty, even in this form. Chopping yourself into pieces is nothing compared to what Dismas did. Do we seem like the only crazy ones? Who among those here isn¡¯t crazy?¡± Gerard remained silent. ¡°No one has been sane ever since we found out there was a creature that could destroy the entire world with just a slight turn of its body. Didn¡¯t you stab the emperor just to stop that? Are you trying to act like you¡¯re normal now?¡± Gerard clenched his teeth and glared at Dane for a while, then soon released the strength he was gathering in his fist. Dane was right¡ªthis was nothing more than a corpse. The real emperor had been stabbed to death by Gerard himself, and he was inside the Crown that no one knew when it would reappear. On the other hand, Gerard himself was nothing more than a chunk of meat compared to the emperor. ¡°...Fine.¡± Dane grinned. ¡°For your information, the pain of cutting off parts of your body is nothing. The real pain will start after that. Some powerful magician might try to look into your soul, so I¡¯ll set up a magic spell to restrain your consciousness and make sure that you don¡¯t end up moving by accident. So, you won¡¯t be able to move or talk even though you will be fully conscious. It might take decades or even hundreds of years until the Crown finally finds you.¡± ¡°You think that lightly of me?¡± ¡°Yes. To be honest with you, I can¡¯t even imagine being trapped inside a body like that. I¡¯ll leave your consciousness to the Saintess. Then it won¡¯t be a problem even if you end up talking in your sleep sometimes. It wouldn¡¯t be too strange, since it¡¯s not like the emperor¡¯s voice would be coming from a random person.¡± ¡°The Saintess?¡± ¡°Yes. The pope came up with it. Apparently, she will impart the emperor¡¯s will or whatever. So I¡¯m just making use of that.¡± Gerard realized that Dane had prepared everything meticulously¡ªall he had to do was give up his body and sit still. Then, Lenly approached Gerard with something that he had set aside by the pillar. It was a mop, a wet towel, and a bucket full of water. Only then did Gerard realize what role Lenly had to play. ¡°I thought it would be better to leave the butchering to an expert while I focus on the magical part,¡± Dane said with a shrug. ¡°...You,¡± Gerard said as he looked at Lenly. ¡°Are you¡­ are you sure about this plan? I have been deceived by this magician several times already. I can tell by your eyes that you truly respect and love His Majesty. But how are you certain that it is okay to mutilate His Majesty¡¯s body?¡± Gerard¡¯s conviction had all but disappeared from the moment he stabbed the emperor. All that was left within him now were excuses and hesitation. For a moment, Lenly made a pained expression upon hearing Gerard¡¯s words and then he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it either.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°I have studied and heard testimonies about His Majesty countless times. And I have done my research on you as well. As a result, I came to the conclusion that it is better to have an emperor who would stay with us humans forever, and share destiny with us despite being unstable rather than a perfect emperor who would leave us one day. In that respect, I think you¡¯re more suitable to be the emperor.¡± Gerard looked at Lenly, then closed his eyes. Lenly¡¯s firm attitude was very much like Gerard¡¯s old self; however, Gerard no longer had the will to decide anything. Lenly¡¯s sword whistled as it left its scabbard. Dane whispered in Gerard¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯m warning you in advance, but instead of your body being destroyed, you should be wary of your mind being destroyed.¡± ¡°Dane, don¡¯t look down on me like that.¡± Gerard closed his eyes. ¡°When I finally meet him again, if he turns out to be His Majesty, then I will give him everything with joy. Then, His Majesty will kill you even if I don¡¯t. This plan you worked on will just be a small apology to His Majesty from me.¡± ¡°Hmm. What if he is a monster?¡± ¡°If he is a monster, ¡± Gerard answered in a quiet voice, ¡°then I will become the emperor after taking away the Crown. Then, I will find you, and I will kill you.¡± CH 230 ¡®Gerard.¡¯ It was Gerard Gain. Juan¡¯s eldest son and the assassin who he had been searching for a long time was sitting on the throne on his behalf. After waiting for decades for Juan to arrive, Gerard finally faced Juan once again. Juan had imagined the situation where he would encounter Gerard again countless times. However, this was nothing like he had imagined. There was no way that Juan could imagine Gerard attaching his own body¡¯s parts to Juan¡¯s corpse and waiting for him within it. Juan wanted to scream, but he couldn¡¯t move even a single inch. Gerard roared and refused to let go of Juan¡¯s arm¡ªit was as if he would break it. ¡°Give me¡­ the Crown!¡± Juan had a hard time understanding this situation. In Juan¡¯s memory, Gerard was a knight who tried his best to be noble despite being imperfect. But now, he couldn¡¯t understand why Gerard was standing in front of him looking like a monster. Then, it suddenly occurred to Juan that Dane might have ruined Gerard. ¡°I trusted you! I trusted you, but this is what I get?!¡± Gerard shouted desperately. Juan couldn¡¯t understand Gerard¡¯s words. ¡®What did he believe in me for? In fact, I am the one who believed in him and was betrayed.¡¯ Juan lit up his flames in his best attempt to hold out against Gerard. The white flames around him burned in a rough and unstable manner. Nevertheless, the flames slowly spread toward Gerard. The jewels planted in Gerard¡¯s eyes dropped to the floor and his faint, gray-colored eyes were revealed. Those eyes were burning fiercely with rage. ¡°I believed that you might be the real emperor! I desperately wanted you to be who I believed you to be!¡± Gerard¡¯s anger and despair that was being poured out surged in as if to crush Juan. Upon facing Gerard¡¯s despair, Juan realized that he wasn¡¯t fully ruined yet. Just like he himself said, Gerard wasn¡¯t as weak as Dane thought him to be. Gerard was only disappointed in Juan. But Juan couldn¡¯t figure out what it was that he was disappointed about. Gerard stood up and pressed down upon Juan as if to attack him. The gold foil and jewelry that had decorated the body broke down and scattered away as the body stood up for the first time in decades. Gerard¡¯s muscles were completely dried up, looking pathetic, and he was only composed of skin and bones. Amidst the scattered gold dust, Gerard grabbed Juan¡¯s arm and pressed down on him. At the same time, Gerard¡¯s furious roar pushed away the flames released by Juan in an instant. ¡°It was the last stage! You betrayed my beliefs when everything was about to finally end! How could you give up on your identity as the emperor! How!?¡± ¡®Ah¡­ was that it?¡¯ Juan remembered Sina and Haild, who must be standing behind him¡ªhe also sensed the trace of the power of the Crack left on Haild¡¯s eye. That eye belonged to Gerard. Only then did Juan realize that until now, Gerard had been watching Juan¡¯s each and every move through Haild¡¯s eyes. And the last thing Gerard had seen was Juan giving up on being the emperor, because of a single woman. ¡®So don¡¯t call me the emperor anymore. I am neither an emperor nor the god of humans. I¡¯m nothing more than a selfish idiot.¡¯ Juan had given up on his responsibility to all humans. ¡°You are not the emperor! There is no way you could ever be the emperor! His Majesty is not such a weak man like you!¡± For Gerard, Juan announcing that he was not the emperor anymore looked no different from the appearance of a monster. After all, the emperor was a man who was fair and just, someone who only raised his sword for the sake of justice. Gerard could willingly offer his own neck to the emperor if that were what it took to undo all of his mistakes. However, the man standing in front of him had the power of the Crown, yet abandoned his responsibility to humanity. ¡°Because of just a single human being!¡± Gerard¡¯s roar was loud enough to shake the entire red fortress. Juan felt the pain of his skin being peeled off as too much of his power was being sucked into Gerard. The entire Crown was being moved, and this immense pain made Juan feel as if his soul was being torn apart. ¡°It¡¯s not just a single human being.¡± However, Juan couldn¡¯t help but answer, despite the terrible pain he was in. ¡°Only Sina believed in me when everyone suspected that I might be a monster,¡± Juan gritted his teeth and continued to whisper. ¡°Only she believed that I could still love humans even when I really became a monster¡ªunlike a bastard like you who betrayed me after constantly doubting me!¡± Sina was neither a fanatic nor did she have unconditional loyalty toward Juan. Sina watched everything within Juan and made a judgment regardless of the fact that Juan had burned down her hometown and annihilated her entire knight order, which she considered to be her family. Nevertheless, Sina still believed that Juan was the emperor and had a character that suited such a status, even if that was not the case. Despite Juan¡¯s answer, Gerard¡¯s anger didn¡¯t subside. Juan could feel the Crown leaving him much faster than before. Everything that made Juan who he was, was slipping out of him and filling Gerard. As his consciousness grew distant, Juan recalled Sina. ¡®Would it have been a mistake to revive Sina? But could I have become a proper emperor if I decided not to save her?¡¯ Juan thought that he might have turned into a ghost of vengeance that was filled with divine power if he was without Sina. ¡®Would everyone have been satisfied if I had remained an eternal emperor even in that form?¡¯ Juan could not tell what the right answer was or whether there even was a right answer. But Juan couldn¡¯t think anymore. Splat! With the sensation of being stabbed, something suddenly popped out of Juan¡¯s chest. It was Elkiehl, with a blade that resembled a black thornbush. Gerard screamed and let go of Juan¡¯s arm, which he had been holding onto until now. ¡°Go away, you devil!¡± At the same time, Haild¡¯s roar came from behind. *** Juan barely managed to free himself, and then collapsed to the floor, just before the power of the Crown was taken away from him for good. Haild supported him before he fell down. When the absorption of Juan¡¯s power was stopped, Gerard¡¯s power, which had penetrated into Juan deeply, was expelled at the same time. At the same time, the white light that filled the red fortress disappeared in an instant and the surroundings returned to their original color. Haild pulled Elkiehl out of Juan¡¯s back, glaring at Gerard. Only then did Gerard recall that Elkiehl was the only thing that could repel his power. Gerard glared at Haild while looking at his hand that was injured by Elkiehl. ¡°Haild.¡± Haild did not answer¡ªhe only glared at Gerard while pointing Elkiehl toward him. Haild was breathing heavily. From the very beginning, Haild directly used Elkiehl against Gerard. This meant that he had already known that the opponent was Gerard. Gerard inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled. All of a sudden, the decorations that were messily clinging to Gerard¡¯s body fell off. Then, flesh and muscles began to grow on his body¡ªit was as if someone was blowing up a balloon. Gray hair fell off and new hair grew in its place. As the pieces of dead skin and bodily waste were peeled off, Gerard¡¯s real form began to appear. Gerard, who had regained the perfect appearance of his heyday, looked exactly like the emperor. The only difference was that he was blonde. Gerard looked at Haild in a calm manner and opened his mouth. ¡°It seems that you stabbed me even though you had recognized me.¡± ¡°Of course, Father,¡± Haild muttered while gritting his teeth. ¡°Will you just stop and fuck off? I could have killed you.¡± Haild¡¯s words were true. Gerard could have died when he was cut by Elkiehl, just like Juan in the past. Hearing this, Gerard glared at Haild, feeling displeased. ¡°I don¡¯t remember teaching you to behave like that.¡± ¡°Maybe betraying our own fathers runs in the family.¡± Gerard sighed and stepped down from where the throne was. Seeing this, Haild did not hesitate to attack Gerard with the most powerful skills he had ever learned. He directly used Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword. However, in the next moment, Haild was the one rolling on the floor in the center of the hall. He couldn¡¯t even understand what had just happened. Meanwhile, Gerard clicked his tongue upon seeing Haild¡¯s confusion. ¡°Did you think that you could win against just anyone as long as you had Elkiehl? Neither do you know magic, nor is your swordsmanship any good. You have no intrinsic ability, no regenerative ability, no nothing. I don¡¯t even need to mention your lack of practical experience. Honestly, it¡¯s a little disappointing that hardly anything has changed from the time when I last taught you.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Haild coughed up blood. Based on his wound, he figured that had been kicked by Gerard. He had used neither the Baltic Sword nor magic. Haild looked at Gerard with confused eyes¡ªhe still couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. ¡°But the fact that you are my son remains unchanged,¡± Gerard said, sighing. At that moment, Gerard appeared behind Haild in an instant¡ªHaild couldn¡¯t even see him moving. The only thing that Haild was able to see was a brief flash. Then, Gerard stepped on Haild¡¯s hand, causing Haild to helplessly drop Elkiehl from his hand. At the same time, the sound of bones being broken rang out Gerard picked up Elkiehl from the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll take back what belongs to me.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Then, Gerard touched the back of Haild¡¯s hand with his finger. For a moment, Haild felt a numbing pain, and then his broken wrist bone quickly began to stick together on its own. Even the internal injuries caused by Gerard¡¯s kick from earlier were healed in an instant. ¡°I believe that you won¡¯t do anything reckless now, since you must have realized that you¡¯re still quite lacking.¡± Haild was still glaring at Gerard. In the face of this gaze, Gerard took a step away from Haild with a heartbroken expression. Then, in the next moment, Gerard was once again sitting on the throne with his hand placed on his forehead. ¡°All right, forget it. I wouldn¡¯t have anything to say even if you wanted to kill me. My sins are heavy and indelible, so you can try to kill me as much as you want. But you saw what this man was trying to do earlier as well, didn¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t you also get angry enough to draw out Elkiehl?¡± Gerard asked Haild while looking at Juan who was still lying on the floor. Haild hesitated but soon approached Juan to support him. Juan¡¯s breaths were weak, and Haild could sense that Juan¡¯s strength was now incomparably weaker than before. Blood was still flowing out of the wound caused by Elkiehl, even though it should have already been healed on its own. ¡°Is that your excuse for betraying your own father?¡± Haild derided. ¡°If you have to choose between the birth of a monster that can fiddle with the lives of all humanity and betraying me, then you should betray me¡ªjust like I did.¡± It was then. ¡°Was that why?¡± Juan, who was drooping and shedding blood, suddenly opened his mouth. Haild and Gerard¡¯s eyes turned to Juan at the same time. Juan opened his mouth, muttering while drooping helplessly. ¡°Are you saying that you stabbed me because I¡¯m a monster?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t you I stabbed!¡± Gerard shouted. ¡°It was His Majesty who I stabbed! The sins I committed against him are irrevocable, but the responsibility cannot be abandoned! His Majesty has passed away, and you have proven yourself to be the monster through your own mouth! You are nothing more than a monster!¡¯ Juan stared at Gerard for a moment. Gerard felt an unknown weight from Juan¡¯s silent gaze. ¡®I don¡¯t understand¡­ this doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯ Juan had already lost most of the power of the Crown and had barely enough power to sustain his own life. On the other hand, Gerard had successfully seized the power of Mananen McLeir, the Crown, and even had Elkiehl. Gerard¡¯s current strength exceeded the emperor¡¯s from his heyday. Even so, he couldn¡¯t understand why Juan was looking at him with such eyes. At that moment, Juan once again opened his mouth. ¡°I am neither an emperor nor a monster.¡± Right now, he could speak with more conviction than ever. ¡°I am Juan Calberg Kennosis.¡± However, at that moment, a man¡¯s voice denying Juan¡¯s words rang out. ¡°No. Sorry to break it to you, but you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t tell you about it when I first met you.¡± Haild quickly turned toward the voice. A little boy was walking into the hall of the Red Citadel while dragging a cane. Haild could immediately identify who he was. ¡®Dane Dormund.¡¯ The magician grinned as he passed by them and looked down on Haild and Juan. ¡°Your real name that was given to you by Aruntal is Qzatquizail Calberg Kennosis. That¡¯s what you were named in the beginning.¡± CH 231 ¡®Qzatquizail Calberg Kennosis¡­ even my name was giving me a hint right from the time of my birth. How did I not notice it until now?¡¯ Only then did Juan realize that his name ¡®Juan¡¯ was fake and used to hide his real name. Although he had always felt that his name was different from the way others were named, he simply thought that it was due to the fact that he didn¡¯t know his parents. It wasn¡¯t until now that he thought deeply about it. Aruntal gave him the name ¡®Juan Calberg,¡¯ and ¡®Kennosis,¡¯ which meant that ¡®a god has descended in a human body.¡¯ Juan suddenly thought that this was enough to answer all the questions he had. It was a grand enough name to be given to an orphan boy who had no name. ¡®So my real name is that of a monster¡¯s.¡¯ Juan no longer knew anything. He couldn¡¯t tell where Dane¡¯s plan began or where it ended. He began to wonder whether he would have still ended up in this situation if SIna hadn¡¯t died and he successfully regained his powers from the holy body. ¡®Should I not have started the journey of revenge in the first place? If this journey was supposed to end like this from the very beginning, then why did I even come back to life?¡¯ Juan stared blankly at Sina, but she remained silent. ¡®Sina, I tried my best.¡¯ Juan had tried as hard as he could, and now he was exhausted. ¡®The moment I lost you, I was already broken. Now, breaking one more time in this state won¡¯t mean anything anyway. Maybe the journey you and I began together was only meant to lead us to our deaths from the beginning.¡¯ Gerard¡¯s gaze turned toward Dane when he saw Juan fall completely silent. As soon as Dane¡¯s eyes met with Gerard¡¯s, he dropped down on one knee before Gerard and bowed his head. ¡°I pay my respects to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°...Dane.¡± Gerard stared at Dane, who was paying his respects. Gerard had already gained enough power to kill Dane at any moment, and he had not forgotten the oath that he made before being transplanted into the emperor¡¯s body. ¡°I couldn''t be happier if my first duty as the emperor was to splatter your blood everywhere.¡± ¡°How could I refuse an order from you, Your Majesty?¡± Dane smiled and raised his head. ¡°However, I believe that you will fully understand the reasoning behind my actions now that you have become the emperor, Your Majesty¡ªand also how useful I am.¡± Gerard glared at Dane for a while and soon sat back down on the throne. There was no more murderous intent in his eyes. ¡°Yes, it is exactly as you say. The world looks much wider and bigger now,¡± Gerard said as he looked at Dane with a distant look. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how useful you are, but I can tell just how trivial you are. I can see how worthless it would be to kill you. I can also see just how narrow and crude our ideals and values had been.¡± For a moment, Dane was taken aback by Gerard¡¯s words¡ªa shallow sense of disharmony passed by Gerard. Yet, Dane felt that there was nothing bad about the way Gerard perceived him when he saw Gerard staring into the distance with a calm face. It was only natural for the emperor to be a great being when compared to Dane himself. Dane had tried his best to create such a being, and Gerard was above all the closest to his ideal. It didn¡¯t matter even if Gerard¡¯s creator looked worthless in Gerard¡¯s own eyes. However, Haild didn¡¯t seem to think so. ¡°You!¡± Haild carefully placed Juan down on the floor and shouted at Gerard. ¡°That man instigated you to kill your own father and even convinced you to betray everyone! Does that really mean nothing to you?¡± ¡°Haild,¡± Gerard frowned. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you want to kill this man with your own hands. But¡­¡± At that moment, Gerard¡¯s expression distorted and he turned his head toward the other direction. Dane looked up at Gerard with a perplexed expression when his words suddenly stopped. Gerard was frowning with his hand placed over his forehead. ¡°I feel dizzy.¡± ¡°You have moved for the first time in decades, Your Majesty. We need to examine your physical condition. Perhaps it¡¯s because of suddenly accepting such a great power? Let¡¯s wrap up all this unpleasant talk and get going,¡± Dane said. Gerard lightly rubbed his forehead and stood up. Haild nervously fumbled around, trying to find Elkiehl from his waist, but it was no longer there. Gerard stood in front of Haild and then looked at him with sad eyes. ¡°I thought that at least you would understand me despite all my sins, Haild. I have also been watching him from the beginning to the end of his journey through your eyes. I felt just as betrayed as you. But why are you looking at me with those eyes now¡­?¡± Gerard murmured. ¡°What I saw was that he is the true emperor. I believe in him, just as my mother did,¡± Haild answered as he glared at Gerard. Gerard nodded in a calm manner upon hearing Haild¡¯s answer. ¡°Yes. Your other eye definitely resembles your mother¡¯s.¡± At that moment, Elkiehl pierced Haild¡¯s solar plexus in an instant. Haild¡¯s eyes opened wide as he looked ahead. As soon as Haild inhaled a deep breath, his left field of vision suddenly went dark. A long shadow spread out like a net and ripped out from the place where Elkiehl had pierced through him¡ªit was the power of the Crack planted within him by Gerard a long time ago, a power which Gerard had said to be too deeply embedded within him to be pulled out. ¡°As expected. I can pull it out with the help of the power of the Crown.¡± Gerard pulled Elkihel out of Haild¡¯s body and fiddled with the power of the Crack at the end of Elkiehl¡¯s tip. Then, he lightly squeezed and crushed it. Meanwhile, Haild collapsed to the floor and screamed in pain as he clutched his left eye. As the flow of time that had been paused for his body began to flow once again, the wound he had gotten in his childhood also returned to how it used to be¡ªblood began to flow out of his hollow eye. ¡°I¡¯ll take back what I had planted within you. Back then, your wound was fatal, but probably not anymore. You might be able to live if you get lucky enough,¡± Gerard sighed deeply. Then, his eyes turned to Dane. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re the only one who can understand me.¡± Dane smiled and tried to answer Gerard in a calm manner. However, it wasn¡¯t Dane who answered Gerard. ¡°No¡ªthat bastard can¡¯t understand you.¡± Gerard turned his gaze toward the back beyond Dane. Juan, who had been lying on the floor like a corpse until now, was slowly standing up. ¡°No one else will be able to understand you¡ªI¡¯m the only one who can.¡± *** Juan stared at Gerard with dead eyes. Gerard could not figure out why and how Juan managed to stand up when he had thought Juan to have collapsed completely. But Gerard didn¡¯t feel that that to be very important. What was important to him was that Juan was a remnant of the monster that should be punished and still had some of the power of the Crown, which Gerard had yet to absorb. Meanwhile, Juan continued to speak as he watched Gerard, who was approaching him. ¡°You will realize just how insignificant, small, and trivial human beings are.¡± Gerard frowned; humans being insulted like that was unfamiliar to him. However, for some reason, Juan¡¯s words felt like they were poking at his heart. ¡°Humans are weak enough to make one feel compassion for them and nasty enough to make one feel a seething anger when watching them. They¡¯re so small that you would think that you could just crush them to death, but there are certainly moments when you feel proud of them. Of course, it is not often¡ªit is only sometimes.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Gerard revealed his teeth as he growled and grabbed Juan by the collar. Juan just smiled at Gerard while hanging in the air. ¡°It must be an unfamiliar concept for you. After all, you have never seen a human being while holding my power. You probably just feel like your vision has widened. No, maybe you can find a little bit of a familiar feeling¡ªthe feeling of looking down at the world from atop the back of the dragon while soaring above the clouds. Did you ever think that humans were lovely and that you wanted to protect them at that time?¡± Gerard could not answer Juan¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You probably just felt liberated. No one cares about the lowest part of the world when you are that high up,¡± Juan continued speaking in a calm voice. ¡°Pity, affection, as well as respect for humans spring up only when watching them from the lowest of points. I already felt that, so I tried to be like them as much as possible.¡± ¡°What are you¡­ what are you talking about?¡± Gerard asked in a trembling voice. ¡°I¡¯m trying to teach you the disciplines of kingship that I couldn¡¯t teach you before, since I died too early,¡± Juan said in a calm manner. ¡°These are the things you should know if you want to become the emperor. It is the education that you deserved from the very beginning. I can¡¯t stop you if you want to become the emperor like this. Instead of stopping you, I will teach you what thoughts and values the emperor should have.¡± Gerard looked like he didn¡¯t know what to say. Then, Juan shouted while glaring fiercely at Gerard. ¡°Do you think that I will let a bastard like you become the emperor as you are now!? Get it together and listen carefully to what I say if you still have the slightest bit of love left for humanity!¡± It was then. Dane swung his cane and struck Juan under his chin. Juan closed his mouth for a moment as his throat was struck, and Gerard ended up dropping him without even realizing it. Dane threw Juan to the floor and Gerard belatedly burst into rage. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, these are the unnecessary words uttered by the remnant of a monster. There is no need to listen to him,¡± Dane said politely. ¡°Listen to me, Gerard¡­ I cannot¡­ accept you¡­ becoming the emperor the way you are now¡­¡± Dane shoved his cane inside Juan¡¯s mouth. Juan could no longer say anything anymore as his mouth was blocked. Dane wiped off the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly opened his mouth to whisper to Gerard. ¡°Your Majesty, absorb the power of the Crown still remaining within his body. Then this man will be absolutely nothing more than a trace of the Crown.¡± Gerard remained silent. ¡°Your Majesty! This man is completely broken; there is no need to listen to his disciplines of kingship! Your Majesty¡¯s thoughts will only end up being contaminated if you listen to him! Your Majesty is feeling confused because you have absorbed the power of a broken man¡ªthat¡¯s all!¡± Gerard clenched his teeth and clutched his own head. Strands of hair were pulled out but that didn¡¯t seem to matter to Gerard. After breathing heavily for a long time, Gerard opened his mouth as he glared at Dane and Juan. ¡°You are right. I have already risen to the throne and I do not think that I lack any learning. I will not stop at simply following in the emperor¡¯s footsteps. I will become a better being than him.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, Your Majesty! You are the one to¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why¡­¡± Gerard reached his hand out and grabbed Dane¡¯s head to throw him to the back. Dane was flung away with a bright smile on his face. Blood splashed all over the wall, but it wasn¡¯t very clear, since the wall was already red in color. Dane¡¯s body twitched for a while but soon drooped. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Gerard slowly approached Juan and looked down at him. ¡°...I will keep you alive.¡± ¡°Gerard¡­¡± Then Gerard started moving toward Sina¡¯s body that was lying in front of the throne. He slowly lifted her body from the floor. ¡°You called this woman a watchdog and a counterweight. By being acknowledged by her, you became closer to a complete emperor. You also gave up on being the emperor only because of this single human being.¡± Gerard stared at Sina, then soon turned his gaze toward Juan. ¡°Now, you will be my watchdog and counterweight. I will become the perfect emperor, one that even you will not be able to deny, and I will wait for the day you kneel before me on your own. By then, you will have no choice but to admit it¡ªadmit that I am the true emperor and that the world needs me.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. At that moment, the sound of the horse hooves began to ring throughout the red fortress. As the sound of the horse hooves approached closer and closer, Gerard muttered quietly toward Juan. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll be acknowledged by you, Father.¡± Before Juan could stop him, Gerard disappeared in an instant, taking Sina Solvane¡¯s body with him. The only thing left at the spot he had been standing on were some scorch marks. Not long after Gerard disappeared with Sina, someone hurriedly burst into the hall with a bang. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± It was Pavan and Ivy. Ivy jumped off the horse first, almost as if she was rolling, and Pavan hastily followed her. Pavan¡¯s expression stiffened when he saw the situation in the surroundings. Most of the situation could easily be grasped just by looking at the traces left behind. Meanwhile, Ivy slowly crawled toward Juan, since her leg was broken. But Juan shook his head. ¡°Examine Haild¡¯s condition rather than me.¡± Haild¡¯s condition was already being examined by Pavan. Realizing that the wound in Haild¡¯s eye was similar to a wound that one would get when pierced by an arrow, Pavan began first aid right away. Taking care of a wound caused by an arrow was a piece of cake for Pavan, someone who had spent years on the battlefield. However, Haild wasn¡¯t the one who was the most severely wounded. Pavan opened his mouth as he took a glance at Juan. ¡°Your Majesty, it seems like you are severely injured.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Juan didn¡¯t seem to be visibly injured¡ªthere were only traces left on Juan from being stabbed on the arm and the chest. ¡°It seems to me that Your Majesty¡¯s injuries are worse than the limbs amputations,¡± Pavan said. Juan realized that Pavan had already noticed his condition. He figured that it would have been enough for Pavan to notice what had happened just by looking at the blood that was still flowing out of the wound on his chest. The essence of the emperor was what allowed Juan to recover from wounds in an instant. The fact that he was still bleeding meant that his regenerative ability had fallen to a level close to that of an ordinary human being. But Juan simply smiled as he looked at Pavan. ¡°Do you want to check?¡± Juan asked. Pavan also smiled. ¡°How could I, Your Majesty? I¡¯ll go and call Captain Anya and General Nienna right away.¡± CH 232 It was raining in the holy city of Torra. The raindrops that fell after the long winter did not feel as cold as before. As the moisture containing the spring breeze surged North, the spring arrived throughout the empire. People of the empire felt relieved to see the end of the seemingly eternal winter and the start of spring. Above all, it was the news of the emperor¡¯s victory over the West that made everyone feel the warmth of the spring. The civil war, which had been keeping people on edge, had finally come to an end. When people first heard the rumor of the returning emperor, they had all been skeptical and felt uneasy about the feeling of the empire being attacked for the first time. Then, the emperor finally returned and established his rule once again. But then, the emperor¡¯s third son, Dismas Dilver, made a fuss, causing the people to feel at risk once again. Unlike the battle against Barth Baltic, which ended more peacefully than anyone had expected, the dead gods were raised up and two of the emperor¡¯s direct subordinates ended up dying. There was a massive amount of damage and there was a rumor the civil war would get even worse. However, as if to quench the anxiety of the people, the emperor instantly brought with him an army to barge into the West and crack down on the rebels. Amidst all this, the emperor¡¯s Grace which was controlled and distributed by the Church disappeared completely after the Pope¡¯s death. Thus, there was no one left to resist the returned emperor now. The empire had its peace restored completely when nobles from all over the empire took their vows of loyalty. Everything seemed to be perfect¡ªat least on the surface. ¡°Dad!¡± Nienna hastily broke into the conference room of the Imperial Palace located in the holy city of Torra, and rushed to find Juan. ¡°You almost broke the damn door. I¡¯m going to charge the North for it if it breaks,¡± Juan answered with a frown. Nienna¡¯s eyes widened. Contrary to her expectations that Juan would be ill and on his sickbed, he looked to be perfectly fine as he sat on the chair in the conference room in a normal state; however, he looked a little tired. Nienna glared at Pavan, who was sitting next to Juan. ¡°Pavan told me to come here as soon as possible because something had happened to you, Dad. So I left everything behind, including the army, and came all the way here on my own. There¡¯s still a lot of restoration work left in the North.¡± ¡°Yes, Pavan did well. I ordered him to call all the people who I could trust to Torra.¡± Most of the people that were considered close to Juan, including Heretia, seemed to have already arrived at the conference room. But there were far too many empty seats. In addition, Horhell was sitting on the right side of Juan. Nienna thought that such a scene was strange. Now that Haild¡¯s identity had been revealed, his official position was that of the leader of the East. But Horhell was sitting on the seat that belonged to the leader of the East instead of Haild. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like a lot of people are missing,¡± Nienna murmured. Nienna immediately noticed the absence of one person¡ªshe couldn¡¯t find Sina Solvane, the female knight who was always following Juan. Juan remained silent for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°Haild is currently recuperating. He has passed through the immediate crisis, but we are still examining his condition. Anya is still in the South. I received a message that she will arrive a little later than expected.¡± ¡°Haild is recuperating? Was there someone capable of hurting Haild? I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him even if he were facing Cainheryars as long as he had Elkihel with him.¡± ¡°You are right. He didn¡¯t get hurt at all when he fought against one of the Cainheryars. He got hurt when he teleported to me through the Crack after all the Cainheryars had been destroyed.¡± Nienna frowned upon hearing Juan¡¯s explanation. ¡°Did he fight against Dismas or something?¡± ¡°No. Dismas was¡­ dealt with by someone else. And he ended up dying. I retrieved my essence from him when he was dying. He will no longer be able to recover or come back to life. The fact that all Cainheryars have collapsed is evidence.¡± ¡°...I see,¡± Nienna murmured bitterly. She had little contact with Dismas ever since the emperor¡¯s assassination, but the death of her brother was still heartbreaking for her. Nienna purposefully showed a casual smile and opened her mouth. ¡°I guess the only brother I have left now is Gerard¡ªthat is if he is still alive.¡± ¡°He is alive.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Gerard is still alive. He has been sitting on the throne for the last few decades, pretending to be me. I found out about it a little too late.¡± Nienna¡¯s mouth opened slightly in shock. She looked around her, since she thought Juan was joking, but everyone had a solemn look on their faces. Nienna puffed her lips as if to say something, but inadvertently found that blood that was oozing out from under Juan¡¯s clothes. She strode up and grabbed Juan¡¯s hand as soon as she saw his blood. Then, her eyes widened even more than before. ¡°Dad, you are¡­¡± ¡°He stole most of my power, including the power of the Crown and my mana. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t take away Sutra and Kelegranon from me. Not that I¡¯d be able to use them anyway, but¡­¡± Juan slightly grabbed at Sutra which was hanging around his waist and lifted it. The sword of flames, a sword that should be burning softly, was completely unresponsive. It would also be absurd to use the power of Kelegranon, especially when his mana was so faint. The fact that Sutra, which burned down anyone it did not recognize as its owner, was not burning down Juan could be understood as him still holding the position of the emperor. But even that was ambiguous. Seeing all this, Nienna clutched her head as if she had a headache. ¡°And Lenly betrayed me. No, he was a traitor in the first place and had infiltrated us. No one knows where he is right now,¡± Juan added. ¡°But that bastard was chasing after the Saintess like a dog! What the heck was the Saintess doing!?¡± Nienna said as she slammed the desk with a bang. Pieces of ice scattered all over as her fist smashed into the desk. Seeing this, Ivy, who was sitting down, turned completely pale. It was Juan who stopped Nienna. ¡°Ivy had no idea either. Both Ivy and all of us were deceived by that bastard. Dane Dormund had been plotting everything from behind the scenes. Dane¡­ was then attacked by Gerard, but he does not seem to be dead just yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not dead yet?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°We weren¡¯t able to find his body. The place he was at didn¡¯t show any signs that pointed to his death. He is probably using magic and playing another dirty trick. He has always been that way anyway. But he won¡¯t be able to be as active as he was before, since the last part of his plan was ruined.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter and I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just happy that I still have a chance to kill him with my own hands!¡± Juan sighed upon hearing Nienna¡¯s angry shout. ¡°Nienna. The reason I called you and everyone else here is not that I¡¯m scared or because I want to kill those bastards¡ªit is because I¡¯m afraid Gerard will kill all of you now that he¡¯s got the power to do so. He has power so enormous that nothing can stop him now. He will eliminate anything and anyone that he thinks will interfere with his ideals.¡± ¡°So? Let him do whatever he wants! Do you really think I¡¯m going to lose to Gerard?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Nienna! He took all of my power! The Crown, Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart, and even Elkiehl! He took everything and holds even more power than I used to have before!¡± ¡°Then what am I supposed to do!? Do you want us to dig a cave and hide there for the rest of our lives? I¡¯d prefer to slam myself against that bastard and die right this moment instead of seeing him, an asshole who stabbed his own father to death, become the emperor!¡± ¡°Then what about the Crack?¡± Nienna closed her mouth when Juan asked her as if he was growling. There was still some lingering anger in her eyes, but Juan¡¯s question penetrated her heart deeply. ¡°Your responsibility is to handle the Crack. Are you going to abandon your duties and die?¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll kill all the bastards in the Crack and then go on my way to kill Gerard after that.¡± Juan looked up at the ceiling with his hand placed on his forehead. Then, his eyes slowly turned toward everyone sitting inside the conference room. He looked from Pavan, to Heretia, to Ivy, to Horhell, and finally, to Nienna. The many empty seats made him feel profound pain. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°I can no longer watch any of you die after this,¡± Juan let out a groan. ¡°Even Hela, who was the oldest among all of you, used to be a little girl compared to me. Why do you guys have to die? Why do you guys have to be sacrificed in the quarrels of us old men that have been going on since the mythological era¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, it was just a sacrifice that was necessary for a better world,¡± Pavan said. ¡°Yes, Pavan. To be honest with you, I don¡¯t think I would care too much if you ended up dying. But the others here are different. Do not force the sacrifice onto others,¡± Juan snapped back at Pavan, who had opened his mouth as if to console Juan. Pavan looked blatantly disappointed. Then, Juan looked at Nienna. ¡°Nienna, I have no choice but to pass on the throne to Gerard if he comes back to Torra. I am no longer the emperor. I¡¯ve let too many people down, including Haild and¡­¡± At that moment, Juan, who was speaking slowly, suddenly collapsed to the floor. Nienna lifted Juan up in a state of panic. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Juan tried to continue speaking, but he couldn¡¯t even see clearly. He had a massive headache and his limbs refused to move according to his will. His tongue felt like it was freezing. Amidst his blurring consciousness, the voices of the people calling out his name could be heard. *** ¡°...A cold?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Say that again. Did you actually say that he has a cold? His Majesty has caught a cold?¡± ¡°Yes. He has a terrible fever. I think he has been sick for a long time¡­ you might have felt that he was burning hot as a ball of fire when you grabbed his hand. But have you really not noticed at all?¡± Nienna bit her lips with a perplexed expression upon hearing the words of the doctor who was invited to the Imperial Palace. ¡°I did think that his body temperature was a little lower than usual, but¡­ how¡¯s his condition? Is it dangerous?¡± Nienna mumbled and asked. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure what his normal body temperature is like, but he would continue to be unconscious for a while if he was a normal human being. I¡¯ve done everything I can for now, so please keep your eye on him and make sure that he isn¡¯t skipping meals. Also, make sure he rests well.¡± The doctor stepped back after he finished speaking. Before he left, Nienna grabbed him and opened her mouth with her index finger over her lips. ¡°Once again. This has to be¡­¡± ¡°This has to be kept a secret, and even my family could be in danger if anyone finds out about it. I think I¡¯ve already heard it at least a hundred times on my way here. And I heard it from a lot of different people. So there is no need to worry, General.¡± The doctor patted himself on the chest with an exhausted expression on his face. ¡°My son is a soldier. When I heard that he was being drafted by Barth Baltic to fight against the returning emperor, I thought he would either come back dead or at least be crippled. But he came back safe and alive. So how could I betray His Majesty, who was so benevolent?¡± Nienna nodded. The doctor bowed and headed out of the Imperial Palace. After watching the doctor leave, Nienna entered the room once again. Inside the room was Ivy who was sitting alone. Nienna looked around at the surroundings and asked. ¡°Where did everyone else go?¡± ¡°Miss Heretia kicked all of them out when she heard that His Majesty had a cold. Captain Pavan went to check the status of the Imperial Guards, and Sir Horhell went to check on Mr. Haild. As for Miss Heretia, as far as I know, she went to crack down on the nobles,¡± Ivy answered. ¡°I see that you naturally took on the burden.¡± Nienna sat down face to face with Ivy in front of Juan. Meanwhile, Ivy quietly looked down at Juan. ¡°I was given the most important job.¡± Nienna nodded and looked down at Juan¡¯s face, which was red with fever. Juan¡¯s shallow groans reminded Nienna of the time right after his battle with Barth Baltic. As always, Juan¡¯s weak appearance felt quite unfamiliar to her. Nienna slowly reached out and placed her hand on Juan¡¯s forehead. He looked much more comfortable when Nienna¡¯s cold hand cooled him down. Upon seeing this sight, Nienna opened her mouth again. ¡°Can¡¯t I just freeze him like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and grab a new wet towel.¡± When Ivy quickly stood up from her seat, Nienna shook her head, causing Ivy to sit back down. ¡°I was just joking. Sit down.¡± Ivy looked relieved. Then, Nienna mumbled as she rubbed Juan¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s rather fortunate that Anya is only arriving later.¡± ¡°Anya¡­ are you talking about the Captain of the Order of Huginn?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°Yes. If she was here, she would have been crying and hanging on to Dad¡¯s feet. It would have taken a lot of effort to get her off of Dad. No¡ªshe might even go and try to kill Gerard right away.¡± Ivy shook her head as she imagined such a scene. Just imagining it gave her a headache. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that he seems to just have a cold. When he was stabbed by Barth Baltic¡¯s horns before, I almost handed His Majesty over to the hands of the enemy without even knowing what the cause was.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I heard that Dame Sina helped His Majesty at that time.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the one. But¡­ she¡¯s not here right now.¡± Nienna grinned and bent down toward Ivy. ¡°I could feel that Dad was avoiding bringing up Sina¡¯s name. Ivy, will you tell me what happened?¡± CH 233 Pavan stood in front of the railing and watched the spring rain that was falling over the holy city of Torra. Despite the beginning of spring as well as the news of the returning emperor¡¯s victory, most of the Torra was shrouded in a strangely quiet atmosphere. No matter how much the Imperial Palace tried to stop the news from spreading, secret rumors that couldn¡¯t be stopped had started circulating around the city. The rumors said that the emperor who had returned from the West was critically injured. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold, Captain Pavan?¡± Pavan turned his head toward the voice. Heretia was approaching him on crutches with an umbrella in her hand. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve gotten used to using the crutches now, Miss Heretia.¡± ¡°Yes. I think I¡¯ll be able to stand up without crutches as long as I¡¯m not moving around. I can probably even use my crutches to hit someone too,¡± Heretia said as she raised her crutch and shook it. Pavan silently smiled at Heretia. Heretia, who had limped on her crutches and approached the railing, turned her gaze to where Pavan had been looking earlier. ¡°The rain has melted all the snow. Winter really must be coming to an end,¡± Heretia said ¡°I still think it¡¯s too early to sow the seeds, though,¡± Pavan answered. ¡°Whether the seeds are sowed or not, spring is still spring only when flowers bloom and snow melts.¡± Pavan looked back at Heretia. Heretia had taken her eyes off Torra before he knew it and was staring at him. Pavan clicked his tongue in the face of her uncomfortably blunt gaze. ¡°If you have something to say, you can go ahead and tell me, Miss Heretia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that there are a lot of rumors going around in Torra these days.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the rumors about His Majesty being ill? But you know that we can¡¯t hide that forever. People tend to find out no matter how hard we try to keep it a secret. All I can do is to prevent the leakage of details about His Majesty¡¯s health conditions.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than that. There¡¯s another rumor that always follows the one you just said.¡± Pavan grinned as if he knew exactly what rumor Heretia was talking about. ¡°Do you mean the rumors about the successor or the treason?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that different from each other, Captain Pavan. I¡¯ve noticed that your name has been mentioned quite a bit, not to mention that the Imperial Army is on high alert. Besides, you have a history of quite a few masters before.¡± ¡°You doubt my loyalty, Miss Heretia. But I won¡¯t say much. As you have said, it is true that I have served three different masters. Yet I¡¯ve always been loyal to all those superiors. I have never rebelled against any of General Barth Baltic¡¯s decisions, nor have I ever raised my sword against the Pope. Similarly, I have never rejected His Majesty¡¯s orders either, have I?¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that I should think of you as nothing more than just a sword that is following His Majesty¡¯s will?¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you could. I mean, the Imperial Army is simply a sword that is swung by whoever leads them. What does it matter where the tip of the sword is aimed at? Even if His Majesty has lost his power and is unconscious on his sickbed, the emperor is still the emperor. I have no intention of denying that. But¡­¡± Pavan leaned against the pillar with his arms crossed. He stared at Heretia and continued to speak. ¡°¡­if His Majesty ends up passing away, I don¡¯t think there will be any candidates better than me.¡± Heretia glared at Pavan. What Pavan had said was true. It was because Heretia knew that Pavan was the best candidate that she had been wary of him. After all, at the moment there was no other outstanding figure in the empire except Pavan who could dominate the Imperial Army. There was Nienna, but there was no way she would leave the North and choose to stay in the Capital. There was no point in even considering Anya as a candidate, since she was suitable to be a ruler. Even Heretia herself had little connection with the military. ¡°But that does not mean that I¡¯m praying for His Majesty to pass away. We may not be able to see it in front of our eyes right now, but we are facing a pretty dangerous threat,¡± Pavan said. ¡°...Are you talking about Gerard Gain?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Heretia imagined Gerard Gain appearing in Torra. If Gerard Gain appeared with the power of a god and declared himself to be the emperor in a stately manner, then the people of the empire would surely be perplexed. However, they would soon be attracted by his familiar image. Even if Juan regained his consciousness, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back at that time. ¡°What if Gerard Gain demands loyalty from you while declaring himself the emperor? Would you be loyal to Gerard Gain since he would be the new emperor?¡± Heretia asked in a sharp voice. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. Do I even have a choice? If I did, it would be hard to accept Gerard Gain¡¯s request. I¡¯ll try to do my best to kill him first.¡± Heretia looked surprised upon hearing Pavan¡¯s unexpected answer. Gerard Gain¡¯s presence had become overwhelming now¡ªat least from what she¡¯s heard so far. If Gerard declared himself the emperor and won the support of the people, it would only be natural for him to officially become the emperor. Even the soldiers of the Imperial Army would falter. But Pavan was choosing to resist Gerard Gain. Heretia looked at Pavan with suspicious eyes. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re lying, but tell me why?¡± Pavan grinned and opened his mouth; it was as if he was asking Heretia why she was asking such an obvious question. ¡°I want to know how far and high I can go. But what can I do if a presence that will rule all the humans equally forever suddenly appears above me? I would have no choice but to live the life of an average person for the rest of my life. I hate equality.¡± Heretia glared at Pavan with a contemptuous look upon hearing his ridiculous answer. Meanwhile, Pavan chuckled as if he found her expression to be funny. ¡°In that sense, I really like His Majesty as he is now, since he refuses to rule forever.¡± *** Juan slashed the face of the enemy rushing toward him. However, the enemy had no face. ¡®No, did he?¡¯ The pouring rain soaked his body. The heavy rain made it hard for Juan to even breathe properly, and he felt as if he would have to grow gills. ¡®I wish I had fins instead of feet.¡¯ Juan couldn¡¯t feel any warmth from the bodies he was stepping on. None of the enemies had a face, but that didn¡¯t really matter. ¡®Next¡­ Next¡­¡¯ The area below Juan¡¯s feet had already become covered with layers and layers of corpses. At that moment, the next enemy came running toward him. Juan once again swung his sword to cut the face of the enemy running toward him. However, once again the enemy had no face. ¡®No wait, did he?¡¯ At that moment, Juan felt utterly strange, realizing that he had been having the same thought over and over again. Then, the next enemy came rushing toward him. This time, Juan paused for a moment instead of directly swinging his sword. Meanwhile, the enemy swung the knife in his hand to cut Juan, but the tip of the enemy¡¯s knife couldn¡¯t reach Juan at all. Seeing this, Juan kicked the enemy in the chest and knocked him down. However, the enemy in front of him still had no face. Juan roughly rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and then looked straight at his opponent. ¡°Who are you?¡± However, the one who asked this question was one of the faceless opponents, not Juan. Juan felt perplexed. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to ask the question? Is the enemy attacking me without even knowing who I am?¡¯ Juan opened his mouth to answer, but soon closed it. ¡®Who am I? Juan? Qzatquizail? The monster? The Emperor? Who am I fighting with right now?¡¯ *** ¡°So your name is Juan now?¡± the girl asked. Juan blankly stared at her face for a while. Only after he heard the girl repeat her question did he manage to nod his head. The girl grinned and placed a slice of bread on Juan¡¯s empty plate. Juan looked around at his surroundings. It was no longer raining. There were no more corpses piling up in layers, nor were there any faceless enemies. He was in a house¡ªa warm house where the fire of the stove burned and gave off warmth. Inside the house were only Juan and the girl. Then, Juan inadvertently remembered some of his extremely old memories. It was the worst, yet also the most comfortable time of his life. The girl continued speaking while scooping out a ladle of soup and placed the bowl in front of Juan. ¡°That¡¯s great. To be honest with you, I didn¡¯t really like your name very much.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± Juan asked. ¡°A child of Gain village in the Gerard Valley. It¡¯s a random name, almost as if its sole purpose is to mark your birthplace. It¡¯s like naming a dog Spotty just because it has spots, or Fluffy just because it has fluffy fur. I know that¡¯s how they usually name orphans, but even the man living next door named his old dog Gerard.¡± ¡°He had a dog?¡± ¡°Yeah, but he beat the dog to death just because he got bit in the leg. Anyway, that¡¯s the reason why I hated your name.¡± Juan could understand why she hated his name upon hearing her reasons. But the matter of his name was irrelevant to Juan. On the contrary, Juan even felt that it was rather strange that the girl cared so much about names. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you something more important before I told you I changed my name?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re gonna become ¡®the emperor¡¯ or something? But what even is the emperor?¡± the girl asked as she sat across from Juan. Juan pondered for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. What is the emperor?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you? You know, the old grannies from that group called Aruntal or whatever.¡± ¡°I forgot. I¡¯ll have to ask them again tomorrow.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been something important, considering that you forgot about it. But I do like how they gave you a new name. I think it¡¯s a good name. Now, let¡¯s have dinner.¡± Juan nodded, and then he dipped the bread in the soup and placed it in his mouth. He had a hard time swallowing the bread; he felt like he had forgotten something important. The girl who was looking into Juan¡¯s troubled face opened her mouth. ¡°Are you sure that those people aren¡¯t suspicious? I heard that there are a lot of bastards who pick up orphans and sell them to the mines.¡± ¡°They said that they would teach me how to use swords and magic. It was my first time seeing a real magician, you know. Oh, I also saw an elf swordsman. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just run away again if they seem to be swindlers,¡± Juan answered. ¡°That¡¯s true. Ordinary swindlers wouldn¡¯t visit the village in such an open way just to catch a few orphans. Even the chief couldn¡¯t say anything to them. Hmm, you might be talented with swordsmanship, since you¡¯re quite strong. But I don¡¯t think you would be able to use magic that well, considering how stupid you are.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not stupid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just once or twice that you¡¯ve been deceived by swindlers. You¡¯ve been taken away by them several times, since you are strong enough to work in the mines.¡± ¡°I was only ever tricked by them once. The other three times only happened because I went there to rescue the other kids who were taken¡­¡± ¡°The fact that you went out of your way to save them three times is proof enough that you¡¯re stupid. If I were you, I would have just broken the swindlers¡¯ limbs from the very beginning. That way, they would have come to their senses and stopped taking the kids. Thanks to you, I had to follow you out as well,¡± the girl complained. The swindlers had never visited the village again ever since the time the girl followed Juan. Juan didn¡¯t know what the girl had done, but for some reason, the adults in the village began to avoid her after the incident. The girl¡¯s position was quite unique in the village. It didn¡¯t seem like she was working, but she never suffered from poverty. She wasn¡¯t that old, but she was living on her own. There had been countless rumors that she was either the illegitimate child of a noble or that she was a person of mixed race born between a human and a member of some heterogenous race. However, there was no basis for such rumors anywhere. ¡°Anyway, adults who don''t listen should be educated even if it means punishing them. Peoples¡¯ ears get clogged as they age, so using words to teach them is no good.¡± ¡°But you beat me and the others even though we are young,¡± Juan complained. ¡°That¡¯s not beating. If you don¡¯t bleed or suffer from broken bones, that¡¯s just me patting you guys. Besides, you recover quickly even if you end up breaking a bone or two. But Gerard¡ªno, I guess I should call you Juan now. I¡¯ll have to get used to it. Juan, Juan, Juan.¡± The girl, who repeatedly called out Juan¡¯s name several times, coughed in vain and went on. ¡°But Juan, you have to be careful when you beat someone. After all, even most adults are weaker than you.¡± ¡°They are weaker than me?¡± Juan asked back. ¡°Yes. They might die if you hit them too hard. Hmm, maybe you don¡¯t have to worry too much, since the grannies from that group called Auruntal said that they would teach you how to use swords. Stabbing someone is less likely to kill them rather than beating them.¡± ¡°They said that they would teach me magic too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much though. I heard that only smart people can learn magic. But you can¡¯t even write letters yet.¡± Juan felt a little discouraged, but he thought that the girl was right. The girl stared at Juan¡¯s face in silence. After pondering for a while, she dipped her finger into a glass of water and began to write something on the table. Soon, letters began to appear on the dry wooden table. ¡°Can you read what it says?¡± the girl asked. Juan only stared at the letters and did not answer the girl. Seeing this, the girl continued to talk as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Those Aruntal grannies will probably teach you how to write as well. Remember what these letters look like, and try reading them when you learn to understand them. At that time, use that name if you wish to meet me again.¡± ¡°Name?¡± The girl smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my name. Not the name you know of, but my real name,¡± the girl answered. The girl looked down at her name without saying a word, and soon rubbed it away with her sleeve as if it wasn¡¯t that important. The letters were smudged in an instant. ¡°That was nonsense. Just forget it. Let¡¯s eat some bread.¡± Juan blankly recalled the letters in his head. The girl thought that Juan would not be able to read the letters, but Juan could actually read them. Juan thought that this was only natural, since this situation was not real but just a memory. Juan muttered the name to himself in his head. ¡®Elaine Elliot.¡¯ CH 234 A faceless enemy once again appeared before Juan¡¯s eyes. The enemy¡¯s white face cracked open, and a loud roar came out of the mouth that was revealed. Juan, who had been eating bread in a warm house until just a moment ago, raised his sword with a displeased expression. He couldn''t figure out why he had such a dream, but that didn¡¯t matter to him. He was more used to a life of slaughtering his enemies under the rain while being drenched in their blood rather than a life of eating warm soup in a comfortable house anyway. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± The moment Juan tried to swing the sword with a loud shout, his head was cut off by a knife swung by the faceless enemy. Juan could see his body swirling around without the top of his head. Juan stared blankly at the scene until his body completely collapsed to the ground. The faceless enemy swung his knife toward the ground and splashed the blood stuck to the blade, then soon went looking for another enemy. Juan¡¯s head sat quietly on the ground and watched the scenes being repeated over and over. He had many questions, but he couldn¡¯t say a single word; after all, the area below his nose was cut off by the enemy. Juan began to feel frustrated. ¡®Who the hell are they?¡¯ Soon, this question raised another question. ¡®And why are they fighting like that?¡¯ In the next moment, Juan was standing before he knew it. He was confused upon realizing that his view had suddenly elevated, but he couldn¡¯t afford to think about it any further; he saw another enemy rushing toward him. When Juan was about to raise his sword once again, he hesitated when he saw the enemy¡¯s white and plain face. Juan felt his own face without even realizing it. His face was also plain with no eyes, nose, or mouth. While Juan was perplexed by the fact that he didn¡¯t have a face either, the enemy instantly struck Juan¡¯s neck and threw him away. Juan began to ponder. ¡®Why was I even born if I was just going to die in vain like this? For what? Did I just come back to life to die once again?¡¯ ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡± Someone lifted Juan¡¯s head from the ground. Then, they turned Juan¡¯s head and made eye contact with him. He could see the girl was softly smiling at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Juan. Just think about who you are.¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. *** ¡°Not bad. You look much better than I expected.¡± The girl smiled at Juan upon seeing the way he was dressed. Aruntal fitted Juan with decent clothes, a sword, and accessories that made him look considerably wealthy. Each of those items were carefully made using magic and focused on practicality rather than style. However, all of it looked quite great in the eyes of the boy and girl who had lived without even proper pieces of clothing. ¡°I guess the grannies from the group called Aruntal are not swindlers after all. But, for some reason, seeing them work so hard for you is making me feel nervous. So, where are they taking you?¡± the girl asked. ¡°They said that for now we will be going around here and there to study.¡± Juan unbuttoned his clothes as he didn¡¯t like the tight sleeves. He had only been bearing the uncomfortableness to show his new look to the girl, but he had no reason to keep wearing them since the girl had seen him now. ¡°And they also told me that I will be fighting some very bad guys. That¡¯s why they are teaching me swordsmanship and magic,¡± Juan added. The girl remained silent for a moment as she imagined Juan, who was shorter than herself, fighting against someone. She found it hard to imagine such a ridiculous scene, but the girl had already seen Juan do ridiculous things several times. ¡°I see. Knowing you, you should be able to do well. You aren¡¯t scared or anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m scared. But¡­¡± Juan looked at the girl with eyes filled with hesitation. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know when I will be able to come back after I leave this time. It would be nice if you could come with me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Juan. There will always be people who need you everywhere.¡± The girl reached out her hand and hugged Juan tightly. ¡°If Aruntal asks you to fight, and you really do end up encountering things that you think are bad¡­,¡± the girl went on in a calm voice. ¡°¡­then don¡¯t hesitate to destroy them, no matter the means. There are a lot of people in the world who will never learn even if you teach them for years. But Juan, you have to keep this in mind: The world is much weaker than you think. If you squeeze it a little too hard, most of the things will end up breaking.¡± ¡°Is that so? What if I accidentally break the people who are not bad?¡± Juan asked. ¡°If you do something wrong, you will have to ask for forgiveness. But you won¡¯t make a mistake, Juan. There are far too many bad guys in the world anyway.¡± ¡°What if the bad guy is stronger than me?¡± ¡°Then run away. It¡¯s not a bad thing to run away when you need to. If you run away and have nowhere to go, then come find me. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± ¡°Then what if I can¡¯t run away? What if I have to fight?¡± ¡°Then fight,¡± the girl hugged Juan and whispered in his ear. ¡°If you have to fight, then go out and fight. If you end up dying, then I promise to give birth to a child and give him the same name as yours. Then, you will be born once again. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I¡¯ll always be there for you. I promise to bring you back to the world.¡± Juan was relieved upon hearing the girl¡¯s firm words. Even if he were to run away or end up dying, he had a place to come back. There was someone who believed in him, no matter what. As long as she was alive in the world, anywhere Juan went would be good enough to be a resting place. Only then was Juan able to leave without any concerns. But the moment Juan turned around, an endless crowd stood in front of him. All of them were different in shape and size, but all of them had one thing in common¡ªthey all had plain white faces. Juan gasped at the sight. He looked back in a hurry, but the girl was nowhere to be found. All he could see was an infinite battlefield filled with enemies. Then, the faceless enemies asked Juan a question. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am¡­ I am the emperor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing more than a title. Didn¡¯t Harmon tell you before that you¡¯re just an extremely strong killer if you¡¯re not wearing a crown?¡± ¡°I am¡­ the god of humans.¡± ¡°Are you going to continue to dance to another person¡¯s beat? Until when? Until all the humans end up dead?¡± ¡°I am¡­ I am¡­ Qzatquizail?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a name and it means nothing. That¡¯s no different from calling yourself a living thing. You idiot, you still don¡¯t even know who you are. The reason why you were brought back to life is neither that you¡¯re the emperor, a god, or Qzatquizail. You weren¡¯t born for the sake of revenge and you weren¡¯t born for the sake of completion. Those who decide what you are were not the Aruntal, nor the people of the empire, and it¡¯s definitely not Gerard Gain either. You are here to repay the faith people had in you. So, let me ask you again. Who are you?¡± ¡°I am...¡± For a moment, Juan felt a burning thirst and a tearful sadness, making him unable to answer the question. ¡®What even is the point of answering this question? Elaine is a person from the distant past, and even Sina, the only one who gave my life value after Elaine, has already died.¡¯ At that moment, the firm foothold beneath him disappeared, and there was only a dark and deep sea left beneath Juan¡¯s feet. However, at that moment, Juan suddenly felt a stream of flames burning inside the deep sea. It was a terribly small spark that could be extinguished at any moment. Juan realized that this tiny spark had existed since the very beginning and had now finally set off a flame. This flame was whispering to Juan. ¡®Help me, Your Majesty. I find this adversity to be too unbearable.¡¯ ¡°No, it is not the emperor who will save you.¡± Juan tightly clenched his teeth and responded to the flame. ¡°I¡¯m the one who will save you, Sina Solvane. It is I, Juan Calberg!¡± *** Suddenly, Juan opened his eyes. Nienna, Heretia, and the others who were sitting around Juan looked at him with surprised eyes. Meanwhile, Juan rubbed his eyes and looked around at his surroundings. The rainy season seemed to be over as the sunshine was pouring into the room through the window. Juan figured that he must have been asleep for quite a while. ¡°Your Majesty¡­? Are you awake?¡± Nienna was the first person to open her mouth with difficulty. Juan couldn''t understand why Nienna was talking to him like that all of a sudden. Everyone was looking at Juan with a perplexed expression; he looked quite curious. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m all right.¡± Juan answered in a calm voice, then he suddenly closed his mouth. An unfamiliar voice was coming out of his mouth¡ªno, in fact, it was a voice that he was somewhat familiar with until about half a year ago. Juan looked down at his own hands. His hands were too delicate and small to even hold a sword. When he lifted the blanket, he noticed that his limbs were much shorter and thinner than before. Juan glared around him with a displeased expression. Only now did he understand why everyone¡¯s expressions looked weird. ¡°I have once again become young,¡± Juan muttered lamentably. Among those standing by his sickbed, Heretia was the only one who had seen Juan when he looked a little younger. But he was now even younger than what he looked like when Heretia first saw him. He looked to be about nine years old, similar to the time when he just left Tantil. Heretia looked like she was about to burst into laughter at any moment, but the rest of the people looked like they didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°It¡¯s probably because my mana level has decreased drastically. It may have been too burdensome to maintain an adult form due to a lack of mana. Let me warn all of you in advance.¡± Juan frowned and glared at the others. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone laugh or make a stupid joke about me.¡± Everyone looked breathless upon hearing such serious remarks being made by a Juan who looked like a nine-year-old. Eventually, Pavan kicked out the door and a quiet laughter came from outside. While Juan was determined to kill Pavan with his own hands, Nienna approached Juan with a serious look. ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what you want to do, but just don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Can I pat you on the head just once?¡± Juan thought that such a request was utterly nonsensical. He had a hunch that he would have to allow Heretia to do so as well if he were to allow Nienna. Juan shook off Nienna¡¯s hand like a sensitive cat as she tried to approach him. ¡°Now is not the time to do this! We don¡¯t know what Gerard is up to right now even at this very moment!¡± When Juan shouted as if he was angry, Nienna stepped back as if she couldn¡¯t help it. She could not start internal strife just to pat Juan on the head at a time like this, especially since the empire could collapse at any moment. Nienna held back her desires and Juan barely managed to escape the threat. ¡°How many days have I been asleep for? Any reports about Gerard¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Juan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Gerard is up to, but he hasn¡¯t shown any particular movement. Oh, but we did get a message from Opert. It was sent as a ciphertext, but Heretia was able to solve it,¡± Nienna answered. ¡°Opert sent a message?¡± ¡°Yes. It was a message saying that Dane is still alive. Apparently, he is in a city called Riol near the North.¡± Juan had used a little trick and let Opert stay inside Aruntal as a spy. Juan couldn¡¯t tell if Opert was able to become a core member of Aruntal, but he figured that Opert had been able to reach a considerably high position. Juan pondered for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°Sina is alive.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nienna asked back. ¡°I definitely felt her power¡ªthe essence I gave her is still burning.¡± Juan didn¡¯t know what had happened, but he had clearly felt that Sina was alive. Meanwhile, Nienna and Heretia looked at each other with perplexed expressions. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why¡­¡± Nienna murmured. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Well¡­ you said something before you woke up, Dad.¡± Juan looked at Nienna with anxious eyes. ¡°What you said was: ¡¯I¡¯m the one who will save you, Sina Solvane. It is¡­¡¯¡± ¡°Stop. I know what I said, so stop.¡± Juan laid face down with a painful expression. He even felt the urge to die all over again. ¡®I definitely thought of a very important memory, but I didn¡¯t expect to wish to die as soon as I woke up.¡¯ However, Juan had to forget about the painful memories and do what was important. If Sina was alive, he had to go find her. It would be only natural to run into those that were supporting Gerard, since it was Gerard who had taken Sina. Juan also had to prepare for what Dane might do. Time was scarce and resources were limited. Then, Juan inadvertently recalled that Anya had not yet arrived before he lost consciousness. ¡°Come to think of it, what happened to the Order of Huginn? Have they still not arrived?¡± ¡°Oh, there was a reason why the Order of Huginn was late. I was going to tell you, but Anya went to grab that thing¡­¡± ¡°That thing? What thing?¡± At that moment, the door burst open and Anya appeared. Anya looked at Juan with tearful eyes, and then jumped into the sickbed and hugged Juan. ¡°Your Majesty! Thank goddess you woke up!¡± ¡°Enough¡­¡± Juan said. While Juan was also happy to see Anya again, he did not like this kind of close physical contact. But Anya only hugged Juan even more tightly while crying loudly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve become so cute once again in the time we haven¡¯t seen each other! This just makes me not want to give you what I have brought!¡± ¡°I said enough, Anya. If you say that one more time, I will take back the ring I gave you.¡± ¡°Really? Would you still say that after seeing what I have brought?¡± Anya pretended to make a sad expression and took something out of the pocket around her waist. Juan tried to push Anya away, but stopped moving as soon as he saw what Anya had taken out of her pocket. For a moment, he felt like hugging and kissing Anya no matter what nonsense she said. ¡°It¡¯s the cloned heart of Mananen McLeir that Captain Ras made!¡± CH 235 Sina could see something. To be precise, she thought that she saw something, but she wasn''t sure if she really did. Sina staggered to her feet. It was difficult for her to raise herself up; she felt extremely drowsy and exhausted. Her surroundings were filled with black rocks, and everywhere Sina stepped on there were grains of soil that were blackish purple in color. Sina¡¯s first thought upon feeling the gentle and lukewarm wind that was blowing slowly from the outside of the cave was that she was in the underworld. But the sensation of the rock she felt in her hand, as well as the strange scent flowing into the cave gave her a sense of realism. Just when Sina was about to step out of the cave in a daze, she almost fell due to her unfamiliar depth perception. Only then did Sina realize that her left eye had returned to its original state. The scar was still unchanged, but her eyeball was well positioned in her eye socket, which used to be hollow. Sina realized that she was still alive only after she touched the wound around her eye. To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com. ¡®What happened?¡¯ The last thing Sina could remember was Dismas looking like a monster. She had never considered that she would be able to survive in such a devastating situation. ¡®No¡­ If I was lucky enough, someone might have rescued me while I was unconscious.¡¯ But if this really was the case, it was unknown why someone would hide Sina in such a strange cave. Then Sina inadvertently recalled that Lenly had blocked her attack. ¡®Lenly!¡¯ Sina¡¯s heart began to thump upon remembering the situation. She stumbled, but walked forward one step at a time by step. ¡®Lenly betrayed all of us. I need to tell Juan before he¡­¡¯ As soon as she stepped outside, Sina closed her eyes due to the bright light that suddenly assaulted her. It was only after a long time that Sina¡¯s eyes began to get used to the light. For a moment, she wondered if it was daytime, but then she realized that the light was not being shone from above. Instead, the light was coming from the bottom. The light was radiating brightly from within a huge valley in front of Sina¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, the purple night sky didn¡¯t have a single star, and gave off a grotesque atmosphere. The size of the valley that was emanating the light was enormous. The other side of the valley was cloudy; it was as if the world had been split in half, making it so that Sina couldn¡¯t even see properly. Then, Sina saw someone standing right in front of the valley. ¡°Juan..? Is that¡­¡± Sina was just about to call out Juan¡¯s name upon seeing the familiar figure, but she quickly closed her mouth when she noticed the color of the opponent¡¯s hair was unlike Juan¡¯s black hair. The man slowly turned his head upon hearing Sina¡¯s voice. He had the same face as Juan. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± the man opened his mouth when he saw Sina. Sina only knew of one person who had the same face as Juan, but had blonde hair instead of black. ¡°Gerard. Gerard Gain¡­¡± But she could not believe her eyes¡ªshe couldn¡¯t understand what in the world had happened while she was unconscious. ¡°So you know me. I know you as well, Sina Solvane.¡± Sina looked at Gerard with suspicious eyes. Meanwhile, Gerard pulled down his long cloak and simply looked down at the valley once again. Then, Sina inadvertently realized that she still had a sword hanging from her waist. Not only did she still have her short sword, but even the rest of her armor was also intact. Although there were some holes in her clothes here and there, she did not have a single wound. ¡°If you¡¯re going to attack me, I recommend you to try it in a more normal condition than now,¡± Gerard murmured. Sina did not reply. Despite being armed, Sina knew that she was not in a state where she could attack anyone yet¡ªespecially if the opponent was none other than Gerard Gain. She had heard countless stories about Gerard¡¯s valiant achievements. If even half of those rumors were true, then there was no way Sina had a chance of winning against him. Sina turned her head in the opposite direction. The warm wind blowing from the valley was so moist that it almost felt sticky. Various types of moss that could rarely ever be seen seemed to be creating their own ecosystem, but there were no tall trees to be found. After looking around, Sina found a mountain covered with white ice caps. It was above the cave that she came out of; there were not many places in the empire where one could find ice caps. ¡°Where¡­ where am I?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Walls of Nulvin,¡± Gerard replied briefly in a calm manner. Sina looked surprised to hear the name of a famous location that she had only seen on the map. The end of the empire¡¯s territory was usually referred to as the boundary, but the areas beyond the boundaries had been explored to some extent and also had some people living there. However, the Walls of Nulvin was a place that was called the ¡®last land,¡¯ even though it was located within the boundary. This was because nothing more was known about the area. This was the last patch of land that humans could reach, and beyond the Walls was only darkness. ¡°This mountain range has already been sucked into the Crack. This is basically the front line of this collapsing word,¡± Gerard explained. ¡°What are you trying to do here?¡± Gerard continued to silently look into the valley in response to Sina¡¯s question. Sina hesitated for a moment, but soon approached Gerard to look down the cliff from beside him. The inside of the valley was a mysterious space¡ªa space where one could only see a faint light and purple stones that were floating around. Sina looked at the lights; for some unknown reason, they got on her nerves. Then, she suddenly found something. ¡°...Huh?¡± Sina couldn¡¯t tell if what she saw was right. Beyond the hazy light coming from the Crack, something was slowly moving, almost as if it was pulsating. Sina¡¯s eyes widened, but that thing soon became invisible as it was swarmed by white light. Based on what she saw, Sina had a feeling that they might be safe for now. The Crack still seemed to be too narrow for ¡®that¡¯ to come out. *** ¡°This looks much better.¡± Juan stood in the garden of the Imperial Palace and stretched out his arms. Fortunately, Juan was able to return to his original height, allowing him to once again properly use his sword without feeling uncomfortable. Although it had only been a short amount of time, some people felt both a sense of relief and sadness at the sight of Juan returning to his original appearance. Nienna was mainly on the side of feeling sadness. ¡°It would have been fine to take time and proceed step by step,¡± Nienna murmured. ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think so,¡± Juan said. ¡°I¡¯m only saying this because I feel like everything happened far too quickly. The item that we were dealing with was none other than Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart, albeit a clone of it. I think we have used it too wastefully.¡± Mananen McLeir¡¯s cloned heart was absorbed by Juan. Back in the day, after being transplanted with it, Juan had used Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart like an infinite mana pump. However, at this moment, Juan didn¡¯t have a strong enough vitality to attempt such a precarious method. Instead, Juan decided that he would use the cloned heart as a single-use item, but increased the mana capacity to an extreme extent. No one besides Juan knew to what extent the mana capacity was increased, but this allowed Juan to regain his original appearance instantly. In other words, while Juan would no longer be able to recover the mana he used up after this, he managed to restore it to the level it used to be before it was stolen by Gerard. However, Nienna seemed to be unsatisfied with this. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to transplant the heart and use it as a mana source, even if it took a little time?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°I do not have enough time to check the stability of such a method, nor do I have anyone to assist me with the transplant. The power of the Crown isn¡¯t the same as it used to be either. Above all else, we don¡¯t know when and how Gerard will move,¡± Juan explained. Nienna nodded. ¡°Well, Anya did dedicate it to you. So it¡¯s entirely up to you how you decide to use it, Dad.¡± ¡°Yes. But, this means that I¡¯ll have to save as much of my strength as I can when I fight from now on.¡± The fact that Juan could no longer recover the mana he used up meant that he only had one chance. But this didn¡¯t matter to Juan¡ªit was highly doubtful whether Gerard would even give Juan a second chance anyway. ¡°The fight against Gerard is not going to be a battle of strength anyway. I¡¯m no match for him when it comes to a battle of strength.¡± ¡°Then how are you going to win against him? Use the memories of love and friendship?¡± Juan smiled upon hearing Nienna¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s an option¡­ but there¡¯s one thing that came to my mind while I was unconscious. That might just be able to solve the problem.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to explain in words. Also, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d like it if you heard it.¡± Nienna looked at Juan with suspicious eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s something like a suicide plan, I swear I will¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anything like that, so don¡¯t worry. Even if it was a suicide plan, I highly doubt it would solve the problem.¡± Nienna felt that Juan was deliberately refusing to tell her what his plan was. She felt a little anxious, but decided to respect Juan¡¯s judgment for now. ¡°So, how are you going to find Gerard, Dad?¡± Juan took a letter out of his pocket. It was a ciphertext sent by Opert. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the letter from Opert? Are you going to interrogate Dane or something?¡± ¡°Gerard is a project that Dane spent decades working on. Of course, that time may not be so significant to Dane, since he is very old. But the problem is that Gerard is infinitely close to perfection. If Gerard does something reckless with such power, there is no way that Dane would be able to progress his plans ever again. So, I bet he knows where Gerard is.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­ then we¡¯ll have to head to Riol first.¡± ¡°We will have to capture and interrogate Dane Dormund first, then go on our way to find Gerard. We need to proceed as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I agree with your plan, but why? Gerard is doing nothing at the moment, so what¡¯s the rush?¡± ¡°The fact Gerard isn¡¯t doing anything bothers me even more. Think about it, Nienna. He has seized infinite power after spending decades staying still like a corpse, and can do anything he wants. Don¡¯t you think he would want to do something he has been wanting to do as soon as possible? But Gerard doesn¡¯t seem to be doing anything at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But what if he just wanted to sleep or something?¡± ¡°That would be nice, but the possibility of that is very low. I feel like he is trying to make such a huge mess that he needs a long time to prepare, despite having enormous power.¡± ¡°A huge mess like what?¡± Just about when Juan was about to answer, he suddenly started hearing a buzzing sound from the distance. The moment he was wondering what was going on, a sudden shockwave swept through Juan and Nienna. Juan and Nienna managed not to collapse and quickly supported themselves by placing their hands on the floor. ¡°Is it an earthquake!? At a time like this?¡± Nienna shouted with a perplexed expression. A tremendous shockwave shook the entire city of Torra. No matter how powerful anyone was, it was difficult for them to stand still if the surface they were standing on was violently shaken. Beyond the walls of the Imperial Palace, screams as well as the sound of a building collapsing could be heard. Juan bit his lips. He could take care of a situation where gods or Gerard suddenly appear in front of him, but such a sudden natural disaster wasn¡¯t something he could do anything about. Fortunately, Torra was built on solid ground and a majority of the buildings were designed with the possibility of earthquakes in mind, at least to some extent. There were no big concerns since the most dangerous walls to collapse would be the walls around the city, but the Golems had the ability to actively maintain balance. The vibrations began to subside before long. Thinking that everything was over, Nienna hurriedly stood up and ran over to the edge of the wall. Despite being well prepared for earthquakes, the damage would be significant considering the intensity of the vibration. However, at that moment, Juan shouted. ¡°Nienna!¡± With a loud sound, the wall collapsed in an instant, flinging Nienna into the air. An even bigger shockwave swept through Torra. Nienna quickly looked around while in the air. Then, she realized the reason Juan had suddenly called out to her was not that he was worried about her. The huge tower that was the Imperial Palace was still shaking from the shock of the earlier earthquake, and was starting to bend; it was as if it was about to break due to the second earthquake. Nienna immediately summoned Fenrir. A huge white wolf appeared in the sky above Torra and bit down on the tower, using its mouth to hold out. However, the tower of the Imperial Palace was several times larger than Fenrir. ¡°Ugh!¡± Nienna lamented the absence of Oberon that she had given to Sina, and used all the mana she had to support Fenrir. Each of Fenrir¡¯s snowflake-like hairs stretched out and transformed into huge pillars of ice. Thousands of ice pillars were embedded in the collapsing tower in just the blink of an eye. Soon, the speed of collapse began to decrease. Fenrir¡¯s legs were crushed with a grotesque sound, but even those broken fragments turned into pillars, slowly turning Fenrir itself into a huge structure of ice that was supporting the tower. But in the end, ice was just ice. Nienna wouldn¡¯t be able to last long. ¡°Dad!¡± Nienna screamed. Finally, the ice structure failed to hold out any longer and broke down. However at that moment, huge giants jumped over toward Fenrir¡ªthree Golems were rushing in. Nienna looked back at Juan. Juan had managed to move the Golems that were over a hundred meters tall with just a snap of his fingers, using them to ensure that the tower did not collapse onto the city. Instead of collapsing, the tower was instantly destroyed by the Golems, sending debris flying everywhere. Fragments of stone scattered everywhere amidst the clouds of dust. There seemed to be no major damage, since the complete collapse of the tower had been prevented. However, Juan could guess that there must be quite a lot of casualties. Although it was better than the tower collapsing completely, it was still a terrible sight. Nienna sighed and looked back at Juan. At any other time, Juan would be giving out instructions in a hurry, but today he just stood still, almost as if he was distracted by something. However, Nienna didn¡¯t have time to wait patiently for Juan¡¯s instructions. ¡°Dad, I will rescue the victims within the Imperial Palace first. You should call the other people and command the Golems to help repair the damage. Damn it, an earthquake at a time like this¡­¡± Nienna was about to run toward the Imperial Palace, but she stopped upon seeing Juan not moving even a single inch. She tried calling out to him again, but realized that something was going on when she saw Juan¡¯s serious face. ¡°What is it, Dad? Did you feel something else?¡± Juan¡¯s expression was indescribable. Nienna recalled that Juan¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t this serious even when Cainheryars had appeared all over the empire. ¡°Come on, tell me. Did something else appear?¡± Nienna asked in an anxious voice. ¡°The Crack has just made a move.¡± Nienna¡¯s expression hardened. Juan slowly looked back at Nienna. ¡°This was the shock of the entire world being pushed at the same time. Not only Torra, but by now, the whole empire should have turned into a terrible mess.¡± CH 236 It was the start of a desolate spring. The Imperial Palace became busier than ever due to the reports about disasters occurring throughout the empire. The recent disaster caused by the Pope recklessly using Telgramm had been limited to the city of Torra, but this time, the entire empire was facing disasters. The empire, which had already been devastated by the sudden appearance of the Cainheryars everywhere, suffered another major bout of damage. ¡°We are still detecting aftershocks. They are not big, but still¡­¡± Ivy muttered as she placed a bunch of documents on the desk. However, Heretia didn¡¯t even bother to turn her eyes toward the papers that Ivy had just placed down. Behind Heretia, there were countless books and historical materials that were several times greater in volume compared to the documents that Ivy had brought. Of course, Heretia had already read through all of them. Heretia and Ivy were currently in the Torra Library. Although the library had also suffered damage during the earthquake, none of the books were lost, all thanks to instructions from Juan; he was someone who valued knowledge above all else. The only damage was that the bookshelves collapsed and the order of the books had been mixed up. Ivy looked around at the cluttered piles of books and opened her mouth. ¡°Did His Majesty say that this earthquake was caused by the Crack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Heretia¡¯s answer was brief. Ivy nodded and tried to leave the library as quietly as she could; she thought that she was interrupting Heretia. However, at that moment, Heretia put the book down on the desk. She rubbed her eyes and opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just a little tired from all the reading.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand that you are in charge of something important¡­ I feel bad, since I¡¯m not doing anything,¡± Ivy replied bitterly. Ivy was not as strong as any other figures around the emperor, nor was she as smart as Heretia. She was just lucky enough to be chosen for her position. And, the fact that Lenly took advantage of her just made everything worse. Due to all this, Ivy had been thinking about leaving Torra. There was no reason for Ivy to stay in Torra now that the Church had disappeared. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± But Heretia asked back upon hearing Ivy¡¯s words. ¡°I can¡¯t be of much help here¡­¡± ¡°Um, you¡¯re not exactly wrong Miss Ivy¡­ but you seem to be mistaken about something. Your value is not related to being strong or smart. It¡¯s nothing like that. Miss Ivy, your ability is in your kindness.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± Heretia looked at Ivy with a serious look. ¡°The people like you, Miss Ivy. Of course, you are no longer the Saintess or anything like that. But¡­ Miss Ivy had predicted the return of the emperor even when the people were disappointed in the Church. Although it failed, Miss Ivy, you were the one who stood at the forefront when people rebelled against the Church. You are also working hard and volunteering to help people suffering due to this disaster.¡± ¡°Um, but that¡¯s not very¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t stand out. But being popular among the people is something very important. I bet that half of the people in Torra are following His Majesty only because of you, Miss Ivy. To be honest with you, His Majesty is not the type of person to actively seek popularity. Besides, two major disasters happened right after he regained the throne. If it was anyone else ruling the empire, the people would probably be talking about overthrowing them already.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± Heretia placed a hand on her forehead and continued to speak with a tired face. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to look at people in the most positive light. Whether we are actually doing well or not, there are certainly moments when we have to deceive the people for the sake of better results. In that sense, Miss Ivy¡¯s value lies in being a good blindfold and acting as a propaganda tool. This might sound unpleasant to you, but your presence is what allows His Majesty to rule with more confidence, with no risk of Torra being attacked by a random person again.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t it because of the Golems helping with the recovery from the recent disaster that there are no worries about a sudden treason?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s also true. After all, His Majesty has given me the authority to control the Golems of Torra,¡± Heretia said with a grin. ¡°But treason is not always carried out by bringing in soldiers to kill the important figures. Do you think I¡¯ll use the Golems to crush the people of Torra if they want me to step down from my position?¡± ¡°...No.¡± ¡°Exactly. I have no choice but to back down in that sort of situation. And that is why Miss Ivy¡¯s existence is important. So, Miss Ivy¡ªstop trying to help me with trivial office work just because you feel like you are a burden and instead, show your face to the public more often. Originally, His Majesty should be doing that, but His Majesty has gone to the North.¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Ivy was relieved by Heretia¡¯s words. But the moment she was about to go out the door, Heretia once again opened her mouth. ¡°By the way, Miss Ivy. I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you as soon as I told you not to help me with the office work, but could you help deliver this document to His Majesty for me? There should be a magician who is also the librarian here down the corridor, on the right side of the library. He will take care of it if you tell him that I sent you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sure. But, what is this? Is it an important confidential document? Ah, I shouldn¡¯t be asking that, should I¡­¡± Meanwhile, Heretia picked up the next book as she opened her mouth to answer Ivy. ¡°It¡¯s not really a confidential document. It¡¯s the third bout of information compiled about the very first appearance of the Crack.¡± *** Nienna thrust her sword into the neck of the last enemy standing in front of her. The enemy struggled with his neck pierced by the sword, but then suddenly started to inflate with a loud roar. Tentacles began to appear out of the enemy¡¯s robe. However, all the body fluids inside him were instantly frozen and turned into blood-colored blocks of ice as soon as Nienna used her power on him. The surroundings were full of such blood-colored blocks of ice. It was a sudden night raid, but there was minimal damage. The soldiers were tasked with collecting all of the scattered blocks of ice and the bodies from the ground, gathering them outside the barracks. There was no sign of further battles breaking out any time soon. Nienna called one of the soldiers passing by and gave him orders. ¡°Tell Pavan to be careful about not letting the soldiers hear what the enemies are saying. Don¡¯t leave behind any prisoners, since the nonsense babbled by these bastards can spread to the soldiers very quickly.¡± The soldier saluted Nienna and went to look for Pavan right away. Nienna felt quite strange and uneasy about this attack by the Thornbush Priest Organization. She had heard that the Thornbush Priest Organization had been almost destroyed by Juan and Haild¡¯s recent efforts. In fact, this night raid was also being conducted on a small scale. It was minor enough that it could be taken care of by the Imperial Army alone without any help from Nienna, and she couldn¡¯t figure out what the enemies were thinking at all. Nienna turned her head toward Juan. Juan didn¡¯t move a single inch throughout the battle. It may be because he already knew that the enemies could easily be handled by the Imperial Army, but even so, not doing anything at all was completely unlike Juan. But Juan was actually doing something important in his own way. Nienna approached Juan. ¡°Are you reading the documents sent over by Heretia?¡± Discover the complete story on pawread dot com. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The one about the first appearance of the Crack or something?¡± Juan nodded. He had just received some images in his head. Those were the documents sent by Heretia with the help of the magician. Meanwhile, Nienna turned the blood covering her sword into fragments of ice and scattered them in the air. ¡°What about the first appearance of the Crack?¡± Juan turned his head toward Nienna. ¡°You should already know about it.¡± ¡°I have heard that it first appeared in the north of the continent around the end of the ancient dragon era. But what made you think that I already knew about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taught you about it before. Back then, I didn¡¯t explain much because I didn¡¯t think it was too important. I hadn¡¯t studied it in detail either; however, I¡¯ll explain it again if I need to.¡± ¡°Anything about the Crack is something I am interested in¡ªespecially about its weakness.¡± ¡°So, in the very beginning¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s skip all the boring parts, Dad.¡± ¡°...The second era, the ancient dragon era, began after some incidents. It is said that there was only one dragon back then, and it looked a lot different from the dragons we know now. Back then, the one and only dragon, a being without even a name, was reigning under the title of the ancient dragon. Then, a huge Crack suddenly appeared in the North.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? The Crack just suddenly appeared one day?¡± ¡°Yes. But the aftermath of it was not small. The endless mountain ranges in the North are the result of the tectonic plates pressing against each other when the Crack was formed at the time. After that, the countless monsters that crawled out from the Crack ate the ancient dragon. All the scales of the ancient dragon fell out, escaping, and it is said that those scales are the dragons that we know and see today.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a myth?¡± ¡°Nienna, I¡¯m talking about the era from eight thousand years ago. None of the beings that were alive at the time exist anymore. There is no way to prove it and thus the story only remains a myth. Anyway, the ancient dragon era suddenly ended just like that and then the mythological era began¡ªthat was the era when gods walked on the land. The mythological era lasted eight thousand years and ended about seventy years ago, right when the founding era began.¡± ¡°I like the brief and simple summary. Come to think of it, both you and I really have lived through a time of rapid change. But what does all this have to do with the Crack? Um, were the gods born within the Crack?¡± Juan rubbed his chin and pondered upon Nienna''s question. ¡°That might be the case since the timeframe matches. There may have been indirect effects, but I don¡¯t think so. I have heard that the beings of the Crack are powerful enough to be compared to gods, but they move in ways that no one can understand. It¡¯s hard to believe that they¡¯re from the same world. Gods may be unpleasant, but we can at least understand them and analyze their behavioral patterns. Heck, we could even communicate with some of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ you¡¯re right. None of the bastards from beyond the Crack could be communicated with,¡± Nienna nodded. ¡°This means that the beings of the Crack cannot be tamed nor can they become our allies.¡± Nienna sighed and kicked a blood-colored block of ice cube rolling on the ground. ¡°Then what? None of what you told me has anything to do with the current situation.¡± Juan, Nienna, and Pavan were currently leading the Imperial Army to head to the North. There weren¡¯t a lot of them, since the combat forces needed for the battle could be supplemented from the North. However, these forces were still necessary to surround Aruntal in case of emergency. Aruntal was certainly powerful, but Juan didn¡¯t think that they would pose a huge threat. Each individual of Aruntal was powerful, but most of them could be handled easily, except for Dane. They were no match for such a huge military force. Rather, Gerard¡ªthe person behind Aruntal, was more important. Juan didn¡¯t know what Gerard Gain was up to, but he had a feeling that whatever Gerard was doing must have something to do with the Crack. ¡°You should have looked into the recent appearances of the Crack rather than the first one. Like, what happened in Durgal or Arbalde. Then we might be able to get a hint about artificially manipulating the Crack, don¡¯t you think?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°No. The first appearance of the Crack and the subsequent appearances are completely different,¡± Juan answered. What happened in Durgal and Arbalde was an artificial pollution phenomenon created by the overlapping of magical conditions. The magic of the Crack became easier to use whenever the power of the Crack became stronger, and the land, including the living beings there, all turned into the beings of the Crack. ¡°Unlike the other cases, the first appearance of the Crack in the North is literally a trace left behind by a physical pushback, strong enough to tear the world¡¯s land. In comparison, what happened in Durgal and Arbalde can hardly be considered significant.¡± ¡°...Then are you suggesting that this earthquake is the result of something pushing back the land, just like the first appearance of the Crack?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s to that extent yet. The ancient dragon, who was literally an absolute being, died and a new era opened when the Crack appeared for the first time. This earthquake was enough to shake the continent, but it¡¯s still not comparable to the first appearance of the Crack.¡± Nienna looked pale. She carefully rubbed her chin and opened her mouth. ¡°So this is just a warm-up?¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Juan answered. Nienna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m getting more and more hopeless, Dad. Gerard is trying to summon something from beyond the Crack using Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart, the power of the Crown, and even Elkiehl. And that something is capable of destroying an entire era. But dad, you are¡­ well, I can¡¯t say that you¡¯re weak. But you are different from when you used to reign as the emperor.¡± Juan quietly looked up at the night sky. Countless stars were shining. Looking at the stars, Juan recalled Aruntal¡ªthe ones who taught him how to look into the future with the help of constellations as a hobby. Of course, Juan later thought that all of it was a sham. But it was still fun to give names and think about the image formed by the stars based on their locations. ¡°I wonder what I was before I became the emperor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What made me the emperor? Power to turn a mountain upside down? The magic that can fiddle with the rules of the world? The authority to move people with just a simple gesture? Wisdom that allows me to glimpse a hundred or a thousand years into the future? Or was it through collusion by shaking hands and signing papers?¡± Nienna looked like she couldn¡¯t understand what Juan was talking about. However, what she could understand was that all the things Juan had just listed were all lost now. They were taken away by Gerard. ¡°Those are all things that I don¡¯t have anymore. If those are what made me the emperor, then I am no longer the emperor. You may think that I am trying to find Gerard because I¡¯m the emperor, but there is no such complicated reason,¡± Juan said with a smile. He seemed so comfortable that no one could see him as someone who was about to confront an absolute being of the world. ¡°I¡¯m only doing it because I want to. Just as usual.¡± CH 237 Gerard raised his left hand and slowly waived it to the right. A huge lump of rock moved along the direction his finger was pointing to and broke into pieces when it crashed into another rock. Then, Gerard pulled together the countless pieces of rock and tightly clenched his hands. The pieces of rock that were floating in the air were gathered and compressed under the enormous pressure, soon turning into red lava. The round lump of lava then quickly cooled and started giving off a purple light. The rock soon disappeared somewhere beyond the Crack. Sina thought that Gerard¡¯s movements were like that of a conductor. None of the things he did felt real even though she was watching from right behind him. The ¡®rocks¡¯ that he was controlling with his fingertips were what were commonly referred to as mountains. Gerard not only created and smashed, but also moved mountains with ice caps piled on top of them from a far distance¡ªhe was like a god creating a new world. ¡°What are you making right now?¡± Sina couldn¡¯t help but ask. Gerard¡¯s work of moving the mountains completely destroyed and isolated the route she was planning to use to try and escape. There was nothing edible that could be found around the entire area, but for some reason, Sina wasn¡¯t feeling hungry. Gerard had explained that this was due to the fact that he was constantly infusing his mana into her. Gerard was strangely kind to Sina. However, Sina thought he was just pretending to be kind to his hostage. ¡°I was too reckless last time. I made a mistake¡­¡± Gerard replied with a sigh upon hearing Sina¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m trying to come up with a way to minimize the damage, even if it takes a little more time.¡± Sina still couldn¡¯t understand what Gerard was talking about. Yet, Sina could tell that the term ¡®mistake¡¯ referred to the massive earthquake that had occurred a few days ago. The earthquake hadn¡¯t affected Sina, since the place she was in had floated into the air. But she had witnessed countless mountains and cliffs crumbling under the power of the Crack. ¡°And I¡¯m not making something. I¡¯m breaking them,¡± Gerard added. Sina didn¡¯t bother asking Gerard why. She had already seen something wriggling within the Crack several times. Its movement was as mesmerizing as a dream and as slow as a plant. Sina had her doubts; she wondered whether Gerard was trying to summon that thing into the world. ¡°Are you trying to destroy the world or something?¡± Gerard stopped breaking the mountains upon hearing Sina¡¯s question. Then he looked back at Sina as if he found her words to be absurd. ¡°You are being quite offensive, Sina. Do I look like someone who would destroy the world? You believed in a monster and served him as the emperor, but you can¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°A monster? Are you talking about Juan? I think I¡¯m being fair. At first, I, too, thought that Juan might be a monster who had come to destroy the empire. Is there any reason why I should think of you as someone special?¡± Gerard looked displeased, but he didn¡¯t attack Sina. He simply continued with his work. ¡°The world won¡¯t be destroyed. Rather, it will become a lot safer and stronger than it is now. Humans will prosper and enjoy peace within the fence built by the new emperor. I want you to see the empire greet the era of peace, Sina Solvane.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°Because being acknowledged by you makes me feel like I¡¯m being acknowledged by my own father. That¡¯s also the reason I brought you back to life.¡± Sina¡¯s movements stopped. In fact, she, too, had been aware. The wounds she suffered when she was attacked by Dismas were so bad that there was no way she could have survived. She had been trying her best to convince herself that it was due to the emperor¡¯s essence that she managed to survive, but she clearly remembered Juan¡¯s remark¡ªthe emperor¡¯s essence only guarantees regeneration, not immortality. In particular, Sina recovered at quite a slow pace when she was hurt compared to the others. ¡®But I came back to life, huh?¡¯ ¡°So you didn¡¯t rescue me. I died but you brought me back to life, Gerard.¡± ¡°All it took to revive you was a slight electric shock, since the emperor¡¯s essence had already restored your body. I didn¡¯t even have to bring back your soul, since you had just died. Yes, I am the one who brought you back to life.¡± However, Sina didn¡¯t seem to feel any joy or appreciation upon hearing this. Sina just looked contemptuously at Gerard and opened her mouth. ¡°...You do what Juan absolutely refused to do with no hesitation. Tell me, was the taste of the emperor¡¯s power that sweet?¡± Gerard showed no signs of displeasure despite Sina¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°You would have still been revived even if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The man who you believe to be the emperor has already abandoned all principles in order to save you. He was determined to save you, even if that meant giving immortality to all humans for the sake of fairness. He even said that he would give up on being the emperor.¡± Sina tried to deride and laugh at Gerard. ¡®Juan betrayed all principles in order to save me? He even gave up on being the emperor? That¡¯s nonsense.¡¯ But it didn¡¯t seem like Gerard was joking or mocking her. Sina¡¯s expression gradually hardened. ¡°That¡­ that doesn¡¯t make any sense. The emperor is not just some position that one can just give up. Especially if it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡®Especially if it¡¯s just because of me.¡¯ Sina swallowed her next words. She was just one of Juan¡¯s numerous colleagues. Juan even remained calm and refused to heal Heretia when she lost her legs or revive Hela when she died. Sina couldn¡¯t understand why Juan would decide to bring her back to life when she was nothing more than just a watchdog. ¡°You were not as simple a being to him as you thought you were,¡± Gerard shrugged. Sina glared at Gerard. She couldn¡¯t believe anything that he said. He was someone who stabbed and betrayed Juan, all to steal the emperor¡¯s power. Sina came to the conclusion that she had to hear everything from Juan himself. ¡°I want to meet Juan. Let me out of here.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. You need to stay and keep your eyes on me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gerard continued in a calm voice. ¡°See for yourself whether or not I am worthy of becoming the emperor, and tell that man. I can feel the power and ability that overflows within me. I can become more than just the emperor. You will witness all the things I achieve here. And then, you will tell my father that I have transcended him.¡± Sina wondered if Gerard had finally gone insane. But, it was true that Gerard was capable of doing ridiculous things. He was not only moving a mountain or shaking the world, but also making something that Sina couldn¡¯t even imagine. She didn¡¯t know what Gerard was trying to do in order to transcend the emperor, but Sina only felt fear. *** Riol was a city built along the valley close to a cliff. Unlike the Capital where spring had already arrived, snow was still piled up on every house, almost as if to prove that they were in the North. The river was still frozen, but the rural city seemed like it would be quite beautiful when snow finally began to melt. But at this moment, everyone only felt a strange atmosphere throughout the city. ¡°There are no people here.¡± Juan and Pavan looked down at Riol from a distance. There should be traces of snow being shoveled or footsteps here and there in a city where people lived, but Riol didn¡¯t have any such traces. ¡°People might have left because of the earthquake and it could have snowed in the meantime,¡± Pavan said. ¡°That might be true if it was an ordinary city. But we have no choice but to scrutinize the other possibilities if we are assuming Aruntal to be staying there,¡± Juan said. ¡°I¡¯ll get the soldiers to surround the city.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a detour and strike at them from the cliff. Just be careful not to let anyone get out.¡± The Imperial Army was not here to fight, but to make sure that no one managed to escape. Pavan sent a signal to the knights. Upon receiving the signal, the knights and soldiers quickly began to surround the city in silence. Meanwhile, Juan climbed up the cliff behind the city along with Nienna. Dane may have already left the city, but Juan could only feel the presence of one being in the city right now. Juan thought that there was a high possibility that it was Dane. Soon after, Juan jumped off the cliff and climbed the tallest building. It was a Church. Although it partially collapsed due to the recent earthquake, the presence he could sense was coming from there. By now, Riol was completely surrounded by the Imperial Army, but there was no response. Juan wasn¡¯t discouraged. He knew that Dane was not the type to let his guard down under any circumstances. Considering Dane¡¯s temperment, there was no way he would be this defenseless. ¡°I¡¯m going in alone.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°He already knows that I will be coming. He invited me.¡± Nienna¡¯s expression became distorted and she ended up muttering a curse. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can¡¯t afford to confront him anyway.¡± Juan jumped into the hole of the collapsed Church and headed toward the hall where he could feel the presence. Unlike the outside, the Church had quite a few traces of people coming and going. But the air was still cold, just like the outside. In the hallway, there were drops of blood here and there. Juan followed the trail of blood until it stopped right in front of the door leading to the central hall of the Church. Juan briefly prepared himself before opening the door of the hall to enter. As soon as he entered, he noticed a person sitting in the middle of the hall that resembled an underground tomb. It was Dane Dormund. Dane opened his mouth slowly upon seeing Juan. ¡°The emperor¡­ Qzatquizal¡­ a monster¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to call you.¡± ¡°Just call me Juan. That¡¯s the name you gave me anyway.¡± Dane snorted, dumbfounded. The Dane who was sitting in front of Juan in the form of a child was definitely the one who was smashed against the wall right in front of Juan¡¯s eyes. But right now, there was only one wound on his abdomen. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this was your main body? As far as I remember, it was completely destroyed,¡± Juan asked. ¡°It is true that this is my main body. It¡¯s the body that I¡¯ve had ever since I was born. It¡¯s my most cherished form as well. But I also have another one that¡¯s real,¡± Dane said as he tapped his head. ¡°I will never die unless my true nature is attacked. I have a lot of extra bodies and the necessary magic to manage them all. You can achieve quite a lot of things if you don¡¯t think you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I think the big accomplishment that you attempted to achieve recently was a huge failure. Besides, I don¡¯t think I''d be upset if I had to kill you many times.¡± Juan approached Dane and drew out Sutra. Sutra continued to remain gray without burning, even after absorbing the power of the cloned heart of Mananen McLeir. However, Juan didn¡¯t care too much, since he wanted to reduce unnecessary mana consumption as much as possible. Dane stared at Sutra for a while and then soon turned his gaze to Juan. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t intend to get involved with this situation anymore.¡± ¡°...Where is Aruntal right now?¡± Dane¡¯s expression became distorted for the first time upon hearing Juan¡¯s question. He bit his lips for a moment, and then replied as if he was spitting out his words. Search "pawread dot com" for the original. ¡°They chose to follow Gerard.¡± ¡°Your current state should be due to the present they gave you before they left, huh?¡± The wound on Dane¡¯s abdomen would be fatal for an ordinary human. Although Dane showed no signs of being in danger, it didn¡¯t seem like he could move. Dane opened his mouth as he stroked the wound. ¡°This was a gift left behind by Gerard. He gave it to me when I told him that he was a failure. I took it without fighting back, thinking of it as a goodbye present. It didn¡¯t really matter, since I can get more of his kind as often as I want. Then¡­¡± Dane smiled mockingly and looked at Juan. ¡°He left with the spy that you had planted.¡± Juan smiled back at Dane. ¡°So you already knew.¡± ¡°I was going to send you some false information through him, but the opportunity to do so has disappeared now. The others don¡¯t know yet. I hope they get fucked over, those damned traitors.¡± Juan found it quite funny that Dane was talking about people being traitors. In the end, Aruntal ran away, but Juan didn¡¯t feel too upset; after all, he got to see Dane being treated so poorly by them. Meanwhile, Dane sighed and continued to talk. ¡°Gerard is not as successful as I had wanted him to be. But he is closer to being complete compared to you. Lenly Loen in particular seemed to be satisfied with him. He only has Gerard left now. But now¡­ I¡¯m a little tired. Gerard has already left the palm of my hand anyway. I¡¯ll take a break and aim for the next opportunity.¡± ¡°Next opportunity?¡± Juan felt that Dane talking about a ¡®next opportunity¡¯ after creating an immortal god was quite ridiculous. There would be no such thing as a next opportunity if what Gerard was up to right now involved the Crack. ¡°What do you even mean by ¡®complete¡¯? Is it a god for only humans? Is it an eternal emperor?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you have a problem with that, you fucking failure.¡± Dane frowned and whispered in Juan¡¯s ear. ¡°All I wanted to do was to create a universe only for humans. I wondered how much humans could grow. And even if I couldn¡¯t reach the end, I expected someone to reach the end instead of me, and to explain what it was like. Is that so wrong? To pursue the limits of human possibilities?¡± CH 238 Juan remained calm despite Dane¡¯s provocation. Dane¡¯s dream for a utopia and for humanity to be supreme, a dream which he had dreamed of for hundreds of years already had ended in a failure once with Juan, and then his decades-long plan failed once again with Gerard. Dane said that Gerard was closer to perfection than Juan, but Juan knew that this was only Dane trying to deceive himself. Dane was just exhausted. However, none of that was Juan¡¯s business. ¡°I don¡¯t think your wishes and dreams were inherently wrong, Dane. Everyone dreams about such an absurd world.¡± Despite Juan¡¯s calm reply, Dane rose from his seat with an angry expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with humans creating a world only for humans!?¡± Dane shouted in a loud voice as he stood up with the help of his cane. Dane¡¯s voice echoed throughout the Church and shook the floor. Juan heard the sound of a landslide from somewhere far away. Despite all this, he sheathed Sutra instead of raising it toward Dane. ¡°I have already seen humans cultivating a world for only humans beyond the Crack! They were all powerful men that are not even the slightest bit comparable to the oppressed humans of this poor world!¡± Dane shouted with all his might. The numerous encounters Dane had over the years had caused him to develop a dream. He had dreamed of a world where humans would lead and rule the world instead of being ignored and persecuted by gods. Dane never considered his dream to be impossible or absurd. In fact, he had almost succeeded. ¡°The emptiness of the universe or the pressure of the deep sea did not affect them in any way. All the lands were their fields, all the seas were their fishing grounds, all the beasts were their livestock, and even the empty space of the sky was their road! Even the wind and the sun were treated as nothing more than just a part of their force!¡± Dane dreamed of domination, of prosperity, and of evolution. He spoke on behalf of all the great things with all his might. In Juan¡¯s eyes, he no longer looked like a small child. His ideal was something beyond this small world. Amidst Dane¡¯s dreams, Juan¡¯s existence was infinitesimally small. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?!¡± Dane shouted at Juan, almost as if he were scolding just a small child. Compared to the long years of Dane¡¯s life and the distant future that he had envisioned, Juan was no different than a child. Dane was trying to press down on Juan with the weight of eternity and infinity. ¡°Tell me! What is so bad about humans creating a world for only humans? Why is that considered ridiculous and absurd!?¡± ¡°From the very beginning, your wish could never be fulfilled, Dane. Especially if it is you who¡¯s dreaming of it.¡± Juan¡¯s answer was frank and firm. Dane glared at Juan with a distorted look on his face. ¡°What did you just say?!¡± ¡°With your crude head, you probably believed that your dream could come true with a single superman and a single ideology. But I bet that you are wrong, Dane. I have no idea what the people you¡¯ve met and the world you saw was like. Perhaps there could be a world like that. But I guarantee that such a world could not have been created by a single superman.¡± Dane tried to say something back to Juan. But no words came out of his mouth. ¡°You speak as if you love and worship human beings, but all you have for humans is contempt¡ªyou look down on them. You believe that they can only ever progress through instigation and guidance. If that¡¯s the case, then I recommend you to raise a dog instead, Dane. The dog will obey you as much as you want it to.¡± ¡°Why, you¡­!¡± ¡°What you should have done was to cooperate with Aruntal. Aruntal could have done what you had wanted. Of course, that probably wouldn¡¯t have been creating a world where humans are the only ones to prosper.¡± ¡°The world I wanted to create is a perfect world! A world where only humans can prosper!¡± ¡°Yes. A world that has shaken off all impurities, huh? It must be a boring and bland world. But Dane, there is no such thing as perfection. You wanted to make a perfect world, but¡­ All right. Maybe, just maybe, someone could have made it possible since there is no such thing as absolutely impossible.¡± Dane faintly smiled and tried to refute Juan¡¯s argument. But Juan continued to speak in a firm voice. ¡°But that someone is definitely not you. You are a man who can never be satisfied with anything. If you were a sculptor, instead of a magician, you would have ground down the entire world just to make a perfect sphere. At that point, even if you manage to make it, all you would have left in your hand would be a small bead.¡± Dane¡¯s expression turned pale from anger. Then, he soon swung his cane at Juan with a raging expression. ¡°You are wrong!¡± Juan wasn¡¯t weak enough to be struck by Dane¡¯s cane. However, the cane that Dane swung toward Juan was no ordinary cane. At that moment, Juan¡¯s waist seemed to stretch long, and then the space was torn in an instant. The Church and the mountain were directly flung away without a sound. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. After a while, the debris which shot up hundreds of meters, began to pour back down to the ground. Buildings collapsed amidst the loud roars all over Riol. However, Juan just stood still and stared at Dane amidst all the pouring debris. Dane was shocked to see Juan remain unaffected. Seeing this, Juan opened his mouth in a calm manner. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your magic more than once. Haven¡¯t you seen how I¡¯ve even been up against the gods? Did you really think that I came here unprepared? Grand Magician Dane Dormund, it was you who taught me.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Dane shouted and once more swung his cane. The mountain behind Juan trembled and soared into the air. The space immediately became distorted and flattened. Every time Dane swung his cane, the space would stretch long and be torn apart. The air violently rushed into the void thus created, and the air pressure alone was enough to tear off one¡¯s skin. A huge amount of dust filled all of Riol. The huge cliffs that the city had leaned against for hundreds and thousands of years were broken down and shattered helplessly. But Dane couldn¡¯t stop himself from swinging his cane. Juan was quietly approaching Dane; it was as if he was just taking a walk in the breeze. Seeing this, Dane began to laugh, dumbfounded. The magic that he had just used was the high-ranked magic that he had trained in for a long time after Juan¡¯s death. There was no way any other magicians could imitate it even if they were taught well. In order to obtain this magic, Dane had joined hands with a being he shouldn¡¯t have¡ªa being from beyond the Crack. Yet, Juan was countering such a magic without even a single spell after he had seen it only a few times. ¡°Right. You were the fastest learner I have ever seen in my life! I was thrilled to see you and expected a lot out of you! You were infinitely close to perfection! While I was the one who created you, I respected you as well! But why?! Why?!¡± Dane screamed a cry. ¡°Why did you insist on leaving us?! Humans could have become even more perfect with you on their side!¡± Juan strode up to Dane without giving an answer. Dane bit his lips and injected an even greater amount of mana into the tip of his cane. An ink-like darkness started to flow out of the tip of his cane and began to spread all over the place. It was the same darkness that Dane had used back in the Magic Tower. In an instant, the distance between Dane and Juan virtually increased to thousands of kilometers, contrary to what it actually appeared to be. It was a distance similar to the distance between the northern and the southern ends of the empire. The possibility of Juan being able to reach Dane through this darkness had disappeared completely. ¡°You don¡¯t know about this magic. After all, it¡¯s a combination of my knowledge and knowledge from the Crack. The moment you step into this darkness, you will be broken down into pieces at the atomic level,¡± Dane said. Then, he stopped the attack and glared at Juan. ¡°I will be leaving your side, and I¡¯ll never see you ever again. I¡¯ll take my time, keeping an eye on Gerard and take back the crown when the right time comes. Then, I will start all over again. By that time, you will already be dead.¡± Juan didn¡¯t seem to be listening to Dane. Instead, he was lost in his own thoughts and just staring down at the darkness. Seeing Juan maintain such an attitude bothered Dane quite a bit. He didn¡¯t believe that Juan would be able to analyze his magic just by staring into the darkness. This magic was learned with great difficulty after combining the knowledge from beyond the Crack. It was not just the product of his desire to leap through the universe¡ªit was only created after spending an immense amount of time and resources. There was no way Juan could do anything about such a magic. It was simply impossible. ¡®But¡­ what if it¡¯s really possible?¡¯ *** Dane suddenly broke out into a cold sweat. Meanwhile, Juan finally took a step forward; it was as if he had finally finished thinking. His feet began to slowly creep towards the darkness, and seeing such a sight made Dane want to scream. Both the image of Juan being torn into pieces and the image of him passing through the darkness to crack Dane¡¯s neck came to his mind at the same time. Despite convincing himself that there was no way that Juan would be able to resist his magic, Dane unknowingly raised his cane and tried to push Juan away. At that moment, something grabbed Dane from the back. Dane didn¡¯t even realize what just happened. Even before he could figure out what was going on, his body was slammed into the ground. Dane was released only after being slammed into the ground several times; it was to the extent that he wouldn¡¯t die or faint, but still feel a moderate amount of pain. Dane drooped and looked up at the ceiling. He could see Juan looking down at him with calm eyes. ¡°What¡­ but how¡­ how did you get through it?¡± ¡°I got through it from behind.¡± Dane couldn¡¯t understand what Juan meant. For a while, he could only blink his eyes in a daze, then he recalled Juan taking a step forward into the darkness. Only then did Dane realize what had happened. ¡°An illusion? That was just an illusion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much easier and safer to deceive the opponent with an illusion than to offset that grand magic.¡± Dane was about to say that Juan was being ridiculous, since there was no way he wouldn¡¯t have noticed that the sight of Juan stepping into the darkness was just an illusion. However, numerous pieces of evidence belatedly began to come to his mind. The fact that Dane was not very attentive due to the wound on his abdomen, the fact that he didn¡¯t think that a fake would face him in what he thought was the last confrontation, the fact that Juan was able to dodge the magic he had worked on for such a long time without even needing to use any magic, the fact that Juan didn¡¯t bother to neutralize Dane with all his might, and the strangely calm atmosphere were all hinting Dane that all of this was nothing more than an illusion. But there was the most crucial mistake Dane had made. It was that he believed Juan that would be powerful enough somehow to step over. That is what convinced Dane that Juan was actually standing in front of him with an overwhelming presence despite his image being a fake. ¡°No way¡­ I used all that eloquence for just an illusion?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me that you can make as many fake things as you want as long as the essence remains intact,¡± Juan looked down at Dane and whispered in his ears. ¡°Dane, do you think I could have killed gods without deceiving them? I have never once been stronger than the gods. The battles against them were not fair duels, but dirty and shameful wars. And I¡¯m about to fight a war more dangerous than ever. Neither do I have the time nor the power to waste on you.¡± Dane tried to say something back to Juan. But Juan continued to whisper in his ear. ¡°And it is you who taught me deceit, Dane. How does it feel to see that you educated your disciple well?¡± Juan stabbed Dane directly in the heart. Dane had a painful expression on his face, but soon drooped. But even before Juan could blink his eyes, Dane¡¯s body as well as the blood all disappeared in an instant. Juan was not surprised; he already knew that the Dane that he stabbed to death was not real, but only an illusion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. I didn¡¯t expect to see each other¡¯s illusions, given that this is our last encounter.¡± An unfamiliar voice came from behind. Upon turning around, Juan saw a middle-aged man he had never seen before. The man gave off an aristocratic impression, and had gray eyes and gray hair. However, it was very obvious that the man was Dane Dormund. ¡°Shall we try that one more time?¡± When Juan asked this with a grin on his face, Dane¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°I was originally going to say goodbye to you, Juan. But after what happened just now, I have changed my mind.¡± ¡°What do you mean you have changed your mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I was persuaded by what you said,¡± Dane gritted his teeth and snapped back at Juan. ¡°I still think that Gerard is better than you. But it is also true that he has many flaws. On the other hand, not only were you a good student but also a good teacher at the same time. I still think we might be able to cover for each other¡¯s weaknesses¡ªno matter what you say, Juan.¡± ¡°Enough with the bullshit. Just get to the point.¡± ¡°...I will tell you where Gerard is right now.¡± Then Dane quickly continued before Juan could answer. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you think I¡¯m playing another dirty trick again. I¡¯m going to find Gerard first before you do and I will change his mind. If you were able to persuade me, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to persuade him as well. A flaw can be fixed through teaching as long as he listens to me even a little bit¡­¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going to make Gerard the eternal god of humans.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to. You changed as well, didn¡¯t you?¡± Juan raised the corners of his mouth and opened his mouth. ¡°Go ahead and try with all your might. You¡¯ll need a lot of extra lives, though.¡± ¡°Even if I fail,¡± Dane said while glaring at Juan. ¡°The Crown will come back to you if you kill Gerard. Then I¡¯ll have another chance. I feel like it would be less of a waste of time if you had the Crown rather than Gerard having it.¡± CH 239 There was once a mountain range called the Wall of Nulvin on this land. It was a mountain range named after an adventurer from thousands of years ago¡ªit was an adventurer who decided to head toward the North to find the very end of this world. The mountain range was quite rough and vast, but it was slowly absorbed into the huge Crack over a very long period of time. Thanks to this, the Northern point of the Wall of Nulvin had a gentle slope compared to other mountain ranges. However, this did not mean that it was a convenient mountain range to climb over. The Wall of Nulvin was so high compared to the other lands south of it, that it was difficult to breathe on once it was climbed. There were split and distorted crevasses hidden under the shallowly stacked snow, and beasts with grotesque forms crawled up from the Crack in search of their prey while panting. Moreover, the burning heat rising from the Crack and the cold wind blowing from the North met to create irregular and crazy winds. Even the hardy creatures would have their eyes frozen over and be thrown into the sky if they let their guard down, even for a short moment. ¡°The Northerners call this type of wind the ¡®screaming breath!¡¯¡± Lenly took a glance toward the back. He could see people following him while holding on to the rope that was firmly fixed with an iron core. There were about a dozen people following him, but one more seemed to have disappeared. There were quite a few more people and porters with wagons in the beginning, but now there were only twelve people remaining. Imil Ilde was closely following behind Lenly, who was walking in the lead. ¡°It¡¯s called the screaming breath because people disappear one by one from the moment a scream is heard!¡± ¡°Your tongue might freeze if you continue talking so much, Imil,¡± Lenly said. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, I wonder how people could even hear a scream in this crazy wind! I haven¡¯t heard a single scream when all of our porters were flown away!¡± Lenly couldn¡¯t help but agree with Imil. He pulled down the mask that was covering his mouth and spat. His saliva instantly froze, even before it hit the ground and rolled around. Imil was about to complain some more upon seeing such a sight, but Lenly opened his mouth before Imil could. ¡°Perhaps their throats froze before they could even let out a scream.¡± Imil remained silent upon hearing Lenly¡¯s words. Instead of answering, he simply pulled up his mask to cover his mouth. Lenly continued to walk in silence. The iron core and the rope that was previously fixed by a stranger made it possible for him to move forward smoothly. If it weren¡¯t for the iron core and the rope, he would have had to make his own way, something quite difficult. ¡°Why on earth is HIs Majesty Gerard leaving us unattended like this?¡± Imil complained ¡®And here he goes again.¡¯ Lenly looked back at Imil with annoyed eyes. However, he could understand Imil¡¯s frustration as well. ¡°Master¡­ well, I guess he¡¯s not my master anymore. As far as I know, Dane Dormund was His Majesty Gerard¡¯s comrade. You also had a profound influence on His Majesty¡¯s resurrection, didn¡¯t you? In fact, all of us in Aruntal did our best to revive His Majesty, even going so far as to confront the real emperor who was resurrected,¡± Imil added. Lenly was bothered by Imil¡¯s choice of words, but he did not go out of his way to refute Imil. It was not wrong to say that Juan was the real emperor, after all¡ªit¡¯s just that he wasn¡¯t the perfect emperor. Meanwhile, Imil¡¯s complaints continued. ¡°But then, Dane called His Majesty Gerard a failure, and His Majesty Gerard decided to ignore us, the Aruntal, and is living a secluded life in the North¡­ the magicians of the Magic Tower could have used teleportation magic if His Majesty could have been a little more considerate. Yet¡­¡± ¡°Are you upset that you weren¡¯t given any rewards?¡± Lenly asked. Imil¡¯s eyes twitched upon hearing Lenly¡¯s question. ¡°What do you mean ¡®a reward¡¯? You¡¯re seriously saying that to someone who gave up the entire merchant business that once empowered the empire¡¯s entire economy, all to come all the way out here? Do you think that you can compare what you gave up and what I gave up? You must be thinking that you are the only one who is upright and has integrity. I am not different from you in the sense that I want to fall at the feet of His Majesty even if I end up dying the next minute!¡± ¡®Yeah, right. You just want to enjoy eternal wealth under an immortal emperor.¡¯ Lenly thought to himself. The emperor¡¯s eternal rule meant that people like Imil could also be protected forever. Lenly clenched the handle of the sword hanging at his waist, telling himself that he was different. He believed that he could stand by the emperor¡¯s side forever and become his personal gardener. He was ready to cut off all those who were a threat to the emperor so as to not let any filth taint His Majesty. ¡®I even left the Saintess in order to do so.¡¯ Lenly felt as if someone was stabbing his chest with a knife. Inside the torn wound remained only an empty void. Ivy was a ray of sunshine that was unexpectedly thrown into Lenly¡¯s life¡ªa lonely life during which he had only stayed in the cold and pressuring Imperial Palace. Only a deep-seated loneliness was left in his heart. Lenly tightly bit his lips and pulled his hand off of the sword. This was not the time to argue with Imil, nor was it time to fall into the thoughts of Ivy. ¡°Imil, we will encounter many traitors under HIs Majesty''s rule. I guarantee you that Dane will not be the last traitor to betray His Majesty. I¡¯m rather glad that we were able to cut him off so early. That man was way too dangerous to be allowed near His Majesty anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true, I suppose. It can¡¯t be helped that Dane Dormund¡¯s vacancy feels quite significant, since he was such a powerful ally. But I have no choice but to admit that the way he behaved was way too outrageous,¡± Imil answered. Finally, Imil closed his mouth; he found it difficult to breathe as they began to climb up the slope. It was quite hard to find those who could maintain their sanity in the harsh and cold wind that could blow them away if they let their guard down even for a second. Walking through the piled-up snow that was slowing them down, all the party members struggled to move forward with all their might. There were even moments when Lenly almost lost consciousness as they continued to climb. Then, at some moment, an unexpected warm wind came from somewhere. Lenly opened his eyes wide upon feeling the warmth. Before anyone even knew it, the white landscape had disappeared and was replaced by a strange landscape. ¡°...This place is¡­¡± It was a rocky area made of purple, black and magenta-colored rocks. The sky was cluttered with purple rocks, almost like it was a construction site. Although the sun was invisible, a source of light that gave off a disturbing feeling was rising from beyond the horizon. And in the middle of the hill was a castle that was built in a strange style that no one had ever seen before. It didn¡¯t seem like it had been built by piling up any materials, since there were no signs of joints or bricks anywhere. It also didn¡¯t seem like it had been built by carving out the rocks, since its color and material did not match its surroundings. It was a castle that seemed to have been built at a different place and then brought to the top of the hill. Lenly and the rest of the party slowly approached the building¡ªit was as if they were possessed. As they approached closer, the majesty of the castle was confirmed. They felt like their souls were being sucked out as they watched the huge mountains and rocks sliding above their heads. Then, they realized that someone was standing right in front of the castle. It was a knight in armor marked with a white dragon and barnacles. The knight stared silently at Lenly and the rest of the members of Aruntal as if he had been waiting for them. It did not take too long for Lenly to recognize the symbol on the knight¡¯s armor. It was the symbol of the knights who had participated assassination of the emperor alongside Gerard, who were then overthrown and scattered by the Imperial Army after Gerard¡¯s disappearance. It was the Order of Lindwurm. *** Snow spread far and wide on the long line of hills. The stone statue that was built on the highest hill was staring at the North as usual, even with all snow piled up on its head. The sky above the stone statue was clear without a single cloud. Juan stepped on the snow and walked toward the stone statue along with Nienna. The stone statue was slightly tilted to the right and half broken, with cracks all over. Upon approaching the stone statue, Juan could see various tributes that were placed under the statue. Most of the tributes were in the form of chrysanthemums, a flower that bloomed even in the snow. ¡°Walter!¡¯ Nienna walked past Juan. As soon as she climbed over the hill, she could see the knights from the Order of Fenrir. In front of the knights stood Walter. While Nienna was away, Walter had been in charge of commanding the Order of Fenrir. Nienna walked up to Walter and lightly tapped him on the chest. ¡°So you were alive, huh? I thought that you would be dead and buried in the snow by now.¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time for the North to face avalanches and earthquakes, you know. There wasn¡¯t that much damage, General Nienna. But you said that it¡¯s a mess down there, right?¡± ¡°Down there has never been quiet anyway.¡± Walter¡¯s gaze turned to the back, where Juan was patting the stone statue. It was the first time Walter saw Juan ever since he last saw him at the fortress of Beldeve in the East. Although Juan¡¯s appearance had changed a lot from back then, it didn¡¯t seem like it was just his appearance that had changed. When Juan turned his head and looked at Walter, Walter prostrated himself in front of Juan. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Juan did not reply. Instead, he gently patted the stone statue. ¡°I see that the warrior¡¯s statue is broken.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It was recently broken due to the earthquake.¡± This stone statue was built a long time ago¡ªduring a time when the exact history was not even recorded. It was not known as to why the statue was built, who built it, or who it depicted. However, everyone named the statue glaring at the North with a helmet on its head the ¡®warrior¡¯s statue.¡¯ Before the founding of the empire, the people of the North had more disputes with the South than with the Crack. Due to this, most of the stone statues were facing the South. Yet, the warrior¡¯s statue was facing North unlike the other statues. This was because the warrior¡¯s statue depicted the Winter Duke¡ªa myth famous among the people of the North. It was often said that the statue ended up facing North due to confusing the direction during the white night. However, the most popular theory supported by a lot of people was that it portrayed an ordinary warrior fighting against the Crack¡ªa way to suggest that a hero resided within all the northerners willing to confront the Crack. And now, such a stone statue was broken. ¡°Many northerners are sad that the warrior statue was broken, but¡­¡± ¡°...But it is still standing and glaring toward the North,¡± Juan finished Walter¡¯s words. Walter smiled. ¡°The North is loyal to Your Majesty,¡± Walter said as he turned and reached his hand out toward the hill. Juan slowly walked forward. Soon, he could see the sight of the northern troops that were as numerous as the snowflakes standing in a line. As soon as Juan appeared on the hill, the entire Northern Army simultaneously slammed the ground with the handle of their spears. The vibrations from the spears striking the ground alone were enough to rattle the air. Before Juan knew it, Nienna was standing beside him. ¡°Say hello to the empire¡¯s most elite army, Dad. Their morale, skills, and weapons have been prepared and maintained at the highest level in the empire¡ªit doesn¡¯t matter whether the ruler of the Capital is Barth Baltic or the Pope or anyone else.¡± Nienna smiled and looked at Pavan, who was standing behind her. Then she continued to speak. ¡°You will definitely be able to feel a difference in level compared to the Capital Army, who used to stab their own people ¡®for the sake of peace.¡¯¡± Pavan clicked his tongue as if he felt unpleasant upon hearing Nienna¡¯s remarks, but he couldn¡¯t refute them either. Although the Capital Army had fought alongside Juan numerous times, they were definitely not comparable to the Northern Army, which had been constantly at war against the monsters of the Crack. Meanwhile, the Northern Army looked at Juan as if they were wondering if this young man really was the emperor. However, they did not show a sign of surprise. After all, their ruler looked like a young maiden as well. The Northern Army looked at Juan with anticipation, wondering what the first words spoken by the emperor who they were meeting for the first time would be. Juan slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I am not the emperor.¡± Juan¡¯s sudden remark instantly caused confusion within the Northern Army. Even Nienna, Anya, and Pavan were surprised. Juan had already made such a remark several times even back in the Imperial Palace¡ªit was like a habit. However, he had been cautious about not saying such a thing after being hit with Heretia¡¯s crutches a few times. But no one had expected Juan to make such a declaration at a place like this. ¡°And neither am I a hero.¡± Confusion soon turned into agitation and doubt. The Northern Army was now looking at Nienna instead of Juan. They looked as if asking her for an explanation. Seeing this, Nienna approached Juan and tried to whisper something into his ear. At that moment, Juan continued to speak. ¡°But the enemies do not distinguish between the emperor or the soldier. Neither do they distinguish between the rich or the poor; they do not distinguish between the Northerners and the Southerners. The enemy is just a creature that devours infinitely.¡± The Northern Army quickly became quiet. It did not take too long for them to understand what Juan was talking about. He was talking about the Crack, the biggest enemy of the northerners¡ªno, he was talking about the enemy that didn¡¯t end up becoming the entire world¡¯s ultimate enemy only because the northerners were blocking it. ¡°Before them, I am not the emperor! I am just one of the countless warriors of the North who stood up bravely to fight beside the heroes¡ªall to fight against the Crack! We may break, but we will never collapse!¡± The Northern Army shuddered at Juan¡¯s cry. The emperor was not telling them to fight for the sake of the emperor. Neither did he instill fear or force loyalty. He was just saying that what they had been doing in silence until now was something so great that even the emperor was going to join them. Juan shouted one more time. ¡°We may break, but we will never collapse!¡± The Northern Army also shouted after him. A loud cry shook the entire mountain range. Nienna also stepped forward to shout with them. They shouted again and again until they were out of breath. They were warriors that might break, but would never collapse. CH 240 ¡°I am Bekelt Bekelsus, the Deputy of the Order of Lindwurm. Who are you all?¡± The knight who identified himself as Bekelt led Lenly and the others into the castle. The structure of the castle was quite strange¡ªit was a structure that Lenly had never seen in his life. The castle was warm, almost as if it were alive and occasionally, it moved while making an unknown breathing sound. There was no one who did not feel anxious at the feeling of entering the stomach of a giant, but Imil and Lenly tried their best to not reveal their agitation. ¡°We are from Aruntal, an organization which serves His Majesty to¡­¡± ¡°Well, I know that you all are from Aruntal. At one point in time, I, too, was a member of Aruntal because of Dane Dormund. But before that, I served His Majesty as a knight of the Order of Lindwurm. As far as I have heard, Dane was ousted¡­¡± ¡°Dane was ousted for his arrogance and rudeness to His Majesty. He is no longer a member of Aruntal.¡± Bekelt looked at Aruntal for a moment and soon nodded. His expression could not be seen due to the helmet he wore covering his face. ¡°I see. I did think that he would end up like that one day. I¡¯m just surprised that His Majesty did not kill him,¡± Bekelt said as he looked back at Lenly. ¡°You have the ring representing the Imperial Guards. Are you a member of the Imperial Guards?¡± ¡°Yes. I am Lenly Loen, the Captain of the Imperial Guards.¡± Bekelt reached out his hand and strongly shook Lenly¡¯s hand. ¡°By looking at your build, I can already see that you are a strong warrior.¡± Lenly had no change in expression, but it was clear that Bekelt was showing hospitality to Lenly. Such a sight left Imil feeling rather uncomfortable. Not a single member of Aruntal expected the Order of Lindwurm to be here. From Imil¡¯s point of view, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious¡ªanxious that he might lose his seat right next to the emperor to someone else. Imil¡¯s promise to be loyal to the emperor and to be useful to the emperor were sincere. However, he knew that there were a lot of things he had to watch out for while serving the eternal emperor. For example, those who are around Gerard now were overly dogmatic¡ªthis was especially true in the case of Lenly Loen. The world is constantly changing, and even an immortal emperor must have to keep up with the changing flow. The world would break down if it was forced to bend according to the emperor¡¯s will. Imil knew that he was neither an outstanding magician nor an amazing warrior. But this was also the reason why he thought that he was the only one who would be capable of instilling tenderness within Gerard¡¯s uprightness. However, an entire knight order was around the emperor when Imil arrived here. This was quite a loss from Imil¡¯s point of view, since the numbers of competitors had increased. ¡°Where is His Majesty Gerard? Is he inside this castle?¡± Imil asked Bekelt. Now that Imil found out that there were a lot of people by Gerard¡¯s side, he had to prove his usefulness to Gerard¡ªit was bureaucrats and schemers who should be standing by the emperor¡¯s side, not swordsmen. Bekelt turned his head toward Imil upon hearing the question. While his eyes under the ink-colored helmet were subtly shining with purple, his expression was invisible. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°We only came here with the Dragon Citadel because we realized that he had returned. I¡¯m sure that he is around here somewhere, but I can¡¯t sense his presence at all¡­ no, to be precise¡­¡± Bekelt hesitated but continued. ¡°To be precise, his presence can be felt everywhere around here.¡± *** The soldiers¡¯ songs echoed throughout the valley. The Imperial Army which had followed Juan was given a proper meal and accommodation after a long time. They were enjoying their time while drinking and eating, and quite a few of them were drinking with the Northern Army. Originally, the Northern Army was independent from the Imperial Army in the sense that they obeyed Nienna more than the emperor. At the same time, the Capital Army felt strong pride about being the best of the empire. But the speech Juan gave today was enough to tear down the walls between them. Meanwhile, Juan was sitting on the top of the valley and looking down at the barracks. The Capital Army was passionately singing incomprehensible words along with the Northern Army, almost as if they had learned a folk song of the Northerners. ¡°What are you doing here by yourself, Dad? You can still have some drinks even though you don¡¯t get drunk, you know.¡± Nienna¡¯s voice came from behind and Juan turned his head. Nienna¡¯s face had turned red as if she had already had quite a few drinks. Of course, she could get sober whenever she wanted, but she wanted to stay drunk tonight. Juan just shook his head. ¡°The alcohol here is too bitter. Also, what¡¯s the point of drinking if I don¡¯t even get drunk off of it?¡± ¡°The North¡¯s alcohol must be too strong for even my dad who sent gods to their deaths, huh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny that.¡± Nienna smiled and slumped down beside Juan. She was basically sitting on the snowfield, but the thought that she might feel cold or catch a flu didn¡¯t even cross Juan¡¯s mind for a second. Nienna followed Juan¡¯s gaze and blankly stared down at the valley. ¡°Oh, yikes. There¡¯s a lot of them now that I see them from all the way up here. Walter, that punk. He''s been whining that he might not be able to gather this many troops because of the restoration work left behind in the wake of the Cainheryars. But is it okay to let them just have fun like this? I thought we were in an urgent situation?¡± ¡°We sure are. But an army that has eaten and rested well fights better than one which hasn¡¯t. Besides, I heard that most of them are volunteers.¡± Nienna grinned and nodded. ¡°Who would turn down the opportunity to fight alongside His Majesty? No matter how famous I am, you will always be more famous. Of course they want to volunteer, especially when His Majesty is on his way to fight against the Crack. It¡¯s the first time since the emperor¡¯s direct lead from forty-eight years ago, after all.¡± The emperor¡¯s direct lead from that time ended as a failure due to Gerard assassinating the emperor. It was quite ironic that the emperor who was taking the direct lead again after many years to fight against the Crack got killed by Gerard. Juan exhaled a deep breath, causing a white breath to flow out in the wind. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have to risk their lives if I hadn¡¯t messed up.¡± ¡°Dad,¡± Nienna frowned. ¡°How many of them do you think will end up dying? What do you think would have happened if I had just directly destroyed the Holy Body, saying that I don¡¯t need the emperor¡¯s power? There would have been no reason for them to gather like this if I had given up on resurrecting Sina. No matter how successful we are, given that our opponent is Gerard, only a few of them will be able to go back to their families safely. It will be even worse if we fail.¡± Juan let out a deep breath and continued. ¡°They don¡¯t have to die.¡± Nienna tried to refute Juan angrily, but the speech he gave during the day suddenly came to her mind. Juan seemed to have really meant his words¡ªhe really meant that he wasn¡¯t the emperor. He had been silent until now because the people around him got angry and frustrated whenever he said so, but it was true that he had mentioned it a lot of times already. Only this could cause Juan¡¯s declaration that he is a warrior rather than the emperor to sufficiently touch the hearts of the Northern Army. Nienna sighed and opened her mouth. ¡°If someone could decide who will live and who will die, then they would be referred to as a god, not the emperor.¡± Juan looked back at Nienna. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". ¡°Um, well. I don''t really know what to say, but there have been a lot of times when I had to decide who was going to die and who was going to live. There was a time when I could have saved two hundred people if I went to the Yunghell Valley, and I could have secured the provisions if I had gone to the Altern Peak. In the end, I went to the peak because I thought that more than a thousand people might end up starving to death if I lost the provisions. However, there were no enemies when I actually got there. War forces you to constantly make decisions. Someone¡¯s life depends on your decision, and there is no guarantee that your choices are always going to be right. You¡¯ve experienced that countless times, Dad. Haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have,¡± Juan answered. ¡°I understand your worries, Dad. It is about deciding who will live or die. But we don¡¯t consider that to be the god¡¯s domain. After all, someone has to decide at the end of the day. Even a shepherd thinks about which sheep he should kill. Such decisions have to be made due to the situation, not necessarily due to your authority.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that it was the situation that made me, the emperor, have to make decisions like this?¡± ¡°Yes. So regretting your decisions is not necessarily a bad thing. The decision maker will always be criticized regardless of the results anyway. It can¡¯t be helped even if the result of your decision leads you to the guillotine. But, who else can handle such a heavy position besides you? Your refusal to be the emperor is proof of your negligence, Dad. For your information, in the North, those who neglect their work are whipped on the butt.¡± Juan was left speechless for a moment upon hearing Nienna refer to him as someone slacking on his job. Juan felt this to be a false accusation, since he had his own reasons. ¡°They have no reason to acknowledge me as the emperor. Yes, it is true that I was the emperor at one point in time¡ªbut that was decades ago. It was a position made unintentionally with the wrong motive from the very beginning.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Stop talking nonsense, Dad. Who do you think can be the emperor besides you? His Majesty Gerard, who is in the sky? Or Pavan Peltere, a career-oriented punk who is devoid of any empathy? I¡¯ll really smack you in the head if you say something frustrating one more time. Heretia would have already hit you if she were here.¡± ¡°Damn it. Is there no one around me who can give me proper counseling? Everyone just tries to hit me if I tell them about my frustrations. You all call me the emperor, but where the hell is my authority?¡± Juan let out a sigh of lamentation. Nienna slapped Juan on the back. ¡°Stop whining and just show off how powerful you are. You¡¯re good at things like that, aren¡¯t you? People like you more when you are showing off anyway. I don¡¯t care if you consider yourself the emperor or not, but make the people around you acknowledge you as the emperor. That is the duty of the emperor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just like the question of whether the chicken came first or the egg¡­¡± ¡°I know you understood what I meant. But what can we do? You can do whatever you want once we kill Gerard, that fucking bastard. Pass on the throne to a decent person and go on a trip or something. Others won¡¯t be able to say anything to your retirement if you prepare a clear succession structure. There will be no one telling you to stay as the immortal emperor.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Juan sighed once again and stood up from his seat. ¡°I have made up my mind. Once this war is over, I¡¯ll go back to my hometown and farm for the rest of my life.¡± Nienna didn¡¯t respond to Juan¡¯s words. Juan looked back upon feeling the strange silence. Nienna had a very uncomfortable look on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Juan asked. ¡°Dad, I feel like what you¡¯ve just said is some sort of ominous foreshadowing.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s nothing. But I¡¯d like you to cancel your declaration to become a farmer. You can think about it, but don¡¯t say it out loud. So take back what you said. Come on, take it back.¡± ¡°...Fine. I''ll take it back.¡± Nienna shook her head, looking much more relieved upon hearing Juan¡¯s reply. ¡°You need to get a hobby instead of thinking about such useless things. Something other than killing monsters or humans¡­ how do you feel about woodworking or writing? Oh, how about singing?¡± ¡°Singing?¡± Nienna beckoned as if to refer to the singing coming from the bottom of the valley. ¡°That song is an epic poem about the achievements of the tribes from the North. The melody is simple, so it will be easy to learn.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too simple to have as a hobby?¡± ¡°What¡¯s important isn¡¯t the melody but the lyrics. There are one hundred and twenty-two verses. The lyrics have gotten longer and longer as the generations passed or the tribes constantly merged. Usually, only the first and second verses are sung, but it will take a long time to memorize them all. By the way, I have managed to memorize all of it.¡± ¡°When was this song made anyway?¡± Juan asked. ¡°There are lyrics about the Ancient Dragon. It also talks about Nulvin, who explored the Crack, the first king of the North, and even the Winter Duke. It¡¯s a song that covers all of the mythological era.¡± Nienna smiled and tightly hugged Juan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know, but I won¡¯t let you think about anything else until you learn the song in its entirety.¡± *** Chaos was raging like a storm. Lenly couldn¡¯t think of any other way to describe it upon seeing the scenery before his eyes. Outside the Dragon Citadel where the Order of Lindwurm stayed, lay a huge circular Crack extending all the way to beyond the horizon. Above the circular Crack was a purple space that soared like a bubble, and inside it swirled various forces. Inside the vortex, small pieces collided and clumped together to create a flow. But it was such a sight that gave Lenly goosebumps; to think that even the smallest piece swirling around was made by pulling out the mountains of the North. Unidentified creatures that were rarely seen swirled inside the vortex and turned into debris when they smashed against the mountains. The Dragon Citadel was hovering around it in a circle. And Bekelt was convinced that Gerard had to be somewhere inside this circle. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to this castle,¡± Imil said as he approached Lenly¡¯s side with an uncomfortable expression on his face. CH 241 Lenly had thought that there would never come a day when he would agree with Imil, but this time, he agreed with Imil completely. It was no illusion that Lenly felt as if the castle was alive¡ªthe Dragon Citadel was both inanimate and alive at the same time. Not only were there fluids flowing inside the building, but it also pulsated; it even ate or excreted at times. At the same time, the building was moving as if it was unaffected by the laws of physics. ¡°Sir Bekelt said that we would never be able to understand or get used to this castle,¡± Lenly muttered. ¡°I think that the thing that we don¡¯t understand is not this castle, but rather the world beyond the Crack. How can such a thing exist?¡± Imil folded his arms as if he felt the chills at just the thought of the Crack. Meanwhile, Lenly nodded. ¡°We will have to persuade His Majesty to deal with the Crack sternly when we meet him. Although the Order of Lindwurm has gained a lot of talented individuals, as well as many useful tools from the Crack, we can¡¯t let these profane and incomprehensible things continue striding around.¡± ¡°Hmm. I understand your perspective, Sir Lenly. But it¡¯s not something to be just ostracized, is it? The Dragon Citadel is certainly incomprehensible, but there is no malice in the castle itself. It¡¯s no different from a sword owned by you if it is handled well.¡± Lenly glared at Imil. ¡®How can he compare a sword with such an ominous thing?¡¯ He already knew that Imil had a pragmatic and progressive stance, but there were lines that shouldn¡¯t ever be crossed. ¡°...We will talk about this again later,¡± Lenly said. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that. Come to think of it, do you know where the Order of Lindwurm went? I thought they said they were looking for His Majesty Gerard. But it seems that no one is looking for him; they are just wandering around the castle.¡± ¡°They are all singing in the center of the castle.¡± ¡°Singing?¡± ¡°Yes. Can¡¯t you hear them? Their song is echoing throughout the entire castle.¡± Imil looked puzzled, but Lenly could faintly hear the knights from the Order of Lindwurm singing despite their low volume. Lenly hummed along to the sound of the song. Meanwhile, Imil nodded as he listened to Lenly¡¯s song, but soon covered his mouth with his hand. His expression slowly turned pale. ¡°Um, is that the song that the Order of Lindwurm is singing?¡± ¡°Yes. Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°...No. It¡¯s just that¡­ I feel like I heard that song in my dream last night. I couldn¡¯t sleep at night because I had an ominous dream. But I guess I must have heard it in my sleep.¡± Lenly felt pleasant upon hearing that Imil had been up all night, but the content of the story bothered him. ¡°An ominous dream? Like what?¡± Lenly asked. ¡°Oh, it was just a nightmare. Something was watching me and whispering unknown words in my ears. I remember the voice being quite creepy. It sounded like it was gnawing at my guts.¡± Imil explained in a calm manner, but suddenly flinched as if something had inadvertently come to his mind. At the same time, Lenly looked at Imil upon realizing that he had thought of the same thing as Imil. Both Lenly and Imil somewhat knew about information related to the encroachment of the Crack. When the Crack begins to encroach upon someone, they begin to hum a song and mutter an unknown name that is unique to each of them. They had also heard that repeating that name gave people a powerful force, but the encroachment of the Crack becomes stronger every time the name is muttered. ¡°...We are going to have to get some earplugs. I don¡¯t know if it will be good enough to block the sound, but still,¡± Lenly said. ¡°The only way out of this is to leave here as soon as we find His Majesty Gerard. I know that the Order of Lindwurm is loyal to His Majesty, but I feel the need to distance ourselves from them,¡± Imil nodded. ¡°What are you distancing yourself from?¡± Lenly and Imil turned their heads toward the direction of the voice. Bekelt was standing in front of the door while wearing armor with a helmet that hung deeply over his head. At the same time, the sound of the song sung by the knights from the Order of Lindwurm was cut off before anyone knew it. Bekelt smiled and opened his mouth, the only visible part of his face. ¡°We have found out where His Majesty is. Let¡¯s go.¡± *** As soon as Lenly stepped on the purple ground, he could feel a stinging sensation, almost as if he had been electrocuted. Lenly firmly stepped on the ground a few times to make sure that it was solid and looked around at the surroundings. He could see blackened letters on the ground. They were on what looked like a kind of island. Although it was tiny compared to the rocky mountains that were swirling above their heads in the vortex, it was still the size of a small island. And there was a woman standing in the middle of the island. Bekelt stood beside Lenly and opened his mouth while staring at the woman. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find His Majesty¡¯s exact location no matter what I did, so I thought of a slightly different method. I thought of the possibility of His Majesty not being alone despite him kicking out Dane. Perhaps she is the woman who is taking care of His Majesty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she came here to take care of His Majesty,¡± Lenly answered in a calm manner. Bekelt looked back at Lenly with questioning eyes. ¡°Do you know that woman?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little complicated to say that I simply know her.¡± Lenly pulled himself together as he faced the female knight glaring fiercely at him. It was Sina Solvane. Sina seemed to be in a normal condition. Lenly had clearly seen Dismas crushing her, but there was no sign of her body being destroyed. Rather, her left eye, which had remained closed due to the burns, looked like it was back to normal now. The only change was that her left pupil was orange in color, just like a heated metal. She gave off a strong impression with her odd eyes, since her right eye was blue. Bekelt placed his hand on his sword and opened his mouth. ¡°She seems like she wants to kill you. I hope she does not end up being a nuisance to His Majesty.¡± ¡°She has a reckless personality, but she is not stupid,¡± Lenly answered. Lenly stared at Sina for a moment but soon strode forward. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave her alone and go see His Majesty.¡± Meanwhile, Sina was quietly staring at Lenly, who was approaching her. ¡®I can kill him for good if I were to attack him right now.¡¯ Sina already knew through Gerard why Lenly betrayed Juan and left her to die. She had her own guesses as well. Because of this, Sina felt the strong urge to kill him right at this moment. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" But Sina pulled her hand off of her sword. Upon seeing this, Lenly, who was preparing to fight in case of an unexpected situation, breathed out a sigh of relief. He whispered to Sina as he passed by her. ¡°I have no reason to kill you now. I never hated you either. I just wish for you to safely return to Juan. I don¡¯t want to make him more sad than he already is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back empty-handed,¡± Sina answered in a cold voice. Lenly smiled bitterly upon hearing Sina¡¯s reply and passed by. Sina looked at the direction they were headed to; they were going to where Gerard was waiting. Gerard stood at the edge of the cliff. Without any signs of tiredness, he was creating his own world of chaos, just like a child touching the sand on the beach for the first time. No one could tell what would be appearing in the picture where many mountains, rivers, and various forces were constantly clumping together and splitting. Lenly, who was walking ahead, frowned upon seeing the figures approaching from the opposite side. Those figures were wearing a deep robe and had thornbush necklaces on their necks. They were members of the Thornbush Priest Organization, the organization that was known to have been destroyed by Juan. The person standing at the very front seemed to have the form of a human being. However, there were many people standing behind him who did not have a normal human form. Bekelt clicked his tongue as he looked at them. ¡°They must have been keeping their eye on us.¡± ¡°I had heard that the Thornbush Priest Organization had been wiped out. However, they seem to be quite large in numbers,¡± Lenly said. ¡°They are not the ones who were hiding in this world. The Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization that remained in the empire were weak and small in numbers. But these are the real Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization, those who live and parasitize inside the Crack. The leader of the Thornbush Church in the empire just led one of their thousand branches,¡± Bekelt explained. Bekelt seemed quite displeased with the Thornbush Priest Organization. This was only natural, since the reason why the Order of Lindwurm turned their backs against the empire was because of the Crack in the first place. Even if they lived under the influence of the Crack now, their hostility did not go away easily. In addition, Gerard had not only tortured, but also killed the leader of the Thornbush Priest Organization in the empire. Bekelt walked ahead and stood in front of the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization. ¡°His Majesty wouldn¡¯t enjoy seeing you bastards¡¯ faces.¡± ¡°We,¡± the Priest standing at the very front said in a split voice. It was a neutral voice that made it so that no one could tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman. Only the Priest¡¯s teeth could be seen, since their face had a hood covering it entirely. ¡°We only came to see the return of the owner of the Crown. It¡¯s nearly a hundred years behind the appointed date, but it¡¯s only an instant compared to the time that we¡¯ve been waiting for until now.¡± ¡°The Crown belongs to His Majesty. There is no chance of you ever getting it back.¡± The Priest grinned from inside his dark hood. It was a smile that could never be considered human. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you? Sweetheart, you and I both serve the same master. No¡ªeverything''s meant to serve the master. Do you think we are on the same level, especially when I walked around the entire world to spread the power of the Crack?¡± The Priest took off the hood after speaking. She was a middle-aged woman with silver hair and gave off an aristocratic impression. She had an elegant appearance, but she had pale white skin and had red cracked lips. Over her face were a few stems of a black thornbush wrapped into a crown made of thornbush. Bekelt immediately released a murderous intent as soon as he saw the Priest¡¯s face. ¡°Black Aldebaran.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I heard what that name sounds like in this world¡¯s pronunciation. ¡° Black Aldebaran. It was the real name of the Priest from the Thornbush Priest Organization. The original name couldn¡¯t even be pronounced properly by anyone other than the owner of the name herself. Black Aldebaran did not budge even in the face of Bekelt¡¯s murderous intent. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Lenly. She made a curious expression for a short moment, but she soon turned her head toward the other direction as a strong flame suddenly began to burn on the edge of the cliff. The flame burned fiercely, almost as if it wanted to burn the chaos and then slowly died down. Before anyone knew it, Gerard was looking down at them. In his hand was a giant spear twice his own height. As Gerard¡¯s gaze scanned them from head to toe, the Order of Lindwurm, Aruntal, as well as the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization all knelt in unison. Bekelt was the first to raise his head and exclaim. ¡°Your Majesty! Your knight order has come running from beyond eternity in response to your call. Give us another chance to fight by your side!¡± Then Imil from Aruntal also spoke out, almost as if this was a competition. ¡°I celebrate the birth of the eternal emperor and pray that Your Majesty¡¯s empire will last for an eternity. May us of Aruntal be a part of such an eternity, just as we have done so far!¡± Black Aldebaran also raised her head proudly and opened her mouth. ¡°As always, the Thornbush Priest Organization, which serves the nine-headed dragon, welcomes the Crown bearing head back to its original place. It is the moment when all the burning stars will finally be put in place.¡± While everyone was pledging their allegiance, Gerard trudged in front of them. Everyone lowered their heads even further and waited for Gerard¡¯s words, but he just walked past them and strode forward. As soon as everyone looked back at Gerard with a perplexed expression, he stopped in front of Sina. Then, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Sina Solvane.¡± Sina, who was scowling upon hearing the oaths of allegiance of the three groups, also looked up at Gerard with a perplexed expression. Meanwhile, Gerard lifted the spear he had created. ¡°This time, I have made a spear. I¡¯d like to give it a name, since I haven¡¯t made such an impressive item in a very long time. I want you to be the one to name it,¡± Gerard said. ¡°...What? Why me?¡± Sina asked, dumbfounded. ¡°Because I¡¯m not good at naming.¡± ¡°Who cares? That¡¯s none of my business. Just call it whatever you like.¡± Sina avoided Gerard¡¯s gaze with a perplexed expression while enduring the three group¡¯s burning gazes. Sina had shared many questions and answers with Gerard over the time they had spent together, and Gerard had also asked her a lot of useless questions. But it was the first time Sina was feeling this perplexed. Gerard seemed to ponder for a while, then soon opened his mouth again. ¡°Then can I name it Solvane?¡± Sina felt unpleasant, and desperately wanted to get out of this situation. She wanted to tell Gerard to name it ¡®Gerard is a son of a bitch,¡¯ but she felt like that would just be an insult to Juan¡ªnot to mention that it would be insulting the three groups standing behind Gerard as well. Thus, Sina nodded as if she had no choice. ¡°Solvane it is.¡± CH 242 Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Gerard mumbled briefly and then shifted the spear in his hand. At that moment, a flame rose from the tip of the spear at a strange angle. Bekelt, who had been quietly watching the scene, stood up as if he couldn¡¯t stand such a sight. ¡°Your Majesty Gerard!¡± Only after Bekelt shouted Gerard¡¯s name did Gerard turn his head. Bekelt flinched the moment he met Gerard¡¯s gaze. However, there was nothing but indifference in Gerard¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t paying attention to anyone except for Sina; it was almost as if everyone else was just a part of the background. ¡°Who are you?¡± Gerard asked. Bekelt was even more perplexed upon hearing Gerard¡¯s question. Although they had been apart for a long time, the time they had spent together before that hadn¡¯t been short. Bekelt recalled that when Gerard used to be the Captain of the Order of Lindwurm, he used to be able to recognize everyone just by sensing their presence. Thus, he had only expected him to be better at recognizing people now that he had become much stronger than he was in the past. At that moment, Gerard nodded and mumbled. ¡°Ah¡­ I know who you are¡­ Right, you are Bekelt, the Deputy of the Order of Lindwurm. My apologies. I think it¡¯s getting harder and harder for me to distinguish between people as time goes by.¡± ¡®What does he mean that it¡¯s getting harder to distinguish between people?¡¯ Bekelt couldn¡¯t understand what Gerard was talking about. Fortunately, he was at least able to avoid the humiliation of having to introduce himself to Gerard in front of all of his subordinates. Yet, that didn¡¯t make the situation any better. Gerard¡¯s head was only slightly turned toward Bekelt instead of directly facing him. ¡°Your Majesty, we have all come running at once to swear an oath of allegiance to you. But why are you ignoring our loyalty for such an arrogant woman? Who even is she?¡± Bekelt asked. At that moment, Gerard briefly motioned with the tip of his spear. A cracking sound rang out and Bekelt¡¯s helmet split in half and fell to the ground. The members of Aruntal gasped in shock as soon as the helmet was removed from Bekelt¡¯s head, while the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization just smiled; it was as if they already knew it. The top of Bekelt¡¯s head, which was revealed when the helmet fell off, was composed of tentacles. Only the area from his lower jaw remained somewhat human. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was confused for no reason. You seem to have changed a lot compared to the olden days, Bekelt. And Sina Solvane is not some arrogant woman¡ªshe is a guest that I invited myself. You better be careful not to talk so recklessly next time.¡± Bekelt silently picked up the pieces of the helmet from the ground and put them back on; it almost looked like he was forcing his head into the helmet. Gerard then turned toward Aruntal and the Priests who were watching in silence. ¡°I accept all of your oaths of allegiance.¡± The Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization, the Order of Lindwurm, and members of Aruntal all expected Gerard to follow with a speech and blessings. However, Gerard only stumbled again as he walked up to the cliff and continued working on the creation of chaos. That was all. That was the only sentence that Gerard said to those who came from all over the universe, as well as the people that had thrown away all their lifetime achievements just to swear their loyalty to him. There was no one who openly showed their agitation, since all the people who gathered here were elite among elites. However, there was no one who was not perplexed by the unexpected situation. Bekelt, in particular, was perplexed and felt speechless. It wasn¡¯t like he had expected a heartwarming reunion where Gerard would hug him in tears, but he thought that he would at least have the chance to reminisce about the past. While everyone was feeling perplexed, Gerard simply ignored them all and simply concentrated on his work. However, that did not continue for long. ¡°Gerard Gain!¡± A loud voice echoed throughout the center of the chaos and suddenly burst out of the sky. *** Ten people had appeared in the sky. They all seemed to be of different ages, genders, and had different appearances, but they all had the same voice and each of them was holding a cane of the same shape. The knights of the Order of Lindwurm immediately drew their swords, while the Priests of the Thornbush Priest Organization began to mutter a spell as if they were singing. The members of Aruntal also began to prepare for the worst-case scenario. But among all of them, only Imil from Aruntal gritted his teeth and glared at those who had suddenly appeared in the sky. ¡°Dane Dormund, you son of a bitch! How dare you show yourself before His Majesty once again when you have betrayed him!¡± At that moment, the young boy standing at the very front swung his cane. Before Imil could even do anything about it, the floating island that all of them were standing on instantly split in half and scattered away like a spider web. While the broken island didn¡¯t crash, due to being seized by a strange force, it almost ended up losing its balance and collapsing. It was Lenly who caught Imil and stopped him from almost falling into the chaos. Lenly glared fiercely at Dane, then quickly turned around and searched for the Dragon Citadel, but he saw that the Dragon Citadel had already fallen with the other broken fragments of the islands. The same was true of the Order of Lindwurm. Dane had blocked everyone from them with just a single spell. At that moment, Bekelt blew into a whistle that was hanging around his neck. The echo of the whistle was accompanied by a loud cracking sound as the Dragon Citadel fractured. Then, something that looked like flesh flowed out from the fissures of the Dragon Citadel and ran down to where the Order of Lindwurm was. Meanwhile, the Thornbush Priest Organization did not sit still either. As they sang, something huge soared from the Crack on the ground. What climbed up the rocks and walls were an indefinite amount of creatures with an appearance that no one could understand or describe. The creatures recklessly approached and tried to attack Dane, who was still floating in the air. One of the Danes tried to strike a creature with his cane, but too many of them were attacking him at once. One of the Danes was instantly caught and lost his lower body to a creature¡¯s jaws, but another Dane shook it off with the cane. The monster of the Crack was thrown somewhere onto the huge cliff, and slowly, the other monsters also met a similar end. Bloodstains were left here and there on the cliffs that made the entrance of the Crack. Some of the Priests could not hide their astonishment when they saw the powerful monsters of the Crack being turned into mincemeat in just an instant. Only Black Aldebaran clicked her tongue; it was as if she had expected that this would happen. ¡°The Magician!¡± Bekelt, who had managed to climb up to the very top of the Dragon Citadel before anyone even knew it, stood right at the forefront, almost like a ship¡¯s ram bow, and approached Dane. Cold air instantly spread all over the place. Dane frowned at this sight and swung his cane, but Bekelt just swung his left hand with his eyes wide open. Splat! Bekelt¡¯s arm split in half, but although his flesh was torn apart, no blood came out of his wound. The powerful force that entered Bekelt from his fingertips passed all the way up his shoulders and stopped right when it reached his head. Tentacles could be seen wriggling inside the wound, but it then closed in an instant. ¡°These parasites within me devour magic! Your magic won¡¯t work on me!¡± Bekelt shouted. Then, Bekelt directly charged toward Dane as if he was planning on directly running into him. But the Dragon Citadel couldn¡¯t reach Dane at all. As soon as Dane turned his cane, the Dragon Citadel faltered and changed course, moving in the wrong direction. Only after spinning around in the air for a long time did Bekelt realize that he was being deceived by Dane¡¯s spatial distortion magic. By the time he figured it out, however, he was already on the verge of slamming into a floating rock island. Bekelt quickly blew the whistle once more when he saw the rock in front of him. At the same time, the Dragon Citadel passed through the rock, almost as if it was passing through fog. There was no collision, but it was a frightening moment, since the citadel could have almost shattered into pieces. The Thornbush Prist Organization, the Order of Lindwurm, and Aruntal all could not believe that Dane had instantly blocked all of their attacks with just a single cane. Dane looked down at them with an annoyed look on his face. ¡°Fuck off, you puny bastards. I need to talk to your leader,¡± Dane said. It was Black Aldebaran who answered Dane. ¡°Puny? Us? Dane Dormund¡ªno, maybe I should call you ¡®Unreachable Star.¡¯ That name must be more familiar to you. You almost act like you¡¯re the ruler of the world after getting the title of the Star with our help.¡± ¡°Black Aldebaran.¡± Dane smiled bitterly. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten what I owe you for helping me obtain the title of Unreachable Star. But didn¡¯t we cooperate only because we both wanted something from each other from the very beginning? And didn¡¯t your lover end up getting the title of ¡®Unfilled Star¡¯ with my help?¡± Lenly couldn¡¯t understand the conversation between Black Aldebaran and Dane. However, he could tell that the two of them seemed to know each other. Lenly figured that Black Aldebaran had cooperated with Dane to help him obtain the extraordinary power and magic that he currently had. Black Aldebaran gritted her teeth and glared at Dane. ¡°Now is the time for the Stars to get back to their place! Do not get in the way! No matter how strong the power granted to you by the Star is, you won¡¯t be able to hold out if I attack you with all my might!¡± Black Aldebaran shouted. ¡°You will have to call in other Stars if you want to stop me. On the other hand, I can ruin this messed up party before they get here, you know,¡± Dane answered. Then, he took a deep breath and shouted again, ¡°Gerard Gain! Gerard Gain! Gerard Gain!¡± The loud voice shook the world; it was almost as the axis of the world was twisting with his roars. Lenly could not help but doubt his own ears¡ªthe roar that came out of Dane¡¯s mouth was not a singular voice. It was the roar of hundreds or maybe even thousands of voices, including women, men, elderly people, and children. Gerard, who hadn¡¯t even bothered to look back despite all the fuss, finally turned his head. There was a clear look of displeasure on his face. ¡°There are a lot of visitors today.¡± *** Not only was there not enough oxygen to breathe in, but the wind was also way too strong. Juan left the barracks for a moment and climbed the peak of a high mountain. He could feel a strange energy from the North. The further North he went, the stronger the energy became. At that moment, Juan felt a sharp, alien energy in the midst of all this. ¡®Dane Dormund¡­ He still had more power hidden away even now?¡¯ Juan knew that Dane used the power of a different world, but this was the first time that Dane exerted it as actively and passionately as he was now. Juan thought that he was close enough to the sun as he climbed the mountain peak, but his breath froze and his limbs were starting to get numb. The sky was still far away from him despite his thought that he was getting closer. The peak that was so high that it allowed one to overlook the entire world was not a place that humans were allowed to reach. Juan let out a long breath and his white breath fluttered like a scarf. The environment was so unbearable that he even needed to use mana constantly in order to sustain his life. The Wall of Nulvin, the destination where the Northern Army and Juan were headed, could be seen from atop the mountain peak. It was the first time that Juan had seen the Wall of Nulvin. However, the wall appeared distorted into a huge circle and it was clear that it was not its original form. There was something rising above it that looked like a black bubble, and inside the black bubble were mountains and clouds that could be seen faintly. ¡®That must be Gerard¡¯s area¡­ or the area beyond the Crack.¡¯ The bubble had already reached so high up that it was almost out of the atmosphere. Juan sat down on the highest peak of the Northern mountain range that had yet to be named. [Gerard Gain!] He could faintly hear Dane¡¯s voice through the wind. His voice echoed throughout the North. ¡®No, perhaps it can be heard from all over the empire.¡¯ It was not that Dane¡¯s voice was loud, but that his alter egos hidden throughout the empire were shouting all at once. This was a voice that Gerard could not ignore. Juan did not know where Dane¡¯s primary essence was hidden or how many alter egos Dane had created until now. He had a feeling that the only reason he was still alive was that Dane had been careless or had gone easy on him. But even though such a powerful magician was confronting Gerard, Juan didn¡¯t think for a second that Dane would be able to win. ¡°Anyway. I have no idea how to pass through all that.¡± Monsters were crawling up around the wall of Nulvin and through the giant circular opening of the Crack. It was as if Gerard¡¯s construction had awakened them from their hibernation. Grotesque monsters began to march toward the world while blackening the white snow all over the mountains. A huge war, the likes of which even Juan had never experienced, was approaching. Juan had fought wars all his life. He was not the type to reject invitations¡ªespecially to a war where he didn¡¯t have to go easy on the opponent at all. CH 243 Dane swung his cane and pulled the floating rocks in front of him, cold sweat running down his forehead. He had already installed dozens of safety devices before he showed up in front of Gerard, but despite all that, Gerard was an opponent he couldn¡¯t afford to let his guard down against. The ten Danes stepped on the rock, and the one standing at the very forefront was the Dane that had the form of a young boy. Gerard just looked at Dane in a calm manner. Sina, who had been keeping a low posture near Gerard, couldn¡¯t understand what was going on right now. It was well known that Gerard was against the emperor, and Dane was also hostile to the emperor. But Sina couldn¡¯t figure out why the two were giving off such a ferocious atmosphere when they should be working together. ¡®I did hear that Dane betrayed Gerard, but why would he do that? Didn¡¯t he say that he wanted to create a perfect and eternal emperor, like the one Gerard is now?¡¯ Dane¡¯s attempt did not seem to have gone in vain considering Gerard¡¯s current appearance. Of course, there might be disagreements about whether Gerard was perfect or not, but it would be no exaggeration to say that Gerard was the ideal that Dane wanted to create. But Dane was glaring at Gerard and shouted. ¡°What do you think you are doing right now, Gerard? Didn¡¯t you say that you would create a world for humans?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Gerard replied, almost as if he was completely uninterested. ¡°I will make your dream come true, Dane Dormund. I will create a world where all humans are able to become giants and leap into space. You just need to sit back and watch, you know.¡± ¡°How in the world is this the process of creating a world for humans?!¡± Dane shouted as he pointed the tip of his cane toward the chaos that Gerard was creating. ¡°You borrowing the power of the Crack was nothing but a preparation! But you dare to make the Crack even bigger and stronger? If you really want to be the emperor and make the empire shine, then go back to Torra and demand the throne! That¡¯s what I was expecting you to do!¡± ¡°The Crack won¡¯t be a problem, Dane,¡± Gerard answered in a calm manner. ¡°I can move the entire Wall of Nulvin with just a flip of my hand and use it to close the Crack right now. Even the various entrances to the Crack that have already opened throughout the empire can be closed. Everything is under my control¡ªunder my authority. So what is the problem?¡± ¡°What is the problem, you ask?¡± Dane asked back, dumbfounded. ¡°Have you really gone mad? Just because you have Qzatquizail¡¯s Crown doesn¡¯t mean that you are the ruler of the Crack! Qzatquizail is just one of the nine heads of the dragon, and the Crack is the world moved by the same nine-headed dragon! No matter how strong the power of the Crown is, it is absurdly arrogant to think that you can control the Crack!¡± Dane took another step forward and continued. ¡°Although your physical body is the same as the emperor¡¯s, you cannot control the power of Qzatquizail, the true owner of the Crown. No¡ªthere are even more beings beyond your imagination lurking beyond the Crack. The nine-headed dragon, the Owner of the Stars, the Queen of the Crack, the Beasts of Nightmare, all the kinds of beings that whisper into your ears¡­ even the emperor would need to be humble and vigilant in the face of the Crack! It¡¯s better to completely close the Crack and cut off all ties with them!¡± Despite Dane¡¯s earnest appeal, Gerard slowly raised the corners of his lips to smile. Dane¡¯s heart sank before he knew it as soon as he saw Gerard¡¯s smile. His gaze slowly turned toward the left, where the Thornbush Priest Organization was watching them from. The Thornbush Priest Organization had been trying to get the Crown back for decades. But now, they were now loyal to Gerard. This was not because Gerard had the Crown¡ªit was because Gerard was willing to return the Crown. At this moment, Black Aldebaran¡¯s smile looked more gruesome than ever in Dane¡¯s eyes. ¡°No!¡± Dane screamed and hastily swung his cane. But his magic died down without a chance of reaching Gerard. Instead, the rock behind Gerard split in half with a loud roar and soared into the sky. Gerard looked back at the split rock and opened his mouth. ¡°As you said, there is certainly a limit to the emperor¡¯s body.¡± ¡°You really are crazy, Gerard! So you¡¯re planning to transfer yourself to the body of Qzatquizail?¡± ¡°I have already taken the body of the former emperor. There¡¯s no reason for me to not do the same with Qzatquizail.¡± Dane let out a scream that was more like a cry and sent out a series of magic. However, none of them was able to reach Gerard. Only the islands around Gerard were being destroyed. Dane was covered in cold sweat as he struggled to approach Gerard. Meanwhile, the Order of Lindwurm and the members of Aruntal were just watching the breathtaking battle in silence. ¡°Doing that would mean waking up Qzatquizail! It was only after Mananen McLeir, the Star that can not Fall, took away the Crown from Qzatquizal that the Crack finally calmed down. Do you think this world will still be fine when he wakes up?¡± ¡°I am already the Crown itself. Qzatquizail is nothing more than an empty body. Isn¡¯t it only natural that I should be the one to dominate it?¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense, Gerard!¡± The ten Danes struck the floor with their canes. They were still very far from Gerard, but Gerard was affected by them for the first time. With a cracking sound, the ground where Gerard had been standing fell apart and crumbled. At the same time, a Dane in the form of an old man appeared right next to Gerard. However, Dane¡¯s face was covered in dismay. Gerard rubbed his thumb and index finger together in the air. At that moment, all ten Dane¡¯s felt their necks begin to twirl. In an instant, all of the Dane¡¯s had their heads pulled off of their bodies with a loud thud. Then, Dane¡¯s headless body was squeezed as if it were a mop, and instantly fell down to the ground. Gerard brought one of the heads close to his face. ¡°Trying to distort my vision, huh? I¡¯m disappointed that you thought such a trivial trick would work on me as well.¡± Dane, who only had his head left, did not answer. ¡°Dane, you must have thought that your ideal was the greatest and highest. But your views and ideals are still narrow. Do you still limit yourself to thinking about the Crack as ¡®something to be careful of¡¯ even after you have spent hundreds of years exploring the Crack and wandering around the world?¡± Gerard turned Dane¡¯s head around and looked closely into it. Dane¡¯s reddish skin did not seem to be alive. ¡°I know how great the power of the Crown burning inside me is. If we can manage to get the body of Qzatquizail, then we can have not only our universe, but also the other worlds and stars from beyond the Crack. Among them, I can be the biggest and most fiercely burning star. To be an immortal and good emperor is not enough. I will become brighter than my father whom I have looked up to.¡± ¡°You are crazy,¡± Dane puffed his lips and replied to Gerard. ¡°You are the most terrible failure that I have created in my life. I even regret being born just because of the fact that I made you. Did you say that you¡¯re going to be great? And that you¡¯re going to burn brightly? Bullshit. You¡¯re no better than a rat who fell to its death in the sewage.¡± Hearing all this, Gerard only smirked. ¡°You speak pretty well even with your head severed from your body,¡± Gerard derided. ¡°You¡¯re right. I won¡¯t be able to kill you,¡± Dane murmured in a quiet voice. ¡°But I can stop your terrible deeds. Then, someone else will soon come to kill you.¡± Dane opened his mouth wide. For a moment, something could be seen inside his mouth. It was something that sparkled with unknown darkness on the inside. Black Aldebaran, who recognized what had just come out of Dane¡¯s mouth, screamed. ¡°The Unreachable Star! That¡¯s¡­!¡± At that moment, ink-like darkness rose from Gerard''s hand. *** Juan sprang up from his seat upon feeling a powerful force of unknown origin blooming in the middle of the circular Crack. It was a force so powerful that Juan felt his vision being distorted. For a moment, a strong wind shook Juan. He managed to maintain his balance, but the tremendous force that seemed like it could sweep away even the ridge he was supporting himself against rushed in. All the clouds and dust in the sky were sucked into the Crack in unison. Juan couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by the pulling force that resembled a huge hole in the middle of the sea. It was a power that pulled everything around it and destroyed it all like a typhoon. ¡°Dane, what the hell have you done¡­¡± Juan figured that there was no way that the people inside could be safe in the face of such power. It was a force that could blow away the entire empire if used recklessly. But Juan just felt frustration rather than a sense of crisis. Juan knew that Dane must have used this magic at the risk of his own life. But despite this enormous power, never once did Juan think that Gerard would be beaten by Dane. *** Sina thought that she was dead the moment darkness covered her eyes. But the darkness only lasted for a short moment. However, that did not mean that their field of view had returned to normal. All the statues in front of Sina had become distorted and bent. There was not a single thing that remained intact. Then, Sina suddenly realized that she was the only one who remained intact. The sword that she had dropped from her hand had become strangely long and was bent like a taffy, and it was pointing toward where Gerard was. Gerard looked strangely distorted and round, and it was as if he was suppressing something with both his hands¡ªand he was looking at Sina. Fragments of something unknown were floating toward Gerard at a very slow pace. Only then did Sina realize that she was under Gerard¡¯s protection and that she would die if she moved even the slightest bit recklessly. No one could tell how long this strange world would last. It was only after a time that felt as long as eternity that the strange world suddenly ended. The sound of something pouring down rang out. Gerard crouched and clasped something in his hands. His hands were now twisted like a conch, but he just quietly looked down at his hands and brushed it off. His hands went back to being intact with just a couple of shakes. ¡°This is a kind of magic I¡¯ve never seen before. It could probably devastate the entire capital,¡± Gerard shrugged. Only then did the Order of Lindwurm, the Thornbush Priest Organization, and members of Aruntal manage to stand up. They were helplessly caught up in the attack the moment Dane¡¯s magic was unleashed. But the magic ended up being trapped inside Gerard¡¯s hands and only a small fraction of its power escaped his hands. However, that alone caused quite a few victims. Those who were even brushed by the slightest bit of the magic¡¯s power were scattered on the ground like powder. In particular, nearly half of the monsters summoned by the Thornbush Priest Organization were now dead and scattered. Black Aldebaran opened her mouth with a pale expression. ¡°The Unreachable Star¡­ I can¡¯t believe he gave it up to attack¡­¡± Sina realized from Black Aldebaran¡¯s mutterings that this magic was probably the greatest attack that Dane could make. However, it did nothing more than damage Gerard¡¯s hands for a very brief moment. Meanwhile, Gerard was looking around with a frown on his face. Upon seeing his face, Sina realized that while Dane¡¯s attack had failed to kill Gerard, it had successfully managed to destroy the huge structure which Gerard had been building for days. ¡°Fucking rascal! You are so annoying,¡± Gerard muttered. ¡°I hope you like my final present to you, Gerard.¡± Dane, who was only supposed to have a head remaining, reappeared in the form of a young child. ¡°I can¡¯t stop you now, but you can¡¯t kill me either. I have no choice but to run away if you insist on destroying the world. There must be a place somewhere where I can escape your tyranny.¡± However, Gerard simply ignored Dane and looked back at Sina. Sina grew perplexed when her eyes suddenly met Gerard¡¯s. ¡°Sina, let me show you what Solvane is capable of.¡± Dane was still letting out curses and profanities at Gerard while grumbling like a crazy old man. But when he saw Gerard lift the strange spear, his eyebrows instantly bent into a frown. ¡°What kind of toy-like weapon is that? I¡¯m going to curse you in your face even if you kill me several more times.¡± Gerard completely ignored Dane once again and then aimed Solvane toward the sky. Then, he threw it into the air, almost as if he had nothing to do with Dane. Then, Solvane split into two, four, then eight before leaving Gerard¡¯s fingertips. Soon, it split into countless clusters of light and disappeared. Seeing this, Dane murmured with a frown. ¡°What are you doing? That¡¯s¡­¡± Even before Dane could finish speaking, a golden spear pierced Dane¡¯s left chest along with a splitting sound. The spear pierced through Dane and then got stuck to the ground. Instantly, Dane was hung into the air, almost as if he was a skewer. Dane coughed and vomited blood. His eyes were filled with shock and fear. Seeing this, Gerard smiled. ¡°Can you finally feel the fear of death once again after a long time?¡± Dane¡¯s eyes trembled upon hearing Gerard¡¯s mocking question. Sina realized that Dane wasn¡¯t the only one who had been pierced by the spear. A few of the members of Aruntal, some of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm, and some Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization were also pierced through by Solvane and skewered on rocks. There were dozens of Solvanes emitting golden light around the Crack. For a moment, everyone was perplexed by the sight, but soon realized what had happened. All the bodies penetrated by Solvane belonged to Dane. Even when Dane acted as if he had given up on everything, he had tried to keep a part of himself hidden by Gerard¡¯s side to keep an eye on him. As soon as Gerard opened his hand, Solvane appeared in his palm. At the end of the spear was someone¡¯s pierced heart. ¡°You¡¯ve hidden your essence in a place that¡¯s really difficult to find, Dane. I had to stab all of them because I couldn¡¯t tell exactly which one of your bodies all over the empire was truly yours. Among them, this heart certainly seems to be more special than the others.¡± Dane puffed his mouth and reached his trembling hands toward the heart. The only emotion on his face was fear. The moment Dane was about to say something, Gerard took the heart stuck at the end of the spear. Then, he ruthlessly stepped on the heart and crushed it. Finally, Dane died, letting out neither a scream nor leaving a last will. When Gerard slammed the Solvane, which was in his hand against the ground, all the other spears disappeared in unison. Meanwhile, everyone was speechless by the overwhelming power of Solvane and looked at Gerard in silence. Gerard¡¯s gaze turned toward Sina with a content look on his face. ¡°What do you think?¡± Gerard asked. Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± Sina asked back. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Solvane. There are still many more things that I want to show you.¡± CH 244 Juan felt a sharp shock as he climbed down the mountain. A powerful and sharp force covered the entire empire for a very short moment and disappeared in just an instant. This force was quite similar to that of Telgramm¡¯s, but the difference was that it was much more sophisticated and sharpened. Juan could feel countless people dying. However, only one person had really died. ¡°Dane¡­¡± From the moment that tremendous force burst out from the center of the Crack, Juan knew that it would be difficult for Dane to survive. In fact, he had known that to be the case from the moment Dane had decided to go and persuade Gerard. Gerard had already become an existence who couldn¡¯t be persuaded or stopped. Perhaps Dane¡¯s fate was set in stone ever since Gerard was created. At the same time, Juan had lost all his respect for Dane ever since that moment. For this very reason, all Juan felt after Dane¡¯s death was that Gerard had become aware of his own power much faster than expected. Gerard had grown so powerful that even the attack that Dane staked his life on couldn¡¯t harm him. ¡®Perhaps that¡¯s only natural. Gerard is another me, after all.¡¯ Juan had already felt that Gerard was very similar to himself as he watched Gerard grow up over time. If there was any difference between the two, then it was that Gerard was a little more honest with his needs. He had wanted to get married, have a child, had someone he loved, showed sympathy to the others, tried to save them, and then finally became greedy. As a result, he ended up being arrogant enough to think that only he could be the one to save humans. Juan had no doubt that he, too, would have ended up exactly like Gerard if he had been a little more honest about his own strength and abilities. All of those emotions were a trap to make him trip, and this was the reason Juan had been wary of Gerard. Juan knew that his wary feelings toward Gerard came from his subconscious mind. ¡®Gerard might have implicitly felt it, too.¡¯ Juan thought that it might have been the subtle sense of distance between them and the hidden doubts that he held about Gerard that made Gerard desire to be acknowledged. He couldn''t help but reflect on such possibilities. Juan whispered as he glared at the distorted entrance of the Crack. ¡®But Gerard, nothing will change even if you and I both regret what we¡¯ve done.¡¯ ¡°It seems like we are destined to have ever-lasting regrets.¡± Juan once again began to move in silence. The great plan that Dane had created had collapsed completely now. And it was Juan¡¯s job to prevent the collapsed ruins of this plan from doing even more damage. The opponent was an absolute being, but fortunately, Juan was used to fighting against the absolute¡ªespecially if he knew the opponent very well. It was time for Juan to come up with a new plan. *** The moon was shining brightly in the night sky. However, the bright moon soon turned into a distorted red color when the strange purple air leaking from the Crack started spreading. The night breeze was lukewarm. Amidst this awkward silence where not even a single insect was making any noise, only the pounding heartbeat of the creatures from a different world could be heard under the wall. Lenly felt like his ears were about to burst; the stuffy silence made him feel even more suffocated than he already was. He came out into the hallway and began to wander around. ¡°What worries are keeping you up so late at night?¡± When Lenly was blankly staring up at the moon, someone approached and talked to him. It was Bekelt. Lenly flinched without even realizing it when he recalled Bekelt¡¯s face that was revealed when Dane attacked. There was nothing above Bekelt¡¯s nose besides unidentified tentacles that were wriggling around. ¡°It seems like there is something bothering you.¡± ¡°...Thank you for letting me stay in your Citadel. But it isn¡¯t something that I can tell you about,¡± Lenly answered. ¡°It must be related to His Majesty Gerard, am I right?¡± Lenly flinched and looked at Bekelt with a perplexed expression. Bekelt just smiled. ¡°How can I not know that? Earlier¡­ His Majesty Gerard may have seemed far from the image of an ideal emperor. No wonder everyone was so frustrated.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you also feel frustrated, Sir Bekelt? His Majesty Gerard¡¯s appearance, his words, his actions, then the greetings from the Thornbush Priest Organization, and even the story of reviving Qzatquizail! It all sounds absurd!¡± Being a member of Aruntal, Lenly already knew about Qzatquizail. For this very reason, Lenly couldn¡¯t help but speak out his frustrations. All the stories about Qzatquizail that he had heard from Dane made him feel hopeless. But Bekelt¡¯s answer was something completely unexpected to Lenly. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not positive about it either.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯ve seen the world beyond the Crack with my own eyes. This parasite on my head is the reward I got by overcoming the crisis of death,¡± Bekelt said as he tapped on his helmet. ¡°Among them, Qzatquizail is definitely the worst. Five of the nine heads on the dragon are asleep, including the one that wears the Crown. Waking up Qzatquizail means to increase the possibility of awakening the other heads as well. You wouldn¡¯t even know how many eyes are watching this situation right now.¡± ¡°Then we must be even more¡­¡± ¡°But in other words, it is also an opportunity for us to escape the threat of the nine-headed dragon forever.¡± Lenly looked at Bekelt with eyes filled with suspicion, but Bekelt continued to speak in a calm manner, "Some people say that civilizations are things that thrive only for a brief period of time while the nine-headed dragon is asleep. Who knows how many civilizations have existed before this one? I heard that the nine-headed dragon¡¯s hibernation this time around has been particularly long. That¡¯s probably because Mananen McLeir stole the Crown. Thanks to him, many civilizations and powerful beings could buy time and build up their strength.¡± Lenly remained silent. ¡°Mananen McLier did not create the emperor to save humanity, you know. He created the emperor to keep the Crown sealed. The emperor is nothing more than a bowl to hold the Crown. Yet, Dane seemed to have thought otherwise.¡± ¡°If so, shouldn¡¯t we work even harder to keep it apart from the Crack?¡± ¡°Maybe. But all that would do is to slow down the awakening of the nine-headed dragon. It¡¯s still going to happen one day¡ªit is inevitable.¡± At that moment, Bekelt reached out for the sky, moving his arm in a strange motion. ¡°A dragon can only be countered using the strength of another dragon. It is said that no one has ever had a chance to fight against the nine-headed dragon. But things are different now. If His Majesty Gerard manages to take control of Qzatquizail, the Crowned head of the dragon, we can finally escape the fear of the dragon.¡± ¡°We thought the world would end because we couldn¡¯t even stop Qzatquizail, which is only one of the heads!¡± Lenly shouted. Bekelt stared at Lenly in silence. ¡°Now you want to deal with the other eight heads as well? Are you out of your mind? I would have put aside my anxiety if His Majesty Gerard had proved his behavior and mindset to be proper and stable. But¡­!¡± The sound of Lenly gritting his teeth rang out in the hallway. He glared at Bekelt and tightly clenched his fist as he continued speaking. ¡°His Majesty is acting like he is the master of humanity rather than its guardian and savior. Although I am loyal to His Majesty, I am neither his dog nor a slave. So tell me, is my anxiety baseless?¡± ¡°It is hard to see people when you stand too high,¡± Bekelt said and patted Lenly on the shoulder as he walked past Lenly. ¡°Especially when you already have a great example to compare yourself to.¡± Lenly quickly noticed who Bekelt was referring to. ¡®He is talking about Juan.¡¯ Lenly couldn¡¯t help but admit that he had been comparing Gerard to Juan unconsciously. In fact, from the very beginning, Juan was the most ideal emperor to Lenly. The only reason Lenly betrayed Juan was that he refused to rule the empire eternally. To put it bluntly, to Lenly, Gerard was nothing more than an eternal substitute for Juan. ¡°To be honest, I think it is rather fortunate that His Majesty Gerard isn¡¯t acknowledging us,¡± Bekelt said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°The Thornbush Priest Organization is trash that is not even worth mentioning, and we, the Order of Lindwurm, have long since been encroached upon by the poison of the Crack. Meanwhile, Aruntal is a little better than the rest of us, but you¡¯re all just a bunch of puny traitors gathered by Dane. Don¡¯t be offended by my words. That¡¯s all I can say when I compare you to the real Aruntal from the past. They really were legends. After all, they were the warriors and saviors even in the days without His Majesty.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± ¡°Anyway, we are an unwelcome group no matter where we go. Maybe that¡¯s why His Majesty Gerard feels unpleasant about us. But his values haven¡¯t changed at all. He will save humanity from the threat of the Crack, protect humanity from evil, and expand our world into a bigger world.¡± ¡°Save, protect, and expand¡­¡± Lenly muttered to himself. ¡°Maybe a true emperor doesn¡¯t really need a subordinate he cares about. I think that might be better. A strong superhuman who rules all of humanity fairly may be more suitable for the position of the true ruler of the world.¡± Lenly felt uncomfortable upon hearing Bekelt¡¯s words. What Bekelt said was certainly the virtue of the proper monarch. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was out of place. ¡®Juan, am I feeling this way because of you?¡¯ Lenly did not answer Bekelt. Meanwhile, Bekelt just patted Lenly on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay to keep contemplating about it. Those who don¡¯t agonize are not subordinates; they are just a sword to be used by His Majesty and have no will. But I hope that you won¡¯t do anything to cause a nuisance for His Majesty Gerard. Those who rebel under His Majesty Gerard won¡¯t be safe. I rather like you, unlike others from Aruntal.¡± Then Bekelt suddenly asked as if he had remembered something. ¡°Come to think of it, few of the members of Aruntal are nowhere to be seen. Where did they go?¡± ¡°...Some of the members of Aruntal felt skeptical, just like me. Some of them left, while Imil Ilde decided to get out of here to help His Majesty Gerard from somewhere else. He said that this was not the battlefield for him.¡± ¡°Well, Imil Ilde did look just like a normal human being. I can¡¯t believe an ordinary person managed to join Aruntal. But it¡¯s no surprise¡ªafter all, even Harmon tried to join Aruntal at one point.¡± Lenly looked surprised upon hearing the unexpected name that came out of Bekelt¡¯s mouth. ¡°Harmon? You mean Harmon Helwin? The former Grand Duke?¡± ¡°So you know of him. Yes. I¡¯ve seen records saying that he was interested in joining Aruntal before it fell under Dane¡¯s command. In the end, not joining them only ended up saving his life, since Aruntal was completely wiped out. But he must have known some truths about the emperor.¡± *** ¡°Kill them all!¡± The Northern Army rushed in all at once upon hearing Nienna¡¯s fierce roar. The monsters of the Crack that had been wandering on the hill were ruthlessly killed by the warriors¡¯ sudden attacks¡ªit only took an instant. But Nienna knew that this was only temporary. The creatures of the Crack could live in an even more terrible and cruel environment. Their counterattack was quick. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Nienna turned her head as soon as she heard a scream. One of the monsters with tentacles soaring out of its back was shaking its body after skewering several warriors with its tentacles. The monster itself was crouching with its head down, almost like a frightened puppy and did not look threatening at all, but the tentacles on its back were not so harmless. The tentacles inflated and contracted in unison like hedgehogs while stacking the countless corpses around them. Nienna didn¡¯t hesitate to leap straight toward the monster. At that moment, the monster suddenly jumped and ran away toward another place. The figure of the monster running away resembled that of a flea. Nienna clicked her tongue as she thought that the monsters had pretty good senses. However, even a monster like that was only a prey for others in the world of the Crack. When Nienna was about to follow the monster that ran away, something white suddenly passed by the monster. The monster immediately collapsed on the ground while spraying bodily fluids all over the place. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" Only then did Nienna find Anya standing on top of the hill. A group of legendary knights and the Undead summoned by Anya quickly swept through the monsters of the Crack that were about to start a counterattack. Anya had appeared at the perfect timing. After making eye contact with Anya to show her appreciation, Nienna went out looking for other monsters. There were still many monsters that she had to kill. After the battle was over, Anya approached Nienna. ¡°Is it normal to have this many monsters in the North? If so, I have to say that my respect for the northerners has increased,¡± Anya asked. ¡°It used to be like this a long time ago. It was a time when monsters piled up one after another because they had not yet been suppressed properly. However, this is the first time since my rule that it has become this bad.¡± CH 245 ¡°Which means that a lot of them have crawled out all of a sudden. I wonder what happened?¡± Nienna did not answer Anya. She intentionally tried to avoid finding out information related to the Crack, but there were many things that she inevitably found out due to dealing with it for a long time. Although Nienna didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of the creatures of the Crack, she knew that the relationship between the predators and the prey was maintained by any means, in any form. ¡°Perhaps they were chased here by something?¡± It was Anya who spoke out Nienna¡¯s thoughts. Nienna glared at Anya and nodded. ¡°That might really be the case.¡± ¡°Or they might even be under someone¡¯s command. You know, being commanded by an immensely powerful being like a nine-headed dragon called Qzatquizail or something,¡± Anya added. Nienna let out a sigh. Anya¡¯s curiosity seemed endless. Anya had also heard about Qzatquizail and the story about the nine-headed dragon from Nienna. Nienna did not want to tell Anya, but she did not have a choice, since Anya wouldn¡¯t stop asking. ¡°Neither do I care nor do I want to know. All I know about the monsters of the Crack is that commanding them is similar to commanding flies or maggots. You can feed them, but you can¡¯t command them. No matter how enormous Gerard¡¯s power is, he won¡¯t be able to command these monsters,¡± Nienna explained. ¡°But I heard that the Thornbush Priest Organization can control the monsters of the Crack.¡± ¡°I told you¡ªyou can ¡®feed¡¯ them. You can designate the target as food, but the next target for them to ¡®feed¡¯ on is the Priests themselves once their designated target is eaten and gone. What the Priests do is send the monsters back before they become the target or control the consciousness of the monsters for a very short time only. They can¡¯t do any more than that.¡± Nienna frowned and continued. ¡°These nasty monsters can¡¯t be tamed by anyone. Extremely intelligent monsters can be an exception, but not these monsters. You don¡¯t really think that we wouldn¡¯t have thought about taming them before, right? The North has more monsters than cattle, you know.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Anya fell into deep thought as if she was thinking about something. ¡°What else are you curious about now? For your information, the more you learn about the Crack, the higher the probability of you being encroached upon by them. I will immediately split your head in half if I see you talking to yourself later,¡± Nienna warned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that¡­ if that is the case, maybe Qzatquizail is actually somewhat similar to the monsters of the Crack.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t think that such a very powerful and huge being would have the same desires or needs that we do¡­ but I feel like that¡¯s also true of the monsters as well. In the end, the nine-headed dragon is also just a huge monster and is overrated.¡± Nienna¡¯s expression became distorted as she stared at Anya in silence. Then she soon smacked Anya in the back of her head. ¡°Just stop thinking about useless things, will you? The deeper you think, the more you are tempted by the Crack. It seems like you¡¯re already showing signs, considering that you are thinking about it so much.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Even as she scolded Anya, Nienna couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy about what Anya had said. It was true that Nienna tried her best not to think about the Crack, but if the nine-headed dragon really was nothing more than a monster, it would mean that the whole world¡¯s safety and existence was dependent on a monster¡¯s trivial will. ¡°I keep having trivial thoughts because His Majesty isn¡¯t here with us. Since His Majesty had that monster¡¯s Crown for a while¡­ I would have asked him what it feels like to have a monster¡¯s heart if he were next to me.¡± ¡°Does the fact that he had the Crown bother you?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°I think it¡¯s incredibly cool. It¡¯s like wearing the heart of the strongest monster in the universe as a Crown,¡± Anya answered with eyes filled with joy. Nienna shook her head; she came to the conclusion that she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Anya being encroached upon by the Crack. A simple and straightforward person was not easily tempted by the Crack. All Anya had toward the Crack was plain curiosity. Anya looked toward the North. Over the ridges of the great mountain range, something that resembled a black bubble had soared into the air. The bubble was swelling, growing bigger day by day, so much so that it was now visible even to the Northern Army. ¡°The point is, His Majesty wearing that awesome Crown would mean fighting against that thing over there,¡± Anya said. ¡°To be precise, he¡¯s fighting the bastard inflating that bubble. For your information, that bastard is also the one who currently has the Crown.¡± ¡°Hah, not everyone can be an emperor just because they are wearing a Crown. His Majesty wearing the Crown can¡¯t be the same as a stray dog wearing it. I think it¡¯s right to call it the Crown if His Majesty is wearing it, and a dog lease if Gerard is the one wearing it.¡± ¡°Well, tell that to him when he shows up,¡± Nienna said as she glanced behind the line. Meanwhile, Juan was watching the situation of the battle coming to an end from atop the hill. Nienna greeted him with eye gestures. At that moment, Pavan approached Juan. ¡°It seems like General Nienna is doing quite well. To be honest, I don¡¯t really have anything to do because she is doing even better than when she¡¯s fighting against humans.¡± Pavan¡¯s armor was covered with the bodily fluids and pieces of flesh that belonged to the monsters. Although the army was overwhelming the monsters now, he could feel the monsters getting stronger and stronger as they were approaching the North; it was to the point that Pavan had to step up himself. On the other hand, Juan was clean, since he was not participating in the battle at all. He only occasionally gave orders through Pavan. There were no major problems in most cases, since the orders given by Pavan and Juan were consistent. However, there were still voices whispering and wondering about why Juan was not joining the battle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you step up and show off your skills?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°What would I do that for?¡± ¡°To raise the morale of the soldiers¡­¡± ¡°Victory alone is enough to keep their morale high. The commander of the Northern Army is Nienna. There is no need for me to step up and shake up the command chain.¡± Pavan shrugged and nodded. The fact that the Northern Army was more loyal to Nienna rather than the emperor was quite famous. But that was only the case when the emperor did not show up in front of them. ¡®Who would dare to deny the authority of the emperor when he is right in front of them?¡¯ That would be disrespectful not only to the emperor, but also to Nienna, who was loyal to Juan. But Pavan did not argue with Juan anymore. ¡°All right,¡± Pavan said as he got back on his horse and left. Juan looked toward the North in silence. The speed of their progress would be much faster if he joined the battle to help the army. However, there was a separate battlefield waiting for Juan to step up. He had to curl up for the moment and wait to step up on the said battlefield. The wind continued blowing toward the North. Amidst this wind, Juan whispered some words that no one could hear. *** A lukewarm wind of unknown origin tickled Sina¡¯s cheek. Sina trembled without even realizing it and stood up from her seat. Her eyes moved toward Gerard, who was sitting on the edge of the cliff. Ever since Dane destroyed the structure he had been working on, he has been concentrating on restoring it. All Sina could do here was watch Gerard. Ever since her resurrection, Sina had been able to sustain her life even though she hadn¡¯t slept or eaten. She didn¡¯t even feel like she was running out of energy. She didn¡¯t ask, but she could already tell that it was because Gerard was injecting mana into her. Sina couldn¡¯t figure out Gerard¡¯s intentions. ¡®Why is he treating me in such a special way? Why does he want to be acknowledged by me so badly?¡¯ Find the original at "pawread dot com". Sina wondered if his only reason was that she had acknowledged Juan as the emperor, but she didn¡¯t think that it was the slightest bit important¡ªGerard could be whatever he wanted even if Sina did not acknowledge him. It was just like how Juan was the emperor from the very beginning, even when she hadn¡¯t acknowledged him. Sina looked at Gerard¡¯s back and inadvertently grabbed the handle of the sword next to her. She had already thought over and over about stabbing Gerard. Of course, she already knew that would neither be able to kill nor damage Gerard. Gerard was just as powerful as the emperor in his heyday. Sina even had a feeling that he might actually be even stronger from looking at the way he handled the power of the Crown. But that did not matter. Sina just wanted to kill herself by borrowing someone else¡¯s hands. While Sina¡¯s hand, which was holding on to the handle of the sword, was trembling, Gerard suddenly turned his head. Sina almost drew her sword before she knew it, but stopped when she realized that Gerard was not looking toward her. Gerard stared toward the South for a moment and then disappeared in an instant. Sina loosened her grip. Even if Gerard hadn¡¯t disappeared, she would have given up on attacking him, just as she had already done countless times before. ¡®Juan, I know what you would have done if you were placed in my shoes. Of course, you would jump in and crush him to death.¡¯ No matter who the opponent was, Juan would always jump in without thinking about death and win. But Sina did not want to die without saying goodbye to Juan a second time. The reason she did not attack Gerard was because of the thought that Juan might appear one day if she continued to stay by Gerard¡¯s side. Although her life was given back to her by the devil, she did not want to lose it in vain. Sina wandered dazedly around the rocky island. She had been looking around the area several times every day from the very first day in hopes of finding a way to get out, but there was no way out. The entrance to the Crack was a cliff with no bottom in sight. Unidentified bizarre creatures roamed around in the purple mist, and that was true today as well. Sina blankly looked around at her surroundings, then she suddenly felt a stinging pain on the back of her hand. She turned her head in surprise and found something strange. Someone was curled up and hiding in the shadow of a rock. Sina drew her sword without realizing it. ¡°Who are¡­¡± As soon as Sina was about to ask the opponent who they were, the opponent hiding in the shadow raised his hand and signaled something. As soon as she recognized the signal, Sina closed her mouth even before she knew it. It was a message that she had no choice but to react to immediately. It was a signal for the Imperial Army. The opponent signaled her to stop and then carefully pulled down the robe, which was completely covering his face. It was Opert, a member of the Order of Huginn and the Vice Master of the Magic Tower. Sina tried to approach him in surprise, but hastily came to a stop when she recalled that the surrounding energy was dominated by Gerard. Sina knew that her every move was being watched. For the same reason, Opert did not approach Sina; instead, he sent her a message through a signal. ¡®But how was he not caught?¡¯ There was no way that Gerard hadn¡¯t been able to sense Opert¡¯s presence. But soon Sina remembered that Opert had experience infiltrating Aruntal, and how all of Arurntal was wearing robes that could hide their presence, even from Juan. Sina figured that it would be hard for Gerard to notice Opert¡¯s presence if he wasn¡¯t concentrating. ¡®Dane is dead but his articles are still alive, huh.¡¯ Whatever it was, Sina felt that it was fortunate. Sina pretended to look toward the Crack and paid attention to Opert. Opert began to once again send signals, relieved. This time, it was a regular sign language rather than a signal used in the Imperial Army. Sina could easily understand the message, since all knights were taught this sign language. [His Majesty asked me to make sure that you are safe and sound.] Sina wanted to tell him that she was okay and ask the many questions she had in mind: how far had Juan come, how much time is left till he got here, what she should do, and whether her physical form was fine. However, all she could do was remain motionless and try her best not to miss Opert¡¯s sign language. [There was a message His Majesty asked me to deliver to you if you were safe.] Sina waited anxiously for the next message. Oper soon sent a short message using sign language. Then he bowed his head as if his business had ended and disappeared into the shadows. It was hard to find any traces of him; it was as if he had never been here. Sina couldn¡¯t hide her excitement as she recalled Juan¡¯s message. [I am coming.] *** ¡°An avalanche?¡± Nienna asked back with a frown. The Northern Army was stopped by a series of unexpected events during their march. The road ahead was blocked by a huge cliff that was not on the map before. Nienna sent a scout to figure out the situation, and the scout had just returned. ¡°Yes, General. The surroundings have been completely destroyed because of the earthquake and the existing path has been blocked. I think we will need to make a modification to the map.¡± CH 246 ¡°Is there any other way?¡± ¡°There is an old hunter¡¯s path, but¡­¡± ¡°No. Not there,¡± Nienna answered firmly. The old hunter¡¯s path in question was a cramped and precarious road to march on. They would suffer enormous damage if they encountered a raid in such a place. Pavan approached Nienna as she let out a sigh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we can anticipate an earthquake or an avalanche.¡± ¡°No, I know the North better than anyone else. I can see in my head where and how much damage the earthquake would have caused. Have we ever wandered aimlessly or been late?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Exactly. That was because I drew the map in my head while considering the cold, the weather conditions, and the other damage that might have occurred. That¡¯s why this is strange. This is a place where avalanches and ground rises cannot occur due to the slope being too gentle and the ground being hard,¡± Nienna explained. ¡°Hmm. It definitely does make me feel uneasy,¡± Pavan nodded. ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°So do we not have any other way?¡± Nienna looked at Pavan as if he was being absurd and then opened her mouth. ¡°Who do you think I am? I¡¯m Nienna Nelben. We can march on the hunter¡¯s path if we put some work into it. But the problem is¡­¡± Then Nienna stopped talking as her gaze stopped ahead. An unknown man had slowly appeared atop the cliff. The man with long hair was wearing armor that was not suitable for the climate. Pavan tilted his head in wonder at the sight. ¡°That¡¯s an armor that does not fit the climate at all. If he wears armor like that in this weather, his skin will get all stuck and¡­¡± At that moment, Pavan stopped talking as he suddenly realized that Nienna was glaring at the man with raging murderous intent. Her fierce gaze alone seemed to be enough to kill a man. Upon recognizing the danger, Pavan quickly sent a signal to the knights to deploy the troops. The Northern Army quickly prepared themselves for combat. However, the man simply looked down at them for a long time and then suddenly disappeared. At that moment, the snow piled up around the surroundings exploded in unison with a loud roar¡ªit was almost like a thunderbolt. The glaciers that have been buried and frozen for hundreds of years were revealed as the snow covering the entire mountain was blown away. The man who was standing on the cliff until just a moment ago slowly walked out on top of the glacier. ¡°Long time no see, Nienna.¡± Nienna grinned, showing her teeth. ¡°You can¡¯t begin to understand how much I¡¯ve missed you, Gerard.¡± That was the only greeting given by Nienna. She didn¡¯t want to have any further conversation with Gerard. At the same time Nienna drew her white sword, she summoned blades of cold air to pour them over Gerard. The sudden burst of cold air instantly pushed away the soldiers who were standing on the ground. Pavan noticed that the soldiers weren¡¯t damaged by Nienna¡¯s attack¡ªshe was only pushing them away in order to protect them. Nienna wanted to turn this into an individual fight instead of getting the others involved in it. Ice pillars popped out in unison and restrained Gerard. Then, Nienna immediately clamped her hand toward the glacier and thrusted the ice blades into it. However, Gerard neither dodged nor fought back. He was just silently watching what Nienna was doing. Nienna clenched her teeth and continued to pour out magic, but Gerard didn¡¯t seem to be even the slightest bit damaged. ¡°General Nienna! I will go and call His Majesty!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Nienna exclaimed with a terrifying look on her face. But Pavan knew what the right decision was. He ignored Nienna¡¯s words and immediately ran to find Juan. The disturbance at the front had already been reported to the rear, and Anya would soon come running. Nienna tightly bit her lips. ¡°Fenrir!¡± With a long howl, a white wolf jumped down from midair. Fenrir opened his mouth wide and swallowed Gerard at once. However, in just the blink of an eye, the area from Fenrir¡¯s head to waist disappeared. This did not surprise Nienna, since she had already predicted it from the beginning. She had only intended to block Gerard¡¯s view for a very short moment. Nienne swung her white sword with extreme concentration. Instead of taking her time, she immediately used the most powerful swordsmanship that she could use. It was Fleeting Moment, the fifth stage of the Baltic Sword, but it was performed with Nienna¡¯s distinctive features. Even time seemed to have frozen white. Nienna felt space being torn along her sword and the cold air pouring into the empty world at the same time. It was the coldness of a different world¡ªa world that had never been exposed to any heat or light before. It was a perfectly pure space of cold, one that even the Crack had never permeated. It was normal for one to suffer burns when using Fleeting Moment, but even Nienna¡¯s skin was touched by the cold air, causing it to freeze and fall off. Anything would break if touched by air so cold. Nienna raised her sword again, intending to cut off Gerard¡¯s neck and making it impossible to reattach it. At that moment, Gerard opened his mouth. ¡°I came to have a conversation, Nienna.¡± Nienna¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing Gerard¡¯s voice. In the world created by using the Fleeting Moment, where nothing other than the user could move, Gerard had simply raised his finger and held Nienna¡¯s white sword with ease. At the moment when Gerard¡¯s hands seemed to have frozen in the cold air, the white sword exploded and its pieces scattered everywhere. Nienna staggered with a pale expression due to her use of Fleeting Moment being stopped forcefully. Her sword turned black and was held in the air between two of Gerard¡¯s fingers. As Gerard lightly clenched his hand, the pieces of the sword broke down and scattered away in the wind. Nienna threw away the broken handle of the sword without any hesitation and immediately swung her fist at Gerard. However, even her fist was blocked by an invisible wall. Nienna gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Conversation? I have nothing to say to you.¡± ¡°Then bring someone else.¡± ¡°Fuck you! Do you remember what I said back in Arbalde? I killed even my blood relatives if they had been encroached upon by the Crack. Give me a reason to not kill you when we don¡¯t even share a single drop of blood.¡± ¡°I know that you don¡¯t have a reason not to kill me. I won¡¯t stop you from doing that. I understand and trust you, Nienna. I know that you can keep this world safe,¡± Gerard said in a calm manner. ¡°Yes. I will keep this world safe by cutting off your neck and¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, Nienna. Only your mouth will get dirty by talking to him.¡± Nienna turned her head toward the voice that came from behind her. She could see Juan and Anya, who looked very nervous, approaching her. Their response was much faster than Nienna expected. She figured that they must have already been walking toward the front, since they already expected Gerard to appear. Gerard did not reply to Juan¡¯s words, only looking at him in silence. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Meanwhile, Juan just leisurely walked toward Gerard without even drawing Sutra. Nienna clenched her teeth as she glared at Gerard, but soon stepped back. It was her father¡¯s turn. She was not stupid enough to act recklessly in a situation like this. ¡°Your appearance seems to have changed from the last time I saw you, Gerard,¡± Juan said as he quietly looked at Gerard¡¯s face. Gerard¡¯s face had changed in many ways compared to what it looked like back at the Red Citadel. He had changed into a completely different figure from the moment he absorbed the power of the Crown. His hair was longer and his face was strangely radiant. When Juan tried to get closer, Gerard raised his hand. ¡°Let me tell you this first. Dane Dormund is dead.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°He was a piece of trash who deserved to die. But I don¡¯t want to kill you too.¡± ¡°Haha, is that so? You should have thought so before you stabbed me in the back. You had your chance before you turned me into a squeezed rag back in the Red Citadel.¡± Despite Juan¡¯s mockery, Gerard continued in a calm manner. ¡°Your power feels like that of an ordinary man to me right now. There¡¯s no point in fighting anymore. I want you to just live in peace for the rest of your life. It would be nice to go back to the South and farm there. I want you to live long and watch just how prosperous the universe becomes under my reign.¡± The corner of Juan¡¯s lips twitched; he realized that Gerard had been eavesdropping on the conversation he had with Nienna. But that was not really a surprise. Juan made a distorted smile and opened his mouth. ¡°That was my dream at one point, Gerard¡ªuntil you stabbed me in the back.¡± Then Juan took a step closer to Gerard. ¡°A stable abdication, successfully passing on my throne to my successors, and returning to the valley where I was supposed to return¡­ all these had been my dream. To be honest, that valley is neither a fertile place nor a place where people are kind. But it was a special place for me. There might even be someone waiting for me as well. At one point, I had wanted to see the empire under your reign from there.¡± ¡°Then do so now. I won¡¯t disturb you,¡± Gerard answered. ¡°But I was mistaken, Gerard. I realized that I have been deceived by your kindness toward the people and your courage to fight against the enemies. But in the end, you¡¯re just like me after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just like you?¡± Juan spread his arms toward Gerard. ¡°You wouldn''t know what kind of crazy and nasty thoughts I¡¯ve had, just like how I had no idea what you had been thinking. You probably didn¡¯t know just how much I hated humans and just how tempted I was to destroy them. You thought I was the perfect emperor, but no, Gerard, I wanted to kill just as much as I loved humans.¡± Nienna, Anya, and Pavan all looked at Juan with a shocked expression upon hearing what he said in such a calm manner. Juan¡¯s voice was so loud that all the northern troops could hear him. For the first time, Gerard also had a stiff expression upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. Gerard clenched his teeth and glared at Juan, but Juan just continued to speak as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Humans are trivial and dirty pieces of trash that betray each other with no guilt, and they are pigs who only care about themselves. I would be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t feel joy from killing all those pieces of trash. I¡¯ve got nothing to hide anymore. I¡¯m probably the one who¡¯s killed the most humans in history. You think two million lives in Arbalde was a lot? Come on, do you really think I killed less than that when I founded the empire? But just for that matter, you cried like a baby and decided to parasitize on the Crack.¡± Juan tilted his head in wonder and went on. ¡°Hmm. Come to think of it, maybe you loved humans more than I did.¡± ¡°Do not insult my father, you residue of a monster,¡± Gerard gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re angry, Gerard. Are you going to cry and run to your mommy now? But what can you do?¡± Juan asked wonderingly. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a mother.¡± Gerard didn¡¯t bother to answer Juan and directly swung his hand to the right. That alone pulled out Juan¡¯s right arm with a cracking sound. Then, Juan¡¯s severed arm was thrown somewhere in the snowfield. Shock and screams erupted from all sides. Nienna summoned spears of cold air with bloodshot eyes, while Anya muttered a curse. But Juan held them back by raising his left hand. For a moment, Juan seemed to stumble, but he soon held the wounded area with his left hand. What came out was a sizzling flame instead of blood. Gerard glared at Juan and opened his mouth. ¡°What do you want to do by provoking me with such trashy remarks? I never felt His Majesty to be inadequate as the emperor. He was a great man.¡± ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not it, Gerard. In this situation, you have to answer me by saying something like, ¡®you have neither a mother nor a father.¡¯¡± Gerard gradually made an expression as if he was dumbfounded. He was beginning to feel like he didn¡¯t want to talk with Juan anymore. ¡°You have wasted my effort to come here and talk to you in person in vain. I remember the way you were back in the Red Citadel. I thought that some parts of my father still remaining inside you could encourage me, but now, I feel nothing besides contempt for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so boring, Gerard. Humor is necessary in any situation. You probably don¡¯t know how funny Hela Henna was. What a shame. She was completely different from when she first met you. Compared to Hela¡¯s mannerisms, I¡¯m very decent, you know.¡± ¡°Just piss off.¡± Gerard raised his finger and aimed at Juan. At the same time, Anya prepared to charge with a pale face. The soldiers were also perplexed and prepared to charge, but Pavan stopped them. The power that Gerard displayed was not at a level that the soldiers could do anything about. It was better to be wary of the surroundings¡ªabout whether Gerard had brought anyone else with him. But Juan, who was being aimed at by Gerard, showed no signs of moving. He only opened his mouth again and continued speaking in a calm manner. ¡°Let me ask you one thing, Gerard.¡± ¡°...What now?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really never hated humans?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Gerard glared at Juan and snapped. Then Gerard stood before Juan and shouted proudly. ¡°I am Gerard Gain, the eldest son and the alter ego of His Majesty. I am Gerard Gain, the Captain of the Order of Lindwurm. I am Gerard Gain, who will rescue humanity from the Crack. I am Gerard Gain, the one who will take control of Qzatquizail and control all things in the universe.¡± Gerard exclaimed eloquently to the soldiers around him. ¡°The empire will not end as just a part of this star. The boundary of the empire will expand into space, and human cities will be built on every star. Human beings will prosper under my reign. Everyone will be equally great and happy. Why would I do this for the humans if I hated them?¡± The soldiers glanced at each other without being able to breathe properly. It was clear that Gerard was making a show of his ideal plans for the future, but Gerard frowned upon seeing the soldiers¡¯ reactions. Not many of the soldiers seemed to marvel at his ideals. Gerard¡¯s expression hardened upon seeing the soldier¡¯s react as if they were wondering whether Gerard was sleep-talking. Juan was the only person who applauded Gerard¡¯s eloquence. He then opened his mouth with a big smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Then, you would be good enough to be called the human god. All right. I will acknowledge you as the god of humans.¡± Gerard flinched at Juan¡¯s unexpected acknowledgment. For a moment, he thought that Juan was being sarcastic, but Gerard could detect Juan¡¯s true feelings¡ªJuan¡¯s acknowledgment was sincere. No matter how much he referred to Juan as the residue of a monster, he could not deny that Juan was a part of his father. Gerard could have even acknowledged Juan as the emperor if Juan hadn¡¯t made a mistake back at the Red Citadel. But this same Juan had acknowledged Gerard. Gerard had a moment of hope that his father might be watching him rule the empire while staying under his reign. Then, Juan murmured briefly. ¡°And¡­¡± The leisurely attitude he had until just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen. Only an ice cold madness and murderous intent lurked in the depths of his eyes. ¡°...I love killing gods.¡± At that moment, Juan¡¯s body bounced forward. CH 247 However, Gerard had enough foresight to predict Juan¡¯s movement. Even before Juan took his foot off the ground, his soaring murderous intent was aiming for Gerard¡¯s neck. Gerard just shook his head at such an obvious attack. He simply shook his finger with the intention of seizing and tearing apart all of Juan¡¯s limbs. At that moment, Juan moved strangely in the air, as if bouncing off, and then immediately jumped at Gerard again. Seeing this, Gerard quickly pushed Juan away; it was as if he released his strength explosively as soon as he saw Juan approach him. Juan was pushed out as if it could not be helped, but Gerard looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Are you curious as to how I dodged your attack?¡± Gerard silently looked at Juan instead of answering. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re using some mysterious power or anything. All you¡¯re doing is using a transparent hand of some sort. To be precise, it¡¯s a very dense mass of physical force condensed from mana. But no matter how good a person, they can only move based on their past experiences. At the same time, everything is even clearer after giving up one of my arms.¡± As Juan said, whenever Gerard used his fingertips to move everything around him, he was simply doing so by pouring a huge amount of mana. In the eyes of others, Gerard seemed to be exercising a mysterious power, but in reality, that power simply involved holding and moving things around with an arm made up of mana. Of course, even that alone was quite incredible. After all, it took an enormous amount of mana to lift up just a spoon. Magic was just a way to use mana with the help of knowledge and with expediency. All Gerard was doing was using mana to generate enough force to move mountains. But it was easy to dodge as long as one found out that it was just like moving one¡¯s limbs, especially in the case of Juan, who was more sensitive to mana than the others. ¡°You¡¯re just a human being in the end. You have no choice but to imagine the movement of your joints and muscles before you actually move.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Gerard was full of murderous intent toward Juan. After all, to him, Juan was only a shell of his father. His real father has already been murdered at his own hands. Juan managed to easily capture the mana arm and quickly dodge the attacks even if Gerard did not show any physical movement. Gerard had no choice but to admit that he couldn¡¯t beat Juan with only a single mana arm. However, the mana arm was only a fraction of the power that he could exert. Meanwhile, Juan was having a difficult time attacking Gerard. He was barely managing to avoid the mana arm, and it was clear that he would be in huge trouble if he got caught by it even once, just like when Gerard severed his right arm in just the blink of an eye. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Anya summoned the Army of Undead and began to send them toward Gerard. Gerard tried to hastily capture Anya, but she avoided his arm in a different way¡ªshe was able to dodge Gerard¡¯s attack by summoning endless amounts of bones. Gerard clicked his tongue as bone dust scattered everywhere. The bones that were summoned by Anya and then ground down by Gerard did not disperse; instead, all that bone dust turned into a huge face that jumped toward Gerard. ¡°Do not disturb me.¡± As soon as Gerard glared at the face made of bone dust, thunderbolts spread everywhere. A large explosion occurred in the area as dry bone dust scattered and flames spread. It was a dust explosion. The moment the flames from the explosion filled the basin created by the earthquake, Nienna summoned a barrier of ice to trap the explosion.The flames completely drowned Gerard. ¡°Anya! That was amazing!¡± Nienna burst out in admiration, but Anya looked puzzled. ¡°Um, but why did it explode?¡± Hearing this, Nienna looked at Anya with a dumbfounded expression, speechless. ¡°Captain Anya, when a dry and powdery substance spreads in the air and catches on fire, the flames spread rapidly due to the oxygen¡­¡± Pavan tried to explain what had happened, but the sound of the ice barrier summoned by Nienna being shattered interrupted him. The ice barrier shattered like broken glass and scattered in all directions. It was hard to find a single wound on Gerard, even though he had been trapped inside the ice barrier summoned by Nienna along with the flames. However, he looked very upset. Nienna and Anya immediately prepared for a counterattack, while Pavan ordered the archers to knock their bows. But even in the face of the force of the entire army, Gerard simply raised his index up without showing any signs of being intimidated due to being alone. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± For a moment, the world shifted. The surrounding area shook and the ground began to tremble all of a sudden. The soldiers who were nocking their bows accidentally launched arrows toward empty space, and Nienna, Anya, and Pavan also had no choice but to lower their stance and stabilize themselves. While it wasn¡¯t too difficult for them to attack even on the trembling ground, they couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed by what was happening in front of their eyes. An entire mountain range was soaring into the air. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the earthquake that raised the ground level¡­¡± Nienna let out a groan. The ground level had been raised due to ¡®that thing¡¯ coiling around. The huge figure began to rise quickly and continued to soar for a long time. A huge pillar large enough that it could be referred to as a mountain fluttered into the sky and stirred it, almost as if ridiculing it. ¡°You have been completely corrupted, Gerard! To think that you would summon a monster from a different world!¡± Despite Nienna¡¯s cry, Gerard just looked down at Nienna and the Northern Army in a calm manner. ¡°I didn¡¯t summon it. It¡¯s always been there from the very beginning,¡± Gerard said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small fraction of Qzatquizail that broke through the Crack thousands of years ago. It is just one of the smallest sections of its body. Although I can only barely communicate with it for now, I will show you my ideal.¡± Gerard glanced over the Northern Army. ¡°Sure, you might be able to avoid an invisible arm, but what about this?¡± Giant tentacles rapidly moved, following Gerard¡¯s fingertips. ¡°Everyone get down!¡± The soldiers crouched down even before Nienna said anything. Unfortunately, that was not enough to dodge the attack. The tentacles passed well over the soldiers¡¯ heads. However, they were so huge that it was not exactly adequate to say that they actually passed over anything; although the tentacles didn¡¯t directly touch anything, the wind pressure alone was enough to fling the soldiers into the sky. Some of the soldiers were instantly torn apart in the places where the wind was particularly rough. It was just a single blow. It wasn¡¯t like Gerard had attacked the army directly either. His tentacles had only swept over the soldiers¡¯ heads, but that alone was enough to show that they couldn¡¯t do anything against Gerard. If it had been a direct attack, then not a single man from the Northern Army would have been alive. Nienna was angry but felt the difference in their powers. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°As I already said, I am doing this for the sake of humans. No one needs to die,¡± Gerard said. ¡°You are attacking humans even when you say that you are doing all this for humans,¡± Nienna gritted her teeth. ¡°Nienna, you seem to be mistaken. If I really made up my mind to attack humanity, then it would be like cleaning, like sweeping all of you away with a broom.¡± As Gerard said, the giant tentacles swirling around in the air would be able to sweep through the entire Northern Army with ease. Seeing this, the Northern Army lost their morale. Even the victories they had gained by fighting against monsters countless times were meaningless in front of Gerard¡¯s overwhelming power. Nienna could feel the Northern Army¡¯s despair. ¡°The fact that the Northern Army is in despair means¡­¡± Nienna let out a long. ¡°¡­that they are ready to die with their enemies.¡± Nienna picked up the handle of her broken sword. Instead of a blade, white ice began to grow from the handle. She aimed the sword at Gerard and cried a loud roar. ¡°Die!¡± Gerard made a pathetic look and tried saying that he wouldn¡¯t die no matter how many times Nienna told him to. But he felt something strange before he could¡ªsomeone who was supposed to be here was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, an eerie premonition passed through Gerard¡¯s head. Gerard clicked his tongue. ¡°He must have climbed up.¡± With the momentum of a meteorite, Juan¡¯s Sutra struck Gerard at full power. However, Sutra couldn¡¯t even brush past Gerard. Gerard just stood still on the spot and moved Sutra out of his way by simply beckoning. Yet, Juan¡¯s attack didn¡¯t end there. Dozens of attacks followed, but in the eyes of others, it looked like a single attack. Gerard¡¯s expression hardened. The reason wasn¡¯t that he was nervous. It was that the power displayed by Juan while using the Baltic Sword with his left hand, his non-dominant hand, was so great that it wasn¡¯t even comparable to Gerard¡¯s sword skills from his heyday. Gerard would have already lost his head if he had been facing the opponent in front of him without the Crown and Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart. ¡°But how¡­¡± Gerard felt more disgruntled the more he fought against Juan. Each attack that Juan poured out contained an intense murderous intent and energy. Juan¡¯s swordsmanship was the same as the swordsmanship of the emperor that Gerard wanted to reach. Gerard was blocking Juan¡¯s attack only with his fingers, but he seemed rather ashamed of himself. ¡°You¡¯ve become so weak, but how do you have the same power as my father!¡± The momentum built with the help of mana and a loud roar immediately pushed Juan away. However, Juan was not surprised at all and firmly kept his eyes on Gerard as if to not let him out of his sight. Gerard felt as if the sticky murderous intent was tying him up. He almost felt chills from Juan¡¯s concentration and persistence of not stopping at all until he achieved his purpose. He had been clueless about this as he had watched Juan from behind, but now that he had become Juan¡¯s target, Gerard was overwhelmed by the feeling of being a prey. Gerard clenched his teeth. Then, while glaring at Juan, who was running directly toward him, he summoned Solvane. Juan¡¯s eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Solvane condensed in Gerard¡¯s hands. He could immediately tell that it was a dangerous weapon; it was this spear that had simultaneously killed all of Dane¡¯s physical forms scattered throughout the empire. But Juan did not stop. Gerard was also unwilling to dodge Juan¡¯s attack and prepared to confront him directly. He focused his whole body¡¯s strength and senses to forget about the feeling of unease. It was clear that Gerard had been captivated by the thought that he might be overwhelmed by Juan, who was nothing more than an ordinary human being now. Upon seeing the opponent attack him using strength rather than magic, Gerard decided to respond in kind. ¡°I will kill you now, and¡­¡± After all, Gerard was confident that he would not die no matter what Juan did. Gerard intended to let Juan get close, then look him in the eye as he thrust a spear into his heart. ¡°¡­and cut off everything I have here before I leave for a greater purpose!¡± Gerard roared and used his best attack. At the same time, Juan jumped toward Gerard with all his might. The two could feel each other¡¯s breath burning inside the frozen world brought about by the use of Fleeting Moment. Not even for a second did Gerard think that he would actually lose. His physical form was stronger than ever with the help of mana, not to mention that he had the power of Solvane to assist him as well. On the other hand, his opponent was incapable of recovering his mana and only had a single arm. There was no way Juan could use the Baltic Sword properly in such a condition. It could already be considered a miracle that he was able to use Fleeting Moment. Gerard was the first to swing Solvane and use Causality Denial, the sixth stage of the Baltic Sword. A storm of blades swirled around in the frozen world. Juan¡¯s left eye was instantly destroyed by Gerard¡¯s attack. Every part of Juan¡¯s body that Gerard¡¯s gaze landed upon split open, almost as if flowers were blooming. Bubbles of blood rose. In just the blink of an eye, Juan turned red with blood. Juan¡¯s movement was one step slower. Gerard already knew that Juan could not use Causality Denial when he only had one arm left. Sutra¡¯s blade flew toward Gerard, but Gerard also threw Solvane. Solvane¡¯s blade shattered Juan¡¯s left arm, which meant that Juan could no longer even hold his sword. The frozen world brought about by the Fleeting Moment was breaking apart. But in that very short moment, Juan was dominated by Gerard. This time, Solvane pierced Juan¡¯s left thigh. Then, it pierced his right waist, lungs, liver, kidneys, spine, and lastly, his heart. The afterimages of Solvane flashed as it stabbed through Juan, and only then did the frozen world of Fleeting Moment end. As soon as Juan appeared with both arms missing and having been turned into a pin cushion, terrible screams erupted from all around him. Juan stumbled, but he stubbornly approached Gerard while supporting himself with the spear that had pierced him. Gerard couldn¡¯t help but panic at the sight. No weapon or magic could harm him by any means. ¡®What can he even do after losing both his arms? He doesn¡¯t even have a weapon. Is he going to bite me or something?¡¯ ¡°Have you really fallen to the level of a beast!?¡± Gerard burst into an angry cry and extended his mana arm toward Juan. Victory and defeat was already decided. At that moment, the grotesque sound of flesh being cut echoed through the air. Only then did Juan slump to the ground with a long sigh as if everything was finally over. The sound of flesh being cut did not come from Juan. Gerard fumbled and checked his left cheek. Blood was oozing out of a very slight scratch; such a wound was nothing to him. In fact, the wound made by Juan with his life on the line was already healing on its own at a rapid pace. The question was, what had Juan used to cut him? ¡°Do you know how I was able to notice that your arm was made out of mana so quickly?¡± Drenched in blood, Juan smiled deridingly. ¡°It¡¯s all something I¡¯ve already experienced before. One arm is enough to kill you, bastard.¡± Gerard recalled how he had pulled off Juan¡¯s right arm. Only in that moment did he belatedly feel the mana arm created by Juan. This was the reason Juan was able to use Fleeting Moment, even with just a single arm. And the mana arm was holding something familiar. It was Elkiehl. CH 248 Gerard touched his face with a shocked expression. Juan lay on his back, facing the sky, since he no longer had the strength to maintain his mana arm. However, his eyes were still fixed on Gerard. ¡°This is just, this is¡­ but how, where¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you?¡± Elkihel, which Gerard had taken back from Haild, was hidden in a secret place that only Gerard could access. As far as Gerard knew, Elkiehl could only be brought out using his own spell¡ªbut what he didn¡¯t know was that there was one more Elkiehl. Gerard didn¡¯t know about this fact, but Juan and Sina did. ¡°Dane Dormund gave it to me as a gift. He told me to make sure to kill you when he did.¡± It was the Elkiehl in the form of a dagger¡ªthe dagger that Dane had given Sina while trying to convince her to assassinate Juan at the Magic Tower. ¡°According to him, that was the way for him to take back the Crown¡­ although he ended up dying first.¡± Gerard touched the wound on his face once more, a look of disbelief still visible on his face. His wound had stopped bleeding, but the fact that he had been cut could not be reversed. The power of Elkihel took effect as soon as it left a wound on Gerard. The Crown would immediately be liberated if Juan were to take the crown away, and then death would be instantaneous if Juan tried to take his life. Gerard felt that all the time that he had endured until now and all the future that waited for him was crumbling down. His vision began to feel distant and he felt the ground beneath his feet shaking. ¡®Is this how everything I accomplished collapses? Was it all in vain? Just because of a trivial fight like this? Then why did I kill His Majesty? Why did I turn myself into a sinner and hide from everyone¡¯s eyes in shame?¡¯ ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± Gerard let out a roar and snatched at Juan with a mana arm, aiming to fling him into the air. Juan was helplessly thrown into the air, since he no longer had any energy left to resist. As soon as she saw Juan being flung away by Gerard¡¯s mana arm, Nienna ordered the soldiers to rescue him. However, Nienna couldn¡¯t even detect Juan anymore since he was instantly buried in the huge mass of tentacles wrapping around him. Just as Gerard was trying to suffocate Juan, he suddenly felt that something was strangely off. ¡®Why am I still alive?¡¯ As someone who had used Elkihel several times, Gerard knew better than anyone just how fast Elkiehl¡¯s power came into effect. Yet, Gerard couldn¡¯t feel any change within himself. Not only did the power of the Crown remain the same, but his heart was still beating. Then, loud laughter burst out from the sky. It was Juan. Gerard hastily lowered his tentacles, bringing Juan¡¯s face in front of his. ¡°You look like a scared dog.¡± Juan continued to laugh as if he couldn¡¯t stand it even after seeing Gerard¡¯s pale face. With a dazed expression, Gerard asked, ¡°Was that Elkiehl a fake?¡± ¡°No. It was certainly real,¡± Juan answered without even a moment¡¯s hesitation. Even though he had asked that question, Gerard already knew the answer, since the power emitted by the dagger felt like the real thing. ¡®But then why am I still alive?¡¯ ¡°I could have killed you,¡± Juan smiled faintly at Gerard as he answered. Gerard also knew that Juan could have easily killed him. His question was why Juan had decided not to. ¡®Was it sympathy? Pity? No. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡¯ ¡°But I feel like you will be revived again someday even if I kill you now¡ªjust like I was.¡± Based on how Dane had acted, as if he had always known that Juan would come back to life, Juan had a strong hunch that Gerard would also be revived after his death. ¡°The Crack will remain open and your subordinates will keep wandering around.¡± Juan already felt the unusual creatures crawling up through the Crack. The current Aruntal was nothing but a bunch of trivial greenhorns compared to those beings. In fact, none of the members of the real Aruntal was alive now. The current Aruntal just consisted of fools that couldn¡¯t even be called Aruntal. Juan revealed his teeth in a big smile, and continued with some chilling words. ¡°But no, that shouldn¡¯t happen and cannot happen. You must die for good. Don¡¯t even think about being resurrected. I will make sure to lock you up in complete emptiness and darkness, Gerard. Dying by Elkihel is too sweet a death for a terrible bastard like you.¡± He paused for a moment, then, surprisingly, shook his head. ¡°But, unfortunately, that is not my job. It will be a human who kills you.¡± ¡°Human?¡± Gerard asked back. ¡°The emperor must die at the hands of humans,¡± Juan said with a pale face. ¡°The gods, the emperor, and the monsters all must die at the hands of humans. That is the only way for everything to be corrected.¡± Juan¡¯s expression was more determined than ever. His eyes were now looking far into the distance, beyond where Gerard was standing. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Gerard asked. Juan turned his head and stared at Gerard. Gerard felt himself crouching without even realizing it as soon as his eyes met Juan¡¯s. They were the eyes of a man Gerard had feared and respected at the same time throughout all his life. ¡°You would have understood what I mean if you truly loved humanity,¡± Juan said. Gerard clenched his teeth and glared at Juan. Then, he turned his head. Anya jumped at Gerard with a scream and Nienna also threw her spears of ice at him. Yet, Gerard¡¯s tentacles once again began to tightly squeeze Juan despite their efforts. The weight of an entire mountain range bore upon Juan at once. *** Gerard appeared with a flash. As soon as he arrived, he stumbled and stomped the ground, feeling it difficult to stand. A sudden stabbing pain swept through him. It was a headache that he hadn¡¯t felt for a long time¡ªever since he had experienced it in the Red Citadel. The situation here, which had been chaotic due to Gerard¡¯s sudden disappearance, became rowdy as soon as he appeared again. Everyone was confused, and Bekelt was the first to come running breathlessly and fall down at Gerard¡¯s feet. ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gerard couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. Neither had he let his guard down, nor had he looked down on Juan. It was true that Gerard was confident enough to think he would never lose, since he had absolute power, but that didn¡¯t mean that he had been negligent during his fight against Juan. Yet he had almost ended up dying and had only managed to survive due to his opponent¡¯s incomprehensible intentions. Gerard couldn¡¯t help but think that Juan was showing sympathy toward him. Even with the absolute power of the Crown, Gerard¡¯s life had ended up being spared by a person that he considered no different from an ordinary human. Gerard had a hard time understanding that. However, the cut left on his cheek was definitely real. ¡°Your Majesty, your wound¡­¡± Gerard touched his cheek with his hand upon hearing Bekelt¡¯s words. There was red blood on his palm. ¡®But the wound had been healing on its own until just now.¡¯ Gerard shook his head as the headache made his head pulse once more. This time, he could also clearly feel the pain from the wound on his cheek. Gerard tried to heal the wound by concentrating his strength on it, but it wouldn¡¯t heal no matter what he did. The wound was trivial enough to be cured with simple magic, let alone the essence of the emperor, and yet¡­ ¡°...Just leave it,¡± Gerard murmured. Gerard wondered if the power of Elkihel had made him lose his ability to regenerate, but when he gave himself other wounds to check whether that was true, those wounds recovered on their own. Only the wound left behind by Elkihel did not heal; it was as if it was a reminder for him not to forget. Gerard breathed heavily and recalled Juan¡¯s eyes. He wanted to believe that Juan was only special because he had the power of the Crown. ¡®But what if that¡¯s not true? What if humans could actually kill me and lock me up in an eternal void just as he said?¡¯ By Gerard¡¯s standards, Juan¡¯s power was no different from that of ordinary humans. Yet, Juan had gone beyond just a threat and had even driven Gerard into a corner, to the point where he really could have died. Gerard suddenly felt a burst of anxiety. He had thought that he was above the heavens, but he had suddenly been thrown to the ground in just an instant. ¡°Where have you been, Your Majesty? If you had given me an order to escort, I could have¡­¡± Bekelt appealed to Gerard even though he knew that it was meaningless. Up until now, Gerard had only ignored his followers and refused to talk to them. To Bekelt¡¯s surprise, however, Gerard turned his head and made eye contact with him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bekelt. I was too careless.¡± ¡°...Your Majesty.¡± Bekelt had to try and slow down his beating heart upon hearing Gerard¡¯s apology. He felt as if Gerard had returned to who he was during the days when he was the Captain of the Order of Lindwurm. ¡°I went to see the remnants of my father,¡± Gerard murmured as he clutched his head. ¡°...Are you talking about the old emperor? Then this wound is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wound caused by Elkiehl.¡± ¡°Elkiehl!? But that¡¯s¡­!¡± stammered Bekelt, but he shut up when he saw Gerard¡¯s face. After all, Gerard was still alive. ¡°What happened to that bastard?¡± Bekelt asked. Gerard raised his empty eyes and stared into the air. ¡°He is dead. I tied him using Quzatquizail¡¯s tentacles and buried him under the mountains.¡± Bekelt looked relieved upon hearing Gerard¡¯s words. But Gerard bit his lips with an anxious expression. He was lying. He had indeed done exactly that, but even he himself didn¡¯t think that Juan had actually died for good. He regretted suffocating Juan with tentacles instead of directly stabbing him with Elkiehl and absorbing the remaining power of the Crown in him. Unfortunately, Gerard had been unable to make a proper judgment at that time, since he was also in a state of panic. He at least figured that it would be difficult for Juan to get out easily as long as he was bound with Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacles. ¡°Did you just say that Juan is dead?¡± The moment Gerard turned his head, his eyes met Sina¡¯s. She drew her sword and glared at Gerard, completely ignoring Bekelt. Bekelt immediately felt an unusual energy from Sina. It was not only him¡ªat that moment, everyone felt that she could take action any second. Although Bekelt knew that Gerard was treating Sina as someone special, he wondered if that would continue to be the case even when she pointed her sword toward Gerard. Bekelt placed his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case, but then, Gerard slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Yes, he is dead. I pulled off both of his arms, put some spears through him, and buried him in the deepest place of this world. You¡¯ll have to lift up the entire mountain range to dig up his corpse.¡± Gerard shrugged at Sina as if he was asking her what she was going to do about it. Sina¡¯s hands were constantly twitching, as if she was ready to charge at Gerard at any time, but she only continued to glare at Gerard in silence. Finally, after staring at Gerard for a long time, suddenly relaxed her hand and let go of her sword. Even Bekelt was perplexed by her unexpected actions. Sina gazed at Gerard. ¡°So he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You both have similar quirks when lying. Perhaps it¡¯s because you are family. You don¡¯t really believe that Juan is actually dead at all.¡± Sina turned away as if she had lost interest. But Gerard immediately grabbed her arm and turned her around. Sina felt a sharp pain from her arm, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to fiercely glare back at Gerard. ¡°What do you know!?¡± Gerard shouted. ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure I know better than you do, Gerard Gain,¡± Sina whispered as she glared at Gerard. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did to Juan, but the emperor will return¡ªnot you, but the real emperor.¡± Gerard glared at Sina as if he wanted to kill her. Sina could feel a sharp murderous intent that could drive her to her death at any moment. However, she did not avoid Gerard¡¯s gaze. She had already managed to survive in the face of death many times, and she had even died once. In the end, it was Gerard who backed down first. He erased all emotions on his face, and before anyone knew it, he was expressionless once more. For the full version, visit pawread dot com. ¡°If you want to believe that, then so be it,¡± Gerard said briefly. Hearing this, Sina roughly shook off Gerard¡¯s hand and strode away. Bekelt frowned as he looked at her back. Sina was a big and unexpected variable to Gerard¡¯s followers. He wanted to execute her if possible, yet he had no choice but to leave her be due to Gerard¡¯s incomprehensible sense of protection toward her. ¡°Your Majesty, I will move her to another dwelling if you wish.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Gerard replied briefly. Instead of ordering Bekelt to move Sina, he gave him a different order. ¡°Rather than that, I have an order to give all of you¡± Bekelt knelt down in joy and the same was true of all the Priests from the Thornbush Priest Organization. This would be the first order that Gerard would give them after ignoring them for days. Gerard looked beyond the Crack over the horizon and then opened his mouth. ¡°My sister and her army are on their way here.¡± Bekelt understood that Gerard was referring to Nienna, the Northern Army, and Juan¡¯s subordinates. Gerard had been ignoring them until now because he judged that they wouldn¡¯t be harmful to him. To Gerard, all humans were fragile and equally worthy of protection, whether they were rebellious or obedient. But his perception had now changed. Juan had shown Gerard that everything he had could disappear in just the blink of an eye. ¡°They are traitors. Kill them all.¡± ¡°You have my eternal loyalty, Your Majesty.¡± Gerard looked at the Crack with bloodshot eyes. The words left behind by Sina were ringing in his ears¡ªthe real emperor would return. And this was true. Juan was coming back. ¡®But his comeback is meaningless if I destroy everything he has before that.¡¯ *** It was dark, but Sina stood on the edge of the Crack. Sina felt like she was nailed on the spot rather than just standing. It felt like she was going to dry up just as she was until she turned into a dead old tree¡ªuntil all her body fluids were squeezed out and the wind finally broke her down and turned her into a part of the desert. Of course, Sina knew that she wouldn¡¯t die, since Gerard was constantly supplying her with mana. Sina was so disgusted by Gerard that she wanted to scratch out all of his mana that was flowing inside her. ¡®Juan.¡¯ The reason why Sina hadn¡¯t collapsed when she heard that Juan was dead was that she had seen him come back alive from many circumstances. Juan had revived among the flames in a more powerful form even when she thought that death was inevitable. Sina was convinced that Gerard¡¯s words were lies, but she had no evidence. She knew that she was just being unreasonable in a way, since she didn''t want to admit Juan¡¯s death. But she thought that Juan¡¯s resurrection would mean nothing if it were to happen thousands of meters below the dark ground. ¡®I need to go and save him.¡¯ Sina had not forgotten the message from Juan¡ªhe was coming. There was no way Juan would have sent such a message without any meaning. It was only natural for Sina to help Juan to come if he said that he would come. But the Crack was wide and vast. Even the nearest rock was at quite a distance. Sina had already imagined leaping across the rocks numerous times despite knowing that such a task was impossible. Yet it was still very tempting to at least give it a try. Sina measured the distance between the distant rock and herself with a firm look. She took one deep breath after another. She knew that it was impossible, but still, she somehow felt that it was going to work. Sina believed that she knew Juan well, and Juan knew just as much about Sina. She thought that Juan probably already knew how she would act in a situation like this. ¡®Don¡¯t leave the judgment to Juan. I should just be myself.¡¯ Sina took a step forward. At that moment, she felt someone clutching her wrist. ¡°What do you think you are doing right now?!¡± It was a sharp but low voice. It was Opert. CH 249 ¡°Opert?¡± Sina hastily looked around. If Gerard was keeping an eye on her, it would only be a matter of time before he found Opert as well. Unlike Sina¡¯s concern, however, Gerard didn¡¯t appear. Opert held Sina¡¯s wrist tightly and pulled her to a corner under the shade of a tree. ¡°Sina. Weren¡¯t you confident when you told Gerard earlier that His Majesty will return? Were you bluffing all this while?¡± asked Opert, seemingly frustrated. ¡°Of course, he will return, but¡­¡± Sina trailed off. ¡°Then, why were you trying to kill yourself?¡± asked Opert. Hearing that, Sina finally realized that Opert misunderstood. Sina shook her head and muttered, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re thinking, but I wasn¡¯t trying to throw myself into the Crack. I was just thinking about jumping on that rock.¡± Opert followed Sina¡¯s gaze and saw a rock the size of a house at least a few dozen meters away from them. Opert stared doubtfully at Sina. Unless one had wings, it seemed impossible to jump onto that rock. Opert sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know even if there¡¯s even a difference between throwing yourself into the Crack and jumping on that rock.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t really going to jump...¡± Sina¡¯s actions was similar to backing out at the last minute, similar to what she had done when she wanted to kill Gerard. However, she couldn¡¯t really be blamed. She was desperate to act on her thoughts, but she knew better than anyone else that she couldn¡¯t do that. Sina couldn¡¯t help but think that all she had learned during her time here was indecisiveness. ¡°More importantly, Opert. Is it really okay for you to come into contact with me like this? Gerard is¡­¡± ¡°I was just going to keep my eye on you, but I got afraid that you might get too emotional once you heard the news, so¡­I guess I got careless as well.¡± Opert looked around with a nervous expression and whispered, ¡°But I think it will be fine for the time being. Gerard seemed to be focusing on something else for some reason. It seemed like he was in a hurry. There must be a reason why he ordered his subordinates to stop the Northern Army instead of stepping up himself.¡± Sina nodded at Opert¡¯s words. She never had a close or proper conversation with Opert before, but she somehow felt at ease for the first time in a long time. The fact that she could meet and talk to her ally when she was in a situation where she wanted to kill everyone around her made Sina feel better. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a relief. I feel great that we¡¯re able to talk like this.¡± Opert smiled bitterly. ¡°To be honest, I feel like my hundred-year-old thirst is being quenched just by talking to Dame Sina like this. I had to constantly imitate and talk to the traitors and heathens around me while making sure that my cover remains intact. Unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid that this will be our last conversation for a while.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sina asked. ¡°Gerard has ordered the interception of the Northern Army, so Aruntal has to move as well. Therefore, I also have to leave the Crack with them. I¡¯ll have to figure out the perfect timing to turn my back on them, so I won¡¯t be able to talk to you for a while.¡± ¡°I see...¡± ¡°I came here because I have something to tell you...¡± Opert lowered his voice and whispered to Sina, ¡°His Majesty said that he might get involved in an unexpected situation, so His Majesty told me to deliver this to Dame Sina¡­¡± Opert placed a piece of paper in Sina¡¯s hand and continued. ¡°I could have read it out loud, but I thought that it would be better if you read it yourself because His Majesty wrote it himself.¡± Sina was surprised to hear that His Majesty had written the note himself. If Sina¡¯s memories were serving her correctly, she could swear that Opert had lost contact with Juan since he infiltrated Aruntal from the Magic Tower. This meant that Juan had written the note to Sina long ago. ¡°Well, then. May His Majesty¡¯s protection be upon you, Dame Sina.¡± Opert then disappeared behind the rock before Sina could even say anything. Sina felt that she should have said goodbye to Opert. However, Opert had to hurry, so Sina knew that she couldn¡¯t keep him here anymore. Sina carefully unfolded the paper that Opert had handed over to her. The paper contained a sentence that Juan had written himself. Upon reading the sentence, Sina clenched her fists tightly without realizing it. [Live. You have to live, so I can live.] It was a simple and clear order¡ªperhaps even a request. Sina squeezed the paper in her palm and collapsed to the ground. She had no idea why Juan would send her this note, but the meaning behind the sentence he had written touched her heart. Upon reading Juan¡¯s message, Sina knew that she couldn¡¯t afford to die no matter what. Sina quietly looked up. Unbeknownst to her, Lenly was watching her from a distance. *** Anya stared down the hill with bloodshot eyes. The snow had lost all its moisture, turning it into a powder that the weak breeze easily blew away. Snow was falling everywhere, but the group of growling monsters was still completely visible. It was impossible to count the number of monsters crawling up the Crack, and they had long crowded the hill as well. However, there was an even more shocking sight than that. Gigantic monsters with odd-numbered slender legs staggered as they moved forward. The tall monsters uttered grotesque-sounding groans, and they would sometimes lash out with their tentacles at breakneck speeds to snatch a monster beneath them. Then, they would drag the hapless monster into their mouths located on their abdomen. Flesh and bodily fluids constantly flowed out of the tall monsters¡¯ mouths, but not a single monster beneath them looked up. At the sight, Nienna muttered, ¡°Their consciousness is under control. It¡¯s going to be difficult for us to beat them like what we have been doing until now.¡± ¡°Are you saying that someone is controlling them?¡± said Pavan, sounding displeased. The reason behind their overwhelming victories in every skirmish until now was thanks to the monsters¡¯ haphazard and disorderly actions. If Nienna¡¯s words were true, then they would have to suffer a lot of damage to deal with these monsters from now on. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring back winter? I¡¯m sure those monsters are more vulnerable to the cold than the Northern Army,¡± Pavan said. Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com. ¡°Just because the Northern Army is strong against the cold does not mean that the army won¡¯t freeze to death, and their movements will slow down as well. I think we should push them back now while there still aren¡¯t many of them,¡± Nienna answered. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that one can only temporarily take control of the monsters?¡± ¡°There seems to be a competent person among the thornbush priests. Talented ones do appear among them sometimes. As far as I know, their church leader is a talent. Of course, he won¡¯t be able to control the monsters forever. Therefore, we can just wait until they lost control of the monsters, but¡­¡± Nienna trailed off while staring at Anya. Anya was glaring at the monsters in silence and the killing intent she was emitting made her look like she would charge at the monsters anytime soon. The air around the Undead Army had become gloomier after being influenced by Anya¡¯s killing intent. Nienna shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m also finding it hard to just stand around and wait. As we speak, Gerard is probably furthering his insidious scheme.¡± Nienna reached out to grab Anya¡¯s hand. Anya¡¯s hands were cold, and they were trembling. Gerard had allowed Juan to ambush him, and Gerard succeeded in catching Juan with the huge tentacles he had summoned as a result. However, Gerard seemed confused as well when the tentacles grabbed Juan into the deep ground. Of course, he quickly disappeared as well before anyone could react. Anya desperately dug into the ground to try and pull Juan out, but it was an endeavor that wouldn¡¯t succeed. After all, they had no idea how deep Juan was in the ground, so they couldn¡¯t just excavate haphazardly. The others had frozen over¡ªthey had no idea what to do. However, Anya quickly came back to her senses and started giving orders. ¡®His Majesty is still alive.¡¯ Anya¡¯s out-of-focus eyes were the ones who had replied to the concern of the others. ¡®He won¡¯t show up no matter how much I try to summon him.¡¯ Anya¡¯s words weren¡¯t credible at all. However, Nienna and the others decided to take advantage of Anya¡¯s words. There were still many people who were doubting about the emperor¡¯s death, and Nienna still despised the Crack even if the emperor had truly died. Therefore, there was only one thing she had to do¡ªshe had to use Anya¡¯s testimony as a weapon to move the Northern Army. They left the place where the emperor was buried and advanced until they finally reached the Walls of Nulvin. However, what they encountered upon arriving was a huge Crack that was so massive that it looked as if it were about to swallow the horizon itself. They were also met with an astonishing scene made up of multitudes of monsters and black bubbles. ¡°Pavan, I thought you would protest,¡± Nienna said. ¡°It¡¯s all because think I have something in common with His Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure His Majesty would wash his ears in disbelief if he heard your remark just now.¡± ¡°I know of His Majesty¡¯s greatness, but I am not cognizant of his cunningness. There¡¯s definitely a reason he provoked Gerard and allowed himself to be defeated. I am unaware of the picture he is drawing in his head, but¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that His Majesty is still alive?¡± asked Nienna. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s mana can no longer recover naturally.¡± Nienna stared at Pavan. Pavan went on. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much mana he got from absorbing the cloned heart of Mananen McLeir, but it cannot compare to Gerard¡¯s mana. In other words, His Majesty doesn¡¯t have much time left to live.¡± ¡°Get to the point.¡± ¡°How could I summarize His Majesty¡¯s great picture? However, I¡¯m sure that His Majesty is trying to make something out of this extreme method. And¡­¡± Pavan hesitated for a moment, but he eventually spoke carefully, ¡°A good commander knows where to put his subordinates based on their capabilities, skills, and personalities. I mean, even I know the importance of that, so don¡¯t you think that His Majesty had entrusted to us a duty that he couldn¡¯t tell us?¡± Nienna sighed at Pavan¡¯s remark. In the end, they had no choice but to move forward while thinking that Juan had something planned for them. ¡°General Nienna. Are you doubting His Majesty¡¯s survival?¡± ¡°The thought that His Majesty has died has never occurred to me at all,¡± Nienna answered, ¡°However, on the off chance that he¡¯s already dead, we still have to move forward. Gerard¡ªthat fucking bastard¡ªis still waiting for us over there, and I¡¯ll kill him for good this time.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you two supposed to be siblings?¡± ¡°Siblings do fight each other to the death, anyway.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of that.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re an only child, then. You said you were a war orphan, right?¡± Nienna turned and measured the sun¡¯s distance from the horizon. The clouds were thick, so it was hard to see, but the sun¡¯s corona could still be seen. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°Yes. well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if there¡¯s a slight time difference.¡± The base of the hill was still populated with monsters. The thornbrush priests were still standing behind the monsters along with the Order of the Lindwurm, whose members had been living beyond the Crack. Nienna felt a tingling in her heart as she looked down at all of them from the top of the hill. Her breathing started to get rough. Nienna glanced at Pavan with a big smile that almost reached her ears. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, General?¡± ¡°I absolutely hate everything down there,¡± Nienna muttered. She was slowly heating up from the excitement. Pavan looked at Nienna, seemingly confused. ¡°I reckon that I will never have an opportunity like this again where I can kill so many of those bastards. Besides, my hatred toward them has grown after those bastards dared to attempt on His Majesty¡¯s life,¡± said Nienna. Pavan was about to tell Nienna to calm down, but Nienna unsheathed a frozen sword and shouted at the entire Northern Army. ¡°His Majesty has prepared a feast for me. All hail His Majesty!¡± The Northern Army shouted in response to Nienna¡¯s cry. ¡°For His Majesty!¡± Pavan¡¯s cursing was buried beneath Nienna¡¯s order to charge. Tens of thousands of Northern Army soldiers descended the hill, following the footsteps of Nienna and Fenrir. The combined noise level of their footsteps was so loud that the ground started trembling. Pavan commanded the Northern Army with all his might and made sure that they would descend the hill in an orderly manner. Unlike the Capital Army, which acted mainly on moderation and discipline, commanding the Northern Army was arduous for Pavan. Pavan wanted to scream that the Northern Army were all out of their minds, yet he had no choice but to swallow his swords because Nienna was the one running like crazy ahead of the Northern Army. ¡°Fuck it! Screw it! Tear them apart!¡± Pavan roared and hurled his helmet at a monster standing ahead of them. He thought that he had made a mistake the moment the monster opened his eyes wide and turned to look at him, but a creepy gray mist suddenly invaded the monster¡¯s ranks. At the same time, a storm of flesh and blood swept across the monsters. Pavan looked back and saw Anya clenching her teeth with a distorted look. ¡°These monsters¡­! Trivial like dust and dirty like trash¡­! I¡¯m sure even bastards like you can feel pain. I¡¯m going to kill you all. Then, I¡¯ll bring you all back to life, so I can kill you all again! Then, I will kill you all again and¡­!¡± Pavan scooted away from Anya. He felt like he would go crazy as well if he were to keep listening to her crazed mutterings. Anya let out an incomprehensible cry and summoned the Knights of the Dead and the Undead Army. She then ordered them to charge toward the monsters. The first group that collided with the monsters was the death force. Nienna erupted into laughter as the forces of death mercilessly tore the monsters apart. Meanwhile, the Thornbush Priest Organization finally started moving. The thornbush priests made the monsters surround the Northern Army. The enemy¡¯s movement didn¡¯t escape Pavan¡¯s notice. ¡°Don¡¯t look back! Run at full speed!¡± It was an order that he would never give while under the threat of being surrounded by enemies. However, Pavan remained confident in his judgment. Of course, he really couldn¡¯t do anything else other than pray that everything would go according to plan. All of a sudden, a pillar of fire burst out of the clouds and struck the ground. CH 250 The monsters caught fire, and a scene reminiscent of hell was created in an instant. Behind the torn clouds appeared the majestic figure of Entalucia. Most of the Northern Army troops had heard of Entalucia before, but it was actually their first time witnessing her majesty with their own eyes. Entalucia took another deep breath and split the monsters into two camps with her flames. The heat from her Breath melted rocks and turned the monsters into ashes in the proverbial blink of an eye. Pavan cheered at the sight of Entalucia¡¯s scorching flames. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to see that!¡± Kilt stared at Pavan, seemingly dumbfounded. Kilt was a deputy under Pavan. ¡°Captain, have you forgotten that the dragon there almost turned our troops into ashes before?¡± ¡°Yes, but she was our enemy back then. A rule was established among dragons, and it involved not turning humans into ashes. It¡¯s a shame, but it was a rule that was established after she became our ally. Thank goodness our enemies are monsters; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see her Breath.¡± Entalucia spat her flames fiercely as if she were afraid that she would miss a single monster. However, she was actually spraying flames in a controlled manner rather than pouring them out recklessly. Haild, who was riding on top of Entalucia¡¯s back, constantly whispered to her. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Entalucia. It should be fine if you send another Breath toward the east.¡± [Leave it to my care.] Entalucia spat out flames according to Haild¡¯s instructions. In the blink of an eye, the surroundings became filled with ashes, and the smell of burning flesh had become so thick that it would be safe to assume that even the birds up above could smell it. Entalucia flew up above the smell of burning flesh and examined Haild. Haild was wearing Hela''s eye patch over her hollow eye socket. He still hadn¡¯t recovered, but he insisted on coming here after hearing that Entalucia would be dispatched. [Haild. Thou already knowest of my concerns, yet¡­] ¡°You don¡¯t want me to join the fight. Yes, I know.¡± It would be absurd for Haild to fight in a situation where it was already difficult for him to stand properly, let alone hold a sword. However, Haild¡¯s eyes fiercely glared at the Crack, which was emitting ominous energy. ¡°I just want to see the end of my father with my own eyes.¡± Entalucia became filled with complex emotions. Before her friendship with Haild, Entalucia and Gerard were each other¡¯s benefactors. In addition, the values of the empire and the ideals of the emperor were irrelevant to Entalucia. Therefore, she didn¡¯t want Gerard to die despite what he had done¡ªespecially if Gerard were to die at Haild¡¯s hands because it would mean that Haild would have committed patricide. [I know not of this, Haild. Of course, what Gerard doth now, I also find repugnant, but...] Haild gently patted Entalucia¡¯s head. ¡°Entalucia. You don¡¯t need to get involved. As always, you can just watch. I have received enough favors from you, so you can rest assured and let the humans do their own work.¡± Entalucia had always been observing the affairs of humans from afar without intervention. However, Entalucia quietly shook her head at Haild¡¯s words. However, this didn¡¯t mean that she had changed her stance¡ªit was the opposite. [But this seemeth not only a concern of humans¡­] Entalucia rolled to the side and started flying at a low altitude. The smaller monsters were helplessly thrown into the air upon being struck by the gusts of wind that Entalucia¡¯s gigantic wings generated. Entalucia continued spitting out flames that covered huge sections of the battlefield, splitting the hordes of monsters into manageable sizes for the Northern Army troops to handle. Amidst the ongoing slaughter, Nienna sent Pavan to the right flank and Anya to the left flank as she tried her best to command everyone. Thanks to Entalucia¡¯s help, the Northern Army managed to slaughter the monsters with fewer-than-expected casualties. *** ¡°Chew them up and spit them out! Show no mercy!¡± Nienna roared. A bluish chill erupted and transformed into a massive hammer. Nienna smacked the leg of a giant monster in front of her with her massive hammer. The resulting collision shattered the hammer, but the icy shrapnels were left stuck in the monster¡¯s leg, freezing its bodily fluids. The soldiers rushed in and shredded the incapacitated monster. This routine continued with every monster that was unfortunate enough to face Nienna. Nienna would incapacitate the monsters while the soldiers behind her would make quick work of them. After Nienna¡¯s sword was smashed, she created a weapon of random shapes with ice even harder than metal and wielded it around. The form of the weapon didn¡¯t matter to someone who had struggled to deal with the monsters of the Crack throughout her entire life. Nienna incapacitated another monster, but her sword shattered as a result. However, she simply created another weapon made out of ice that was harder than metal. Nienna didn¡¯t really care about what kind of weapon she was wielding. She had long grown accustomed to any weapon out there after fighting monsters of the Crack throughout her entire life. ¡°Squeeze together and make sure there¡¯s no gap! Split these bastards that came from hell!¡± Nienna roared. Afterward, she swung her spear toward a monster busy chewing up a Northern Army soldier, splitting it into two. Then, Nienna hurled her spear at another monster. She was looking forward to seeing the monster explode, but hundreds of tentacles snatched her spear out of mid-air. Nienna raised her eyebrows. ¡°The Ruler of Winter, Nienna Nelben. Your reputation has spread, even beyond the Crack.¡± Nienna glared at the individual who had just emerged from the cover of the thick snowflakes flying through the air. The opponent¡¯s voice sounded strangely clear, even in the midst of a crowded battlefield. The opponent was a middle-aged woman wearing a dark robe and a crown made out of a thornbush. The woman was Black Aldebaran¡ªa thornbush priest. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± Black Aldebaran started. However, Nienna didn¡¯t even let her continue as the former charged toward the latter without hesitation. Nienna aimed for Black Aldebaran¡¯s vitals as she charged as fast as lightning at the latter. Black Aldebaran¡¯s eyes flashed. She opened her robe and poured out hundreds of tentacles. The tentacles immediately froze and burst as soon as they touched Nienna¡¯s sword, but there were too many tentacles that Nienna couldn¡¯t freeze them all. The tentacles were pushing Nienna back, and the sight made Black Aldebaran frown. ¡°I expected more from you, the frozen star¡¯s daughter. However, it seemed that both the father and the daughter are equally pathetic.¡± Nienna paused and glared at Black Aldebaran. Black Aldebaran smiled softly at that. ¡°Yes. I know about your father and¡ª¡± An ice spear suddenly emerged in front of Black Aldebaran¡¯s feet. Black Aldebaran barely managed to turn her chin to avoid the spear. She staggered backward as thick and purple bodily fluid ran down her chin. ¡°Damn it, that was close!¡± Nienna exclaimed. Black Aldebaran glared at her. ¡°Are you not going to listen to me?¡± Nienna smiled. She didn¡¯t even bother to answer. At the sight, Black Aldebaran realized that Nienna was exactly like what she had heard from beyond the Crack. Countless Thornbush priests had tried to lure her into their side, but they all failed. However, Nienna replied to them once. And she answered succinctly¡­ ¡°I am neither too young nor too old to have a conversation with trivial bugs.¡± And Nienna¡¯s current attitude still reflected her response from way back then¡ªshe couldn¡¯t care less about her sibling or what Black Aldebaran had to say because she had long convinced herself that beings beyond the Crack only knew how to lie and deceive¡ªergo, their words were worthless. Black Aldebaran gnashed her teeth and bit her finger out of frustration. ¡°How ridiculous it is for an arrogant greenhorn to claim that she rules winter. I was going to go easy on you because you are His Majesty¡¯s sibling, but I will make sure to wrap your head with ribbons and send it to the frozen star as a gift.¡± Black Aldebaran¡¯s presumption was right; Nienna wasn¡¯t listening, nor was she planning to listen to her. However, this didn¡¯t mean that Nienna was looking down on Black Aldebaran. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Black Aldebaran was more powerful than any thornbush priest Nienna had ever seen before. In addition, Nienna could feel another powerful energy on the battlefield, and it clearly didn¡¯t belong to Black Aldebaran. Entalucia was actively helping them, but thanks to the unknown source of powerful energy on the battlefield, everyone¡¯s heart was gripped with anxiety, making them feel as if they were walking on thin ice. *** The knights wearing old armor with the emblem of a white dragon and a barnacle on it faced the knights holding a dilapidated banner with the emblem of a black crow. The two forces fiercely glared at each other. They were in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, but there was no way that the two forces wouldn¡¯t recognize each other. They were the Order of Huginn of Ras Raud and the Order of Lindwurm of Gerard Gain. There wasn¡¯t much contact between the two knight orders in the past, but they were both labeled as traitors immediately after the emperor¡¯s assassination. The only difference between them was that the Order of Huginn was falsely accused while the Order of Lindwurm was truly involved in the treason. Anya didn¡¯t take her eyes off of the Order of Lindwurm, even in a fierce battle against the monsters. Anya had seen Ras suffer for a long time, so in her eyes, the Order of Lindwurm was evil. The Huginn knights felt a cold chill running down their spines upon being subjected to the Lindwurm knights¡¯ gazes looking down upon them from above the ridge. Bekelt stood at the edge of the ridge with the Order of Lindwurm, and he looked down at the Order of Huginn as well. He soon clicked his tongue upon seeing the prowess of the Order of Huginn. ¡°The knights that Captain Ras used to train have disappeared; only the young greenhorns are left. They have severely deteriorated compared to their heyday,¡± Bekelt murmured. ¡°There weren¡¯t many of them, but each of their members was disciplined with accolades. But now, they have become nothing but a bunch of knights who are slightly¡­ better than ordinary soldiers. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± said one of the Lindwurm knights. ¡°I was excited when I saw the banner of Huginn¡¯s, but how disappointing¡­¡± All of a sudden, the encirclement of the monster suddenly distorted. Bekelt was about to unsheathe his sword upon noticing the strange change, but a knight of the dead suddenly charged toward Bekelt after cutting down a monster. Bekelt¡¯s eyes widened, and he swung his sword at the knight of the dead. Bekelt¡¯s powerful sword strike split the knight of the dead into two, but the knight of the dead didn¡¯t collapse to the floor. Its other half swung the hammer it was holding into Bekelt¡¯s head. There was a dull sound as Bekelt¡¯s helmet went flying. ¡°Deputy Bekelt!¡± The stupefied Lindwurm knights were furious, and they made quick work of the knight of the dead. Bekelt placed a hand on his head and glared up ahead. However, before he could even vent his anger and start cursing, a woman appeared with eyes dripping with malicious intent. ¡°You¡¯ve lived long enough, you old bastard,¡± the woman muttered. Bekelt could feel an overwhelming power from the woman. Anya puffed her mouth and spat a cloud that resembled darkness. In the proverbial blink of an eye, darkness surrounded the knights. Bekelt felt a strong killing intent behind him, forcing him to dodge. He barely managed to dodge a sword that contained enough power to split him in half. ¡°Prepare for battle! That woman is our enemy!¡± Bekelt cried out. Bekelt swung his sword at Anya¡¯s pale face that suddenly appeared in front of him. However, his sword seemed to have collided with a wall. Skeleton knights had appeared out of nowhere and were protecting Anya. Bekelt gnashed his teeth and glared at Anya. ¡°The Huginn knights, huh? It¡¯s funny how those who used to hunt necromancers actually became necromancers themselves. It is so ridiculous that I even find it insulting. Is honor such a rare value among the Huginn knights?¡± Anya¡¯s eyes became dyed with anger at Bekelt¡¯s sarcasm. Anya ordered the knights to attack and shouted at Bekelt. ¡°A traitor like you actually dares to bullshit in front of me? We¡¯ve been fighting the empire after being falsely accused of treason that you bastards have committed! Oh, of course, you wouldn¡¯t understand since you have abandoned your people and ran like a dog!¡± Bekelt¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Anya continued screaming, ¡°We have been fighting for our lives, and we have finally won! We finally destroyed the old, corrupt empire, and His Majesty has ascended the throne once more!¡± Bekelt felt a sharp pain on his side. Bekelt was stupefied when he realized that a sword had managed to pierce him without making a single sound, even though he was staring at the knight of the dead in front of him. A Huginn knight stabbed Bekelt in the stomach with an expressionless look before immediately disappearing into the darkness. The Order of Huginn seemed to have long gotten accustomed to fighting in the dark. Anya grinned and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sure that bastards like you cannot do what we are doing right now. Everyone here has been painstakingly fighting against the empire, and they are not people whom a bastard like you can underestimate.¡± ¡°It seemed that I let my guard down,¡± Bekelt clicked his tongue and placed his hand on his stomach. The maggots that had gathered on Bekelt¡¯s wound vanished, and Bekelt recovered in an instant. Obviously, Bekelt¡¯s regenerative ability was strong, but¡­ ¡°You still aren¡¯t our match,¡± Anya whispered. Still, Anya could feel that the Huginn knights were suffering a bit more casualties than expected. It seemed that the Order of Lindwurm knights had become even stronger after equipping themselves with knowledge from beyond the Crack. These knights were vanquished, cowardly knights¡ªthey were still famous for what they had achieved during the mythological era. The Order of Huginn had the advantage because they had mounted a successful ambush, but the battle would eventually become advantageous to them if it were to drag on. Therefore, Anya decided to summon a particular undead, and she looked like she had been waiting for this moment all this while. The undead she summoned was a bizarre one, one with many faces. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll notice who he is¡­¡± Anya smiled. ¡°This undead is called Urkel, the survivor of Arbalde. I¡¯m sure you guys don¡¯t want to see him, but Urkel seems to think otherwise, so I guess this will be a heartwarming reunion.¡± CH 251 Bekelt could not understand what Anya was talking about. However, he felt a shiver down his spine when he heard what she said. Emotions such as countless regrets, contemplation, and anguish he thought that he had long forgotten surged inside of him like a tide. However, Bekelt quickly shook off his lingering feelings when Urkel swung his sword. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± What happened in Arbalde was shocking, and the Order of Lindwurm and Gerard had to spend years trying to get over what had happened to stand up again no matter what. ¡°You know nothing! We lived and suffered all these years to reflect on what we have done, and we eventually overcame the suffering!¡± Bekelt shouted. ¡°Reflect?¡± A strange voice echoed right next to him. One of Urkel¡¯s skull heads had spoken right under Bekelt¡¯s nose. ¡°If you have reflected, then your head¡­!¡± a skull head shouted, and the remaining skull heads attached to Urkel frantically shouted, ¡°Give me your head! Head, head, and head! Give me your head!¡± *** There was a rare phenomenon in which individuals would sometimes get into the flow and start looking at everything around them objectively. It was a very rare phenomenon, but Pavan would always experience it whenever he was hyper-focused on something. The noises sounded distant, and he felt like he had a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield. In accordance with his thoughts, his subordinates moved as if they were his limbs. They moved to fill in the gaps, take advantage of enemy weaknesses, and alternate between attack and defense. In other words, they were incessantly moving throughout the battlefield. The troops¡¯ movement seemed haphazard, but they were actually moving together. The entire army was now a saw blade that constantly whittled the enemy forces down. Pavan was currently in the flow, and his subordinates seemed to be in the same state as him. Pavan would perform a simple hand gesture, and the entire army would move accurately, even though Pavan hadn¡¯t given them any specific instructions. ¡®Strong resistance to the right¡­ casualties around twelve to thirteen people. Send three knights to subdue the enemies. Incapacitated soldiers from the Capital Eleventh Division are expected to increase in thirty seconds¡­¡¯ ¡¯The Fourteenth Division¡ªback out to the rear and close the gap as you retreat. The Eighth Division¡ªcontinue pushing from the third quadrant of the left flank¡ªpush a bit further until they¡¯re a bit closer to the fire, which will make them start panicking.¡¯ Pavan didn¡¯t even speak to pass down his orders because Deputy Kilt instantly understood what he was trying to do, and he spread Pavan¡¯s orders to the troops. The Order of the Capital was already moving before they even received Pavan¡¯s orders, but it wasn¡¯t really strange because they had been working with Pavan for a long time now. Right now, the knights of the Order of the Capital were moving like Pavan¡¯s limbs. Pavan was invigorated by his current state, as it was every commander¡¯s dream. However, he was also a bit afraid. After all, he was currently fighting with all his might with his life at stake. He couldn¡¯t help but think that he might never get to command on a battlefield like this again. ¡®Well, it¡¯s a battle for the history books, anyway.¡¯ Pavan thought that protecting humankind by preventing the destruction of the world was an achievement worthy of comparison to the emperor¡¯s achievement. With that thought in mind, Pavan came to the conclusion that he wouldn¡¯t regret anything even if he were to go all out, so Pavan decided to spread his troops out even more. All of a sudden, Pavan felt a tingling sensation. Pavan turned and managed to dodge an arrow that had come from somewhere in the front line by a hair¡¯s breadth. However, the tingling sensation was still there. This time, it was coming from multiple directions. A dagger swiped at Pavan¡¯s neck, and without caring for his image, Pavan threw himself to the ground. It was an attack that Pavan couldn¡¯t have avoided if it weren¡¯t for his sharp senses today. The attacker stared at Pavan with surprised eyes. ¡°Wow, Captain of the Order of the Capital. I heard you were good, but I didn¡¯t expect that you would be able to dodge my attack, even though I¡¯m wearing this robe,¡± said an assassin with a look of dismay. Pavan stood up and took on a stance. He instantly recognized the face beneath the hood of the assassin. ¡°Igel Ilde?¡± The surrounding knights finally discovered Igel, and they quickly moved to surround him. However, an arrow flew and disrupted the knight¡¯s encirclement. Pavan realized that the archer was the source of the tingling sensation that he could still feel even now. ¡°Your sister must be the archer.¡± Pavan pointed out. ¡°I thought at least one of us could finish you off for good.¡± Igel shrugged. Pavan knew about the Ilde siblings, and he had heard that they had been helping the Ilde Family with merchant work rather than being affiliated with a group. Pavan had also heard from Ivy that the siblings were Aruntal, but he didn¡¯t expect to stumble upon them on this battlefield. Pavan kept his eye on Igel rather than on Ioshiff. Aruntal¡¯s robe allowed the wearer to become invisible, but its effect was now meaningless because Igel had already revealed himself. However, it seemed that Igel himself didn¡¯t want to rely on the robe as well. Of course, there had to be a reason behind it. ¡°You must be looking down on me. You¡¯ll have to bring at least Lenly if you want to fight me,¡± Pavan said. Igel¡¯s expression changed ever so slightly at the mention of Lenly. Naturally, Pavan didn¡¯t miss that opportunity. ¡°The Captain of the Imperial Guards should stand by His Majesty to protect him, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°You must be joking.¡± Pavan knew that there were monsters and men stronger than Lenly based on the powerful energy that he could feel in the distance. Therefore, it didn¡¯t make sense that Lenly would be the one acting as Gerard¡¯s bodyguard. It was also questionable whether Gerard even needed protection when he was arguably an absolute being. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your plan is, but just two kids won¡¯t be able to turn the situation around. Furthermore, I am currently in the flow. While I¡¯m in this state, it is very hard for me to lose.¡± Pavan¡¯s strategic sense even allowed him to create presumptions on who would win or lose, and he had predicted that the Imperial Army would win at this rate, even if the Imperial Army would suffer some damage in the process. Igel frowned at Pavan¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t deny them. All of a sudden, Pavan¡¯s sensitive intuition was triggered once again. Pavan deflected the dagger flying toward him and kicked Ioshiff away in the torso. Ioshiff flew backward and staggered up while holding her side. ¡°It is meaningless to fool around like this is,¡± Pavan said. ¡°You seem to have improved. You¡¯ve shown prowess that is drastically stronger than what we remember,¡± Ioshiff grumbled. Pavan smirked. ¡°I must admit¡ªit was a bit of a struggle.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Igel took on a stance with a sword. ¡°You still haven¡¯t changed. It seems that you still aren¡¯t good at grasping the situation because you still haven¡¯t realized that it is us who will emerge victorious.¡± Pavan was about to scoff at Igel. However, a roar erupted from where the Crack was located. Everyone turned toward the Crack. The indistinct figure of something massive covered in the purple mist of the Crack slowly rose. Only the figure¡¯s silhouette could be seen, but Pavan could tell that it was as huge as the giant tentacles that engulfed Juan. Tentacles of such size appeared in quick succession, and their appearance shook the mountain ranges as they danced, seemingly in an attempt to split the sky itself into two. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. There was something else wriggling in the Crack. It emitted an energy that was so enormous that it made the massive tentacles look trivial in comparison. It wriggled, seemingly preparing to move away as if the Crack that had covered the horizon was too small to house it. The tentacles that engulfed Juan seemed nothing more than strands of hair in comparison to that monstrosity. ¡°What the¡­¡± A tentacle flew at Entalucia. Entalucia dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth, and she frantically flew even higher. The tentacle missed, but the wind it carried with it made Entalucia stagger in the air as if she were a fly. Meanwhile, Pavan felt that the pressure had become even heavier as the enemies grew even more numerous. Pavan¡¯s strategic sense was still active, and he was still in the flow as well. Therefore, he could feel from his tingling skin that their chances of winning were plummeting. It wasn¡¯t really strange because the number of enemies was quickly growing to the extent that the Northern Army would inevitably find themselves unable to deal with the overwhelming numbers. Honestly, Pavan reckoned that even the entire Imperial Army wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with so many enemies. *** ¡°Entalucia, drop me off!¡± [How preposterous, Haild. That beast wouldth crush thee like an ant!] Entalucia was an ancient being, but even throughout her long life, it was her first time seeing such a monstrosity. Entalucia decided to run away from the battlefield, and she couldn¡¯t really be blamed because the tentacle attack from earlier filled her with a heavy sense of dread. She felt like the tentacles were capable of swatting her like a fly. In the end, she had no choice but to escape¡ªafraid for Haild¡¯s life. ¡°I have to help them! That¡¯s the least I can do! At this rate, everyone is going to die!¡± Haild had a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire battlefield. In just ten minutes, he saw multitudes of monsters crawling out of the Crack, and their sheer numbers threatened to flood the allied troops. Haild could also see that it was just a matter of time before the overwhelming number of enemies crushed everyone to death. ¡°Entalucia, please¡­!¡± Entalucia gnashed her teeth and refused to answer Haild. Haild had yet to recover, so dropping him off meant killing him. Haild wasn¡¯t only her friend, but he was also the son of her benefactor. Even if it meant that Haild would resent her for life, she still couldn¡¯t let Haild die. Haild was frustrated¡ªhe was frustrated, and he tried his best to think of a way to help everyone rather than just watch as the monsters rushed toward everyone like a deluge. Only one person came to his mind, and that person was the only one who could help everyone. ¡®Just where are you right now, Your Majesty?¡¯ *** Pavan tried his best to command the soldiers while fending off Igel and Ioshiff¡¯s attacks. The knights of the Order of the Capital tried to help him, but they had no choice but to retreat when Pavan shouted at them to kill the monsters instead of helping him. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t too difficult for Pavan to hold out against Igel and Ioshiff, but Pavan was concerned about the rapid increase in his army¡¯s casualty rate. In addition, they would eventually end up as monster feed if the rate of monsters coming out of the Crack wasn¡¯t abated. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening were low, and Pavan could also feel that he only had a handful of troops left compared to the multitude of monsters in front of them. At this point, Pavan could already see his defeat. ¡®I¡¯m going to lose? Against such trivial beings¡­?¡¯ The thought was so ridiculous that Pavan gnashed his teeth. He believed that he had become a greater man than before, and he was also confident that he could climb greater heights. If he couldn¡¯t achieve those, then he was hoping that he would die a glorious death, at the very least. Pavan thought that he wouldn¡¯t have any regrets if he died at the hands of Gerard Gain. ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m going to let myself be killed by your hands?!¡± Pavan slashed Igel and Ioshiff¡¯s swords. The two were dumbfounded to see that their weapons had split into two after Pavan¡¯s powerful strike. However, they quickly composed themselves and picked up a weapon from the ground. Pavan¡¯s breathing started to get rough as his mind worked overdrive in an effort to find a way that would resolve the ongoing crisis. ¡®Everything looks hopeless, but I¡¯m sure there is a way. There is no way that someone with a good eye like His Majesty would have made the mistake of pushing such a great talent like me to a vain death.¡¯ Pavan was approaching the limits of his physical body, but the cogs in his mind still tirelessly worked to find a way out of this situation. Igel and Ioshiff exchanged glances when they saw Pavan standing around doing nothing. They thought that Pavan was trying to lure them into attacking, but the openings were simply too many that there was no way this could be bait. Without a word, Igel and Ioshiff simultaneously charged at Pavan. *** Entalucia¡¯s eyes flashed. The Northern Army was currently surrounded by a multitude of monsters. To be exact, they were falling apart into small pieces as if the army was a tiny boat on a tumultuous ocean. Entalucia initially thought that there was no hope, but she suddenly felt something unusual. On the battlefield of despair, something seemed to be going against the flow. We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. Entalucia was ignorant of human strategies, but her instincts were crying out at her. She was looking down at the battlefield from above, and she saw a lighthouse shining vividly amidst the darkness of the battlefield. And the lighthouse was calling for her... Entalucia spread her wings and answered the call. Haild had no idea what was going on, so he blankly stared at Entalucia flying toward the battlefield without warning. While staring at Entalucia, Haild seemed to have briefly clapped his eyes on an orangey hue in Entalucia¡¯s eyes. *** While Igel and Ioshiff were mid-charge toward Pavan, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the battlefield. The gust of wind was so strong that the soldiers staggered, while the ones who got caught off guard were thrown to the floor. The source of the wind was Entalucia; she was currently flying at a low altitude, close to the battlefield. The twin siblings were also thrown aside. When the wind swept past Pavan, his eyes burned brightly in orange, and their previous dark blue color could no longer be seen. Pavan¡¯s fiery eyes now resembled the color of melting iron. Igel and Ioshiff froze when they met Pavan¡¯s gaze. They flinched at the thought that they had given Pavan an opportunity to attack them, but they couldn¡¯t have expected his next course of action. Pavan turned his back on them and ran away. Igel was dumbfounded. ¡°What the heck?¡± While he was running, Pavan thought that he was out of his mind. He didn¡¯t really run away because it was part of his strategy; rather, it was a decision that was spurred by his instincts. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have done it. However, he couldn¡¯t help it. He was sober, but the flow of the battlefield, the strange energy, and even his instincts were crying out at Pavan. In the end, Pavan shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Everyone! Immediately join the left flank!¡± CH 252 Torbal was a warrior of the Northern Army. Just like the other warriors, Torbal¡¯s admiration for General Nienna started when he was young, and he had always been longing to be placed under her command. Fortunately, when he joined the army as an adult, Nienna was still in command of the army. When Torbal finally stepped into his very first battlefield under General Nienna¡¯s command, he was also with the emperor. Honestly, he didn¡¯t entirely trust the emperor. The stories about the emperor that had been passed down orally were unbelievable and absurd, and the emperor himself also didn¡¯t look reliable. Nienna was the best commander in Torbal¡¯s eyes, and there was no way that someone else could convince him otherwise. General Nienna was beautiful and kind. She was a powerful ice mage as well. Torbal wanted to help her, but their situation was hopeless. The Northern Army was able to crush the monsters at the beginning of the battle, but the fight soon became incredibly difficult for them because of the tentacles and the monsters attacking them at once. Even Nienna seemed like she was barely holding out from afar. The only reason Torbal was still alive was thanks to his comrades and luck. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± Torbal shouted and swung his ax. Torbal was drenched in blood and riddled with wounds. His vision had long gotten blurry as well, but he didn¡¯t mind dying on this battlefield. It would be an honor for the northerners to die in action. Actually, it was common for old people to purposely go to the North and die fighting monsters rather than dying on their sickbeds. ¡®But¡­but Your Majesty. Please save our queen. Please save General Nienna¡­!¡¯ For Torbal, Nienna¡¯s death on this battlefield would be no different from the end of the world. Torbal wished that he could clone himself so that he could build a wall of flesh to protect Nienna. For the first time ever, Torbal prayed earnestly in his heart. ¡°This is it! We need you the most right now!¡± Torbal exclaimed without realizing it. However, his earnest prayer only ended up catching the monster¡¯s attention. A monster that looked like a giant beetle that was at least five times larger than Torbal approached him. Torbal came to his senses and realized that he was alone. His comrades were nowhere to be found. Torbal could already smell the scent of death. The monster charged toward him with its sickle-like teeth. Torbal managed to stop the monster¡¯s teeth from biting him, but the monster swung its short leg and stabbed Torbal in the stomach. The sharp pain made Torbal brace himself before he could fall to the ground. However, he didn¡¯t fall. The grotesque-looking monster was torn into ribbons. Someone protected Torbal from certain death, and he also came to his senses just then. Someone was still alive and was fighting with him. Torbal turned to express his gratitude, but his eyes widened. The man standing next to him turned out to be the emperor with his signature black hair and black eyes. The emperor swung his sword with Torbal next to him. *** Nienna extended her hand and scratched the air. The floating ice spears moved and tore dozens of monsters at once. The monsters couldn¡¯t regenerate¡ªnot even their blood could stain the ground because their wounds had instantly frozen over. Nienne felt like she had been doing the same routine for ages now, but she was still quite a distance away from Black Aldebaran. ¡°Not bad. I can tell that you really want to show off. I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯ll learn the meaning of helplessness this time,¡± Black Aldebaran mocked Nienna while standing behind the multitude of monsters. Nienna ignored Black Aldebaran¡¯s mocking and focused on the monsters in front of her. Honestly, she felt that the ongoing situation was becoming more and more disadvantageous for them. He couldn¡¯t even count how many monsters she had slain at this point, but the monsters still showed no signs of decreasing. Nienna felt like she was fighting the waves of the ocean. The corpses of the monsters had already formed a few tall hills, but they were still coming at her like a deluge. Since even Nienna herself was finding it difficult to keep up with the overwhelming numbers of the monsters, she was sure that the soldiers had to have lost their morale by now. The army was still holding out in a triangular formation because Nienna was at the tip of the formation, but the monsters not only weren¡¯t showing signs of abating, but they were also becoming stronger as time went on. ¡®Should we retreat?¡¯ Nienna had retreated for strategic purposes before, but she had never once retreated to save her life. Running away from the Crack had never been an option for her, and she had never even thought about it. However, Nienna was convinced that if she were to run away this time, she wouldn¡¯t be able to come back and fight them again. Therefore, Nienna knew that she had to do her best to hold out as much as she could, and to do that, she had to fight. ¡°All warriors!¡± Nienna gnashed her teeth and shouted, ¡°Think of your comrades¡¯ shoulders as walls! Try your best to hold out rather than kill! I will kill them all for you!¡± Nienna had no choice but to admit that there was no way she could kill Black Aldebaran at this point. The front line would immediately collapse if she were to abandon these warriors for the sake of fighting Black Aldebaran. Therefore, Nienna decided to open a retreat route for the soldiers rather than fighting Black Aldebaran. Nienna used every drop of mana she could squeeze out to gather enough power that would instantly kill hundreds of monsters. ¡®Using that gap, I should be able to carve a path for them to retreat.¡¯ All of a sudden, Nienna could feel people advancing toward the left wing. Nienna was perplexed when she saw Walter, the deputy of the Order of Fenrir, running toward the left wing. Nienna was about to shout and ask him what he was doing, but she suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. Nienna was convinced that the army would be annihilated, but for some reason, the soldiers and monsters were being forcibly rearranged. It felt like an unknown anomaly was forcing the monsters and soldiers to move like that. In fact, Nienna was convinced that the soldiers and monsters had no idea that they were already moving in accordance with the anomaly¡¯s will. ¡°General Nienna!¡± Walter shouted at Nienna. Goosebumps broke out all over Nienna when he saw Walter¡¯s eyes. Walter¡¯s eyes burned orange, making them look as if they were melting iron. ¡°To the left wing! We have to get to the left wing! I will open the way!¡± Walter cleaved the monsters ahead of him. Walter¡¯s swordsmanship had always been great and powerful, but the combined strength of the monsters had to be stronger than Walter''s. Despite that, Walter knocked them down as if they were strawmen and led the way. Walter wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed. Nienna could feel that the casualty rate of the army had gone down considerably at some point. In addition, the morale of the soldiers was increasing. It was incomprehensible. ¡®The monsters have become even more numerous and stronger, but why are the soldiers becoming more motivated? Shouldn¡¯t they despair that the enemies had grown in number and strength?¡¯ It didn¡¯t make sense. However, Nienna¡¯s heart suddenly throbbed upon sensing a powerful presence at the left wing. Her heart started beating so fast that she started feeling like she was burning. ¡°His Majesty!¡± a soldier shouted. ¡°His Majesty The Emperor is with us!¡± A soldier¡¯s cry was the tinder that ignited a wildfire of cheers that soon evolved into a concerted slogan. The cries of the soldiers got so loud that the isolated soldiers erupted with enough power to break through and join the line. Nienna was also shouting along with the soldiers. Black Aldebaran and the Thornbush Priest Organization noticed something strange. An aberrant flow was going against the multitudes of monsters on the battlefield, and it was showing no signs of abating. The Northern Army pushed the monsters away. Nienna could also feel that the aberrant flow was slowly taking over the battlefield. It wasn¡¯t really that unusual because something similar had been happening in some areas of the battlefield, and the battlefield itself was filled with lots of coincidences and desperation. The aberrant flow was leading the army through the narrow path to victory. The battlefield seemed to be covered in an orange haze. ¡°His Majesty is with us!¡± At last, Nienna saw a black-haired young man among the soldiers. The young man was none other than Juan. Nienna felt as if her heart stopped the moment she saw Juan. Juan calmly put his shoulders together with the soldiers as he cut the monsters down along with the soldiers. ¡°His Majesty is with us!¡± Another round of cheers swept across the battlefield, and Nienna was finally convinced that she hadn¡¯t been seeing things when she saw Juan just now. It couldn¡¯t have been an illusion because the soldiers were shouting at the top of their lungs. It was then that a line emerged from the right flank. The line of soldiers parted the monsters, and a bloodied Pavan emerged to join Nienna¡¯s line. Pavan¡¯s eyes were also burning with an orange light. When Pavan saw Nienna, he started shouting desperately, ¡°General Nienna! Did you see?!¡± Nienna understood right away, even though Pavan didn¡¯t specifically refer to someone. ¡°Of course¡­¡± Nienna faced Pavan¡¯s burning eyes and answered, ¡°His Majesty is with us.¡± *** ¡°W-What is going on right now?¡± Bekelt muttered, seemingly dumbfounded. The battlefield belonged to them until recently. The Northern Army was about to get annihilated, and Bekelt himself was already imagining the scene of Gerard acknowledging him for faithfully fulfilling the orders he had received. Anya was powerful, but the Order of Huginn was still not the Order of Lindwurm¡¯s match. The Northern Army would also get buried beneath the multitude of monsters, even if they were led by the powerful Nienna. Pavan and the Imperial Army would also become monster feed. However, the battlefield changed rapidly, and the monsters kept on falling everywhere. The Northern Army seemed to have gotten lucky because things kept on going their way, and they were also able to muster more strength than normal. In addition, there had been several cases where soldiers managed to avoid dying thanks to absurd and ridiculous coincidences. However, what was even more ridiculous was that his body was currently thrashing around on the ground. Grotesque-looking parasites extended their appendages from his head, seemingly in an effort to re-attach Bekelt¡¯s head to his thrashing body. Anya ruthlessly stomped the parasites and giggled. ¡°At last, I can finally fulfill one of my lifelong wishes¡ªtalking to a severed head.¡± ¡°T-this is impossible¡­! We¡ªthe Order of Lindwurm is¡­!¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". ¡°I have been looking forward to this, but you¡¯re boring me here,¡± grumbled Anya. ¡°What have you done? How could this be¡­!¡± ¡°Hmm. I expected you to tell me the secret behind death or sightings of the afterlife, but this is rather boring...¡± Anya spun Bekelt¡¯s head around and hurled it away. Urkel snatched Bekelt¡¯s head out of mid-air, and he immediately chucked Bekelt¡¯s head into his mouth. Bekelt could only watch as Urkel¡¯s sharp teeth surrounded him, and he couldn¡¯t even let out a scream because Urkel tore and chewed on his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re not even worthy of being a slave. Just float in the void for eternity,¡± Anya said. Anya was about to continue to snap her fingers, but she suddenly tilted her head in wonder. Bekelt¡¯s regenerative ability was strong, and his magic resistance was considerably high as well, so it had taken Anya quite some time to defeat him. ¡®Will he die immediately once Urkel¡¯s teeth penetrated his skull?¡¯ Anya got curious, but Bekelt couldn¡¯t even groan, not to mention scream, which meant that he couldn¡¯t satisfy Anya¡¯s curiosity. Urkel continued chewing on Bekelt¡¯s head, and Urkel seemed eager about not leaving even a crumb behind as he made sure to chew even the tiniest pieces. Anya decided to abandon her curiosity and continue what she had been doing all this while. Meanwhile, Entalucia¡¯s flames turned hundreds of monsters into ashes, creating a long path for the northern troops to take. The other northern troops quickly entered the path, and they finally appeared in Anya¡¯s sight as they trudged through the scorched ground. Nienna froze the approaching monsters, and she eventually managed to create a thin wall around them. Anya got ready to join them while observing the miracles that were happening all over the battlefield. However, Anya wasn¡¯t really surprised because she had faced Juan several times before. She simply smiled as if she had been waiting for him all this time and as if not not even once did she think that Juan had actually died. Anya had long noticed Juan¡¯s presence; more specifically, she noticed him when the battlefield started changing drastically. Right now, Juan was currently staring at the Crack. He didn¡¯t disappear into the monsters anymore, and Anya stared at him in silence from a distance. Eventually, Juan made a move. Anya saw that Juan was heading toward the now ownerless Dragon Citadel that the Order of Lindwurm had brought over with them. *** A lukewarm and sweet scent struck the tip of Juan¡¯s nose. The air from beyond the Crack was a sweet trap. Many people had fallen victim to the sweet scent and stepped beyond the Crack, and they either died or became a degenerate that only knew how to either praise, curse, love, or despite the Crack. Despite their cries, the Crack had never answered them¡ªeven once. It couldn¡¯t be helped because the Crack had always been like that. After stepping into the Crack, Juan felt like he was starting to understand the bittersweet attitude of the thornbush priests to the Crack and Nienna¡¯s blind hatred for the Crack. The more humans found out about the Crack, the deeper they would fall into it, and it was all because they would become cognizant of the world¡¯s emptiness upon learning of the Crack. The Crack was ruthless, and it would tell them that the world wasn¡¯t interested in them and that the world was only interested in expanding endlessly and remaining eternal. Juan also felt like he was starting to understand Gerard. After all, Qzatquizail was born in such a void. Juan looked into the Crack from right in front of the Dragon Citadel and muttered into the air, ¡°Perhaps you also found it difficult to endure such emptiness, Gerard.¡± Juan could already feel Gerard¡¯s energy, and he could also feel that Gerard was listening to him and watching his every move. ¡°I¡¯m convinced that the reason you wanted to fill the entire world with your own race was that you think you know them well and that they are similar to you¡­¡± Juan grinned and mocked. ¡°However, do you really think that we¡¯ll just leave the universe in the hands of an immature bastard like you? A man like you does not deserve to rule the entire universe¡ªyou do not deserve anything more than a tiny sandcastle.¡± CH 253 Loud footsteps could be heard throughout the empty hallway. Opert breathed heavily and looked out the window. The war was changing more rapidly than he had expected. Aruntal was on the right side of the Northern Army to confront Pavan Peltere, but Opert had remained in the Dragon Citadel to carry out Juan¡¯s instructions. Opert saw a dark blue door after taking a few turns around the corner of the hallway. Inside the wall was a space where invisible blood vessels were concentrated. Fortunately, there was no one guarding the door. Opert stood with his eyes closed for a moment and placed his hand on the door. Then at one point, he strongly pushed his hand into the door. When he slowly pulled his hand out after a while, it was already drenched in blood. Opert slowly pulled the door while breaking out into a cold sweat. One of the knights of the Order of Lindwurm behind the door keeled over and fell to the floor. When Opert saw the wound on the knight¡¯s chest, he closed his eyes tightly. ¡®Who could have known that the lockpicking magic I often used when I was a burglar would end up being useful here?¡¯ Opert wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead and stepped beyond the door. A dark red object was beyond the door, and it was moving in a rhythm. Opert couldn¡¯t help but be curious about how an inanimate object had become an animate creature. However, he couldn¡¯t afford to think of that right now. He had to hurry up and find a way to take control of the heart. All of a sudden, something grabbed Opert¡¯s head and slammed it against the wall. Opert almost collapsed to the floor. However, the opponent didn¡¯t let him fall. They grabbed Opert¡¯s head tightly and slammed it against the wall once again. The sharp pain made Opert feel as if his head would shatter. He barely manage to look up at the enemy, who slammed his head against the wall. ¡°Your name is Opert, right? The Vice Master of the Magic Tower.¡± The enemy turned out to be Lenly Loen, the Captain of the Imperial Guards. Opert barely had any contact with him. In fact, he had never had a proper conversation with Lenly, even after infiltrating Aruntal. It was all because Opert was a greenhorn in Lenly¡¯s eyes, and Lenly was nothing more than a traitor in Opert¡¯s eyes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Lenly asked. Lenly had taken the words out of Opert¡¯s mouth. Opert also didn¡¯t expect that Lenly would still be in the Dragon Citadel, as the elite forces were already duking it out on the battlefield. Opert belatedly noticed that Lenly looked strange. He couldn¡¯t tell what was weird, but Lenly seemed to be nervous and perplexed. ¡°No, I guess that¡¯s not really important,¡± Lenly whispered, ¡°I saw you with Sina Solvane earlier. Don¡¯t even think about denying that you¡¯re a traitor because I¡¯ve already searched through your luggage. More than that, what did you say to Sina Solvane?¡± ¡°The traitor is¡­ you, Lenly.¡± Lenly slammed Opert¡¯s head against the wall once more. Opert managed to hold onto his consciousness amidst the pain and shock. ¡°Tell me what you said to Sina,¡± said Lenly. However, Opert refused to answer. Lenly muttered anxiously, ¡°Was it about the emperor?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did the emperor send her a message? What did he say? The thought that he was dead never crossed my mind even once. He had to have given Sina Solvane an order. Tell me what he said!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you myself, Lenly,¡± a voice suddenly echoed from behind. Lenly immediately threw Opert away. However, something hard collided against his philtrum before Lenly could even unsheathe his sword. Lenly staggered. He tried to unsheathe his sword, but he was once again punched in the face. Crack! Crack! Bang! Powerful punches struck Lenly¡¯s face one after another, and the punches were so strong that Lenly couldn¡¯t even open his eyes. And Lenly collapsed after a powerful blow to his nape¡­ *** ¡°Ah!¡± The intense pain made Lenly exclaim. His vision was swimming as if it hadn¡¯t been that long since he lost consciousness. He remembered what happened and was surprised that the other party subdued him in just a few seconds. Lenly also realized that someone with a familiar back was dragging him across the floor. Lenly spat out the broken teeth and minced flesh in his mouth. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still calling me Your Majesty, Lenly?¡± Juan was looking down at Lenly with a smile on his face. ¡°A Captain of the Imperial Guards serving two emperors, huh? How absurd. To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen such a big liar like you before. I didn¡¯t expect that you would fool me like this. What you¡¯ve done is impressive, considering that you¡¯re just an ordinary human. Why don¡¯t you quit your job in the Imperial Guards and become a swindler?¡± Lenly didn¡¯t answer. Juan beckoned Opert and instructed him to finish his task. Opert nodded and went back inside the heart of the Dragon Citadel. Lenly wiped off the blood on his nose. Half of his teeth seemed to have been shattered, and the bones on his face had fractured as well. However, he was convinced that his suffering right now couldn¡¯t compare to the crime that he had committed. Lenly looked at Juan with suspicious eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you kill me?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to know what I told Sina earlier?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already here, so it¡¯s meaningless. Why don¡¯t you kill me?¡± Juan smiled deridingly at Lenly¡¯s words. ¡°All right, listen up. I don¡¯t think your loyalty was a lie. I believe it¡¯s possible to be loyal to a few people at the same time, just as a person can love several people at the same time. A dog can do that, so humans can surely do it as well. That is why humans are interesting.¡± Lenly couldn¡¯t tell whether Juan¡¯s analogy was a compliment. He looked at Juan with doubtful eyes before saying, ¡°Are you telling me to betray His Majesty Gerard?¡± Juan chuckled at Lenly¡¯s question. He proceeded to slap Lenly¡¯s face with Sutra¡¯s handle. Lenly¡¯s remaining teeth scattered into pieces and sprang out of his mouth along with the bloody flesh of his chin. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re that great? I¡¯m sorry to tell you this, but you¡¯re done now. Your existence means nothing. It is not because you¡¯re worthy that I am bothering you with all this. I also didn¡¯t come here to accept your apology or take revenge. I¡¯m here because of Ivy. I think this will be our final conversation.¡± Lenly couldn¡¯t say anything. The pain was too much for him to even open his jaw. ¡°Ivy told me to tell you this in case we met¡­¡± Lenly flinched and looked up with surprised eyes. However, Juan only smiled softly without saying anything. ¡°What¡­ what did she¡­¡± Lenly stammered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°There are two great ways to annoy someone. First is making them curious about something but never actually telling them what it is, and lastly¡ª¡± Juan abruptly smacked Lenly¡¯s head with Sutra¡¯s sheath. Lenly didn¡¯t immediately lose consciousness, but his mind was still filled with many questions just as he lost consciousness. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to ask his burning questions, and his head eventually drooped to his chest. Lenly had already outlived his usefulness, and he was already dead in Juan¡¯s eyes when he betrayed Juan. Lenly was not much different from a weed that had its roots pulled out. After all, he had also failed to settle on Gerard¡¯s camp. He wasn¡¯t going to kill Lenly, but Juan was planning on making Lenly live the rest of his life in regret. Juan wanted Lenly to suffer, despair, and regret all the decisions he had made until his death. He wanted Lenly to die a lonely death. However, Juan didn¡¯t really have to do anything to make Lenly suffer. He was convinced that Lenly would fall on his own. *** It looked like there was a rain of flower pollens. Gerard felt as if he would get drunk at the boundless energy in the surroundings. The energy belonged to Juan. The entire battlefield was riddled with the monsters of the Crack just a few minutes ago, but the battlefield was now covered in Juan¡¯s energy. Gerard knew that Juan would eventually appear once more, but he didn¡¯t expect Juan to appear in this manner¡ªby kicking down the door. ¡°I must admit¡­ this is quite impressive, Sina Solvane,¡± Gerard murmured as he looked around the surroundings covered in Juan¡¯s energy. ¡°I think I finally understand why you had acknowledged him as the emperor. Did you know that he would return this way?¡± ¡®No way.¡¯ Sina had no idea when Juan would return, but she was slowly unsheathing her sword. She could feel Juan¡¯s energy as well, and she realized that Juan should soon appear in front of them. Sina¡¯s left eye turned red. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I acknowledged Juan as the emperor or not, Gerard. In fact, that means nothing. Juan is just Juan. And the same goes for you.¡± Gerard looked back at Sina in silence. Sina spoke, seemingly desperate, ¡°Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. You already know that Juan is the one you¡¯ve been waiting for all along. It¡¯s not too late. It is the only way to make your sin a bit lighter.¡± ¡°Beg for forgiveness?¡± Gerard tilted his head as if he had heard an unfamiliar word. The corners of his mouth slowly went up, and he soon erupted into a cackle. ¡°Sina. I have abandoned my father, my wife, my son, my territory, my subordinates, and my entire life for this moment, and you¡¯re urging me to throw away what I have left?¡± Gerard¡¯s low cackle felt empty as it echoed. In Sina¡¯s eyes, Gerard was empty. His physical body looked like an empty shell as well. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" Gerard¡¯s laughter slowly died down as he raised his head. ¡°But how can I disobey you?¡± Sina felt hopeful. However, Gerard immediately shattered her hopes. ¡°I will lie down in front of my father¡¯s grave and beg for forgiveness when everything is over. Even if it¡¯s my father or the current emperor, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m ready to jump over any obstacles.¡± ¡°Gerard!¡± Sina shouted. A huge tentacle emerged from Gerard¡¯s back, and it was moving so fast that Sina felt dizzy tracking it with her own eyes. The tentacle was massive, and it seemed big enough to hide the entire horizon behind it. However, the massive tentacle was as thin as a finger compared to what was wriggling beyond the Crack. In addition, the wriggling thing seemed as if it was ready to make a break for it and fly toward the skies. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what that man told me. Humans have certainly shown more potential than I thought. But what¡¯s the point of that now?¡± Gerard slowly approached Sina. A thin stream of blood was still flowing down from the wound that Juan had left on Gerard¡¯s cheek. Ever since Gerard got the wound, he had been madly obsessed with his work on the Crack. It occurred to Sina that the order he gave to his subordinates wasn¡¯t to stop the Northern Army but to drive them out so that they wouldn''t be able to get in the way of his work. Sina was startled to see Gerard¡¯s eyes. His glazed purple eyes were empty. ¡°I can instantly turn the civilization that humans have raised for thousands of years into a powder. No, it doesn¡¯t even have to be me. A tiny kindling is enough to raze humankind¡¯s effort to the ground. The world almost collapsed once when Qzatquizail made a hole in the world for the first time. Against such a force, I am not sure what humans can do about it.¡± Gerard calmly looked down at Sina and slowly raised his hand. Sina flinched for a moment, but she felt herself being slowly pushed out. ¡°What is this? What are you doing?! If you¡¯re going to hold me hostage, I¡ª¡± ¡°You may leave now, Sina.¡± Sina doubted her ears. Juan would arrive soon, so she couldn¡¯t leave. ¡°What? Wait. I still haven¡¯t acknowledged you as the emperor yet!¡± ¡°I would like to apologize,¡± Gerard said out of the blue. Sina was perplexed by Gerard¡¯s unexpected remark. Gerard lowered his gaze and said, ¡°I think I saw Elaine Elliot in you¡ªthe only woman that my father might have loved. I once thought that she might be my mother. So I thought I would become acknowledged as the emperor if you were to choose me¡ªjust as she chose my father.¡± Sina felt strange upon hearing Elaine Elliot¡¯s name come out of Gerard¡¯s mouth. All Sina knew about Elaine was that she was one of the Six Apostates. ¡°But I guess it was absurd to be acknowledged as the emperor. Perhaps I thought I would be able to escape the guilt of killing my own father if someone were to acknowledge me.¡± ¡°Gerard¡­¡± ¡°I thought I would be able to justify the vile crime I had committed by being a better being than my father,¡± Gerard sighed and turned his gaze away from Sina. ¡°But now, it¡¯s meaningless...¡± ¡°Meaningless?¡± Sina asked back. ¡°Now I see a world too great. All I have left is the compulsion to fill this universe only with humans, but I don¡¯t even know why. I no longer feel like I want to be acknowledged by someone, nor do I want to be better than anyone.¡± Sina felt a pang of pain in her heart. Gerard had no idea, but his life was destined to be a failure after he had abandoned his father, his son, his wife, and everything else. However, Gerard had done all of those for a goal, and right now, he was about to achieve his goal. Despite that, he seemed indifferent to the upcoming result¡ªhe seemed like he wasn¡¯t happy at all. However, there was one person who had known that this would happen from the very beginning. ¡°It¡¯s inevitable, Gerard.¡± Sina turned and saw Juan walking toward Gerard. Juan¡¯s sword was sheathed, and he also didn¡¯t have any subordinates walking with him. He was calmly walking toward Gerard as if he were on a stroll in his own backyard. ¡°Juan!¡± Sina exclaimed. She tried to run toward Juan without realizing it. However, she hadn¡¯t even taken a step yet when she suddenly flew into the air. Sina, seized by Gerard¡¯s mana in the air, was leaving the rocky island and heading toward the edge of the Crack. Gerard clearly didn¡¯t want to harm Sina because she was slowly flying away. Juan winked at Sina as a greeting. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive,¡± Juan said. ¡°That¡¯s my line, Juan! I still have many questions for you!¡± Sina shouted. ¡®Did you really try to revive me? If that¡¯s true, why? What do I mean to you?¡¯ However, Juan only smiled briefly at Sina and wordlessly walked away from her. Juan stared at Gerard and said, ¡°Thanks for making sure that Sina won¡¯t get involved in all this.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a necessary witness. She will be the witness to my reign after your death,¡± said Gerard. However, he suddenly realized that Juan didn¡¯t look like he was injured at all. It was a baffling sight because he expected Juan to be mortally wounded at the very least. Gerard unknowingly held his cheek and noticed that blood was still running down the wound on his cheek. ¡®I haven¡¯t been able to heal this tiny wound, but he¡¯s actually unscathed?¡¯ ¡°Were you resurrected again in the flames? As far as I know, it¡¯s not a common feat,¡± Gerard said. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re asking me that question proves that you don¡¯t deserve the crown, Gerard.¡± Gerard frowned. Juan continued with a smile. ¡°However, your words about how everything is meaningless aren¡¯t exactly wrong.¡± ¡°You understand me?¡± Gerard asked back. ¡°It¡¯s more than just understanding. Most of the universe is ready to kill humans at any time. There¡¯s no air in space, and it is either extremely cold or extremely hot. You know what that means, right? It means that the universe is not interested in humans at all. This tiny patch of land is the only place where humans can live.¡± Gerard wordlessly stared at Juan. However, Juan¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t as empty as his eyes. Juan¡¯s eyes were full of heat and light like the blazing sun. Gerard couldn¡¯t understand how anyone who knew such a fact could have such lively eyes. ¡°So how can there be a meaning to humans in such a vast emptiness?¡± With a smile, Joshua responded, ¡°You idiot. Even a dog or a cow can ask such a question. The emperor¡¯s job is to find the meaning. If you¡¯re going to continue saying stupid things like ¡®the world is meaningless, and everything is in vain¡¯ despite wearing a powerful crown¡ªhow about you just wear a toilet cover and stop being a burden?¡± CH 254 Gerard wasn¡¯t that agitated by Juan¡¯s words. When Juan saw that Gerard was just silently staring at him, he realized that Gerard had gone too far and was now unreachable. Juan¡¯s words couldn¡¯t reach Gerard anymore. The emptiness had taken everything away from Gerard in just a few days. The emptiness from beyond the Crack possessed a breeze that could sweep away one¡¯s identity itself. ¡®You¡¯ll probably call that growth, but it¡¯s not.¡¯ It was such a bitter sight for Juan¡ªthe sight of Gerard, who had lost everything that defined him as a person, made Juan feel bitter inside. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what has gotten you so excited,¡± Gerard said with an indifferent look. ¡°You said that the humans are the ones who are going to kill me, right? Why did you show up?¡± ¡°It will be the case¡­ although I know you won¡¯t understand it yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of your arrogance and bluffs, Juan. Do you really think that you can stop me from dominating Qzatquizail, even if you were to try your best? Do you truly believe that you can kill me even if the humans decide to come together and join forces to spur you on?¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s impossible?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s impossible.¡± Gerard looked at Juan as if the latter were pathetic and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have appeared here if there were any possibility of you disturbing me once you reappear. I know that you¡¯re capable of surpassing expectations, but you have already lost the golden opportunity to kill me. I have already become one with Qzatquizail. I left this physical form alone because I was curious about what you were going to say once you reappear.¡± Once his words fell, Gerard nodded. An invisible mana arm charged toward Juan. Gerard knew that a mana arm was no use against Juan, but this mana arm was extraordinary. The mana arm was invisible, but it still left gusts of wind in its wake. Gerard was sure that once the gust of wind swept past Juan, the latter would either be crushed in the spot or be thrown out of the Crack. The gust of wind eventually swept past Juan, but Juan still stood firmly. In addition, he didn¡¯t even step away to dodge, not to mention block the attack. At the sight, doubts filled Gerard¡¯s eyes for the first time. ¡°Was that a tentacle of Qzatquizail? That was incredibly flexible. Indeed, there is no way that such a giant being would be made up of dense matter. Perhaps its skin is just like a rock, but the insides are actually made out of mana itself.¡± ¡®And he even has the time to analyze it¡­?¡¯ A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. Gerard thought that the Juan standing in front of him might be an illusion, but he soon shook his head and denied it. The figure there was clearly Juan¡¯s physical form. Gerard felt that Juan¡¯s alter egos were omnipresent, but he was quite certain that Juan only had one main form. Gerard attacked once again, sending thousands of mana arms to lacerate Juan. The mana arms seemed like they were thousands of threads, and they quickly pervaded Juan¡¯s surroundings, giving him neither a path to escape toward nor enough space to hide. The thousands of mana arms crushed everything in their path, and their combined weight was as heavy as a mountain range, flattening the ground It was hard to see Juan¡¯s figure standing in the middle of so many mana arms. However, Juan¡¯s figure was emitting a strange sense of disharmony being emitted from him. His torn body looked like charcoal, and the rising haze distorted the surroundings. Gerard pulled his arm back, seemingly displeased. ¡°As I thought. It seems like you¡¯ve lost quite a bit of your humanity, Gerard. I can¡¯t see any openings from your mana arm anymore.¡± Gerard remained silent. Juan had reappeared as soon as Gerard retracted his hand. The flames pervaded Juan¡¯s injuries, healing them in real time. The regeneration rate was so absurd that it couldn¡¯t be called regeneration anymore. Gerard felt like he was trying to slice a flame into two. Gerard felt that it was even more absurd when he recalled how Juan didn¡¯t have as much mana as before. ¡°What did you do? Did you become immortal? When you reappeared after I buried you, I knew by then that you¡¯re definitely not ordinary, but this is just nonsense¡­¡± Gerard muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything because it turned out that I always had this ability. I should have noticed it when I was first resurrected. I had no idea that I was capable of doing this until I got through a crisis, thanks to you,¡± Juan answered. ¡°A crisis? Was it when I buried you?¡± ¡°No, it was when I was having a cold,¡± Juan smiled and said, ¡°Elaine Elliot told me in my dreams; she told me that I can come back to life.¡± Gerard looked thoroughly confused. Juan¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can do it, too.¡± ¡°I can do it as well?¡± Gerard asked, taken aback. ¡°Yes. However, the only way you can find out if you can do the same is by dying. Do you know somebody who desperately wants you to live or someone who will never think that you¡¯re dead even when you actually died?¡± Gerard glared at Juan. He thought that Juan was mocking him. ¡°You just won¡¯t stop provoking me until the end, huh?¡± ¡°You really won¡¯t know until you die, so what do you want to do? Want to find out?¡± Gerard retrieved Solvane and threw it at Juan. A grotesque sound echoed as countless spears pierced Juan. However, Juan casually pulled out the spears while walking toward the ground. The spears fell to the ground, and flames enveloped Juan¡¯s wounds. The invincible Juan was an unfamiliar sight to Gerard. Juan¡¯s regeneration rate was impressive, but it didn¡¯t make sense for him to be impervious to harm. Gerard had used a spear to test it out, but it seemed that Juan was also impervious to physical harm. Juan stared mockingly at Gerard and said sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯ve already lost your humanity, but it seems that you¡¯re still human considering that you¡¯re still afraid of dying. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you already? This physical form of mine has no meaning. I have transcended to become a higher being.¡± ¡°Is that so? However, doesn¡¯t that mean that your existence will eventually disappear?¡± Gerard showed no sign of agitation at Juan¡¯s words. He thought that it was better to erase all the unnecessary feelings to become the best emperor. The greater the being, the fairer they were¡ªand the stricter their standards had to be. Therefore, his gradually disappearing existence was like a blessing for Gerard. He felt like he was slowly becoming the purest being to have ever lived. ¡°Erasure is meaningless. The universe shall concede to my purpose, and everything comes true so long as I wish for it. I will erase my hunger, thirst, regret, and desire. I can feel myself becoming more and more perfect the lesser I become as a person.¡± ¡°And what will you have left once you have erased yourself? By then, will it be you taking control of Qzatquizail, or will it be Qzatquizail taking control of you?¡± asked Juan. Gerard¡¯s expression stiffened upon hearing that. *** ¡°Maintain the ranks! Treat your shoulders and your comrades¡¯ shoulders as walls!¡± Nienna roared and ordered the Northern Army. The Northern Army was about to enter the Dragon Citadel. Everyone thought the Dragon Citadel would be too cramped for all of them, but the interior was larger than they thought because it certainly could fit a lot of troops. In fact, it seemed to have been built with the purpose of housing a huge military force. Most of the troops entered the Dragon Citadel, but some of them were left to confront the monsters of the Crack on the outskirts of the front line. Those troops were few compared to the enormous number of monsters, but they had become more prolific than usual because of their strange good fortune and morale boost from out of nowhere. No one thought that it could be just a coincidence. The same was true of Nienna. ¡°Where is His Majesty right now?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°No one has seen His Majesty since he entered the Dragon Citadel.¡± There were scarce reports about Juan, even among the witness testimonies. The only notable testimony was that someone had seen Juan walking into the Dragon Citadel, but no one had actually come up to Juan and conversed with him. ¡°For now, it is impossible for us to know how His Majesty has performed that miracle, and we also won¡¯t know his purpose in the interim. However, whatever His Majesty¡¯s purpose might be, it is definitely important because His Majesty is guiding us¡­¡± The Dragon Citadel and the surrounding terrain were suitable to defend against a siege because they were in a high-altitude location. However, there were so many monsters that the mountains felt like they were trembling at the monsters¡¯ every footstep. Pavan was convinced that it was only a matter of time before the Northern Army was annihilated. ¡°Opert said that the Dragon Citadel can move, right? Don¡¯t you think he was telling us to run away?¡± Nienna glared at Pavan. Pavan massaged his tired eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, General Nienna. I want to defeat Gerard as much as you. But I honestly don¡¯t even know if we are being helpful to His Majesty. I would have already died somewhere over there on the battlefield if it hadn¡¯t been for His Majesty¡¯s guidance, but¡­ why didn¡¯t he give us detailed instructions from the very beginning?¡± Nienna couldn¡¯t answer. She could no longer dismiss this with her usual, ¡®I don¡¯t know, but His Majesty¡¯s actions definitely have an important meaning behind them.¡¯ There was no way for them to know why or how Juan had decided to be defeated by Gerard and then reviving like it was nothing. ¡°So, are you suggesting that we should let His Majesty fight alone in there?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­¡± Pavan paused to sigh. Then, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m saying that this place is not strategically appropriate for us to stay here. Rather than blindly waiting for His Majesty¡¯s next order, we should make the best strategic choice possible. His Majesty did guide us, after all.¡± Nienna couldn¡¯t help but ruminate over Pavan¡¯s words. ¡®Why did he guide us toward the Dragon Citadel? If he¡¯s not telling us to run, then¡­¡¯ Nienna stared at the Dragon Citadel. ¡°How far are we into the Dragon Citadel?¡± Nienna asked. ¡°I supposed almost everyone is already here. Captain Anya and we are only the ones¡ª¡± ¡°General Nienna!¡± All of a sudden, Opert¡¯s voice could be heard. Opert had shouted while staring out the window with a pale face. Nienna was about to ask, but she quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t necessary for her to ask any questions. The giant tentacles had stopped moving, and they stood in a single file over the horizon. A few moments later, the giant tentacles simultaneously swept across the battlefield. *** ¡°I am Qzatquizail and Qzatquizail is I! I am the crowned head of the nine-headed dragon! Once I have split your broken world, I will become the true emperor of the empire!¡± Gerard roared, and his massive tentacle flew toward Juan. The tentacle was much larger than the tentacle that swept at Juan earlier. The rocky island floating in the middle of the Crack felt like it was a tiny piece of gravel along the river when compared to the massive tentacle. The same tentacle swept through where Juan was sending, annihilating a chunk of the rocky island in the proverbial blink of an eye. However, the massive tentacle didn¡¯t manage to crush or sweep Juan away. Gerard wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He didn¡¯t really think that Juan would be beaten that easily. Juan stood still without saying anything. Starting like a fireball burning in the air, it slowly spread toward Gerard. ¡°You and I are too similar, Gerard.¡± ¡°Similar?¡± ¡°The world you want to create, the power you want to have, and the goals you want to achieve. I could have grabbed all those things for myself, but I chose to give them up. I wanted what you want. The only difference between you and me is that I let go of those things while you kept on chasing after them until it was too late.¡± Juan reached out with his hand. ¡°What kind of trick are you trying to do here?¡± said Gerard while staring at Juan with doubtful eyes. However, Juan ignored Gerard¡¯s doubtful glare and started walking toward the latter. The flames burning between Juan¡¯s eyebrows got bigger with every step he took, but the flame was tiny compared to its previous size. ¡°Hold my hand. This is your last chance,¡± Juan said. Gerard saw a flame burning above Juan¡¯s head. It was a remnant of the crown left in Juan. Gerard could hold Juan¡¯s hand right now and absorb the remnant of the crown, but Gerard chose not to hold Juan¡¯s hand. After all, Juan had a penchant for performing unbelievable actions that had always brought him unwanted results. In Gerard¡¯s eyes, the world existed so that he could dominate it. However, the world in Juan¡¯s palm was unknown, even to him. One thing was for sure¡ªGerard felt a sense of foreboding while staring at Juan¡¯s palm. He felt as if it was a distant tidal wave that was about to become a tsunami. Gerard neither threatened nor asked Juan about what he meant. In the end, Gerard decided to move only the world he was capable of moving. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to break¡­¡± Gerard muttered to Juan while staring at the latter¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll just destroy the world you¡¯re standing on.¡± Juan¡¯s eyes abruptly widened. ¡°Gerard, wait! This fight is between you and me, not¡ª¡± Gerard closed his eyes tightly and ignored Juan¡¯s voice. All of a sudden, a world-shaking roar erupted from beyond the Crack. The roar was so loud that it split mountains apart¡ªeven Juan¡¯s flame couldn¡¯t withstand the loud roar. However, the roar was just a prelude to what was to come. The giant fingers of Qzatquzail started rising to tear the world apart. CH 255 ¡°Captain Lenly. Are you all right?¡± ¡®I¡¯m okay, Miss Ivy.¡¯ Lenly opened his eyes. His head hurt as if it would shatter, and the blood covering his eyes made his vision look blurry. He was definitely in a world of hurt. Lenly remember the voice he had heard just before he came to his senses. He jumped to his feet and looked around, but there was nothing but an empty hallway in front of him. There was a loud roaring noise from outside the window, and it was making his head hurt even more. Lenly staggered up and looked out of the window and saw huge tentacles sweeping across the battlefield. The monsters on the battlefield were directly crushed into pancakes by the tentacles. It was a bloody scene that resembled pandemonium. Lenly wondered if this was what the end of the world would look like. The Dragon Citadel had risen high into the sky, so Lenly had a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire pandemonium. The tentacles flattened and crushed mountains, covering the surroundings in a thick fog of dust. However, despite the dust, Lenly could still see that something huge was moving within the fog. Lenly saw Gerard and realized that a part of Qzatquizail was soaring up. Lenly muttered unknowingly, ¡°Ivy?¡± Lenly was sure that he had heard Ivy¡¯s voice before he came back to his senses. There was no way Ivy would be on a battlefield like this. However, he couldn¡¯t help but think that she might be here. Ivy had followed them when they warred against the West, and Lenly thought that she might have come here because of him. Lenly staggered, and he barely managed to take a step forward. He couldn¡¯t help but start thinking that he was pathetic because he got beaten up to a pulp without being able to put up any resistance. Lenly had joined the Imperial Guards to protect the emperor, but he cut off the emperor¡¯s body into pieces. And in addition to being ignored by one emperor, another emperor had beaten him up. ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡®Can I get even more pathetic than this?¡¯ Lenly had never thought that he would end up like this when he was once praised for being the most talented among the knights. He wasn¡¯t really interested in the accolades of success, but he couldn¡¯t bear to be seen as worthless. Everything he had done throughout his life ended up being a mistake. ¡°Ivy¡­¡± Aside from Ivy¡­ Lenly endured the dizziness as he started walking away. ¡®Ivy.¡¯ He had faithfully carried out the emperor¡¯s order to protect her. He used her and deceived her, but Lenly had nothing left to show but her. Lenly decided to look for Ivy. It didn¡¯t matter even if she decided to spit on him or curse him. He thought that perhaps he would eventually see her face again once he was lying on the execution table. *** Pavan was born in the East, but he had never been on a boat before. He had heard many stories of the sailor¡¯s life and the terror of a storm or a tsunami. However, the scene right in front of him seemed like it didn¡¯t pale in comparison to such stories. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± A huge squirming tentacle passed right next to Pavan, and it almost looked majestic. It was so huge that it was like an entire mountain, and it flew up and down, repeatedly striking the ground. The tentacle swept everything away. The panicking monsters were struck down by the tentacles, and their blood had formed a thick batter that flowed down the tentacles as the tentacles rose once more. The monsters were no different from trivial flies compared to the tentacles of Qzatquizail. Pavan was convinced that nothing on the ground would be able to survive. The original topography surrounding the Wall of Nulvin could no longer be found. Pavan was convinced that if he hadn¡¯t entered the Dragon Citadel, he would have also gotten crushed, and his remains would have blended with the remains of monsters on the ground. However, even the Dragon Citadel looked like a very small ferry among those tentacles. The same was true of Entalucia flying in the distance. However, there was a clear difference between the two: Entalucia was a dragon innately skilled at flight, while the one controlling the Dragon Citadel was Opert, who wasn¡¯t used to flying at all. Opert controlled the Dragon Citadel by playing a monotonous note with a red horn he had gotten from somewhere. ¡°Left! Incoming from the left!¡± shouted a warrior of the Northern Army. Fortunately, Opert was already tilting the Dragon Citadel to the right, sharply blowing the horn as if he had anticipated where a tentacle would come from. The soldiers clung to any surfaces while screaming. They barely managed to dodge the tentacle, but the Northern Army started suffering from motion sickness. It couldn¡¯t be helped because it was their first time experiencing this kind of movement. ¡°Damn it, are you sure you¡¯re controlling this properly?!¡± Pavan groaned. Opert briefly glanced at Pavan while blowing the red horn. Pavan also didn¡¯t say much because he didn¡¯t want Opert to stop blowing the red horn just to answer him. Nienna held on to a window frame and looked down at the ground with an unprecedented terrified look. ¡°General Nienna, where are we going?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°We are going to stand by for now. We¡¯ll land once we find a safe place to land,¡± Nienna answered. They could neither leave nor go beyond the Crack. Opert wasn¡¯t skilled enough to avoid the many tentacles if he were to enter the Crack, and going out of the Crack meant that they were leaving this disaster alone for others to handle. Juan had given them a mission, so it was only right for them to wait on standby. ¡°His Majesty said that humans will kill Qzatquizail,¡± Nienna said. ¡°And that they will also kill the emperor¡­¡± Pavan said. Nienna glared at Pavan, and Pavan hastily looked away. ¡°Well¡­ first of all, we have to stay alive if we want to kill Qzatquizail. Unfortunately, I think that it will be a bit difficult considering our current situation. Oh, perhaps someone else can kill Qzatquizail?¡± Pavan sighed and said, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this if His Majesty killed Gerard with Elkiehl.¡± ¡°If that had happened, then Gerard will show up once again one day to destroy the world. His Majesty won¡¯t be there by then. Do you want to see your descendants perish?¡± ¡°Who cares? I¡¯ll be dead by then as well. My descendants'' survival is their problem. They can figure it out on their own when the day comes.¡± ¡°You might as well just die now,¡± said Nienna. She reached out to Pavan. However, Pavan avoided her and headed toward the hallway. In the great hall, many soldiers were vomiting due to motion sickness. The Dragon Citadel was weaving through the air as if it were a boat on a rocky ocean, and it seemed that the ongoing situation wouldn¡¯t last a bit longer. Pavan looked around and realized that Anya was missing. *** The loud crackle of thunder could be heard as lightning collided against a wall. The atmosphere of the other world had erupted when Qzatquizail began to make its move, and the atmosphere of the other world collided against the moisture that Nienna was forcibly holding in, creating a violent storm. Innumerable lightning bolts incessantly struck the ground as the massive tentacles destroyed the world. Lenly¡¯s went dry at the sight. However, the destruction of the world wasn¡¯t what was important to him right now. Ivy was lying in front of him while bleeding out. ¡°Lenly¡­ Loen?¡± Lenly blankly looked up. A crushed figure was squirming, and when Lenly saw the parasites moving around on the figure¡¯s visage, he finally realized that he was looking at Bekelt. Bekelt¡¯s face had always been a grotesque sight to behold, but now, it was hard to even call him human. The barnacles on his armor, which symbolized his status as a Lindwurm knight, had been torn apart and had tangled with his torn flesh. ¡°Lenly Loen¡­ so you¡¯re still alive. It seems like you went through a lot¡­ although not as much as me.¡± Next to Bekelt was Urkel, the Undead summoned by Anya. Urkelt was slumped over with a dent in his chest. Lenly and Bekelt were near the room where the Dragon Citadel¡¯s heart was located. A heart could be seen inside the room through the slightly ajar door. Lenly figured that he had to have returned to where he started after wandering around. Lenly turned his attention to Ivy lying on the ground. It turned out that the woman was Anya rather than Ivy. Lenly knew about Anya¡¯s capabilities, so he couldn¡¯t help but be curious about how Bekelt managed to defeat her. Lenly saw Anya¡¯s severed finger. He looked around and saw Anya¡¯s finger with a ring on it. It was the ring containing the essence of Nigrato, Ras¡¯ magic, and Iolin¡¯s blessing. Lenly surmised that Bekelt had to have severed Anya¡¯s finger, which led to the latter losing her abilities. Lenly took a closer look at Anya and saw that she would definitely die if she didn¡¯t get any treatment sooner rather than later. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you went through, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll feel sick once you heard what this bitch did to me. I was looking for an opportunity to escape while being torn apart, but things turned out better than expected. This bitch was guarding the heart, and the rest of the enemies are inside the Dragon Citadel right now. This is the perfect chance to kill them all at once,¡± Bekelt said. ¡°Kill them all?¡± Lenly said blankly. Bekelt pulled out the fragments of the armor embedded in him and muttered, ¡°Yes. We must carry out the task that His Majesty Gerard had given to us. The monsters are being annihilated right now, so the bastards from the Thornbush Priest Organization are probably panicking right now as well. I don¡¯t think Black Aldebaran will die, but I figured that I should step up at the very least.¡± Lenly realized that Bekelt had no interest in protecting this world. Bekelt simply wanted to borrow Gerard¡¯s power and authority by showing that he was the most loyal to Gerard. Unfortunately, Gerard was not interested in governing at all. Lenly finally realized that he had completely failed. There would be no glorious empire ruled by the eternal emperor, even if Gerard managed to take complete control of Qzatquizail. It also didn¡¯t matter even if such an empire existed. It would be completely meaningless because Ivy wouldn¡¯t be there. All of a sudden, a dull noise reverberated throughout the Dragon Citadel as it moved up and down. Lenly saw that Bekelt had thrust a knife into the Dragon Citadel¡¯s heart, and blood spurted all over the ground. Bekelt saw that Lenly was standing in a daze. He approached the latter and tapped his shoulder. ¡°Hey, are you okay? Get it together,¡± said Bekelt. Lenly remained silent. ¡°This is all I can do because we will lose our chance to escape if I completely stop the heart. However, it is only a matter of time before the Dragon Citadel crashes. It¡¯s a shame to lose the Dragon Citadel, but it¡¯ll be worth it in the end.¡± Bekelt¡¯s eyes flashed as he glanced at Anya. ¡°Before we leave, let me finish this bitch off. I have to kill her with my own hands.¡± Bekelt grabbed his sword and approached the motionless Anya. Bekelt raised his sword high up in the air, but Lenly screamed and unsheathed his sword. Bekelt hurriedly twisted away to dodge Lenly¡¯s attack. However, Lenly¡¯s attack managed to cut a long wound on Bekelt¡¯s side. Bekelt glared at Lenly. ¡°Are you mad?! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± ¡°I-Ivy said¡­ she said that she has something to tell me¡­¡± Lenly started spouting words that sounded nonsense in Lenly¡¯s ears while trembling and lowering his sword. However, when Bekelt saw the confusion in Lenly¡¯s eyes, he came to the conclusion that Lenly had lost his mind. Indeed, Anya looked like Ivy in Lenly¡¯s eyes right now. It was the reason why he quickly unsheathed his sword and attacked Bekelt. Of course, Lenly knew that the woman on the ground wasn¡¯t Ivy but Anya. However, he still couldn¡¯t let Bekelt kill Anya. ¡°Lenly, calm down! This isn¡¯t the time for us to fight. The Dragon Citadel is going to crash soon, and this girl will die by then as well,¡± Bekelt said. ¡°B-but¡­you must not kill her. She¡¯s¡ª¡± Ivy¡¯s face was still superimposed over Anya¡¯s visage, and he even started thinking that Ivy was the one lying on the ground rather than Anya. The Dragon Citadel started trembling, and the sense of weightlessness made Bekelt feel anxious. He growled when he saw that Lenly seemed to be sympathetic toward Anya. ¡°Damn it, Lenly! Does this one bitch really matter right now? The entire population of the empire is less than a handful compared to our descendants that will prosper in the future; you shouldn¡¯t pay that much attention to this bitch!¡± Bekelt¡¯s words seemed to have sobered Lenly up. Lenly had always been longing for a glorious empire with myriads of citizens, a vast territory, and a brilliant civilization. The leader of the glorious empire would be the eternal emperor, and he would stand next to the eternal emperor, protecting him. This had always been Lenly¡¯s dream. When Bekelt saw that Lenly seemed to be sobering up, he pointed his sword at Anya. Lenly glared at him. ¡°But Ivy¡¯s descendants nor Ivy herself won¡¯t be in that empire¡­¡± Lenly pounced on Bekelt. Bekelt gnashed his teeth and raised his sword. The two of them couldn¡¯t afford to go easy on each other because they weren¡¯t in the condition to dilly-dally, considering their current physical status. Therefore, the two spared no effort and directly swung each other¡¯s swords using their best sword moves. There was an audible clang as Lenly¡¯s sword collided with Bekelt¡¯s sword. However, Bekelt¡¯s sword slid down, dividing Lenly¡¯s vision into two. ¡°Argh!¡± Bekelt staggered with a scream and started rolling on the ground due to the extreme pain. There was an incredulous look on his face when he saw that his body had been split horizontally. He wasn¡¯t in the best condition, but he was still the Deputy of the Order of Lindwurm, a knight order considered to be the best knight order of the mythological era. Therefore, Bekelt had never expected that a knight living in such a peaceful era would be able to cut him down with a single blow. ¡°What the¡­¡± Lenly¡¯s powerful sword move had almost split Bekelt into two, but it didn¡¯t really matter because Bekelt was confident of his regenerative ability. As long as the parasites in him were still alive, he would eventually resurrect, even if he died. Lenly slowly turned. There was a massive wound on his face, and both of his eyes were completely destroyed by Bekelt¡¯s sword move. However, Lenly still stumbled around to try and find Bekelt, despite having lost his vision. Bekelt gnashed his teeth. He held his sword and dragged his upper body toward Lenly. He figured that he could easily kill Lenly because the latter couldn¡¯t see him. Bekelt grabbed Lenly¡¯s foot and made him fall to the floor. Then, he ruthlessly stabbed Lenly in the chest. Lenly coughed up blood, but Bekelt didn¡¯t stop. Bekelt wanted to stab Lenly until the latter was dead. Bekelt raised his sword high up in the air for the final blow, but a spear was suddenly thrust through him. He turned and saw Anya¡¯s pallid face glaring at him. She had taken the ring out of her severed finger and put it on an intact finger. A knight of the dead lifted the spear, and the skewered Bekelt was lifted to the air. ¡°No, wait. I¡ª¡± The knight of the dead hurled Bekelt out of the window before he could even finish speaking. Bekelt descended at breakneck speeds, but one of Qzatquizail¡¯s massive tentacles still manage to hit him. Bang! Bekelt exploded into fleshy fragments that scattered like powder. Anya put pressure on her wound and staggered to her feet. She slowly approached Lenly. When she saw that Lenly was vomiting copious amounts of blood, it was clear that Lenly would die anytime soon. Anya instructed the knight of the dead to come near Lenly. Lenly barely managed to speak. ¡°Ivy?¡± Anya abruptly stopped moving. Lenly tried his best to speak as he bled out. ¡°I-Ivy, a-are you there¡­?¡± Anya stared at him without saying anything. ¡°This place is too dangerous. I told you to stay in the Imperial Palace, but¡­¡± Anya made the knight of the dead step back, and she also quietly took a step back. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I don¡¯t know what to tell you¡­¡± Anya then left without looking back even once. Lenly, who was left all alone after Anya left, continued to mutter as he stared into the air with empty eyes. Lenly was left all alone. He stared into space with glazed eyes and muttered, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that you¡¯ll forgive me. I¡¯m not worthy of your forgiveness. I¡ªyour forgiveness is a luxury that I don¡¯t deserve. More than that¡­ I¡¯m glad that I could see you for one last time. Ivy? Where are you going? I¡¯ll protect you. Ivy? Please, wait. Wait! Where are you?! I¡­ I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t hear you¡­! His Majesty¡­ His Majesty told me that you wanted to tell me something. What is it? What do you want to say to me?¡± Lenly suddenly took a deep breath. When the fresh air filled his lungs, he came back to his senses and was struck by the cruel reality that felt more painful than the swords that had ambushed him. Ivy hadn¡¯t come, and she also hadn¡¯t left a message for him. She had left without forgiving him, and he would die here all alone. No one was here to listen to his last words, and everyone would eventually forget him. CH 256 Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacle started tearing the world apart. The Crack grew wider and bigger, and there was an incessant tremor that seemed as if it would collapse the empire. It seemed impossible to survive the earthquake that Qzatquizail was causing by striking at the ground as if it were trying to level the entire northern mountain range. ¡°Gerard!¡± Juan was furious, and he approached Gerard. Gerard neither dodged nor attacked Juan. He only concentrated on tearing the world apart until Juan got even closer to him. However, the tempestuous winds and the debris flying everywhere were dangerous enough to threaten Juan¡¯s life. Juan¡¯s flame seemed small as a candle flame amidst a great storm. However, Juan gritted his teeth and stubbornly stepped into the air to walk toward Gerard. He finally pulled out Sutra. Sutra, which had turned into a dark gray color, started heating up as the flames in the middle of Juan¡¯s forehead began to burn. ¡°If this world is meaningless in your eyes, then why are you trying to destroy it? First of all, this fight is between us!¡± Juan roared. The crown¡¯s flame grew bigger and brighter as Juan got even closer to Gerard. The flame turned from red to blue before eventually turning white. Gerard also took out his crown. The flame from Gerard¡¯s crown wasn¡¯t only much bigger and brighter than Juan¡¯s, but the light was so bright that it couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore. ¡°The true owner of the crown is clear,¡± Gerard looked down at Juan and murmured, ¡°Is your immortality because of the crown as well? Like the first time you were resurrected?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an ability I could have never known if you hadn¡¯t killed me. No, I can¡¯t even call it an ability. A flame cannot be cut down by a sword, and will you call that an ability? Is the sun¡¯s permanence considered its ability? No, it¡¯s not. I was born this way,¡± Juan answered. ¡°Sure, but I can still remember how Elkiehl had no issues going right through you.¡± Juan only smiled at Gerard¡¯s provocation. ¡°I got too engrossed in my physical form. I died because I thought I would die. In the same sense, I was resurrected because many people believed that I was still alive¡ªeven if I thought I died, the others thought I was still alive.¡± Juan spread his arms before continuing. ¡°I was resurrected because of those who had doubted my death and had never believed¡ªeven for a second that I had died. They believed in my resurrection and return.¡± Gerard tilted his head in wonder at Juan¡¯s words. ¡°If there were many people who believed in your resurrection, then why did it take you so long to be resurrected?¡± ¡°Those beliefs were for my deceased physical form,¡± Juan smiled, revealing his teeth before saying, ¡°Someone also told me that she would give birth to me again even if I were to die; of course, you don¡¯t have someone like that.¡± Gerard fell into deep contemplation upon hearing Juan¡¯s words. He had the Order of Lindwurm beside him, who had served him since when he was the captain, and he also had the Thornbush Priest Organization, who came to find him after thousands of years of longing for Qzatquizail¡¯s return. There was also Aruntal, who had sacrificed everything for his resurrection. However, their faith wasn¡¯t as strong as the Northern Army¡¯s faith in Juan. Those people were only serving Gerard to fulfill their own goals, greed, and desires. ¡°You are my desire, and I am your guilt. We should have never existed in the first place,¡± Juan muttered as he urged Sutra¡¯s flames to burn even harder. Juan¡¯s words bothered Gerard. Gerard finally realized that destroying the world like this was no different than venting his anger which would cause no harm to Juan. Gerard could simply leave after completing his synchronization with Qzatquizail, but he figured that he had to completely Juan down. ¡®The more I erase everything I have in this world, the higher the synchronization will be.¡¯ This was what Gerard thought of Qzatquizail. The idea of Juan being his father and the emperor had always been his biggest trauma, guilt, and the reason for his inferiority complex. Therefore, Gerard wasn¡¯t sure if he could even achieve complete ascension without erasing Juan¡¯s existence inside of him. ¡°I will cut you down¡­¡± Gerard hesitated, but he soon pulled something out of his waist. It was Elkiehl, a thornbush-like sword emitting black light. ¡°So I can finally become my own.¡± Gerard declared. He would no longer chase after Juan¡¯s back but would start standing up for himself. Juan smiled upon seeing Elkiehl. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you drawing Elkiehl from the front, not from behind my back.¡± Gerard ignored Juan¡¯s sarcasm and repositioned. His consciousness accelerated, and time itself seemed to have stretched out into infinity as he took a deep breath. Gerard turned into light itself within the frozen time. Gerard pondered quietly, ¡®What is the fastest way to cut him down? Baltic Sword? No¡­¡¯ Baltic Sword was the swordsmanship that Juan had left behind. Gerard wanted to face Juan with his own techniques. Gerard had plenty of time. Even with his imperfect physical form, Juan managed to perform the miracle of controlling time and causality. However, Gerard was much stronger than the Juan of the past. Hundreds of millions and trillions of possibilities of killing Juan in the fastest and the most powerful way unfolded in Gerard¡¯s head. ¡®In what way and trajectory should I swing my sword so that it is impossible for him to dodge?¡¯ Gerard examined all the possibilities in a calm and meticulous manner in his accelerated consciousness. Gerard thought that nine hundred and ninety billion attacks out of a trillion would be successful with his abilities alone. However, Gerard couldn¡¯t be satisfied with such a possibility. Gerard wasn¡¯t fully cognizant of Juan¡¯s capabilities. Knowing Juan, he could have already mastered the eighth stage of the Baltic Sword¡ªno, he could have gone past that into the double digits. All of a sudden, Gerard recalled what Nienna had said to him¡ªthe emperor had to perfectly crush his opponent in an overwhelming manner. ¡®I will cut him down with an attack that is closest to perfection so that it can neither be avoided nor countered.¡¯ After reviewing all the possibilities, Gerard finally found the perfect attack to use against Juan. Gerard felt like his blindfolded eyes could finally see, and it was all thanks to a glimpse of multitudes of possibilities. He could see the future. He could see himself cutting Juan down and pulling out the latter¡¯s crown to absorb. He also saw himself fully synchronizing with Qzatquizail and taking control of it. His clairvoyance had always been working, but this was the first time he had seen the future so vividly rather than fragmented blurry scenes. Therefore, Gerard became sure of it. He became sure that victory was awaiting him. It didn¡¯t matter how good Juan was at Baltic Sword; there was no way he could counterattack, not to mention dodge. Gerard inhaled lightly and jumped toward Juan. The word jump wasn¡¯t enough to describe Gerard¡¯s move. Bang! Elkiehl pierced Juan¡¯s heart, and it all happened the moment Gerard decided to make a move. Juan seemed like he still had no idea that his heart was pierced, let alone dodging or counterattacking. Gerard mercilessly dragged Elkiehl down, tearing Juan apart. ¡®It worked¡­!¡¯ The crown was detaching from Juan. Gerard thought that Elkiehl could be ineffective against Juan once again, but it finally worked. Now, he just had to absorb the power of the crown. However, Juan suddenly grabbed Gerard¡¯s hand. Gerard flinched and looked up. ¡°You¡¯re finally reaching out,¡± Juan said with a smile. Gerard finally realized that Juan had no intention of dodging his attack from the beginning. Clairvoyance and the ability to simulate infinite possibilities were useless because Juan never had any intentions of dodging Elkhiel. The flame of the crown burst from Juan. He looked like he had become fire itself as the flames around him surged everywhere. The seemingly unsteady flame started digging into Gerard¡¯s skin as if it were spreading through a dry field. ¡°We are one in body and soul, so how about we start from the beginning?¡± Juan¡¯s flame didn¡¯t just remain steadfast; it started absorbing the crown inside Gerard. Gerard was dumbfounded. Juan had almost lost the power of the crown to Gerard once, and the only power that was left in him should have been barely enough to keep him alive. Furthermore, Gerard wasn¡¯t only much more powerful than Juan, but his ratio of the crown was higher as well. Juan¡¯s actions were tantamount to pouring a bucket of poison into the boundless sea in an effort to harm it. Unfortunately, Juan¡¯s poison was extremely strong. ¡°Ah!¡± Gerard could feel that Juan was absorbing a vast amount of the crown¡¯s power in him. He was stupefied. Gerard had become even stronger after assimilating Mananen McLeir¡¯s heart and synchronizing with Qzatquizail, but Juan¡¯s actions of moving a tremendous amount of power still managed to stupefy him. Juan flickered like a flame after being stabbed. However, the flame quickly became a wildfire as he absorbed the power of the crown. The flame had grown so large that it seemed like it would fill half of the Crack. The sight resembled a giant butterfly emerging out of its chrysalis. ¡°I apologize for the pathetic display in the West,¡± Juan whispered into Gerard¡¯s ear, ¡°But it is too insulting for you to think that what you had seen were my true self and my entire will.¡± Juan was now controlling the crown. It looked as if a tiny creature was holding a mountain in its hand and was swinging it around. Gerard wanted to refute. ¡®Will? My will is weaker than his?¡¯ Gerard refused to admit it. The relationships, feelings, and honor that he had abandoned¡ªthe pain, despair, and guilt that had always been hiding in the deepest recesses of his mind popped up. It couldn¡¯t be helped; it was difficult to abandon them thoroughly. Despite the many hardships, Gerard managed to come this far because of his will¡ªhis will to become a better emperor than Juan. ¡°A-are you saying that my will is weaker than yours?¡± Gerard growled and glared at Juan. All of a sudden, Juan felt that the one-sided tugging of the crown¡¯s power had abruptly come to a halt, entering a tight stalemate. Juan felt perplexed for the first time. Gerard¡¯s will, which had turned into an obsession beyond stubbornness, wasn¡¯t light at all. Gerard bit his lips until they bled and reached out with his left hand. He was about to gamble in a precarious situation where a moment of distraction was not allowed, but Gerard wanted to show his will to Juan. ¡°If death has made you stronger, then there¡¯s no reason that I can¡¯t do the same!¡± Juan¡¯s eyes widened. Gerard wounded his left palm using Elkiehl. When the wound was made, flames immediately rose from the wound. The same was true of the wound on his left cheek, which was still bleeding. Soon, Gerard¡¯s physical form started crumbling to become a massive flame similar to Juan''s flames. However, his flames weren¡¯t the same color as Juan¡¯s flames. Gerard¡¯s flames were purple and were giving off ominous energy. ¡°I am myself! I will never become one with you!¡± Gerard screamed as he started breaking down. ¡°I am now beyond you!¡± Gerard¡¯s flames started flying toward the Crack. Juan realized that Gerard had separated the crown from himself before he could completely absorb it. Qzatquizail started absorbing the crown. Gerard¡¯s gamble was to accelerate the process by sending out the power through Elkiehl. Juan gnashed his teeth and grabbed Gerard by the collar. Crash! There was an odd sound as Gerard turned into ashes. All that was left in Juan¡¯s hand was a handful of ashes. Juan looked down at the bottom of the Crack and saw the birth of destruction after the world¡¯s division. *** Black Aldebaran looked around. Most of the thornbush priests and the monsters had already been annihilated helplessly by Qzatquizail, but she managed to survive. To be exact, she knew how to survive because she already knew Qzatquizail¡¯s movement patterns. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous that we¡¯re going through this. If only we managed to buy time¡ª¡± Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Black Aldebaran suddenly turned her head at the unfamiliar wind blowing toward her. The wind was a tremendous flow of power, and it was her first time encountering such a vast amount of power. It was then that she realized that the moment her master and deacons had been talking about was finally about to arrive. ¡°He¡¯s coming¡­!¡± Black Aldebaran trembled with joy. ¡°The being who will usher in a new era¡­!¡± Something caught her eyes¡ªit was the Dragon Citadel crashing to the ground. *** The warriors screamed as the Dragon Citadel sharply dropped in altitude. The warriors of the North were brave, but it would be their first time falling from such a great height. Furthermore, there were tentacles the size of a mountain range on a rampage right next to them. They were courageous, but they couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat at their current predicament. ¡°We¡¯re falling!¡± Someone¡¯s loud scream burst out as the Dragon Citadel quickly approached the ground. The warriors could already see their deaths when they saw the ground getting closer and closer to them. Everyone closed their eyes. Opert produced a strange note using the horn, and the Dragon Citadel finally crashed. Upon impact, everyone felt a sense of weightlessness as they were thrown into the air. They crashed back down and started rolling amidst the screams and chaos. However, the scene of destruction befitting a crash landing couldn¡¯t be seen. There were no torn corpses and broken walls. It turned out that the Dragon Citadel quickly leaned to one side before it crashed, burying a corner of it into the ground, which managed to arrest most of its momentum without completely destroying the entire thing. The soldiers started groaning in pain; they couldn¡¯t move even an inch. Opert was also lying on the ground with the soldiers. Opert got so nervous that he accidentally bit the horn too hard, breaking it. There seemed to be broken pieces of the whistle stuck here and there in his mouth. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I paid attention to the notes that the Order of the Lindwurm had produced¡­¡¯ Opert¡¯s attentiveness saved everyone. ¡°Is everyone alive!?¡± Nienna¡¯s roar suddenly echoed throughout the entire Dragon Citadel. ¡±The dead should lie down and rest, but the living should get up!¡± CH 257 The soldiers groaned and stood up one by one at Nienna¡¯s scolding. It seemed that none of them died, but everyone had at least one or two bruises here and there. Some of them even had broken limbs, but everyone thought that it was a miracle that they managed to survive the storm of crazy tentacles. ¡°Opert, you saved all these soldiers! I thought wizards were lame, but you¡¯re amazing!¡± Nienna exclaimed. ¡°...Thank you,¡± Opert said with a groan after crawling out of the pile of soldiers. The Dragon Citadel was slightly tilted after coming to a stop. Opert spat out a bloody tiny horn in his mouth. The tiny red horn ended up breaking inside his mouth when he unknowingly clenched his teeth to brace for impact. Nienna clicked her tongue at the sight. ¡°Dragon Citadel won¡¯t be able to fly again, huh? It was kind of fun.¡± ¡°Thank you for worrying about my wounded mouth, General Nienna.¡± ¡°What about your mouth? Everyone gets a wound like that once in a while whenever they argue while drinking. What gets stuck in people¡¯s mouths are broken tooth pieces, not a tiny horn. It¡¯s better than that, isn¡¯t it?¡± Opert then heard Anya¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°The Dragon Citadel won¡¯t be able to fly again even if the horn is intact.¡± Anya was walking out of the hallway. Nienna was surprised to see Anya¡¯s pallid look and her injuries. ¡°Wait, what happened? Did you fall?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of complicated. I was guarding the heart chamber that Mr. Opert told me about, but the heart was¡­ destroyed. It¡¯s the reason why the Dragon Citadel fell, and it will never be able to fly again.¡± Nienna furrowed her brows. The destruction of the Dragon Citadel¡¯s heart and Anya¡¯s injuries meant that there had been enemies. Nienna had no idea how the enemies managed to enter the Dragon Citadel, but it seemed that the enemies were already gone judging by the look on Anya¡¯s face. ¡°I see. Let¡¯s stop your bleeding first and get out of here. The most dangerous moment is over, but¡ª¡± ¡°General NIenna!¡± An ominous cry suddenly rang out. Nienna frowned and looked at where the voice had come from. Pavan was pointing out of the window while shouting, ¡°The monsters are surging from the inside of the Crack. I don¡¯t think we have time to waste.¡± ¡°The monsters?¡± Nienna was surprised to hear that there were still monsters. She was convinced that the surroundings had already been devastated. However, her mind quickly changed when she saw the scene beyond the window. Black Aldebaran was singing something from afar in mid-air. Nienna gnashed her teeth and looked around. Coincidentally, two of Gerard¡¯s giant tentacles were flanking the Dragon Citadel and had formed a valley. Nienna was sure that they wouldn¡¯t be surrounded. Their current location was too great; Nienna couldn¡¯t consider it a simple coincidence. All of a sudden, something came to Nienna¡¯s mind. ¡°Opert. Did you have any chance to observe the surroundings when we crashed?¡± ¡°Of course. We can¡¯t just crash anywhere. There are no enemies around here, and we¡¯re at a reasonable distance from the Crack.¡± Nienna gave Opert a thumbs up and said, ¡°You are the best flying castle pilot of the empire.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m the only flying castle pilot in the world, but thank you for the compliment,¡± Opert remarked. The monsters were running toward them at breakneck speeds. The Dragon Citadel trembled ever so slightly as the monsters¡¯ footsteps sent waves of tremors toward the citadel. Pavan stared anxiously at the monsters and asked Nienna. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ]. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Nienna summoned two ice swords to hold in both hands. ¡°Gerard killed the surrounding monsters, and he brought the rest of them all in one place! In other words, there won¡¯t be any monsters left if we kill those monsters!¡± *** Juan stared at the Crack. A huge mass was wriggling and creeping up in the purple mist as it tore the ground apart. It was so huge that Juan couldn¡¯t even see the whole thing. However, Juan knew that it was only a small fraction of the tentacles in Qzatquizail¡¯s possession and that it was thin as a thread compared to its entire body. The situation would get out of control once that thing started digging. Qzatquizail would invade the world¡¯s insides like a collapsing dam. However, there was no malice or goodwill in such action. Qzatquizail was simply waking up and moving. However, such mundane actions were enough to destroy the world. Gerard was right, Qzatquizail was so powerful and huge that it would destroy thousands of years of history in just a single move. ¡°Our civilization must be like a sand castle in your eyes.¡± Juan was sure that Qzatquizail was thinking that human civilization was easy to build because it was so easy to break. Juan had once wiped out the gods who had ruled the world for thousands of years, and he had also seen how the speedy demise of his empire. It all happened in less than a hundred years. ¡°But you can¡¯t even build a decent sand castle yourself...¡± Juan¡¯s physical form could barely keep its shape. Elkiehl had penetrated him, but the power of the crown didn¡¯t immediately disperse like before. There was only half of a crown left, but Juan had long become the crown itself. Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacle started to open in the middle as if it were puff pastry. Afterward, a booming voice reverberated. The voice was filled with so much power that it seemed to be making the entire world tremble as it spoke. [The emperor has returned!] A powerful shockwave scattered the clouds. The clouds were cleared away, but the sky was still dark without a ray of sunlight because it was currently being covered by the fog of the Crack. Qzatquizail had once again declared the return of the emperor. Juan¡¯s face distorted at Qzatquizail¡¯s voice. He once thought that one day, he might have to give his crown to Gerard¡ªa crown made out of gold rather than a flame. Juan had laughed at himself back then, but he thought that it would be more beautiful than the flame crown. He thought that it would be a glorious day filled with blessings and joy. However, Gerard was looking uglier and eviler than ever despite the declaration. It was the worst coronation ceremony. Gerard started to levitate Qzatquizail while stomping on his tentacles on the ground as if to boast that he was dominating Qzatquizail. However, Juan saw through the bluff and saw that Qzatquizail was still half asleep. If Gerard could fully control Qzatquizail, he wouldn¡¯t need the support of the tentacles. In other words, Gerard was only controlling a small part of Qzatquizail¡ªa part the size of his finger. Juan wordlessly stared at Gerard without moving. It would be weird to say that Gerard was in control of Qzatquizail just because he was moving it. ¡°Your will was strong, Gerard,¡± Juan said. Gerard¡¯s will was strong enough¡ªuntil it met Juan¡¯s will. ¡°I wonder, can you still maintain your will now that you have already achieved your goal of dominating Qzatquizail?¡± Qzatquizail¡¯s will was no different than the will of the universe itself, so Juan wasn¡¯t convinced that Gerard would be able to maintain his ego once he came face-to-face with Qzatquizail¡¯s will. [The emperor has¡­] Qzatquizail¡¯s twitching became more pronounced. The tentacles trembled as if they were having seizures, and the voice proudly declaring the return of the emperor disappeared. Juan felt Gerard¡¯s voice die down from Qzatquizail. Gerard¡¯s will to go beyond Juan was broken as soon as he achieved that goal. It wasn¡¯t long before Gerard fell into complete silence. Qzatquizail had taken away his crown and vanquished his ego. Gerard only had half of the crown. Qzatquizail had shattered Gerard¡¯s ego, but Gerard¡¯s collapse became the inevitable outcome when he tried to absorb Qzatquizail with an unstable crown. Crack! A huge wound appeared on Qzatquizail¡¯s side. A dark purple liquid gushed out of the wound. Juan inadvertently recalled the wound he had left on Gerard¡¯s face upon seeing Qzatquizail¡¯s wound. It was the last trace that Gerard left on Qzatquizail. ¡°This is not what I wanted,¡± Juan muttered, ¡°But I knew that it would end up like this. No, maybe perhaps I had been waiting for it this.¡± Juan directly jumped onto Qzatquizail. Juan¡¯s physical form quickly distorted. The crown shook upon noticing the presence of its other half. Juan turned into a massive flame before reaching Qzatquizail and left only the afterimages of his sword as he entered Qzatquizail¡¯s body through the wound that Gerard had inflicted on Qzatquizail. *** ¡°Push them back!¡± It was a chaotic scene. The Northern Army and the monsters collided with each other. The soldiers were wounded and exhausted, but they looked more dignified than when the Dragon Citadel was plummeting to the ground. A soldier roared while covered in the thick bodily fluid of a monster he had just killed. He didn¡¯t even spare another glance at the monster above him as he immediately looked for his next target. He looked terrifying and fierce, but Nienna looked no better than him. ¡°Don¡¯t chop them into too small pieces! I like to chew on bigger pieces!¡± Nienna roared. Pavan looked back at Deputy Kilt, seemingly astonished. ¡°Um, did General Nienna just chew on a monster¡¯s nape and swallow it? Please tell me I¡¯m hallucinating.¡± ¡°...I saw it, too.¡± The Imperial knights and the soldiers fought bravely, but the sight of the Northern Army warriors fighting the monsters made Pavan feel as if his eyes were hurting. Some warriors were fighting along Nienna while still chewing on the monsters¡¯ appendages. Pavan was worried that the soldiers would run out of energy due to hunger, but he didn¡¯t expect that they would resolve their hunger like that. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re used to that way of fighting,¡± Kilt said. ¡°It¡¯s probably easy for them to distinguish what monsters are edible or not since they had been spending their entire lives fighting monsters. I¡¯m constantly worried about supplies, so I¡¯m a bit intrigued that they can do that. Kilt, why don¡¯t you try and take a bite as an experiment?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± The Northern Army¡¯s brutal performance prevented the monsters from moving forward. The monsters were twice as large as the Northern Army in numbers, but they couldn¡¯t even dream of surrounding the Northern Army because of Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacles on both flanks. It was the perfect playground for the Northern Army. Meanwhile, Black Aldebaran was in despair. She thought she had heard Gerard¡¯s declaration of return, but the voice was abruptly cut off the second time around. Black Aldebaran could tell that Qzatquizail¡¯s revival was a success, but she didn¡¯t want anything to do with all this anymore. She just wanted to sort the ongoing situation out as fast as she could so that she could finally retreat. All of a sudden, Black Aldebaran flinched and quickly dodged upon sensing a sharp killing intent aiming for her head. Something speedy passed by Black Aldebaran within a hair¡¯s breadth. It was a huge bone crow. The bone crow, which was the amalgamation of remains from various species, flew downward to snatch a monster on the ground. Afterward, it hurled the huge monster toward a group of monsters. The monsters were crushed beneath the huge monster. Black Aldebaran¡¯s expression distorted in disgust. ¡°You filthy and trivial undead¡­!¡± Black Aldebaran¡¯s words sounded hilarious in Anya¡¯s ears. ¡°You control those monsters, and it is your goal to destroy the world, so why do you hate the undead.¡± ¡°We serve the life that is born from space. The existence of the undead is against providence!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Anya grinned. ¡°Then, I shall let you follow providence.¡± Black Aldebaran found Anya¡¯s grin weird. Her eyes abruptly widened upon realizing that something was wrong. She turned her head, but it was too late. A sharp edge had just sliced through her head.. Black Aldebaran was visibly stupefied when she saw the attacker. The attacker was Sina Solvane. Anya gasped sarcastically when Black Aldebaran¡¯s head abruptly flew into the air. Black Aldebaran had not revealed any signs of fear or surprise until she realized that Sina Solvane was the one who had severed her head. Sina Solvane snatched Black Aldebaran¡¯s head out of mid-air and then hurled it toward the ground to prevent any possibility of resurrection. The passing by monsters quickly crushed Black Aldebara¡¯s head. Anya commanded another bone crow to snatch Sina out of mid-air. ¡°I¡¯m glad the timing was just right. How did you do that?¡± Anya asked. SIna looked back at the cliff. It was a distance of at least a dozen meters. Even Sina herself couldn''t understand how she had done it, but this wasn¡¯t the time to think about that. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. I¡¯m sorry to bother you in the midst of the battle, but can I use the Dragon Citadel?¡± ¡°The Dragon Citadel? Um, well¡­¡± Anya explained to Sina that the Dragon Citadel¡¯s heart was destroyed, and it couldn¡¯t fly anymore. Sina revealed a perplexed look upon hearing Anya¡¯s explanation. ¡°I came running here because I thought I could go back to Juan using the Dragon Citadel¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty? Is His Majesty still inside?¡± Sina was about to say yes, but the ground suddenly trembled. The trembling came from the vibrations that the Crack was producing. Nienna was astonished. It hadn¡¯t been that long since the previous earthquake, and she also knew what it meant¡ªthe Crack was widening. Qzatquizail was about to arrive¡­ Their efforts were about to go down the drain¡­ However, Pavan soon realized that it wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°The Crack isn¡¯t widening¡­!¡± Pavan exclaimed. He had been staring at the skies. Nienna turned toward Pavan and saw Pavan¡¯s overjoyed look. ¡°The Crack is closing! It¡¯s narrowing!¡± shouted Pavan. CH 258 Bubbles filled Juan¡¯s vision. Aside from a dark purple liquid, there was nothing else around him. There was no light or heat other than the cold liquid. The only heat was Juan¡¯s flame. However, Juan felt as if he had brought a candle into the deep sea. He felt as if he was in incomparably deep waters, and he had no idea if there was even a surface he could swim toward. ¡®Qzatquizail.¡¯ Juan could instinctively tell that he was inside Qzatquizail. Juan could feel the crown trembling with joy after finally finding its owner. It seemed as if it couldn¡¯t wait to return to its original place so that it could replenish itself. ¡®Don¡¯t even think about it¡­¡¯ Juan concentrated and strengthened his control over the crown. The fluctuating flame quickly settled down, but Juan found all this to be suspicious. Gerard possessed half the crown, but he still got buried by Qzatquizail¡¯s will. Gerard¡¯s traces were also suspiciously diluted and difficult to find. Juan couldn¡¯t help but think that perhaps Gerard had decided to help Qzatquizail by giving up the remaining half of the crown. ¡°Hah.¡± Juan chuckled as if he was mocking himself. The anxiety that was about to overwhelm him vanished. There was no point hesitating at this point. There was no way he could stop Gerard or Qzatquizail from waking up now. Gerard would definitely resurrect and do the same thing over and over again, even if he were to stab Gerard with Elkiehl. Therefore, Juan decided to leave Gerard alone until he summoned Qzatquizail into this world. It was all so that Juan could deal with the two of them at the same time. ¡®At this point, it¡¯s ridiculous to be afraid of Qzatquizail¡¯s awakening¡­¡¯ Qzatquizail¡¯s heart was the crown, and Juan was the crown. Juan chose not to deny such a fact. After all, he knew that even though he could break, he would never collapse. Juan decided to reveal his location amidst the depths of the abyss. ¡°Let¡¯s burn it up!¡± Juan¡¯s flames burned fiercer, and the bubbles around him got fiercer. The surrounding liquid also started to boil violently as the temperature rose. The heat quickly spread, and the blood that had cooled turned red. Juan didn¡¯t stop there. He had already become the flame itself, so he shouted, ¡°I have returned!¡± Lub Dub! The surrounding liquid made a move. Juan could hear the sound of a heartbeat from far away, and it was so loud that it sounded like it could make the entire universe ring. He could feel that Qzatquizail¡¯s domination was successful, but he still couldn¡¯t let his guard down because he was sure that Gerard would have come this far as well. The world in front of Juan was suddenly illuminated. Juan was astonished by the massive space that appeared in front of him, but he soon realized that he was looking right at Qzatquizail¡¯s eyes. Beyond Qzatquizail¡¯s eyes were a strange universe surrounded by an unfamiliar night sky, multitudes of stars surrounding a void, stars that burned inexplicably hot, a massive unknown planet, and clouds of gas. It was a scene that Juan had never seen before. Juan was certain that the empire was smaller than a speck of dust compared to the vastness of the universe in front of him. And then there was Qzatquizail¡­ Qzatquizail spanned half of such a vast universe. What appeared in Juan¡¯s world was just an extremely small part of Qzatquizail. Qzatquizail was so huge that Juan couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was still alive. Unfortunately, Qzatquizail¡¯s body part here belonged to just one head of the nine-headed dragon. Juan suddenly felt sick while facing the vastness of a universe. He knew from his knowledge that the world he was ruling was extremely small compared to a universe. However, Qzatquizail¡¯s sheer vastness was so overwhelming that he felt sick. ¡®No, I must not be agitated¡­¡¯ Juan gnashed his teeth and tried his best to stay calm. His goal was simple¡ªto close the Crack which had invaded his world and keep the world safe from Qzatquizail. Juan tried to control Qzatquizail as much as he could by any means. As he expected, the Crack which had broken into his world appeared in his eyes. Juan moved Qzatquizail and pulled it close to the Crack. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. It was more difficult than he had expected. Juan couldn¡¯t help but gasp for air. All of a sudden, he heard a whisper. ¡®Isn¡¯t it strange?¡¯ The voice sounded like Dane. ¡®You have the power to control a universe. It is a great power that allows you to create and destroy universes, but you¡¯re struggling to fill a hole in the world. Don¡¯t you find that strange?¡¯ ¡°Shut up.¡± Then, Juan heard Gerard¡¯s voice. ¡®I don¡¯t understand. You can be even greater than this. The empire can shine forever, and humans can be immortal. Why is it that you do not want that to happen? Why are you fighting to reject all that?¡¯ Juan did not answer. However, the voices grew louder and louder. Then, Dismas¡¯s voice tickled Juan¡¯s ears. ¡®None of this would have happened if you had chosen immortality¡ªmy beloved father. Your children could have ruled the empire in harmony forever. No one should have died!¡¯ ¡°Aaaah!¡± Juan ignored all the whispers and tried his best to close the Crack. The wrinkles in the space created by the Crack unfolded, and the Crack started to close. However, it was still nowhere enough. Juan suddenly realized that the tentacle Gerard had pulled up was too deep inside to completely close the Crack. Juan tried to pull out the tentacle again, but the voices got louder the stronger he pulled. ¡®Why do you even care about something like that?¡¯ This time the voice sounded unfamiliar this time, but it contained the will of the universe. Juan instinctively realized that the voice belonged to Qzatquizail ¡®Everything will eventually come to an end. The heat will cool down, the scents will vanish, the light eventually darkens, and objects will eventually be shattered. Every universe will eventually come to an end. What happens before the end will not impact the end.¡¯ Juan¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot. The voices were shaking his heart. Tens and thousands of voices whispering at once ruthlessly shook Juan¡¯s consciousness and heart. The tentacle was buried so deep that Juan couldn¡¯t pull it out. The tentacle had to be pulled out if he wanted to close the Crack. ¡®Was I expecting too much?¡¯ This time, he heard his own voice whispering to him. ¡®Did I get too arrogant when I thought that I could do what Gerard couldn¡¯t do? Did my arrogance lead to everyone¡¯s death and this monster¡¯s awakening?¡¯ The despair gnawed on Juan, and self-doubt started breaking him down quicker than the whispers. Juan could feel himself approaching the limits. Juan¡¯s will blurred and faded away as he stood in front of Qzatquizail¡¯s eye. At that moment, Juan could vaguely make out a song reaching his ears. *** ¡°That fucking tentacle!¡± Nienna roared in fury. ¡°The Crack can¡¯t completely close because of that tentacle! We have to cut that shit off!¡± The monsters were pushing the Northern Army away. The monsters also seemed to have fallen into a frenzy because the Crack was slowly being closed. However, the Northern Army couldn¡¯t disengage. They felt that this was the opportune moment to eliminate the monsters and close the Crack for good. The deadly souls sharply picked at the monsters as they followed Anya¡¯s fingertips. The most valiant knights mentioned in myths, noble kings and the warriors who refused death to just fight, marched shoulder-to-shoulder with humans living in the present. Anya was also marching toward death with her army. Pavan was just recklessly swinging his sword without any plans or much thought, and he found what he had been doing to be a bit ridiculous. However, he had to admit that it was more refreshing than he initially thought. Pavan killed the monster in front of him and ran through the monster¡¯s split body. Drenched with the monster¡¯s blood, Pavan screamed like a warrior from the North. Haild jumped toward Entalucia¡¯s flames, which were scorching the monsters into ashes. One of his eyes was blind, so he couldn''t accurately measure depth and distance, and he also found it difficult to move his injured body. However, he felt more refreshed than ever. Haild had given up his revenge on Gerard. He didn¡¯t want to waste any more of his life being bound to one person like Gerard. Haild decided to raise his sword for someone who would be waiting for him in Torra. Sina¡¯s mind was elsewhere, but the tip of her sword was aimed toward the enemy. She was meticulous as she calmly dismantled the monsters one by one and moved forward to the Crack where she thought Juan was located. There was still a lot for them to talk about. She hadn¡¯t even greeted him yet, and she still had too many questions to ask. Sina had to meet Juan again, so she decided to wait and watch until the very end. ¡°This is it! This is where we¡¯re going to die!¡± Nienna roared and leaped into the monsters¡¯ midst. ¡°You are legends! Sing your songs, warriors!¡± The Northern Army roared and began singing a battle folk song. The lyrics seemed to have gotten lost amidst the shouts, screams, and curses, but the fighters on the battlefield felt a strange sense of unity while singing. Nienna tore a monster apart and started singing with the warriors. The song was a battle folk song with a hundred and twenty-two verses. Nienna could still remember how she taught Juan to sing this song. ¡°Today is the day we write the hundred and twenty-third verse of this song! The songwriters are us!¡± The monsters faced an unprecedentedly fierce wave of attack. The warriors were tiny, skinny, and weak compared to the monsters. However, the sight of them singing and attacking at the same time reminded the monsters of colonies. The colony of creatures terrified the monster. They felt a primal fear that any creature would feel in an emergency. All of a sudden, a huge shadow loomed over them. Entalucia mercilessly poured her fire over them, and it was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. The primal fear quickly spread within the ranks of the monsters. The monsters of the Crack started running away to hide. They were able to do this because Black Aldebaran wasn¡¯t controlling them any more. Some of the monsters even chose to hide within the Crack rather than face the Northern Army. When the monsters started running away with their tails tucked, the Northern Army became even more ferocious. Nienna didn¡¯t miss the golden opportunity to slaughter them all. ¡°Kill all those cowardly bastards!¡± *** Juan felt as if hundreds of millions of hands held and restrained him. The hands covered his eyes, his ears, and his mouth. They were preventing him from using his senses. A sweet dream was trying to captivate Juan. Once Juan was captivated, Qzatquizail would then be able to achieve its original will. However, a song reached Juan¡¯s ears. He woke up startled. He had almost fallen asleep, but the song woke him up. ¡®This sounds like the battle folk song that Nienna taught me.¡¯ Juan could still remember how he had a hard time memorizing the entire song overnight. In the end, he didn¡¯t manage to memorize half of it, not to mention the entire song. However, he had memorized the song¡¯s tune and beat. Juan started humming to the song without realizing it. The voices started to fade as his humming synchronized with the sing leaking out from outside the Crack. Juan slowly composed himself, but he still couldn¡¯t move. *** ¡°His Majesty is saying that your voices are too quiet! Sing louder!¡± Nienna was singing louder than everyone else, and a monster would fall to the ground with every syllable she sang. Nienna had no intentions of letting even a single monster escape. The Northern Army pushed the monsters toward the Crack. The song could be heard vividly throughout the battlefield. Pavan wasn¡¯t aware of the song¡¯s lyrics, but he came up with his own lyrics while humming and swinging his sword. Of course, his singing wasn¡¯t really doing anything significant because his pitch and beat were off. Sina swung her sword while anxiously staring alternatingly between the tentacle and the Crack. Juan was in there, and he was the one who was trying to close the Crack. ¡®What happens to Juan if the Crack closes while he¡¯s still in there?¡¯ Sina¡¯s heart started to pound madly against her chest as her anxiousness shot to the roof. However, she couldn¡¯t do anything other than cheer for Juan and shout as loudly as she could, hoping that Juan could hear her voice, even though he was in the Crack. ¡°Juan! I¡¯ve made it clear to you!¡± ¡®...that even if the entire world thinks you¡¯re a monster, I will always believe that you still love mankind!¡¯ *** ¡°Sina¡­¡± Juan¡¯s eyes snapped open. CH 259 ¡°Warriors, advance!¡± The Crack was just around the corner, but the Northern Army did not stop. They ruthlessly pushed the monsters over to the Crack. There was a slope on the periphery of the Crack, and it was probably caused by the tentacle earlier. However, the inside was completely different from what the Northern Army had expected. They thought that the monsters would fall into the abyss after being pushed over to the Crack, but the monsters could still move just fine as if they were running on a plain. The same was true of the soldiers who had accidentally stepped into the Crack. ¡°You won¡¯t fall! Keep pushing!¡± Nienna shouted and looked up at the sky. A huge tentacle that soared through the sky was touching the clouds as if it were licking it. It seemed to be going up and down, but it wasn¡¯t moving even an inch from its spot. Nienna gnashed her teeth and climbed over the tentacle. ¡°I¡¯m going to break you into pieces, you fucking octopus!¡± Nienna summoned the biggest ice spear she could summon. Hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of ice spears manifested in the sky before converging into one gigantic ice spear. Nienna¡¯s mana finally reached rock bottom after manifesting the gigantic ice spear, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to sever the tentacle from Qzatquizail. Nienna gnashed her teeth. ¡°You bastard! Do you really think that I¡¯ll miss my chance to end you for good?!¡± A blue chill exploded from her. Nienna¡¯s eyes turned blue. Her soft skin began to crack open and form wrinkles, and her snow-flower-like silver hair of winter lost its glass-like appearance, turning into plain white. Nienna had just squeezed out even the essence of the emperor that Juan had handed over to her. ¡°Haha, ha! Haha! Not bad! Not bad at all!¡± Nienna¡¯s wrinkled eyes curved into crescents as she laughed boisterously. It was not for beauty or to impress people that she had maintained her youth until now. She had only been maintaining her youth for the sake of not feeling physically lacking when fighting the Crack. However, Nienna had a hunch that this would be her final fight. She realized that even the essence of the emperor was nothing more than just a useful tool that she could use to face her end. Right now, Nienna was neither the emperor¡¯s daughter nor the ruler of the North. She was just an avenger who had decided to burn her life like firewood. ¡°Dieee!¡± The gigantic ice spear struck Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacle and pierced it. Crack! The giant tentacle was ripped apart with a grotesque sound, and the fluid inside flowed out like a river. The tentacle started falling into the Crack under the weight of the gigantic ice spear. Nienna was overjoyed at the sight. However, she also started falling toward the Crack along with Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacle. Her muscles felt stiff. She had poured all her energy into destroying Qzatquizail¡¯s tentacle, and she didn¡¯t leave even a single drop of mana for herself. After squeezing out even the emperor¡¯s essence, recovery seemed impossible for her. The faces of her old family appeared in front of her amidst her swimming vision. The people of the tribe who had to be executed by Nienna¡¯s own hands after being encroached on by the Crack were smiling at her. Nienna¡¯s time had stopped flowing when she turned five, but it started flowing once again. Nienna smiled brightly. ¡®Dad, I must admit that it is a shame that I couldn¡¯t leave a successor before I go.¡¯ Nienna regretted not having any children. For her, a successor had been nothing but just an agent who would succeed her in her revenge. However, she suddenly remembered spending time training with Gerard, Dismas, and Ras a long time ago. Aside from her, everyone in her family had passed, and the thought weighed heavily on her mind. The wind grazing her skin was sharp. For the first time in her life, Nienna felt cold. Loud voices pierced her ears¡ª ¡°General Nienna!¡± ¡ªit was the collective shout of the Northern Army that had penetrated even the Crack. *** Juan stared blankly at the falling tentacle. The tentacle had a giant spear made out of ice sticking out of it. The tentacle fell helplessly and trembled before flowing toward somewhere in space. The fragments of ice scattered, sprinkling snow on the vast expanse of the universe. ¡®Gerard. I told you.¡¯ Juan could not hold back his laughter. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®The humans will be the ones who are going to kick you out into this cold, empty space.¡¯ When the tentacle fell out of the Crack, Juan focused and started closing the Crack. The torn surface of the dimension started closing once more, and it was something that no magic nor miracle could achieve. It was something that could only be achieved by Qzatquizail and the nine-headed dragon. The folk song containing the history of the North could still be heard. It was a song from a distant history that was possibly even older than the Ancient Dragon Age beyond the mythological era or perhaps even beyond those epochs. Mankind and their civilization could still sing of distant tales despite the many invasions and years. It was ironic because Gerard considered them weak. The humans¡¯ confident voices could be heard. Juan was proud that he had once guided, ruled, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them. ¡°A lone but powerful individual cannot determine the direction of fate anymore. Those days are over, Gerard.¡± Juan finally managed to close the Crack completely amidst the song. ¡°Everything ends here.¡± *** ¡°What are you doing, you bastards?! Are you going to leave General Nienna on her own?!¡± The Northern Army didn¡¯t hesitate to chase after Nienna. They jumped into the crack with a roar and without a single moment of hesitation. The monsters were helpless in front of the axes and blades of the soldiers who jumped into the Crack just to kill them. It was a one-sided slaughter, but Sina was shocked by the scene. ¡°No! The Crack is about to close!¡± Sina shouted. However, not a single Northern Army soldier stopped. Sina quickly grabbed one of the soldiers and forced him to stop. She thought that they were acting recklessly in the madness of war, but there was no sign of desperation or thirst for blood in the eyes of the soldier whom she had stopped. The soldier was soaked in blood, but his eyes were bright and clear. It was such a baffling sight for Sina. ¡°Going into the Crack now is no different from committing suicide! If the Crack closes like this, then¡ª¡± ¡°Then, General Nienna will be left alone in there,¡± said the soldier without hesitation. Sina stared agape at him. ¡®He wants to be buried together with her?¡¯ The soldier quickly shook off Sina¡¯s hand and jumped into the Crack. Sina tried to grab the soldier''s hand again, but Pavan stopped her. In Sina¡¯s eyes, the Northern Army looked like a group of moths jumping into the flames. Then, Sina found Anya jumping into the Crack along with the Northern Army soldiers. ¡°Anya!¡± Sina hurriedly grabbed Anya¡¯s wrist. Anya looked back and smiled. However, there was no emotion in her eyes. ¡°You, too? Why are you doing this? You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Sina. Juan is in there. His Majesty is in there, right?¡± Anya smiled softly. Sina flinched. Juan was definitely inside the Crack, and Sina was sure that Juan was the one trying to close the Crack. All of a sudden, Sina remembered the words of the soldier whom she stopped earlier. ¡°Then, General Nienna will be left alone in there.¡± Sina¡¯s eyes trembled. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Juan would meet the same fate as General Nienna. ¡®Will he be left alone and spend eternity in that universe by himself?¡¯ Anya grabbed Sina¡¯s hand and spoke, ¡°I found Lenly Loen in the Dragon Citadel.¡± Sina¡¯s eyes widened at Anya¡¯s words. ¡°I would have killed him right away if I had found him first, but I was unfortunately in the middle of a raid at the time. He saved my life right before he died.¡± ¡°Lenly¡­¡± ¡°He became blind and slowly bled to death. I could hear him calling out for someone until he died, but the person he was looking for wasn¡¯t there. I left. I didn¡¯t stay there until he died because I was scared.¡± Anya blankly raised her head and looked up at Sina. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to die like that. I don¡¯t want to die such a lonely and depressing death. However, this world has no Ras, no Dilmond, and even His Majesty is no more. In that case, won¡¯t it be better if we all just died together? If we¡¯re all going to die¡­¡± Sina was overwhelmed by Anya¡¯s confession. In Sina¡¯s eyes, Anya was like a glass that managed to endure the bitter cold of winter but couldn¡¯t endure the warm rays of daybreak. Anya had just admitted that she was scared of the lonely peace that would come once all this was over. The shock weakened Sina¡¯s grip on Anya¡¯s hand. Anya noticed that and quickly shook off Sina¡¯s hand to run away. However, Sina grabbed Anya¡¯s hand once again. ¡°You should live!¡± ¡°Sina¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from going there if it¡¯s all for the sake of fighting or protecting someone, but if you¡¯re going there to die, then¡­¡± Anya was strong enough to shake Sina¡¯s hand off and run away. However, Anya flinched and stopped moving when she saw the orange hue in Sina¡¯s eyes. Sina gnashed her teeth and shouted, ¡°I can¡¯t let you leave like this! That was what Juan said as well! I thought the message that he had left was only for me, but it wasn¡¯t the case. It was for everyone!¡± ¡°What¡­ what message did he¡ª¡± ¡°To live!¡± Sina stared into Anya¡¯s eyes and exclaimed, ¡°We must live for him to live!¡± Anya¡¯s eyes trembled. Sina hugged Anya as tightly as she could to prevent her from escaping. Sina then looked at the back of the Northern Army soldiers running toward the Crack. The Crack was closing at a rapid pace. Anya continued trembling in Sina¡¯s arms, and she soon collapsed. However, Sina didn¡¯t let her go. ¡°Rely on me if you need someone to rely on. I¡¯m not going to die¡ªat least until Juan¡¯s return.¡± Anya sobbed. Sina patted Anya on the back and silently listened to Anya¡¯s sobs. Sina also quietly watched as the last remaining soldier of the Northern Army jumped into the Crack. It was a surreal sight to see literal mountains moving at a speed visible to the naked eye. The booming noises they produced were loud, and the tremors were strong. All this continued for quite a while. Eventually, the hole in the world finally vanished. All that remained was a land that was strangely a bit too level. The endless monsters and the warriors couldn¡¯t be seen anymore. However, the Northern Army¡¯s song could still be heard in the mountains of the North, and it would remain that way for a long time. *** When the Crack finally closed, Juan felt completely disconnected from the world. The Crack¡¯s original location had become nothing but a void. Countless worlds appeared in Juan¡¯s eyes as well. Juan could now make contact and destroy any world using Qzatquizail¡¯s body. However, no world would be the same as the world with her in it. Juan had gained infinite power, but he felt infinitely tired as well. ¡®Her?¡¯ Juan seemed to have sunk into the great idleness, but a thought suddenly came to mind. He wondered¡ªwho was the her he was referring to? ¡®Was it Sina Solvane? Or was it Elaine Elliot?¡¯ However, his thoughts didn¡¯t last long. When the song disappeared, a multitude of consciousness came crashing down on Juan. Every consciousness contained its own dreams, hopes, and future They were talking about what Juan could do with his omnipotence, and they were also talking about the infinite possibilities out there. However, Juan wasn¡¯t interested in their thoughts at all, and he was slowly being buried. His control over Qzatquizail wouldn¡¯t last long, and the only thing that could control the multitude of consciousness was another consciousness of a higher order. Soon, Qzatquizail¡¯s sleeping body trembled after it finally discovered its heart. It moved, sweeping away the multitude of consciousness. The sheer power made Juan feel helpless. There was no way Juan could ever hope to match Qzatquizail, and he could feel himself slowly getting erased from Qzatquizail. All of a sudden, a whisper reached his ears. It was a familiar voice. ¡®What if the bad guy is stronger than me?¡¯ ¡®Then, run away. It¡¯s not a bad thing to run away when you have no other choice.¡¯ At that moment, Juan felt a breath bursting out of his lungs. He didn¡¯t understand what had happened. He could see the dark red body fluid running down his hand. Only then did he realize that he had split Qzatquizail¡¯s skin and stepped on the top of its body. Juan could no longer feel the heartbeat from Qzatquizail¡¯s body nor the whispers of the multitude of consciousness. Juan felt as if he had suddenly lost a vast amount of power, but at the same time, Qzatquizail¡¯s skin started trembling beneath his feet. ¡®Then, what if I can¡¯t run away? What if I have to fight?¡¯ The whisper of a lone consciousness became vivid to him, and Juan felt that it was a voice that had always existed within him. ¡®Then, fight.¡¯ Juan reached out. He casually grabbed Sutra from beyond the flames. ¡®If you have to fight, then go out and fight.¡¯ Sutra¡¯s blade turned white as if it were responding to Juan¡¯s tight grip. ¡®If you end up dying, then I promise to give birth to a baby and give him the same name as yours. Then, you will be born again. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I¡¯ll always be there for you. I promise to bring you back to the world.¡¯ Qzatquizail¡¯s massive body stretched in silence. The world sobbed and convulsed at the rushing sound of blood from within Qzatquizail, and it seemed as if Qzatquizail was telling everyone that it was time to sleep. Juan looked at the destruction in front of him. Juan smiled and whispered, ¡°Are you a god as well?¡± CH 260 The summer sun was burning hot. A noblewoman was riding her horse along a country road surrounded by green wheat fields that had not yet ripened. She appeared to be bothered by the bright sunshine as she pulled her robe deeper over her face. She was wearing an ordinary-looking robe, but the pedigree of the well-trained horse that she was riding indicated her esteemed status. The escort knight glanced at her and said, ¡°Miss Heretia. Should we take a break?¡± Heretic shook her head and pointed at a small farmhouse located not too far away. ¡°No, I think we¡¯re almost there, anyway. Let¡¯s just walk for a bit more.¡± There was a small farmhouse on a low hill. It looked old, but it seemed clean and well-maintained. The knight reached out his hand to Heretia and said carefully, ¡°Are you able to walk?¡± ¡°If I want to get used to walking, then I have to walk more.¡± Heretia got off the horse and carefully stepped on the ground. An exquisite prosthetic leg was revealed, but it was soon covered by her skirt. Heretia looked like she was having a hard time keeping her balance, but she eventually managed to place her other foot down. The knight kept a close eye on Heretia¡¯s movement while quietly following her. Shortly after approaching the farmhouse, a small child appeared. The child looked at Heretia with curious eyes and soon ran inside the farmhouse. Soon, the other children rushed outside to stare at Heretia with only their faces poking out. Among them, a girl who looked to be about ten years old quickly ran out while wiping her hands on her apron. ¡°Hello. What brings you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for the landlord of the farmhouse.¡± Soon, the door opened once again. A woman with bright blonde hair and odd eyes came out of the door. The woman¡¯s eyes were odd because one of her eyes was blue while the other was orange. It didn¡¯t take too long for the noble lady to recognize the woman. After all, the woman¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed at all from the last time she saw her. ¡°Long time no see, Sina.¡± Sina looked at Heretia with wide eyes and exclaimed, ¡°Heretia? Oh my goodness! Is that really you? Heretia?¡± Heretia opened her arms wide with a big smile. Sina approached Heretia without saying a word and hugged her tightly. Heretia patted Sina¡¯s head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been five years.¡± ¡®Five years¡­¡¯ Sina sighed. It was neither long nor short. ¡°Has it really been that long?¡± ¡°Time has been flying so fast since that day¡­¡± Heretia stepped into the farmhouse with Sina. The children crowded in and looked up at Heretia with curious eyes. Heretia looked down at the children with an overwhelmingly bright smile. Then, she turned her gaze to the entire farmhouse. ¡°Is this Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage?¡± Heretia asked. Sina nodded in silence. Heretia looked back and forth between the farmhouse and the children with a heartbroken expression. All those who had spent time with Juan five years ago felt indebted. After that day, Sina went out looking for traces of the woman whom Juan and Gerard had mentioned. There was a huge chance that everyone, including Juan, simply found it difficult to mention her name. However, it was also possible that they weren¡¯t familiar with her at all. Therefore, Sina couldn¡¯t understand why the woman was labeled one of the apostates. For her, the woman was undeserving of such a grand title. The woman had done nothing but stand by the emperor¡¯s side. ¡°I was really surprised when I heard that you found this place. No one really knew Elaine Elliot¡¯s whereabouts, you know? Even His Majesty had never really looked for her,¡± Heretia said. ¡°I feel like Juan already knew what happened to her. It has been a long time, anyway. Elaine was just an ordinary woman compared to the other legendary figures next to Juan. She was already over forty years old when the emperor was assassinated, and she was almost a hundred years old by the time His Majesty was resurrected. I understand why it was hard for him to think that she was still alive,¡± Sina answered. ¡°But he could have still looked for her to¡ª¡± ¡°When Elaine Elliot died,¡± Sina said calmly, ¡°She was ninety-seven years old. It was in the late autumn¡ªthat¡¯s what the people in the neighborhood told me.¡± Heretia looked surprised after Elaine¡¯s age was calculated. ¡°It coincides with the time when His Majesty was resurrected. What if her death and His Majesty¡¯s resurrection are related?¡± Heretia asked. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but¡­ we¡¯ve already seen His Majesty¡¯s resurrection many times before, and he also told us to live so that he will live.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I am not sure what kind of relationship Elaine had with His Majesty, but I can imagine her thoughts at the brink of death and what she had been waiting for her entire life. She was probably the only one in the empire who kept on believing in Juan¡¯s return rather than the return of the emperor who will sit on the eternal throne¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how much she wanted to witness Juan¡¯s return...¡± Sina held her hands together and continued. ¡°Without her, His Majesty¡¯s resurrection would have occurred at least hundreds of years later. We are all indebted to Elaine Elliot, and our debt is as much as we owe Juan. Perhaps His Majesty came to learn of Elaine¡¯s fate when he was resurrected.¡± Heretia started tearing up as she muttered, ¡°I have always been thinking that I should visit, but I regret that it has taken me so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The donations you made have been a huge help,¡± Sina smiled. In fact, Sina thought there was no need for Heretia to apologize at all. Finding Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage was just Sina¡¯s insistence. Meanwhile, Heretia had carried out much more important and difficult tasks¡ªtrying to protect the empire, for example. ¡°How is Pavan Peltere doing? There is no one visiting this area aside from a peddler doing business with us. So it¡¯s hard to news about the world outside,¡± Sina asked. Heretia revealed a sad look. The memories of their victory that day still made their heart beat and their blood boil. After all, it was a miraculous victory that was only possible because everyone stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Unfortunately, they quickly had to face the cold reality. One of the cold realities involved the many empty official seats, and one of those seats was the emperor¡¯s throne. *** ¡°Dame Sina, no¡ªMiss Sina. You left before Pavan declared himself the second emperor, right?¡± Sina nodded at Heretia¡¯s words. To no one¡¯s surprise, Pavan was the first person to jump into the power struggle right after the victory. Pavan held the support of the military as if he had been waiting all along and declared himself a temporary Grand Duke. It was his first step toward succession to the throne. Of course, backlash broke out everywhere in the empire, but it was inevitable. The empire was on the verge of breaking apart, and the empire had never really had a proper emperor. Therefore, it was only natural for the empire to collapse once the emperor to be disappeared. However, the ruins of the empire had to be preserved as much as possible. In a sense, Pavan¡¯s declaration was the best measure to preserve the empire. Sina immediately returned her sword and gave up her position as a knight as soon as Pavan declared himself to be the Grand Duke. Instead of serving as a knight, she set out to find traces of Juan to settle her long-standing debt. ¡°I already know that Pavan had declared himself the second emperor. It¡¯s a piece of news that¡¯s impossible to miss. I¡¯ve heard that the current government is doing great, but¡­¡± ¡°There are still some people who find it difficult to acknowledge him as the emperor. The backlash from the East was especially huge. After all, the East received the second most damage after the North. Horhell argued that Haild had the right to imperial succession, but¡­ it was an argument that was difficult to accept,¡± Heretia said with a bitter smile. Horhell¡¯s argument was reasonable. The emperor¡¯s children had passed, but Haild was Gerard¡¯s son. However, there was no way people could accept a traitor¡¯s son as the emperor. Haild was admirable in both personality and prowess, but his traits didn¡¯t really matter that much. On the other hand, Haild found it difficult to acknowledge Pavan as the emperor after having been repeatedly betrayed. Sina nodded. ¡°I did hear that there is a big conflict between the two.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more serious than you think, Miss Sina. There have already been several skirmishes among the soldiers, and there have even been assassination attempts.¡± Sina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Assassination attempts? From which side?¡± ¡°From both sides. Pavan might have manipulated it considering his smarts, but things are ugly between the two.¡± ¡°Can you intervene and mediate between them, Miss Heretia?¡± Heretia¡¯s presence was the reason why Sina wasn¡¯t too worried when she left the Capital. Heretia held the authority to control the Golems surrounding the holy city of Torra. In addition, she was a duke with enough connections to dominate the House of Peers, and she also possessed the seal of the emperor. Heretia had a strong position within the empire. It was even often said that there were two emperors in the empire. Heretia smiled bitterly at Sina¡¯s question. ¡°...I chose to stand by Pavan¡¯s side. You know that Haild proposed to me before. It wasn¡¯t that I had no feelings for him, but the empire would have immediately been torn apart if I had chosen Haild¡¯s side. I couldn¡¯t accept Haild¡¯s proposal. It was already decided that Pavan would become the emperor.¡± Heretia ended up supporting Pavan. It was based on the idea that the discourse about independent self-governance would be reduced if the balance of power was completely in favor of Pavan. Heretia ended up being correct, the discourses about the idea from the North and South sharply declined. ¡°But the stance of the East has remained unchanged. I understand them, though. It¡¯s an area that has not only been discriminated against for a long time, but they have also achieved great things this time. How could they let the enemy who once stood up against the emperor hold the imperial power?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It really is a difficult situation¡­¡± Sina muttered. Heretia cautiously leaned toward Sina and whispered, ¡°In that sense, I need you to do me a favor. Sina, will you please take Haild¡¯s side for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Sina asked back with surprised eyes. Heretia¡¯s expression was serious. She was the second in command of the empire. Sina couldn¡¯t understand her suggestion. Why was Heretia saying that Sina should support the side that had been wanting the empire to become a self-governing state? ¡°I think I¡¯m the only one who stands between the two. I warned Pavan several times that I won¡¯t sit back and watch if he attacked the East, but the deterrence of my threat won¡¯t last long. If the East attacks first, a counterattack will immediately ensue. I¡¯m very well aware of Pavan and the Imperial Army¡¯s capabilities¡­¡± ¡±The East will be torn apart in a heartbeat.¡± Entalucia had left the empire long ago with Orca. However, even if she were still here, she still wouldn¡¯t get involved in a war between humans. ¡°So you want me to fight for the East?¡± Sina asked. ¡°No. Your presence alone will be enough of a deterrent for Pavan.¡± Sina frowned. ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but¡­it¡¯s been a long time since I put my sword down. I¡¯ll only be as good as an ordinary knight even if I hold my sword again. I don¡¯t intend to hold a sword again, anyway, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be much help even if I did. Do you happen to think that Pavan will restrain himself because of my name?¡± Heretia smiled bitterly. ¡°Sina. You have no idea just how important you are. The reason the empire and the East still haven¡¯t clashed is that they have no idea whose side you will take and¡­ to respect Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage. However, the young officials are unfamiliar with you, and things are starting to change because of their ignorance.¡± joined.¡± Heretia chuckled hollowly as if her own words had dumbfounded her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I just used the words young officials. It hasn¡¯t been that long since we started resisting the old system as youngsters. It has only been five years, yet everyone has already changed drastically. ¡± Heretia knew that what the emperor had forcibly stopped had started flowing once again. The empire¡¯s destruction was a foregone conclusion, but Heretia wanted to protect the empire to the best of her abilities. Sina did not answer Heretia. She made a cup of tea and brought it to the table. Heretia gratefully received the cup. ¡°I understand that you want to prevent the war by any means necessary. I¡¯m sad that our old comrades are about to fight each other, even though they once stood shoulder-to-shoulder. However, I have no intention of settling down anywhere,¡± Sina answered in a firm voice. ¡°Sina...¡± ¡°Anyway, this is a good tea. The paddlers often bring interesting items. Perhaps they travel to far places.¡± Heretia sighed and took a sip of the tea. Sina looked closely into her belongings on the back of the horse. The amount of Heretia¡¯s luggage seemed like she wasn¡¯t here for a short trip. At the sight, Sina quickly realized Heretia¡¯s intention. ¡°Are you going to leave the empire once you¡¯ve heard that I¡¯m not going to the East?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I can do at this point,¡± Heretia said as she put the teacup down on the table. ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean that there are no countermeasures. You must already know that my merchants discovered other human civilizations from beyond the boundaries. Opert has been working hard as well. I intend to distract the East from the internal affairs of the empire. There¡¯s no need for them to be tied to the emperor and the empire when it has already been five years since that day...¡± ¡°Beyond the boundaries¡­¡± The boundaries disappeared when Juan got rid of Mananen McLeir¡¯s body, but the people¡¯s hearts still instinctively rejected the idea. However, Heretia was actively pioneering a path beyond the boundaries. The exchange hadn¡¯t developed to the extent of national trade, but there were trades happening between the civilizations and the countries beyond the boundaries. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know if things are going to go smoothly like this. Inter-civilization exchanges are bound to be accompanied by conflict, after all. In other words, we¡¯re like attacking other countries to stop the empire¡¯s inevitable destruction.¡± ¡°I knew that there were humans beyond the boundaries, but¡­ I can¡¯t imagine a civilization and a country being there. Are they even human? Are they heterogeneous races?¡± ¡°Heterogenous races, huh?¡± Heretia chuckled. Heretia smiled slightly and leaned toward Sina with a very serious look. ¡°Sina. Do you know why His Majesty said that it will be the humans who will defeat Qzatquizail? Why do you think he praised humans like that when he despised the idea of creating a world only for humans?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I think it¡¯s because he couldn¡¯t come up with another expression?¡± ¡°I found something interesting while looking through Uncle Harmon¡¯s records. It turns out that Uncle Harmon was a member of Aruntal. Oh, of course. I¡¯m talking about the real Aruntal, not the fake Aruntal under Dane. I guess he was able to escape with his life before all of Aruntal was captured and executed. However, he pulled out some interesting records from Aruntal¡¯s records.¡± ¡°What kind of records?¡± ¡°There was no such thing as heterogenous races until the Ancient Dragon Age. It is said that the only intelligent creatures were humans. However, when the mythological age came, the gods made it so that humans would declare themselves as their own race. Therefore, it was only natural that the gods protected the heterogeneous races in exchange for the heterogeneous races¡¯ servitude. That¡¯s why only humans have no gods.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Sina sighed, seemingly dumbfounded. ¡°So it was only natural that the heterogenous races lost their unique characteristic and returned to their original forms when the gods died. Wait, then Dane¡¯s plan to make a god for mankind was¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all to ultimately make a god for all races, and it was His Majesty. The heterogeneous races were a bit distorted until the emperor¡¯s assassination because of Dane¡¯s allusion, but they regained their original forms after His Majesty was resurrected. Isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°That makes sense,¡± Sina replied with a smile. Heretia smiled as well and put down the teacup. ¡°Well, I guess this is it then. I¡¯m ashamed to have asked you for such an embarrassing favor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Heretia.¡± Heretia remained seated in silence for quite a while. Sina belatedly noticed the tears running down Heretia¡¯s cheeks. The confused Sina brought a handkerchief and handed it over to Heretia. ¡°Oh, no. This is just¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I just can¡¯t help but think that what we had done was in vain.¡± ¡°Heretia.¡± ¡°I thought that we were making a great history when we fought as one under His Majesty¡¯s banner. We stood together against a great disaster. But now¡­ we¡¯re fighting against each other again. Are we destined to fight each other until the last man standing? If the eternal emperor were here, then things would have been rather¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense, Heretia,¡± Sina interrupted Heretia with a firm voice. Heretia lowered her head upon realizing her slip of the tongue. However, Sina could understand where Heretia was coming from. In the end, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. They could only hope that the world would stabilize and change rather than remain chaotic until the end of time. Sina hoped that her words would console Heretia as she spoke carefully, ¡°Heretia. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen in the future, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°But if you¡¯re concerned about war, then you don¡¯t have to worry about war breaking out in the near future. However, the deterrent isn¡¯t me nor this orphanage¡ªit¡¯s someone else.¡± CH 261 There were two people lying down on a shallow hill with their eyes on the farmhouse. A hundred fully armed mercenaries were waiting for instructions while standing behind the two. The man looking at the farmhouse through a cylindrical object said, ¡°I¡¯m sure, sis. It¡¯s Sina Solvane, and that fucking bitch Heretia is next to her.¡± ¡°Wow, Colter did something right for the first time. Our enemies are finally all in one place.¡± They were Igel and Ioshiff, the Ilde siblings. Five years ago, Imil Ilde came to the conclusion that he neither had the place to stand in the Crack nor did he want to join forces with the monsters. He had decided to compromise and decided to rule the empire. Imil Ilde¡¯s judgment ended up being right to some extent, considering that Gerard¡¯s forces left in the Crack ended up suffering. However, he had no idea that Heretia had the authority to control the Golems in the holy city of Torra. Imil and his meager army of rebels were ruthlessly crushed. Of course, Imil¡¯s corpse couldn¡¯t be found anywhere after being crushed along with the other rebels. Igel and Ioshiff miraculously managed to survive the chaos. However, there was nothing the two could do after being labeled as fugitives by the empire. Aruntal was scattered everywhere, and their strong background as members of the Ilde family was gone. In the end, all they could do was wander around the slums to rob people and work as mercenaries. Ioshiff signaled at the mercenaries. They used to be members of the same bandit group, but they were now mercenaries. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to take revenge and get paid at the same time. We¡¯re about to kill two birds with one stone,¡± Ioshiff said. ¡°Sis. Do you think we¡¯ll be able to confront Sina Solvane?¡± Igel asked. ¡°It has been a long time since she wielded her sword, so she won¡¯t be that much of a threat. However, there¡¯s a possibility that someone might avenge them if we aren¡¯t careful enough, so why don¡¯t we just kill the children and set the farmhouse on fire?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a great plan. By the way, I want to catch Heretia myself. I want to see her crawl like a bug after I break that prosthetic leg of hers,¡± Igel said. Igel tried to stand up with a satisfied look on his face, but he heard a voice coming from behind. ¡°Who are you?¡± The voice belonged to an old man speaking haughtily in an accented voice. The old man was riding a carriage on the road. The soldiers and the Ilde siblings were confused. They hadn¡¯t been able to hear the sound of the carriage until now. However, the old man sat still without moving a single inch. Igel suddenly remembered that a peddler would sometimes stop by this orphanage. ¡°Let me ask again. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really looking for a bonus, but I guess there¡¯s no other choice.¡± Igel clicked his tongue and signaled at the mercenaries. Five mercenaries approached the old man to try and bring him down. However, the old man simply frowned and said, ¡°You must be bandits.¡± There was a flash, and the severed hands of the five mercenaries flew into the air. Igel knew that the old man couldn¡¯t be an ordinary peddler, and his assumption ended up being correct. He noticed a small brooch hiding beneath the old man¡¯s coat. The brooch had the emblem of a dark red crow. ¡°It¡¯s the Order of Huginn!¡± ¡°Why are all bandits so loud?¡± the old man muttered. Igel and Ioshiff judged that things had gone wrong. They quickly sent the mercenaries to charge at the old man. They reckoned that the old man wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with a hundred mercenaries on his own, even if he was a Huginn knight. The bigger issue was that the Order of Huginn might come here after hearing of the commotion. Igel and Ioshiff hurriedly looked for a way out. They turned and heard a soft noise. Their eyes were pierced at the same time. They could feel a grotesque sensation as if the objects that had pierced their eyes were scratching the insides of their skull. However, they had no time to react as their brains were quickly stirred into a fine mush. The final image that the Ilde siblings saw was a woman with the emblem of a dark red crow on her chest. The eyes of the Ilde siblings glazed over as the woman hurled them toward the mercenaries. Igel and Ioshiff roared and charged at the mercenaries before their feet could even touch the ground. The mercenaries were quickly massacred by the two without being able to react. The mercenaries were killed, and they became knights of the dead in the proverbial blink of an eye. The number of undead creatures had grown once more, and Anya stared quietly at them. *** ¡°She¡¯s getting better and better.¡± ¡°It will be hard to find a necromancer as good as her. Actually, it will be hard to find a magician on the same level as her. Even the Tower Master of the Magic Tower is probably no match for her.¡± Pavan saw Anya¡¯s slaughter through a telescope from a distance. He was so far from the farmhouse that the farmhouse looked even smaller than his fingernails. Captain Kilt of the Order of the Capital was standing next to him. Captain Kilt used to be the deputy. Pavan had been tracking down the Ilde siblings. But instead of ending them with his own hands, Pavan decided to throw them as meat to the wildest dog he knew¡ªto Anya, the Captain of the Order of Huginn who had been protecting Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage. The mercenaries and the Ilde siblings didn¡¯t even last ten seconds before they became members of Anya¡¯s undead. The old man, whom they thought was just an ordinary peddler, was unscathed. ¡°She was already a powerful monster five years ago, but she has become even stronger. It won¡¯t be an exaggeration to call her the goddess of death at this point,¡± Pavan said. ¡°But the captain of the Order of Huginn¡¯s lifespan is limited¡­ as far as I know,¡± Kilt answered. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know how long she¡¯ll live, but our descendants may start heading toward the East one day.¡± Pavan smiled bitterly and glanced behind him. The young talents with important positions in the military and those who were expected to play important roles in the Order of the Capital in the future were standing behind Pavan. Most of them were hard-liners for an expedition to the East. They watched the scene of Anya¡¯s slaughter with pale expressions as they exchanged the telescopes with each other. One of the knights asked with a trembling voice. ¡°Is she the captain of the Order of Huginn?¡± ¡°Yes. What do you think?¡± Pavan asked. ¡°...She¡¯s a monster.¡± The hard-liners quickly gave up their lingering attachment to the East. There were more reasons why Pavan had been delaying the expedition to the East aside from Heretia¡¯s resistance and his respect for Sina. The biggest reason was Anya. She was like a ghost, and she had always destroyed everything that Pavan had sent to approach the East. Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage was located exquisitely near the border between the empire and the East, so the imperial military even had to draw a separate borderline on the map. Anya had an overwhelming presence in the empire in terms of force alone. Ever since the disappearance of the emperor and his children, Anya was the only one in the empire with the combat level befitting someone from the mythological era. Her presence was terrifying, and everyone coveted her. Pavan suddenly noticed something strange while observing Anya through the telescope. Anya was staring at him. Pavan thought that there was no way she could have noticed him, considering the distance, but he broke out into a cold sweat for some reason. Pavan quickly folded the telescope and tried to stand up. Someone snatched the telescope away from him the moment he tried to stand up. Anya was now standing in front of him. Anya looked around at the telescope and held it upside down to hold it close to her eyes. The telescope was the latest invention, even in the empire, so it was only natural that Anya had no idea what it was. ¡°Anya. I mean¡­ Captain of the Order of Huginn,¡± Pavan said as he tried his best to make a friendly smile. Kilt tried to grab his sword in a hurry, but there was nothing around his waist as Pavan instructed him to leave his arms off before approaching Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage. Nothing would have changed even if Kilt had a sword since his swordsmanship was not as good as Pavan¡¯s. But even Pavan couldn¡¯t imagine how to attack Anya. ¡°Pavan Peltere,¡± Anya said with a bright smile. However, Anya¡¯s smile felt bizarre in Pavan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is it fun to play the emperor?¡± Anya asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been having fun...¡± ¡°If you want to keep having fun¡­¡± Anya brought her face close to Pavan¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°You better not go anywhere near Sina.¡± Pavan gulped and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°You would have been mumbling and wandering around with the mercenaries over there if you hadn¡¯t informed me in advance that you were sending those twin siblings over to me. You gave me a pretty good gift.¡± Anya giggled and continued. ¡°From now on, you don¡¯t have to see me in person. Just send the gifts over.¡± Pavan quickly nodded. Anya fiddled with the telescope in her hand as if it belonged to her before dissolving into a liquid that quickly disappeared. Pavan wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead and staggered backward. Kilt rushed over to support Pavan. ¡°She¡¯s so creepy,¡± Kilt complained. ¡°But she¡¯s reliable as well, don¡¯t you think? She acts like that, but I kind of have a close relationship with her. I might be able to get her on my side one day if I continue to diligently send her gifts.¡± Pavan shrugged. Kilt stared dumbfoundedly at Pavan. ¡°Do you actually mean that? If you do, I guess it will be your last will.¡± ¡°You cheeky punk.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with Heretia? She has technically committed treason,¡± Kilt asked. Pavan stared in the direction where Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage was located without saying anything. He could no longer tell whether Heretia had left or not because Anya had taken away his telescope. Pavan quickly made a decision, but he thought that it was a decision that didn¡¯t fit him at all. ¡°Just let her be.¡± *** Heretia was gone, and Sina was sitting in the empty yard of the orphanage. When the sun set and the color of the wheat field started to turn orange, Sina suddenly felt lonely. Anya would come back at night, but Sina would often feel this unbearable sense of loneliness until Anya¡¯s return. Sina was shaken by Heretia¡¯s suggestion because she had been feeling more and more lonely in recent days. She wanted to meet her old comrades again. She wanted to laugh with them, talk to them, and run with them. Sina had never once thought that she would miss the times when she had to fend for herself in multiple life-and-death situations. However, Sina knew that she was missing someone who had been standing next to her during those times rather than those times. ¡®Juan.¡¯ The wind shook the wheat field. A long shadow drooped and mingled between the wheat field, and it seemed like someone was walking toward her through the wheat field. In the past few years, there have been several times Sina stood up and ran after thinking that Juan had appeared in the wheat field and was walking toward her. Juan¡¯s figure on the battlefield appeared numerous times in the wheat field. Sina thought that she had already gotten used to it, but she was still chasing after Juan¡¯s figure. She hoped that Juan would appear in the wheat fields one day, and she reckoned that the feeling had gotten stronger after Heretia¡¯s sudden visit. After all, visits from her comrades during those times were rare. In fact, Haild had only visited Sina once. She was happy to see him again, and she had many conversations with him. However, Haild had told her to stand on his side. Of course, Sina wasn¡¯t the only one who had been missing the comrades of those times. Haild had proposed that Sina should stand on his side because he also wanted to relive those moments. However, Sina refused Haild¡¯s suggestion because she had to protect this place. She had to protect Elaine Elliot¡¯s orphanage until Juan¡¯s return one day. It was questionable if Juan could return when the Crack had completely closed, and he had already become one with Qzatquizail. However, Sina believed that Juan would come back one day as long as he was still alive. It seemed impossible, but everyone had the same thought¡ªJuan would return one day. ¡®But will he return while I¡¯m still alive?¡¯ The sun turned red. Sina would always suffer during these times. She would always feel like Juan was approaching her through the wheat field in the distance during these times. Her logic was telling her that it was just an illusion. The Juan approaching her was either just a traveler who got lost or an animal looking around for food. However, she was surprisingly convinced that the silhouette approaching her right now was Juan. ¡®I¡¯ll end up losing my mind at this rate.¡¯ Sina closed her eyes tightly and held gripped the armrests of her chair. She felt like she would stand up and greet the figure approaching her from the wheat field, but it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. She was already standing up. Sina was dumbfounded by her lack of self-control. ¡®But I swore to His Majesty¡­¡¯ This time, Sina wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Someone was really walking toward her. It was a black-haired boy. The black-haired boy was wearing exotic clothing that Sina had never seen before, but the skinny black-haired boy definitely looked the same as that person¡ªparticularly during their first meeting. Sina thought that it was a kind of illusion that the setting sun had created, but the black-haired boy stared at Sina for a while before moving his mouth. The wind sweeping across the wheat field muffled the black-haired boy¡¯s voice, and Sina couldn¡¯t exactly make out what the black-haired boy was saying. However, she was incredibly familiar with the black-haired boy¡¯s voice. Upon realizing that, Sina had to acknowledge that she had truly gone crazy and that she had fallen into an inextricable hallucination. Sina wanted to shout Juan¡¯s name and hug the black-haired boy tightly¡ªit didn¡¯t matter even if the black-haired boy wasn¡¯t Juan. ¡°Juan?¡± The name that had been tickling Sina¡¯s throat finally burst out of her mouth like a sneeze. However, the black-haired boy nodded in response. At that, Sina couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore. She ran as fast as she could as if she was afraid that the black-haired boy would disappear once more and as if she were an amputee whose leg had just grown back. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". Sina hugged Juan tightly, and they collapsed on the wheat field in each other¡¯s arms. It seemed that the old tree had ended its own life to move on. And it became a sprout that was about to bloom... CH 262 ¡°Are you Miss Elaine Elliot?¡± A shadow loomed over Elaine, who was lying in the garden of the Imperial Palace and was enjoying the sunshine like a drowsy cat during spring. Elaine opened her eyes and found a familiar silhouette standing in front of her. ¡®Juan?¡¯ She was about to speak Juan¡¯s name, but she realized that the individual in question was blond. It took her a bit longer to realize that the hair color was different due to the lighting, but Elaine soon recalled the identity of the individual looming over her. She stood up and smiled. ¡°Mr. Gerard.¡± Gerard revealed a surprised look, but he soon nodded while blushing. Elaine knew that Juan was raising an adopted son named Gerard. However, Gerard found it unfamiliar and difficult to meet new people. It wasn¡¯t because he was shy. It was all because everyone simply had no idea how to deal with Gerard, who looked exactly like Juan. This was Elaine¡¯s first time seeing Gerard. His Majesty Juan Calberg didn¡¯t have an official wife. ¡®Even so, they really look alike.¡¯ Elaine was aware of the news about how the emperor had a hidden child, but Elaine also knew that it was just a rumor. Still, she was surprised to see Gerard¡¯s face. His face was exactly the same as Juan''s when Juan was still a child. However, Elaine didn¡¯t think that Gerard was Juan¡¯s biological child. To be exact, she didn¡¯t think it was any of her business. Elaine politely bowed toward Gerard. ¡°Yes. I am Elaine Elliot. What brings you here?¡± ¡°Um, well¡­¡± Gerard hesitated. His eyes stared alternatingly between Elaine and the ground. Elaine thought that Gerard was just acting cute, but she probably thought that way because he looked a lot like Juan. ¡®Did he actually name him Gerard Gain? Seriously?¡¯ Elaine recalled telling Juan that she didn¡¯t like that name because it sounded insincere. ¡®But he still gave that name to his child. It¡¯s not like his child has any connections to that area.¡¯ Juan¡¯s abysmal naming sense stupefied Elaine. Gerard finally spoke, ¡°Um, by any chance¡­ is Miss Elaine Elliot¡­ my mother?¡± Elaine abruptly froze. She spoke with difficulty, ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°E-everyone has been saying that Miss Elaine is His Majesty¡¯s lover. I heard that you two are very old friends, and it has been a long time since you¡¯ve shared your wills. I¡ªwell¡­ I heard that you can still have children even if you¡¯re not married, so¡­¡± Gerard lowered his head and blushed. Gerard was still a young boy, but Elaine nodded. She figured that he was old enough to know about such a topic. However, the depths of Gerard¡¯s concerns could be seen clearly even in his immature question. ¡®It must be an important question for him.¡¯ Elaine carefully chose her words before saying, ¡°No, I am not your mother.¡± Gerard¡¯s face turned even redder at Elaine¡¯s answer. He bit his lips and tried to say something. However, Elaine interrupted him by raising her hand and speaking, ¡°It¡¯s correct to call us lovers. I do love His Majesty, and His Majesty has also mentioned that he loves me as well.¡± ¡°Then, does that mean¡­¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t His Majesty also tell you that he loves you, Mr. Gerard? Don¡¯t you also love His Majesty, Mr. Gerard?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a little different¡­ I mean, His Majesty said that he loves humanity.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Well, it is hard to imagine His Majesty loving someone exceptionally more than the others. In that sense, perhaps I¡¯m not his lover. I understand why the public is saying that I am receiving His Majesty¡¯s special treatment. His Majesty doesn¡¯t have that many women by his side, after all.¡± ¡°So are you saying that you are not His Majesty¡¯s lover?¡± ¡°The definition of lovers means people who love each other. But His Majesty loves humanity, so I guess you can technically say that we are lovers. However, the level of affection may vary depending on the individual in question, like if they¡¯re rebels or not. National policies and statistics cannot measure His Majesty¡¯s love for humanity. The empire will face difficulties if His Majesty ended up being biased toward a particular individual, and that individual can become his weakness as well. Therefore¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean¡­¡± Gerard interrupted. ¡®That¡¯s because I don¡¯t want you to understand.¡¯ Elaine smiled and patted Gerard¡¯s head rather than giving him a clear answer. ¡°I cannot dare to claim that I am His Majesty¡¯s lover. He has to find someone more suitable than me.¡± Gerard looked up at Elain with eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. Elaine was familiar with such a gaze because she had grown up in an orphanage, and those eyes resembled Juan in his childhood. ¡®He really looks like Juan to say that he is just an adopted child.¡¯ Unlike Juan, Gerard seemed introverted. However, Elaine could see that Gerard had Juan¡¯s characteristics to some extent. ¡®He won¡¯t stay introverted for too long.¡¯ Elaine figured that Gerard simply wasn¡¯t sure of his identity. To be honest, Juan wasn¡¯t the type of person whom one should rely on emotionally. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Juan was a bad parent. Unfortunately, a child was bound to feel insecure if their parent was a mighty figure. They would start doubting if they could even match their parent¡¯s achievements. This was especially true for Gerard, whom everyone misunderstood as Juan¡¯s hidden child. After all, Juan was mankind¡¯s guardian. ¡®I guess it¡¯s not strange that he feels shaken up by everyone¡¯s words.¡¯ Elaine thought that it would have been better if Gerard had a real mother whom he could rely on. ¡®But I can¡¯t lie¡­¡¯ Gerard grabbed Elaine¡¯s hand. He looked down at the ground with a sullen gaze and mumbled, ¡°I was hoping that Miss Elaine was my mother. His Majesty seemed to really care a lot about Miss Elaine. He also said that you were a respectable person.¡± Gerard then carefully raised his head and asked, ¡°Since you love His Majesty, can you be my mother?¡± Elaine¡¯s expression turned complicated at Gerard¡¯s words. *** ¡°I hate to ask you this, but¡­¡± Someone spoke to Elaine, who was dusting off the old books in the Imperial Library. It was Harmon Helwin, the Grand Duke of the empire. Elaine visited the Imperial Library because she was curious about a book that was written more than a hundred years ago, but she had no choice but to place the book back on the bookshelf, thanks to Harmon¡¯s sudden visit. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask¡­¡± Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" Elaine wanted Harmon to get straight to the point because she didn¡¯t want to talk to Harmon. However, Harmon¡¯s words were more surprising than Elaine could have bargained for. ¡°Is His Majesty sexually functional?¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have erectile dysfunction or anything, does he?¡± Elaine glared at Harmon. The old man with a stern face looked back at Elaine as if he was saying ¡®what are you going to do by glaring at me like that?¡¯ Elaine could crush that face if she really wanted to do so, but it didn¡¯t seem like a great idea, so she refrained from doing it. ¡°That¡¯s a private matter,¡± Elaine answered in a firm voice. ¡°His Majesty has no privacy¡ªespecially when it comes to the security of the empire.¡± ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?¡± ¡°His Majesty trusts me a lot, so how could I ask such a rude question to his face?¡± ¡®It¡¯s not that Juan trusts you. He has already given up on you.¡¯ Harmon was a rude old man with an inflated sense of self, but he was also a genius and a workaholic. The reason Harmon was still alive, despite the crazy things he had done in front of the emperor, was that Juan thought highly of his abilities. Elaine sighed and said, ¡°At least you know that¡¯s a rude question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you because you¡¯re the only one who has ever entered His Majesty¡¯s bed chambers.¡± ¡°Right. Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°No. I lied because I wanted to protect your self-esteem. I can¡¯t give you the details.¡± ¡°All I did in His Majesty¡¯s bed chambers was sleep. We either slept next to each other or talked until dawn. That is what we have always been doing since we were young.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t my lie better than saying that His Majesty has erectile dysfunction?¡± Harmon frowned. Elaine was right. The idea that the almighty Sun of the Empire was impotent was something that Harmon didn¡¯t want to admit. With a determined look, Harmon said, ¡°I will go and ask him myself.¡± ¡°...Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t kill me. This is a problem that men can resolve by consulting each other. I¡¯ll hand him over some effective pills, and then I¡¯ll ask him. I¡¯ve already gotten old enough that it¡¯s impossible for me to get hard, so he should be able to relate to me. Won¡¯t it be great for you if this works out, Miss Elaine?¡± Elaine glared at Harmon. She couldn¡¯t help but think that Harmon was actually serious. Regardless of whether Harmon was serious or not, Elaine still didn¡¯t want to talk about her intimacy with Juan. Elaine kept her glare at Harmon and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re not actually going to ask him, are you?¡± ¡°I have been serving him some decent pills during dinners. I¡¯ve also sent several beautiful women to his bed chambers before, but he dismissed them all. You¡¯re the only one who came out of his bed chambers in the morning,¡± Harmon said. He directed a displeased look at Elaine. More specifically, he was staring at Elaine¡¯s stomach. ¡°By any chance¡­ should I be serving you those fertility pills rather than His Majesty?¡± ¡®All right. I¡¯m done.¡¯ Elaine was done being generous. She slammed the book she was holding against Harmon¡¯s head. Smack! There was a loud smack, and Harmon¡¯s hat fell to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, right? You should have known better than to insult me. I can put up with you insulting Juan, but you went too far by insulting me.¡± Harmon staggered backward, and he only stopped after holding on to the railing. The librarian came running, and he was surprised to see blood running down Harmon¡¯s forehead. Fortunately, he suffered only a small cut. ¡°It¡¯s great that the book was thin,¡± Harmon muttered. Elaine regretted her actions just now. The book she was holding was written a hundred years ago. ¡®I should have smacked him with an encyclopedia.¡¯ However, the book in Elaine¡¯s hand was made out of leather that was only about a finger thick. She could have still caved in Harmon¡¯s head if she had struck him a bit harder, but she didn¡¯t want to hurt Harmon to that extent. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this in advance, but this book has many volumes even though it looks thin. You better choose your words wisely.¡± Elaine was saying that she wouldn¡¯t harm Harmon any further for the time being, but she would change her mind if Harmon said another rude remark. It seemed that Harmon now had a bounty on his cheek. Naturally, the bounty wasn¡¯t true, but it was true that many people wanted to slap Harmon. Unfortunately for Harmon, Elaine was one of the very few people who would remain safe even if she slapped him. ¡°His Majesty was right; you¡¯re amazing. Winoa Weaver also thinks pretty highly of you. I don¡¯t know how long it has been since someone hit me like this. I mean, I used to be pretty good at fighting, you know.¡± ¡°Juan and I have always been good at beating adults up.¡± ¡°What cheeky children you both were...¡± ¡°Thank you for the compliment, but as far as I know, you were kicked out of the Helwin Family because you were also a cheeky child.¡± Harmon and Elaine glared at each other with eyes filled with hatred. The two hated meeting the same kind of people as them. The old and beaten Harmon raised his hand first. ¡°Miss Elaine, you have no idea just how desperate I am. His Majesty is in his prime, and the founding of the empire is still ongoing. We have just taken control of the Capital. The citizens will remain anxious until His Majesty nurtures a successor.¡± ¡°But he has Gerard¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if Gerard is His Majesty¡¯s hidden biological child; what¡¯s important is that he is officially an adopted child. I¡¯m thinking that His Majesty may have announced Gerard as an adopted child to pave the way for his future biological child.¡± ¡°Juan isn¡¯t the type to scheme like that.¡± ¡°Please refer to him as His Majesty. Anyway¡ªno matter how good the adopted child is, there is no heir as adequate as the biological child.¡± Elaine was about to say something. However, Harmon reached out and waved his hand at her. ¡°I don¡¯t think that way, but the public will think that way. Honestly, blood means nothing. I¡¯ve seen many families that got ruined by obsessing over blood relatives. However, the idea that the successor is the emperor''s biological child is good promotional material in itself. I¡¯m sure the citizens will love the idea as well..¡± Elaine finally understood what Harmon was trying to say. Elaine stared doubtfully at Harmon before saying, ¡°So you care more about the label. In that case, I¡¯m sure you hate me for monopolizing the emperor¡¯s bed chambers for too long without getting pregnant.¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯m not that petty.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say I hate you. I just thought that I should give you a few decent pills. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand why you are so upset. Don¡¯t you love His Majesty? The entire empire will be happy if you carry His Majesty¡¯s baby. It will also stabilize and secure your shaky position at the moment.¡± ¡°What do you mean shaky? What even is my position?¡± At the question, Harmon stared quizically at Elaine. ¡°You are the emperor¡¯s lover¡ªthe Empress.¡± Elaine¡¯s expression turned complicated. CH 263 ¡°Those fucking bastards are out of their minds.¡± The bar owner looked at Elaine with anxious eyes. Elaine had been drinking since early evening. Elaine was a regular customer of this bar. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to know about Elaine¡¯s identity, her relationship with the emperor, and her alcohol tolerance. As far as he knew, Elaine had long exceeded her alcohol tolerance. Elaine thumped her glass down on the table and saw that she was out of beer. ¡°Give me another glass!¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for tonight, Miss Elaine.¡± ¡°How many times have I made a fuss here while I¡¯m drunk?¡± Elaine asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember just exactly how many times I have told you that, but I do remember telling you that I will ban you from this bar if you kick up another fuss.¡± Elaine flinched and let go of her glass at the bar owner¡¯s words. Then, she lay face down on the table with a sullen look. ¡°That¡¯s no good. There¡¯s no place that sells beer that is as good as the beer here. I guess I¡¯ll have to go somewhere else to kick up a fuss.¡± The bar owner sighed and eventually served her another glass of beer. He thought it would be better to let her make a fuss in his bar rather than somewhere else. There was a chance that she would get in trouble with people who weren¡¯t aware of her identity. The bar owner admired His Majesty, so he decided to give Elaine what she wanted. Elaine smiled when the bar owner brought her another glass of beer. A young man quietly drinking from one side of the bar caught Elaine¡¯s eyes. The young man seemed to be a knight trainee. Elaine noticed him surreptitiously glancing at her while taking small sips of his beer. Elaine approached him with a grin. ¡°Hey, kiddo. Are you here alone?¡± The young man was confused when Elaine started a conversation out of nowhere. The bar owner quickly stepped in. He figured that it was time for Elaine to leave. ¡°Miss Elaine, it seems that you¡¯re already drunk. I¡¯ll bring you back to your place safely.¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t nag at me. Charge the sum to the Imperial Palace¡¯s account. Kiddo, do you want to go out and drink with me somewhere else where no one can bother us?¡± ¡°Um, n-no. I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. Come one.¡± Elaine pulled the young man¡¯s arm to drag him away. The young man blushed and followed Elaine. He obviously couldn¡¯t hide his interest in her. The bar owner was astonished, but he couldn¡¯t stop someone like Elaine. Elaine pulled the young man into a secluded alley. ¡°M-miss. We can¡¯t do this¡­¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°I mean, I just need a little more time to prepare for¡­¡± ¡°Do you usually need time to prepare yourself before you get beaten up? I recommend you get rid of that habit. Crisis always comes unannounced, you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Elaine suddenly punched the young man¡¯s face. The young man fell to the floor with a single blow. Elaine had a petite frame, but it seemed that her small figure contained an incredible amount of power behind them. Elaine also knew how to power up her punches by swinging her waist. Her aim was accurate as well; she managed to hit the young man squarely in the chin, causing him to fall down and pass out. However, Elaine didn¡¯t stop there. She kicked him in the stomach and woke him up. ¡°Ugh, blegh!¡± The young man vomited and staggered up. However, Elaine ruthlessly trampled on his face before stomping on his face. ¡°The bar owner told me that he¡¯ll ban me if I make another fuss in his bar.¡± Elaine didn¡¯t seem drunk right now, unlike when she was still in the bar. She bent down and coldly whispered into the man¡¯s ears. ¡°Do you really think that this is my first time being followed? I¡¯ve been feeling that someone has been following me these days. Who sent you? Are you a member of the Bellarua Church? Or are you from Nigrato¡¯s side? If it¡¯s neither of them, is it Harmon? Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter who sent you. I feel a little crappy today, so this is great.¡± ¡°Ugh, Heuk¡­I, I am a knight of the Order of the¡ª¡± ¡°A knight?¡± Elaine asked. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Elliot.¡± Elaine turned to the voice that came from the entrance of the alley. A large-framed man, who seemed to be about four meters in height, entered the alley. He was so huge that it was impossible to describe him with mere words. There was a crown-shaped on his head, and he had a black beard. There was a chance that there were people who couldn¡¯t recognize the emperor, but there was no way people would fail to recognize the man because the man was the last remaining member of his species. ¡°Barth Baltic.¡± He was also known as the Great General. Elaine didn¡¯t really like Barth Baltic that much, and the reason was simple¡ªBarth didn¡¯t like her as well. ¡°That fellow is my subordinate, so just let him go.¡± ¡°For what reason is the Great General keeping tabs on me? Don¡¯t you have better things to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just one of the duties that we have to carry out. After all, you are His Majesty¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Lover?¡± ¡°¡ªImportant people. It¡¯ll be a problem if you get abducted.¡± Elaine was dumbfounded. She glanced at the young man lying by her feet. ¡°So this punk is supposed to be my bodyguard? It seems that the strength of the members of the Order of the Capital is questionable. And are you sure that you came running here just because of a duty that you must carry out as the Great General?¡± ¡°I came here to fetch you because I heard that you¡¯re drunk again. I can¡¯t leave your well-being to someone else,¡± Barth¡¯s expression distorted as he muttered, ¡°Do you really think that I enjoy taking care of you? If you¡¯re not planning on holding him hostage, then just let him go. I¡¯ll explain.¡± Elaine shrugged and removed her foot from the young man¡¯s back. Barth cleaned the young man¡¯s vomit-covered face with his cloak. Barth patted the young man¡¯s shoulder and encouraged him before sending him away. Barth seemed like he was taking care of a child, so Elaine figured that he had to be telling the truth. ¡°Great General. Why are you keeping tabs on me? It bothers me.¡± ¡°Are you asking because you don¡¯t know? You are the emperor¡¯s walking weakness.¡± ¡°Are you overestimating me, or are you underestimating Juan? Does Juan look like someone who¡¯ll make mistakes just because of a commoner?¡± ¡°Yes, because you are totally nothing more than just an ordinary commoner. Why don¡¯t you pay a little more attention to how other people see you? Even if His Majesty eventually chooses to do the right thing, people will start doubting His Majesty¡¯s ability if something were to happen to you. Whether you like it or not, the people know you as His Majesty¡¯s lover. You¡¯re one of the reasons His Majesty seems like he¡¯s not the emperor.¡± ¡°One of the reasons, my ass! How can you say so?¡± ¡°You know that His Majesty¡¯s character resembles you a lot, right? That alone is already an issue. If his personality were just a bit more serious and mature¡ªhe¡¯s even more immature when you¡¯re around him.¡± Elaine was offended, but she had no choice but to admit that Barth was speaking the truth. Juan had grown a lot, but he often acted like a child whenever he was around Elaine. She thought that Juan was just that kind of person, but a few people like Barth obviously didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Go and whine about it to His Majesty if you have a problem with that; you shouldn¡¯t whine to me. Why are there so many people whining to me these days? I¡¯m not Juan¡¯s babysitter. I was a pretty competent leader of the refugees before I joined Juan¡¯s camp.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return your own words right back to you. If you want to be so selfish, be loyal to His Majesty. Swear that you¡¯ll serve His Majesty and accept a position from him. Didn¡¯t I promise that I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll have your own place in the Order of the Capital? Winoa Weaver seemed like he¡¯s looking up to you. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy to offer you his position,¡± said Barth Baltic. He frowned before continuing. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here. You haven¡¯t even sworn an oath of allegiance to His Majesty, but you¡¯re constantly by his side. What do you think the public will think upon seeing that? You should consider upholding your dignity and marrying him.¡± Elaine glared at Barth. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had been asked or was forced to swear her allegiance to the emperor. She was guaranteed a position within the Imperial Palace, and Juan was also looking forward to her officially joining his camp. However, Elaine didn¡¯t want to swear allegiance to Juan. ¡°Juan is my friend and a colleague; there is no reason for me to serve him.¡± ¡°Yes. You are His Majesty¡¯s girlfriend.¡± ¡®Did he actually just say girlfriend?¡¯ Elaine laughed and grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to use a very childish expression, Great General. If you want to take my place, then you should be a bit sexier. I think you¡¯ll look handsome if you shave. Do you know that large-framed and quiet guys like you are the ones often playing the role of the bottom, unlike what most people think?¡± Barth looked like he had no idea what Elaine was talking about, but Elaine quickly walked out of the alley while the former was still processing her words. Elaine started running away. Seeing that, Barth seemed to have finally realized what she was talking about, and his veins bulged out of fury. Elaine turned around and shouted, ¡°The next time you get your subordinate to follow me, I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll have to crawl back to you!¡± *** ¡°Get away from me. Ah, but not too far away.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juan was confused. Elaine was the one who visited his office, but why was she saying that he should get away from her? Still, Juan obliged, and he stared at her awkwardly from a distance. Elaine didn¡¯t say anything. She simply walked around Juan¡¯s office, surrounded by an inexplicably sharp air that did not allow any questions. Juan cautiously returned to his desk. The desk had a mountain of documents from Harmon. Juan didn¡¯t really have to inspect every single word written on the documents because they had already passed Harmon¡¯s review. However, Juan knew that he still had to take a closer look at each and every one of them because they were all confidential. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just ignore Elaine, who was obviously in a bad mood. ¡°Elaine. Why don¡¯t you go wait in my room? I¡¯ll be right there as soon as I¡¯m done with my work, so¡­¡± ¡°No. I came here because this is the only place with no annoying bastards who can¡¯t just help but piss me off. I don¡¯t want to go to your room. Who knows how many more bastards will pop out and talk nonsense once I emerge from your room?¡± ¡®Bastards? That¡¯s plural.¡¯ Juan seemed concerned. ¡°I did hear that you beat Harmon up earlier today. Did you perhaps beat more people up?¡± ¡°What do you mean I beat him up? I lightly tapped him with a book, that¡¯s all. And why do you think I beat people up whenever I¡¯m pissed? Did someone tell you that I beat them up?¡± ¡°Well, no. No one told me, but¡­¡± ¡°See?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you just in case...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make careless assumptions...¡± Elaine deliberately didn¡¯t bring up the story about how she had beaten up a knight of the Order of the Capital. ¡°So, who made you angry?¡± Juan put down his pen and prepared to listen. Elaine was aware that mentioning someone''s name could potentially put them in danger, regardless of who they were. However, Elaine had no intention of doing so, as she knew it would only fuel the prejudice that Harmon and Barth Baltic had toward her. In the first place, she had never really complained about anyone to Juan. ¡°Since you¡¯ve come here to talk to me about it in person, you must have heard something harsh. Tell me about it.¡± Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Juan was ready to listen to Elaine because she had never really complained about other people to him. Elaine had handled most of her problems by herself, leaving Juan to clean the crumbs. ¡°No, Juan. I came here and started whining to you because you¡¯re involved.¡± Juan revealed a complicated look at Elaine¡¯s words. He wanted to do Elaine a favor, but she had just said that he was involved. ¡°And you should have asked me why I¡¯m angry rather than who made me angry.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯re angry, and there are many possible reasons why you¡¯re angry. It¡¯s actually a bit absurd and confusing.¡± ¡°Come on. It¡¯s not that absurd, is it?¡± ¡°Honestly, I sometimes think that you just needed an excuse to beat people you don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I have many ways of expressing my emotions.¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s just say that.¡± ¡°And were there cases where I was unreasonable while expressing my emotions?¡± ¡°There were times when it got a bit too much.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Elaine nodded. She looked like she had fallen into contemplation as she said, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right if you say so, but I am not planning on changing. Anyway, take a look at me.¡± Elaine stood in front of Juan and opened her arms. ¡°What do you see?¡± Juan fell into deep thought. He could not figure out what kind of answer Elaine wanted to hear. ¡®I¡¯d rather fight a monster or a god.¡¯ Juan considered many different answers, but he eventually chose the simplest and most obvious answer. ¡°Elaine Elliot?¡± Elaine seemed satisfied to hear Juan¡¯s answer. Juan was relieved to see that he got the right answer, but Elaine¡¯s face soon turned cold. At the sight, Juan¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Good. So you know it well. However, the three people who made me angry today were looking at me a bit differently than you do. I can forgive one of them, considering his young age and pitiful circumstances, but the other two are truly the sons of bitches.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me who they are? Who is it other than Harmon?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who they are, Juan. I used to be a pretty good warrior and a refugee leader before I decided to stand by your side. I think I was pretty decent, but I still couldn¡¯t compare to your greatness, which wasn¡¯t really strange. Oh, of course. I¡¯m not trying to compare our achievements or anything. It¡¯ll be meaningless to do so.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°The issue is that I somehow become nothing more than a mother, a womb, and a mistress the moment I stand next to you rather than the skilled person I had been before I joined your camp.¡± Juan stared agape at her. However, his expression quickly turned ugly. Elaine hurriedly raised her hands upon seeing that. ¡°My bad. I exaggerated it a bit because I¡¯m upset. They actually didn¡¯t say that. Let me correct myself. I feel like I have become nothing more than a mother, the empress, and a lover.¡± ¡°Give me their names, Elaine.¡± ¡°I told you! Their names don¡¯t matter!¡± Elaine slammed her hand on Juan¡¯s desk, scattering the mountain of documents into the air. ¡°Everyone looking at me has the same thoughts; those three weren¡¯t alone. Most of the people you rule seem to perceive me that way, and there are always going to be bastards who¡¯ll talk nonsense like today. Are you going to ask me each of their names every time?¡± Juan didn¡¯t answer. Elaine and Juan stared at each other for a long time, but Juan eventually surrendered. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°All right. I won¡¯t ask for their names anymore. Then, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°First, I want you to make it clear to me. Make it clear that I¡¯m not someone¡¯s mother, wife, or lover¡ªI¡¯m just Elaine Elliot. And you are just Juan Calberg, not anyone¡¯s father, the emperor, nor the guardian of mankind.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t understand Elaine. Aruntal had told him that he was born an emperor and was born to become an emperor. Juan was the emperor from the moment he was born, so he had no idea how to start thinking that he wasn¡¯t the emperor. It was also an irresponsible way of thinking. However, Juan thought that he would rather lie than give an honest answer to Elaine. ¡°Okay. I did.¡± ¡°You liar!¡± Juan gave up on giving Elaine an answer. However, Elaine didn¡¯t get angry. She smiled and hugged him tightly. ¡°There¡¯s no way a person like you can think that way. You did a good job lying, though.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding. Then, what should I do next?¡± ¡°Say some pleasant things that will make me feel better. It doesn¡¯t matter even if it won¡¯t resolve the issue. Just make me feel better.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡± ¡°Are you proposing to me?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then I shall have the honor of rejecting the emperor four times.¡± Juan wasn¡¯t really expecting a positive answer. The first time he proposed to Elaine was when they were reunited after a long time of parting, and the second time was after she had overcome the crisis of death. The third time was after Juan had overcome a crisis. Elaine had given him an ambiguous answer back then, but it had been such a long time that there was a huge chance that her answer back then was already irrelevant. Elaine¡¯s ambiguous answer had been giving him a headache. However, he figured that she had to have rejected him back then, considering her answer to his fourth proposal. Elaine started patting Juan¡¯s head. ¡°I didn¡¯t reject you just because you didn¡¯t kneel down and give me an expensive ring in the middle of a rose garden, Juan. And it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you either.¡± ¡°Then, why are you rejecting me every time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be favored by the emperor who has to love everyone, nor do I want to receive your love when you love everyone else as well. I want my husband to love me the most in the world because I will love him the most in the world as well.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get married if we end up without partners even after you retire and step down from the throne. We¡¯ll probably get wrinkles and gray hair, but I¡¯ll be generous and accept you if your appearance hasn¡¯t withered too much by then. You¡¯ll have to make sure that you don¡¯t retire too late.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, but will you be fine?¡± ¡°Hm. Then, let¡¯s say that it¡¯s okay for us to date someone else if we get too lonely. It doesn¡¯t really matter, though, because I have already captivated you. There¡¯s no way you can break free from my charms.¡± Juan stared dumbfounded at Elaine. Eventually, he smiled and said, ¡°So, what is the conclusion of this story? We haven''t come up with a proper solution just yet.¡± Elaine smiled with her eyes at Juan¡¯s question. ¡°Do you want me to suggest a proper solution?¡± Marriage couldn¡¯t be a solution because it would only strengthen the people¡¯s prejudice against Elaine. Elaine didn¡¯t want the people to look at her under the veil of prejudice. It wasn¡¯t like there was no solution, but she thought that it would be a better idea to leave the issue unresolved. Juan shook his head at Elaine¡¯s question. Elaine chuckled and put her hand on Juan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Elaine whispered into his ear, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve done it. Shall we have a little fun tonight?¡± CH 264 ¡°Is he a eunuch or what?¡± Elaine muttered casually. If Harmon were here, he would have freaked out. Unfortunately, Juan was a man who knew the importance and priorities of work. Juan asked Elaine to go to his room and wait because the documents that Harmon had handed over to him had to be processed the same day. Of course, everything would be meaningless to Elaine if he couldn¡¯t spend time with her right away. However, she wouldn¡¯t whine like a child. She nodded and calmly stepped out as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but she was inwardly cursing Harmon. Elaine was holding a bottle of wine she managed to procure after nagging at the imperial chef. The streets of Torra were dark because the moon was obscured by the clouds. There were a few night patrolmen here and there on the streets, but there was no one stopping Elaine. After all, Elaine had already become familiar enough with them to even greet their parents. Elaine thought about Juan while taking a sip straight out of the bottle. Juan was a good man. It would have been even better if he wasn¡¯t the emperor, but she knew better than anyone that such a thought was selfish. Elaine knew that Juan was no ordinary boy even before Aruntal had taken him away. Before Juan was found, an unprecedented fire broke out in the Gerard Valley. The fire turned the entire valley into an infested crater, and it only stopped when there was nothing more left to burn. And Elaine found Juan amidst the destruction¡­ Back then, Juan was just a boy who looked to be about five or six years old. Elaine took the boy with her without hesitation. To be exact, the head of the orphanage who was taking care of Elaine with the donations at the time was the one who picked Juan. ¡®He was no different than a wild wolf.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t important that the head of the orphanage sent out the orphans to beg for money and sold them when they were old enough. It also wasn¡¯t important that Elaine wasn¡¯t abused, nor had she lived a poor life because of the donations for her. Therefore, it also wasn¡¯t important that Elaine had poisoned the head of the orphanage¡¯s meal. What was important was that donations for Elaine had never decreased even after she had already buried the head of the orphanage in the backyard. The donations were more than enough to not only take care of the entire orphanage by herself but also take care of Juan. Elaine was only a child barely taller than the waist of an adult at the time, but she still had the guts to deal with the adults. Elaine thought that was perhaps all thanks to the mysterious benefactor who was constantly sending donations for her or the mysterious heterogenous blood flowing in her. Rumors were bound to be exaggerated for simple rural villagers. Of course, such a rumor with no evidence to support it sounded quite plausible to Elaine¡¯s ears for the same reason. The donation was cut off a few years after Juan left the Gain Village along with Aruntal. It didn¡¯t take long for Juan to wage war against the gods and heterogenous races. The heterogeneous races that had long gotten accustomed to the gods¡¯ love and blessing were defeated and slaughtered by Juan. Elaine had to find a different way of life. Fortunately, she had grown up enough. Elaine did not wonder about the secrets of her parents or the origin of her blood. Knowing that there was no good in finding out, she unhesitantly threw away her lingering feelings. She imagined herself as a girl who suddenly emerged from the ashes and grew up with a strong fate like Juan. Elaine thought that becoming a leader of the refugees at the time could have been due to being largely influenced by Juan. She wanted to be Juan... ¡®I think I gave birth to you, Juan.¡¯ Elaine blankly looked up at the sky. The stars or even the moon could not be seen. ¡®And perhaps you gave birth to me as well.¡¯ Elaine sighed, scattering her breath into the cold night breeze. She turned her head slightly along with her sigh. Someone was following her into the quietest and least populated alley she would always visit every day for a peaceful walk. ¡®I let my guard down. Is it because I have a lot on my mind, or is it because I¡¯m drunk?¡¯ Elaine blamed herself for being too careless and walking into the same alley as usual. The sound of footsteps approaching her started to become rapid. Elaine waited for the opponent at the corner and stuck her foot out as soon as the other party popped out. Crash! Elaine took a sip of wine while looking at the opponent on the floor. Afterward, she immediately struck them with the wine bottle in her hand. ¡°Argh!¡± Elaine¡¯s eyebrows bent at the familiar scream. ¡°Wait a second. Are you the same guy from last night?¡± Elaine could still remember that the young man was sent by Barth Baltic. ¡®I warned him, but he¡¯s keeping tabs on me again?¡¯ Elaine sighed. She had told Barth Baltic that she would make sure that the knight would return crawling back to him, but she couldn¡¯t actually crush the knight trainee¡¯s legs because he still had a bright future ahead of him. ¡°You have to learn how to properly hide first. You¡¯re just¡ª¡± Elaine abruptly swung the broken wine bottle behind her after sensing the presence of someone else. The feedback told her that she managed to cut someone with the broken wine bottle, but that was it. A hood covered Elaine¡¯s head, prompting her to swing the broken wine bottle once more. However, the wine bottle shattered into pieces, and the glass fragments turned her hand into a pin cushion. The feedback told Elena that she managed to hit something, but she could only hope that she successfully struck the perpetrator. Unfortunately, her aching fist made it clear that she struck the wall instead. Elaine inhaled sharply from the pain, and the sweet scent coming from the hood covering her head made her feel out of breath. Eventually, Elaine dropped to the floor, unconscious. *** ¡°You fucking bastards. I will kill you all!¡± Elaine shouted. The people around her clicked their tongues at her attitude. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°I thought you said she¡¯s the emperor¡¯s mistress? Are you sure we got the right one? She looks more like a mercenary who has spent her entire life running the battlefield.¡± ¡°We got the right one for sure. I¡¯m sure I heard everything the Great General said without missing a single word.¡± Elaine was blindfolded and was tied to a chair, so she could only listen. There were four voices in total which matched the presence she felt in the alley. In addition, the unique footsteps in the room could only belong to four people¡ªnothing more, nothing less. ¡°How¡¯s Doug doing? Is he still unconscious?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a huge lump on his head. Is he going to die from it?¡± It seemed that Elaine did manage to hit someone on the head rather than a wall earlier. She confirmed that there were a total of five people involved in this operation. Elaine tried to untie the restraints on her wrists and ankles, but the rope wouldn¡¯t even budge. It seemed that she was either still drowsy due to the drug she was forced to inhale, or she had been tied too tightly. All of a sudden, someone roughly took off the hood covering Elaine¡¯s head. She shook her head and looked around. She was inside a dark room with no lights. It was still dark outside, so it seemed that daybreak still hadn¡¯t arrived. Her presumption was right. There were four people around her while the other one was recovering in another room. It didn¡¯t take long for Elaine to recognize her abductors¡¯ faces because of her good night vision. The knight who had been following her was one of the four people, and there was a man covered in bandages. It seemed that he was the one who was unfortunate enough to take a hit from Elaine¡¯s wine bottle. Then, there was a female dark elf with scars all over her body and a man with an eye patch. Elaine memorized their unique features and decided to call them Knight, Bandage, Scar, and One-eyed, respectively. Before the four people could speak, Elaine spoke first, ¡°You¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± ¡°Hmph. Do you really think that we¡¯ll abduct you without knowing who you are? We are no ordinary abductors, you know. We abducted you knowing that you are the emperor¡¯s mistress.¡± ¡°That alone is already a mistake, but you made an even bigger mistake than that¡ªshowing me your faces.¡± The abductors frowned, confused about what Elaine was talking about. However, the cold energy emanating from Elaine startled them. ¡°Breathe all you can now because you¡¯ll soon drown in your own blood. By then, you will realize the importance of air.¡± The group exchanged perplexed glances. In the end, Scar stepped forward. Smack! Scar slapped Elaine on the cheek with the hammer in her hand. Elaine¡¯s face was flung to the side from the impact. Elaine spat her broken teeth out and revealed her remaining bloody teeth with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll pull out all your teeth and put them back in after shattering them into pieces.¡± Scar lifted the hammer again, but One-eyed quickly stopped her. Scar growled out of anger, but she soon lowered the hammer. Elaine noticed that One-eyed was the leader of the group. One-eyed brought a bundle of gauze and stuck them into Elaine¡¯s mouth until the bleeding stopped. Then, he brought a chair and sat down in front of her. ¡°Elaine Elliot. The emperor¡¯s mistress. The only woman the emperor loves.¡± ¡°Wrong,¡± Elaine replied as if she was chewing out her answer. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one he loves. He loves mankind, and I just happen to have a private relationship with him rather than a public one.¡± One-eyed tilted his head in wonder and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s different. As far as I know, love is private.¡± ¡°Maybe there¡¯s no difference to bastards like you, but there is a difference for the emperor.¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s undeniable that you¡¯re receiving special treatment from him, and that is enough. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the emperor is truly in love with you or not.¡± One-eyed said indifferently, ¡°We will destroy the emperor. We will make him understand how painful it feels to lose a special someone, and we will ultimately make him understand the meaning of fear. Elaine Elliot. You are the emperor¡¯s lover, so you are the best candidate to kickstart everything.¡± Elaine seemed dumbfounded as she stared at One-eyed. Eventually, she said, ¡°I think it¡¯s because you think that I¡¯m the weakest.¡± Winoa Weaver and Barth Baltic, not to mention Harmon, who was the weakest of them, wandered around under heavy escort. It was only natural for the free-spirited Elaine to be the best candidate. The numbers and prowess of the opponents made it clear that Elaine was the only one who could defeat these people. Those three weren¡¯t strong enough to escape from here if it had been them who got abducted. One-eyed¡¯s expression distorted, but he soon regained his composure. ¡°We have the blessing of a goddess¡ªCali of Seclusion and Whispers¡ªShe hides and embraces everything. Invading the Imperial Palace is a piece of cake under her blessing...¡± ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Elaine could still remember that she was unable to detect the presence of others aside from Knight. Perhaps they weren¡¯t lying. ¡°By the way, did you say Cali? Didn¡¯t that bitch run away beyond the Crack about half a year ago? I heard that the Dark Elves and their Church were devastated back then. I see that you managed to stay alive. You should have just laid low, though.¡± Scars raised her hammer once again. However, One-eyed stopped her once again and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll let you do whatever you want in a little while, so wait. This woman deserves to know what¡¯s about to happen to her.¡± ¡°You all look like stupid pieces of shits. Are you sure you¡¯re even capable of explaining?¡± Elaine mocked with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the attitude that you are taking here. What do you intend to do by provoking us? You are mistaken if you think the emperor will come to your rescue. During the night, our presence is nigh impossible to detect. Even the emperor cannot find us during the night, and let me tell you this¡ªyou¡¯re also hidden under the veil of Cali.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Most people I have met so far we¡¯re confident of their chances of winning, and I always feel like a pervert whenever I crush their confidence.¡± One-eyed raised his hand. Scar finally walked over to Elaine with a big smile. Then, she grabbed Elaine¡¯s left pinky finger. Crack! Elaine bit her lips. Scar had just broken her pinky finger. ¡°There are still three hours until daybreak. We plan to torture you as much as we can and throw you out on the streets once daybreak arrives. We¡¯ll make sure to leave enough identifying features so that the emperor will recognize you.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the point of that?¡± ¡°I told you. The emperor thinks that he¡¯s invincible, but he should have known that the things he loves aren¡¯t invincible. You are the emperor¡¯s weakness, after all.¡± Elaine¡¯s expression turned slightly complicated. However, her lips soon curled up coldly as her eyes shone with killing intent. One-eyed disliked the change in Elaine¡¯s expression. He gestured at Scar with his chin, and Scar rolled up her sleeves. Knight and Bandage also rose from their seats. ¡°We¡¯ll let the descendants of Cali have the first dibs.¡± Knight and Bandage stepped out. Scar searched through her tools of torture while One-eyed sat behind her and watched without saying anything. Scar finally approached Elaine with a saw. Elaine spoke, ¡°By the way, I have a question about that knight trainee who just stepped out. Is Barth Baltic involved in this by chance? The Great General had also split the heads of many dark elves in the past.¡± ¡°Is there any reason why I should answer your question?¡± ¡°Nope. You don¡¯t actually have to tell me yourself. I¡¯ll find out soon.¡± One-eyed¡¯s expression turned strange. Elaine finally turned to look at Scar. Scar grinned and brought the saw closer to Elaine¡¯s face. They were so close to each other that they could feel each other¡¯s breath. Elaine could even see the fine details of the scars that littered Scar¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯ll look exactly like me by the time the emperor finds you,¡± Scar spat coldly. However, Elaine¡¯s right hand suddenly grabbed Scar¡¯s wrist holding the saw. Scar panicked, and One-eyed sprang up from his seat. Elaine spat at Scar¡¯s face. It turned out to be a broken tooth, and it pierced Scar¡¯s eye, eliciting a scream of agony from the latter. Afterward, Elaine snatched the saw out of Scar¡¯s hand and cutting the latter¡¯s neck. Blood furiously rushed out of the wound on Scar¡¯s neck, creating a fountain of blood. One-eyed immediately charged at Elaine. In response, Elaine hurled something toward One-eyed, which struck One-eyed¡¯s eye. One-eyed finally remembered the bottle of wine that shattered in Elaine¡¯s hand just before she lost consciousness. He thought that Elain was only injured at the time, but it seemed that she buried a shard of glass into the wound on her hand. Elaine then proceeded to cut through her restraints using the shard of glass. ¡®I thought she was just a mistress...¡¯ One-eyed faltered. Meanwhile, Elaine cut the rope around her ankle using Scar¡¯s saw. At the sight, One-eyed urgently unsheathed his double daggers. He had to suppress her while she was busy freeing herself. However, a dazzling light broke through the window and interrupted him. The light was so dazzling that One-eyed had to cover his eyes. When he could finally open his eyes once more, he was stupefied by the scene in front of him. The night seemed to have been vanquished. One-eyed could swear that daybreak still hadn¡¯t arrived, but the outside world was already bright as if it were high noon. ¡°You said that you¡¯re nigh impossible to find during the night?¡± One-eyed heard Elaine¡¯s voice coming from the side. She had already freed herself and was in the middle of picking up a hammer from Scar¡¯s toolbox. ¡°It is unfortunate, but the one looking for me right now is the Sun.¡± ¡°Everyone! Come back here!¡± One-eyed immediately cried out. Knight and Bandage rushed into the room after hearing One-eyed¡¯s shout. Despite being surrounded, Elaine seemed calm as she swept her gaze across them. CH 265 Barth Baltic opened the door and stepped into the room filled with the disgusting smell of blood. There was no one standing in the room. However, Barth Baltic could see someone crouching on the darker side of the room beneath the dazzling light coming from the window. It was Elaine Elliot. Elaine calmly stared at Bartha and said, ¡°Give me a moment. It¡¯s almost over.¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. A few consecutive dull noises could be heard. Finally, Elaine stood up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. By her feet was a female dark elf covered in scars. The dark elf was bleeding with her mouth wide open, and her bloody mouth was filled with broken teeth. ¡°I made a promise with this fella, and I have to keep it.¡± Elaine approached Barth with a bloody hammer in her hand. When she saw that Barth¡¯s face was covered in bruises, she revealed a surprised look and asked, ¡°What happened? Who beat you up?¡± ¡°I trained with His Majesty.¡± ¡°Are you serious? He refused to have fun with me, but he actually went to see you in the meantime. I¡¯m jealous.¡± Juan and Barth often trained together, but there was no reason for Barth to receive such a severe beating. However, Elaine had an idea why Barth received such a harsh beatdown. Juan had exceeded Elaine¡¯s expectations once more. He always seemed like he was a few steps ahead of Elaine. Elaine hadn¡¯t mentioned any names, but Juan easily extrapolated what was necessary. ¡°Where is His Majesty?¡± ¡°He is on his way here. I was supposed to find you while he maintains the sun. We were confused when you suddenly disappeared, but then we remembered that Cali¡¯s believers had similar abilities when we encountered them about half a year ago.¡± Juan forcibly manifested the sun, and it quickly faded away once Juan¡¯s influence was gone. The daylight that vanquished the night of the empire soon disappeared, and the empire was once again blanketed in darkness. Elaine looked around and saw Cali¡¯s believers on the floor. At the sight, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I¡¯m assuming that you have nothing to do with these people, Great General?¡± Barth¡¯s face distorted when he saw the knight trainee of the Order of the Capital among those on the floor. However, it seemed that he was also suspicious of the knight trainee. ¡°I apologize about the knight, even though it is not something that can be overlooked by a simple apology. If I were to make an excuse, then it seems that your abductors managed to persuade him to jump ships. Anyway, I will do my best to take care of this.¡± Barth reached out and stroked Elaine¡¯s swollen left cheek. Barth seemed confused. Upon seeing his expression, Elaine kicked Barth in the leg out of anger. There was no way that Elaine could inflict a lot of damage to Barth¡¯s hard pillar-like leg, but he hurriedly corrected his expression. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you¡¯re thinking that Juan will get mad that I got a wound that might become a scar on my face. Juan fell in love with my kind heart and grace rather than my face.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± A few wounds here and there wasn¡¯t an issue. The most important part was that Elaine had managed to subdue her abductors despite being restrained. Of course, Juan might get angry that Elaine was hurt, but he wasn¡¯t the type to get angry because of a scar. Soon, the wall split in the middle, and Juan appeared the moment the sun completely disappeared from the sky. It didn¡¯t seem like he came running because he was walking calmly, but his eyes were full of anxiety and urgency. Elaine had no doubt that Juan would come to her aid as soon as possible. She rushed toward Juan and jumped into his arms right away. Juan was perplexed, but he held her in his arms without hesitation. Elaine whispered into Juan¡¯s ear, ¡°The door is over there.¡± ¡°Elaine.¡± Juan couldn¡¯t examine Elaine¡¯s condition because she was hugging Juan with her legs as if she were a Koala hugging a tree. However, Juan could tell that Elaine was trying to avoid showing her face to him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because she was ashamed of the injury she sustained. Rather, it was because she knew that Juan would be heartbroken to see her injured. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡ª¡± ¡°Shhh¡­!¡± Juan closed his mouth. It was obvious why Elaine was abducted. It was because of Juan himself. Juan¡¯s heart was boiling in fury, but he felt complicated as well. Not only has Elaine had unpleasant experiences throughout the whole day, but she was also abducted and tortured just because she was the closest person to the emperor. Juan knew that the issue would be immediately resolved if he made Elaine stay within the confines of the Imperial Palace or assigned guards to protect her. Unfortunately, he knew that Elaine wouldn¡¯t be happy about all that. ¡°Those assholes called me the emperor¡¯s weakness. Such bullshit, isn¡¯t it?¡± Elaine smiled and whispered into Juan¡¯s ear. ¡°Killing me won¡¯t weaken you, and there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll give in even if I were taken hostage.¡± ¡°Elaine.¡± ¡°Just listen...¡± Elaine hugged Juan even tighter. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a lie, I don¡¯t want you to tell me that you¡¯re going to give in because that will make me feel miserable.¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°Perhaps everyone is right. I could be a parent, the empress, and your lover. The emperor¡¯s weakness is probably the right word to describe who I am. After all, it is true that I really like you. I love you, but¡­¡± Elaine let out a hot breath because Juan was burning hot. ¡°I love you, but why can¡¯t my existence be separated from you?¡± ¡°Why do you want to be separated from me?¡± Juan asked. ¡°If you and I aren¡¯t separated, it¡¯ll be meaningless for me to remain as your lover.¡± Elaine grinned and playfully bit Juan¡¯s neck. Juan flinched while Barth covered his eyes with his hand and hurriedly left the room. Elaine grinned and went on. ¡°I want to love you for who I am; I don¡¯t want to be someone who belongs to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand...¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s my fault for being unable to explain it properly. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m dumb. Or maybe I¡¯m just making excuses because I¡¯m not suitable to be the empress. It¡¯s your fault for liking someone like me.¡± Elaine laughed and chewed on Juan¡¯s neck with her canines. Then, she continued whispering into Juan¡¯s ear, ¡°There¡¯s a meaning behind wanting to love you for who I am and wishing for your eternity. Someone should remember you as Juan Calberg rather than just His Majesty the Emperor, and someone should remember me as Elaine Elliot rather than Her Majesty the Empress.¡± Juan wanted to say that Elaine was making a mountain out of a molehill, but all those attributes belonged to both Juan and Elaine, so there was no reason to think of them as separate. However, Elaine seemed to find it unbearable to be addressed by a title other than her name. Elaine held Juan tightly and stuck close to him as much as she could until where they could feel each other¡¯s hearts. ¡°Even if a light is faint and trivial, that light belongs to me. I don¡¯t want to be overshadowed by your sun,¡± Elaine whispered. Then, she quickly let Juan go and took a step back. Elaine¡¯s appearance became invisible in the shadow of the dim room. However, Juan could clearly feel her in the shadows, and he could feel that her heart was beating fast. Juan recalled the conversation he had with Elaine in the middle of the night about the proper solution. Unfortunately, there was only one way for Elaine to resolve this situation. She had to leave Juan. ¡°Juan. You know this doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t love you. Right?¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Even if I end up hating you for some reason, you shouldn¡¯t hate me back. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ll come back as if I have never left as long you keep on waiting.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go too far, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°There are many things I have to be worried about aside from you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. But you¡¯re the only person I¡¯m worried about. I¡¯ll come to see you from time to time.¡± ¡°From time to time?¡± ¡°Okay. Maybe more often than you think.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind even if you bother me anytime you want.¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll be under one condition: we will only meet whenever I visit you. You shouldn¡¯t go ahead and start looking for me. Got it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so picky.¡± Elaine chuckled and took a few steps backward to hide even deeper into the shadows. Juan knew that Elaine would hide in a place where neither the emperor¡¯s acquaintances nor enemies could find her. However, he had no doubt that she would be able to live her own life wherever she went. All of a sudden, Juan realized that Elaine had stopped moving. He saw that her shoulders were trembling ever so slightly. Juan felt a strong urge to share his essence with her to give her the power to avoid the curse of aging and death. However, Juan¡¯s identity as the emperor suppressed that urge. The emperor¡¯s power was the power of mankind. It couldn¡¯t be used for private purposes. Elaine took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the shadows toward Juan. ¡°I thought about saying something sweet as my parting praise, but I can¡¯t think of what to say.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said enough.¡± Elaine grinned and pulled Juan toward her. ¡°Let¡¯s do it one last time before we say goodbye.¡± *** In the fall of the forty-seventh year of the imperial calendar, the news of the emperor¡¯s assassination spread throughout the empire. Elaine was in a deserted location, so Elaine didn¡¯t hear the news until Barth Baltic reached her and told her the news. Elaine was excavating the ruins of an ancient god when Barth Baltic approached her and informed her of the news. Elain sat on the ruins of the historic site. She repeatedly nodded with glazed eyes. ¡°I see. Gerard¡­¡± Elaine recalled Gerard¡¯s face. In her memory, Gerard was a just child with a reputation for being timid but thirsty for affection. Gerard would grow noticeably bigger every time Elaine visited the Imperial Palace, and he eventually grew strong enough to become a textbook model of knights. She could still see the thirst Gerard had since he was a child, but she had never expected that Gerard would stab Juan in the back. ¡°Since Gerard has run away, you must be the one maintaining the stability of the regime, Great General.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Elaine looked at Barth. The last time she visited the Imperial Palace, she thought that the contrast between his white horns and black hair was quite impressive. However, Barth had become noticeably older in just a year. Elaine thought that she was the pot calling the kettle black. After all, she was also about to turn fifty herself. ¡°Harmon died as well?¡± ¡°Yes. Dismas killed him, and I killed Winoa Weaver.¡± ¡°What about Ras and Nienna?¡± ¡°Ras is involved in the treason, but he is resisting. Nienna came back after hearing about the emperor¡¯s assassination, and she seemed like she was not involved. It¡¯s understandable because there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be interested in anything else other than the Crack.¡± Elaine nodded at Barth¡¯s words. Then, she raised her head and looked up at Barth Baltic¡¯s face. Barth had to be busy because the emperor was dead. In other words, there should have been no reason for him to visit her. Elaine grabbed her weapon. ¡°Many people still remember you¡­¡± Barth muttered while looking down at Elaine. ¡°They remember you as Elaine Elliot, the one who deceived and blindfolded the emperor.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s an honor. I guess I have to admit that I¡¯m a charming lady.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a crazy guy named Helmut, and he¡¯s quite good at inciting. He¡¯s crazy, but he has been very helpful in patching up the empire. However, he doesn¡¯t like you. In fact, he doesn¡¯t like the fact that there was a woman beside the emperor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know who he is¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to know who he is¡­¡± ¡°So? Did you come to kill me as well?¡± Barth wordlessly stared at Elaine for a while. The uncomfortable silence continued for a long time before he eventually spoke, ¡°I have come here to know some of the truth about the emperor and to know your role as well. I wanted to kill the emperor, but I also wanted to repay him. Unfortunately, the emperor is dead, and I cannot repay him anymore.¡± Barth slowly unsheathed his sword while saying, ¡°You have neither a position nor a deep connection to the Imperial Palace. If you had even one child, I would have had no choice but to kill both you and the child, regardless of the father¡¯s identity. However, you never had any...¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°I will spare your life.¡± Elaine didn¡¯t mock Barth by saying something like how generous of you. She had been trying her best to avoid living beneath Juan¡¯s shadow, but she finally realized that what she had been trying to do was impossible in the first place. ¡®But if I had stayed beside Juan, I could have died as well.¡¯ If that had happened, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfill his promise of giving birth to Juan if he died. Barth muttered once more, ¡°However, the records and achievements you have made will be erased from history. The only fact that will remain is the fact that you almost became the emperor¡¯s lover, wife, and empress. The mere fact that you were once the emperor¡¯s lover but were labeled as one of the traitors who assassinated him would be considered the emperor¡¯s disgrace.¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°Still, I know that every opinion out there about you is all bullshit. You are a great warrior, and I will remember you as a great warrior. I¡¯ll take care not to let you be threatened or found by anyone. I¡¯ll make sure that even those who were involved in the emperor¡¯s assassination won¡¯t find you. However, you should start living in seclusion. With this, my debt to the emperor is settled.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Barth wondered if Elaine was being sarcastic, but he soon noticed that she was truly grateful. It seemed that survival was more important to Elaine than he thought. Of course, Barth had no idea that she had to live for Juan¡¯s sake. ¡°But all of that is only on the condition that you don¡¯t have children. I won¡¯t be able to protect you anymore if the rumors that Elaine Elliot, the emperor¡¯s lover, gave birth. If that happens, someone else will kill you rather than me.¡± Elaine stared indifferently at Barth Baltic, but her eyes were trembling ever so slightly. ¡®If I can¡¯t have children¡­¡¯ She wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the promise she had made to Juan, so her survival would be meaningless. Barth¡¯s heart felt heavy while staring into Elaine¡¯s eyes. Unable to bear the weight, Barth turned away and left. Elaine sat in the same spot for a long time. She remained sitting in the same spot, even though it was already late in the night. The countless stars in the night sky looked cold, and it seemed that the eternal cold and night would continue for the rest of her life. The chirping night birds sounded like they were singing a funeral song. Elaine clasped her cold hands. ¡°If I had known that this would happen, I would have spent more time with you.¡± ¡®If I had died with him, would I have been happier?¡¯ Elaine repeatedly muttered words that no one would hear. Her voice echoed throughout the old historic site, and it sounded like a solemn prayer for a new day. By the time her voice started to disappear, the sky was starting to turn blue, and the bright red light that rolled down from the horizon as if it were a red carpet erased the stars in the night sky. Elaine looked up and stared at the sunrise. The light was so bright that it hurt Elaine¡¯s eyes, and a clear circle was reflected in her retina. The massive sun that Juan had manifested a long time ago when she had been abducted appeared in her eye. Elaine felt like Juan would appear and call her name. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll hug him even tighter.¡¯ The warmth of the sun felt like it was embracing her. At the lukewarm light, Elaine felt like crying. Elaine tried to cover the sunlight with her hand, but the sun soon climbed over her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Elaine abruptly looked up at the voice. Then, she realized that it was her own voice. Elaine stared blankly into space for a while, and when the sun had completely risen, she stood up and shook the dirt off of her knees. Her job wasn¡¯t to sit here in a daze¡ªher job was to fight. Elaine gnashed her teeth. She stared into the horizon once more and clenched her fists. Then, she finally took a step forward. Juan was dead, and everyone in the world would remember her as a wicked woman. If she was discovered, she could get captured. In addition, people might keep on laughing at her no matter what. However, she couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. The light was faint and trivial, but it belonged to her. The stars in the night sky were distant, but the light from those stars still originated from the sun. Elaine was sure of it¡ªshe was sure that the faint light she possessed would become like a lighthouse that would guide Juan. CH 266 ¡®I came to give you victory, glory, and eternity. But how much are you willing to give up to lose?¡¯ The best first move that one could make on the battlefield was the move that would smoothly lead them to the next move. There was no such thing as a method that would guarantee Juan¡¯s victory. He had simply decided to extend his sword to the right so that he could bring about even the tiniest change on the battlefield. ¡°To the right!¡± The Imperial Army¡¯s line turned right while running. A huge black dog dressed with golden decorations swept through the Imperial Army¡¯s line. Instead of barking, the dog exhaled harshly. The grass on the ground dried up and turned into small grains of sand as the heat from the dog¡¯s breath swept past them. The swamp-like desert seized the cavalry¡¯s ankles at once, and the horses collapsed. The screams of the soldiers could be heard everywhere. However, Juan gnashed his teeth and made a path in the middle of the hot, harsh tempest. The armor on him withered and scattered away. Mallev of Sollapse and Sand was creating another huge desert in the Middle East. If Juan failed to stop Mallev, Torra would be in danger. A great famine would occur once the fertile plains of the central region of the empire were devastated. Mallev snorted and jumped backward with a deriding bark instead of tackling Juan. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. However, Juan could easily cover the distance between them with a single leap. However, the unit that Juan had sent in advance to the right flank was closer to Mallev than him. Someone among the fallen knights stood up and pulled the string of his backward. Mallev noticed the archer a bit too late because he was too focused on Juan. When the knight released the bowstring, his arrow instantly penetrated Mallev¡¯s eye. Mallev whimpered and started rolling on the ground from the pain. He suddenly remembered the long-cherished sun of the southern desert. However, the last thing he saw was not the sun of the southern desert but Juan¡¯s burning sword. *** Crack! There was a shattering noise. Juan managed to crawl up with difficulty. It had been difficult for Juan to kill Mallev because Mallev possessed the attribute of fire like Juan, and he could also turn into sand. Therefore, Juan decided to create a fire that was hot enough to turn Mallev into glass. Mallev couldn¡¯t transform, and he shattered into pieces with a terrible scream. Juan also ended up being trapped inside the glass, but he was fortunate enough to avoid being humiliated in front of his subordinates. Winoa Weaver and the Imperial Guards were running toward Juan. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Winoa, do you happen to have water with you?¡± Winoa was perplexed, but he quickly grabbed a water canteen from his side and held it out to Juan. However, Juan didn¡¯t drink Winoa¡¯s water. He poured it over his head. He couldn¡¯t feel the heat, but the sand all over him made him feel uncomfortable. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a shower when I go back. How are the casualties?¡± Juan asked. ¡°The exact number is unknown, but there are significantly fewer reports of injuries and deaths compared to the previous three battles. It¡¯s all thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s strategy of shortening the battle.¡± Unlike the other gods, Mallev was using guerilla tactics against the empire rather than confronting Juan. Therefore, it had been extremely difficult to track Mallev down, and he had managed to deal extensive damage to the empire due to his guerilla tactics. Juan even thought about pushing Mallev all the way to the North. However, Mallev was found to be in the South and was approaching the Middle East, so Juan had no choice but to confront Mallev as soon as possible. Juan shook his head at Winoa¡¯s words. ¡°This victory is not thanks to me.¡± Juan looked up at the eastern hill. A knight in pale green armor was looking down at Juan with a large bow in her hand. The pale green armor that she was wearing emitted a type of energy that seemed too surreal to exist. Juan instantly realized that the armor couldn¡¯t have possibly been made by humans. ¡°Is she an elf?¡± Winoa carefully asked as he followed Juan¡¯s gaze. The unique shape of the luxurious leaf engraved on top of the steel was a symbol that the elves used exclusively. The helmet even had plenty of space to cover their long protruded ears. Looking at the knight¡¯s armor, it also became clear that she was a member of the elven high society. ¡°Why does an elf keep on helping us? I thought our relationship with the elves was destroyed after Haranbal,¡± Winoa asked. ¡°Who knows?¡± Juan shrugged. The knight in pale green armor stared down at Juan for a while, but she soon disappeared. This was not the first time that an unknown elf had helped Juan. Juan had received the help of that knight three times in total¡ªand they were all in the crucial moments while he was subduing three gods. It was no exaggeration to say that both Juan and the knight in pale green armor owed each other their lives when they captured Gepelude of Conquest and Domination. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll come back again. The way she keeps on making us owe a debt to her means that she has something she wants to tell us.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s coming back¡­¡± Juan turned toward the hill at Winoa¡¯s answer. The knight in pale green armor who had disappeared down the sandy hill was running toward Juan. Winoa gripped his weapon tightly, just in case. Iolin, the god of elves, had yet to appear. Elves and humans were intertwined in a complex love-hate relationship with each other, so Winoa couldn¡¯t put his guard down because the elves could turn their backs on them at any time. ¡°Lower your weapon.¡± Juan lowered the tip of Winoa¡¯s spear. The knight in pale green armor was running on horseback, and she landed gracefully after jumping off of her horse. Then, she started walking toward Juan. The graceful demeanor and bearing she emitted while walking seemed a bit surreal. The knight in pale green armor crossed her arms upon arriving in front of Juan. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Winoa¡¯s eyes widened at the knight¡¯s voice. However, Juan only nodded calmly. ¡°Are you sure about that? I feel like I¡¯ve seen you a few times recently, Haranbal.¡± ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s been five years since we saw each other¡¯s faces, Juan.¡± The knight in pale green armor took off her helmet. Shining blonde hair poured down from her helmet, and her hair seemed transparent beneath bright sunshine. A few of the Imperial Guards were mesmerized by her otherworldly beauty. However, Winoa rather lifted up his spear again. ¡°You¡­! You shot an arrow at His Majesty, and you appeared again?! How dare you!¡± Haranbal pushed the spear away with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m talking to your owner, dog. Do not interrupt me.¡± Juan held Winoa¡¯s spear and pushed it down before Winoa got even angrier. ¡°Winoa, I¡¯m sure Haranbal is mad at me just as much as you are mad at her. There must be a reason she came back, even though she is upset. So, what¡¯s going on, Haranbal? I thought I made it very clear that elves can¡¯t be my ally unless the prerequisites are met?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Haranbal snapped with a displeased look. ¡°I do feel bad about shooting an arrow at your face. Yes, I was angry, but I shouldn¡¯t have done that. But I was just so angry that you didn¡¯t listen to me at all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. Apologize to Winoa instead of me. He was the one who took the shot.¡± Haranbal¡¯s expression turned ugly. However, she soon turned to Winoa as if she had no other choice. She was clearly displeased, but he extended her hand out to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Winoa stared alternatingly between Haranbal and Juan with a perplexed expression while still holding his spear. It was only after Juan kicked him in the foot that he dropped his spear and held Haranbal¡¯s hand. However, Haranbal pulled out her hand as soon as Winoa¡¯s palm touched her palm. Then, she shrugged toward Juan and said, ¡°That was good enough, right?¡± ¡°You should ask Winoa if that apology was good enough, but¡­¡± Winoa¡¯s expression was ugly while he was rubbing his hand against his armor, looking like he had touched something filthy. ¡°I think a forced apology would be rather rude.¡± Juan decided to respect Haranbal. It was already a surprise that she was apologizing to someone. ¡°Why are you suddenly helping me?¡± Haranbal looked surprised at Juan¡¯s words. ¡°You knew all along that it was me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to find an expert archer as good as you¡ªeven among the elves.¡± When it came to archery, no one was good as Haranbal throughout the continent. In addition, she was using a bow made out of dragon horns as well as the branches of the owner of the forest where the elves lived. If her skills were added on top of her superior equipment, Juan reckoned that Haranbal was capable of piercing even divine beings with her arrow. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be straightforward since you already knew,¡± Haranbal said with a bitter look, ¡°I suggest that you offer the elves an alliance once again.¡± ¡°The terms I mentioned before are still valid,¡± Juan answered firmly. He answered so quickly and firmly that even Winoa could feel that Juan was frustrated. It wasn¡¯t really strange because many people were frustrated when the alliance between the elves didn¡¯t come to fruition. The elves were at their prime after the fall of the Hornsluines, so mankind would have gained not only tremendous power but they would have had fewer enemies as well if the alliance had come to fruition. Haranbal¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change even after hearing Juan¡¯s firm answer. She simply muttered to herself, ¡°I know. I just thought I¡¯d ask again just in case you need help because of my absence, but I guess you were fine.¡± ¡°Of course, it was very difficult to fill your gap. You have been a great help to us in our quest to kill the gods. However, we can already fight without your help, and we still have not forgotten why we started this war.¡± ¡°I told you that I know...¡± Haranbal grumbled as if something was bothering her. Juan grew curious upon seeing Haranbal walk back and forth while kicking sand with her foot. Haranbal had to have known that her suggestion would get rejected because Juan had always been a stubborn individual. ¡®So why did she show up again?¡¯ Haranbal sighed. She looked like she had made up her mind as she said, ¡°Juan. My third wedding is in two weeks.¡± ¡°A wedding?¡± Elves had a long lifespan, so most of them would get married multiple times throughout their lives. Considering Haranbal¡¯s age, a third marriage wasn¡¯t out of place. ¡°The wedding will be held at Bayeho Horm in the South-East, which is also called Fog Forest in human language. I¡¯d like to invite you there.¡± *** ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± Winoa suddenly whispered to Juan while they were on their way back to Torra. Juan stared at Winoa in silence, and Winoa knew that Juan was looking at him as if he were an idiot. Winoa was no stranger to such a gaze, so he instantly saw through Juan¡¯s thoughts. Fortunately, Winoa didn¡¯t really care about what other people thought. ¡°Is there a reason why you don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trap?¡± Winoa asked. ¡°It¡¯s because even an idiot can think of that possibility, and do I look like an idiot to you?¡± ¡®Wow.¡¯ However, Winoa wasn¡¯t really the type of person Juan should talk to when it came to serious matters. After all, Winoa was so infatuated with Juan that he would probably believe Juan if the latter said that the sun would rise from the west tomorrow and that Juan could see the future. However, Juan had already made a decision. In other words, he didn¡¯t have to discuss to anyone else about what Haranbal and the other elves were thinking. ¡°You¡¯re not going to attend, are you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to attend.¡± ¡°...Your Majesty. Didn¡¯t you just say that even an idiot could tell that it¡¯s a trap?¡± ¡°The elves aren¡¯t a bunch of idiots, especially Haranbal. If they really wanted to kill me, then they shouldn¡¯t have created such an obvious trap. They could have also shot me down directly.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance that they have anticipated that and have set up a double trap¡­¡± ¡°Then, there will be endless doubts. Haranbal could have colluded with other gods to try and kill me. There were many opportunities where she could have done that, but Haranbal helped me and tried to win my favor by doing so. In addition, I know her.¡± Winoa still seemed dissatisfied with Juan¡¯s decision, but there was no way he could go against the emperor¡¯s decision as the captain of the Imperial Guards. He couldn¡¯t do anything else other than do his best by following Juan¡¯s orders depending on the decision he had made. ¡°I know that Your Majesty has spent a long time with Haranbal¡­¡± ¡°It was from when I killed Talter.¡± Talter was the first god Juan had killed. Winoa was surprised upon hearing that. In that case, the history between the two was longer than Winoa had expected. Many people had come and gone by Juan¡¯s side in the interim, which meant that Haranbal could be considered one of Juan¡¯s very first comrades. Juan made a sidelong glance at Winoa. ¡°Don¡¯t think that we¡¯re comrades or anything. She¡¯s just a guide from Aruntal. They got me a guide because they knew that I would be unfamiliar with the world. Haranbal used to be a wanderer despite being an elf.¡± ¡°Aruntal¡­¡± Winoa didn¡¯t know that much about Aruntal. He only knew them as a group of advisors who taught and guided Juan. If Haranbal was a member of Aruntal, then her skills and equipment all made sense. ¡°Haranbal only saw me as a filthy little boy at that time. She seemed to be interested in my determination to hunt the gods rather than taking the mission seriously. When I killed Talter, she was surprised and thought that it was a miracle.¡± ¡°Hah, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Winoa snorted. However, Juan understood both Winoa and Haranbal. It was after Juan had already hunted more than a dozen gods that he met Winoa. In other words, Winoa had already taken for granted Juan¡¯s ability to kill gods. However, Haranbal had lived for hundreds of years, but she had never seen other gods die unless they were killed by other gods. Haranbal thought it was just a fluke the first time, but she was surprised the second time. When Juan killed his third god, Haranbal was finally convinced that Juan could kill gods. Upon killing ten gods, however, Haranbal became sure that Juan was the pioneer who would open up a new era. It wasn¡¯t that long after Juan killed his tenth god that Haranbal finally collected the seven seals of the elves¡¯ noble families and was entrusted with their authority. She then offered Juan an alliance with the elves. ¡°Haranbal is arrogant, but she has foresight. We did not have any decent territory except for the Capital at the time, but she still managed to convince the other elves. In other words, she¡¯s smart and decisive, as well as quick on the uptake.¡± The elves occupied the largest territory and enjoyed their heyday after the fall of Hornsluines. Nevertheless, Haranbal did not come bare-handed when she suggested an alliance. She proposed an alliance with enough gold to cover the entirety of Torra, promises of enormous troops, and countless weapons made by their craftsmen. It was such a generous offer that it felt servile beyond generosity. Above all, Haranbal was a colleague who had shared life-and-death experiences with Juan. Therefore, Haranbal didn¡¯t think that Juan would refuse. It was an understatement to say that Haranbal¡¯s offer was generous. Juan only had one condition. ¡°All gods must die.¡± Juan declared that he would accept the alliance with the elves if they agreed to accept his condition. Juan smiled and looked back at Winoa. Winoa was eagerly nodding as he listened to Juan¡¯s story. However, none of the elves approved of Juan¡¯s condition. The death of a god meant losing all the blessings that the species had been enjoying. The death of the elven god meant that the elves would lose their long lifespan, the blessing of the spirits, and their amazing physical prowess. They would be rendered to nothing more than an ordinary human being. Haranbal tried to convince Juan for a long time and even threatened him. She even threw away her pride and begged him for a few days, but Juan stubbornly refused to accept her offer. The noble families of the elves withdrew their decision to give their authority to Haranbal after hearing about Juan¡¯s term. In the end, the alliance was shattered before it even started. Haranbal¡¯s frustration reached its peak, and she shot an arrow at Juan and ran away. ¡°Well, I thought that was the end of the alliance with the elves, but¡­¡± Winoa murmured. Winao took Haranbal¡¯s arrow for Juan, but even he couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. The elves¡¯ proposal was like a rainstorm in drought for the empire that lacked money, troops, and weapons. There were some who were more than disappointed. The Western Kingdom and the Northern Tribal Union broke their alliance with Juan out of anger. After all, Juan had not only lost his biggest ally but had also made the biggest possible enemy out there. Their judgment would have ended up being correct if a war with the elves started. However, the elves didn¡¯t wage war for some reason. Juan couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because of Haranbal or the nobles¡¯ decision to wait and see, but the elves didn¡¯t budge in the forest. However, the unlucky people who got lost and inadvertently entered their forest were never found. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s because of a new alliance proposal that Haranbal has invited Your Majesty to her wedding?¡± ¡°If they have changed their minds, then it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°What if their plan is to kill us if something goes wrong?¡± ¡®He is still suspicious, huh?¡¯ Juan sighed and looked back at Winoa. ¡°I believe in Haranbal. Yes, she can betray us, but the possibility is very unlikely¡ªI would say about one in a hundred. In addition, I still believe in the elves.¡± ¡°Your Majesty believes in the elves?¡± asked Winoa, seemingly dumbfounded. Juan nodded. ¡°I believe that the elves cannot kill me.¡± CH 267 The forest was densely filled with trees that were at least a hundred years old. There were so many trees that the sky looked like puzzle pieces. The forest was called Fog Forest, and it truly deserved its name because the forest was humid with wet trees but with dry ground. Juan was walking along the clean stone pavement, which was neatly laid out with nary a single gap. Juan¡¯s relationship with the elves wasn¡¯t exactly amicable, but Juan could still see that the elves had to have agonized over how they should welcome him. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded by fog,¡± Winoa said, seemingly bothered. Winoa and Juan were walking on a train without any fog, but they couldn¡¯t see even a single gap in the fog around them, especially around the trees. Winoa was nervous that there could be an ambush behind the fog. It seemed that he was still nervous that Haranbal¡¯s wedding was a trap. ¡°This fog is their line of defense. This is rather a polite way of opening the way to their residence. I heard that they usually send someone as a guide to greet people and make them walk in the fog.¡± ¡°Will we really be fine? There are only the two of us¡­¡± Winoa looked behind him as if he still had lingering feelings. The road they had already passed was covered with white fog, but the troops they had left on the outskirts of the forest could enter at any time if they gave a signal. ¡°I told you that I could go alone, but you kept on whining, so I had no choice but to let you join.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Winoa groaned like a puppy. He didn¡¯t say anything anymore as he followed Juan on high alert. Winoa was about to have a breakdown out of anxiety, but a group of people finally appeared in front of them. They were the elves¡­ Winoa held the hilt of his weapon nervously, and the elves responded by gripping their bows tightly. Juan raised his hand to stop Winoa. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± However, Winoa was still on high alert while holding his spear. At the sight, Juan explained calmly, ¡°We¡¯re already on the periphery of their residence, so we¡¯re deep enough in the forest. If they had bad intentions, then they would have already ambushed us¡­¡± ¡±However, they¡¯re carrying decorative bows with them rather than proper bows. It seems that they aren¡¯t here to fight, are they?¡± ¡°No, they aren¡¯t¡­¡± Winoa muttered. Juan nodded and said, ¡°Lower your spear, then.¡± The elves¡¯ decorative bows couldn¡¯t even bend. Winoa nodded and loosened his grip on his spear. The elves seemed just as nervous as Winoa, so when Winoa withdrew his weapon, the elves hurriedly put down the decorative bows in their hands. They hesitated for a moment, but the youngest-looking elf among them slowly approached Juan and said, ¡°Are you His Majesty Juan Calberg Kennosis, the emperor of the empire?¡± ¡°I am.¡± The elf looked like a young child, but he was certainly older than Juan. However, Juan wasn¡¯t the type to use honorifics on anyone unless they were a respectable opponent. It wasn¡¯t a matter of status. The elf nodded and politely guided Juan and Winoa. ¡°His Highness Aunkel is waiting for you. Please allow me to show you around.¡± ¡°Arunkel? Not Haranbal?¡± The elf nodded. ¡°Haranbal is His Highness Aunkel¡¯s daughter. He wanted to meet Your Majesty first.¡± Winoa looked at Juan, and Juan simply shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just right to meet the bride and the groom¡¯s parents first at a wedding. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± *** The wedding¡¯s atmosphere was solemn and mellow. It wasn¡¯t as festive as the weddings of humans. The elves were busy chatting beneath the somber tent set up in the open space surrounded by tall trees. Young elves were moving back and forth between the elves at the tent while carrying plates of food. Spirits were flying around to spray powders of light, but there was no splendor. However, the rowdy open space went silent the moment Juan appeared. Everyone was looking at Juan¡ªthe new divine of the continent, a god¨Ceating monster, or perhaps a different type of god. The person in those rumors was standing in front of them. Juan calmly walked beneath the elves¡¯ gazes. Winoa followed Juan¡¯s back, but he looked stiff, obviously nervous. Juan sensed that the elves were staring at him in frustration, curiosity, and fear. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" ¡°Winoa. If you¡¯re going to be so nervous, you should walk a bit further away from me. You¡¯re making me nervous, too.¡± ¡°I never thought that Your Majesty could get nervous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so nervous that I feel like breaking down.¡± At that moment, the young elf leading the way came to a halt. Then, one of the elves who had been quietly talking under the tent soon rose from his seat. The elf was a long-haired man whose hair was a mixture of gray and gold. He was dressed so modestly that he could not be distinguished from other elves. Although it was strange to compare a person to a plant, Juan thought that the man looked like a weeping willow. The elf man stepped barefoot onto the grass and approached Juan. He reached out with his hand and smiled before saying, ¡°Your Majesty, Juan Calberg. Thank you for coming this far to visit us.¡± ¡°Your Highness Aunkel.¡± Juan responded by politely bowing and receiving Aunkel¡¯s hand. Even among humans, many people respected Aunkel. It had been a while since he was last active, but the legends he had left throughout the continent remained the subject of the many knights¡¯ admiration. Aunkel had saved many cities and towns, and the stories of his feat could still be heard and read in many songs and records. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he were a member of Aruntal. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to join officially because he was an elf royalty. ¡°I have heard a lot about Your Highness¡¯s legend. Someone who had raised me¡ªand who is like a sister to me¡ªhad once told me that I should be a great man like Your Highness,¡± Juan said. ¡°Those are stories from a distant past. Compared to Your Majesty¡¯s achievements, what I have achieved is like a candle in front of the sun.¡± Neither of them was talking out of modesty. Juan and Aunkel truly respected each other. Aunkel glanced at Winoa standing behind Juan. Aunkel smiled upon seeing the nervous Winoa and said, ¡°It seems like your attendant is a bit nervous. I promise that there¡¯s nothing to be worried about here. The people here are acquaintances of mine and Haranbal¡¯s. No one has any weapons except those in charge of security.¡± ¡°It seems like they don¡¯t really need weapons.¡± Juan could tell from a single glance that the elves here possessed extraordinary battle prowess. Elves were masters of more than just one or two weapons because of their long lifespan. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that many of the elves here were on the same level as the empire¡¯s elite knights. Aunkel smiled awkwardly as if he could not help it. ¡°Haranbal¡¯s interpersonal relationship seems to be somewhat biased. The same is true of me as well.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Haranbal?¡± Juan asked. ¡°She¡¯s this way.¡± Juan followed Aunkel to one of the largest and most beautiful tents surrounding the open space. Aunkel carefully rolled up the veil hanging at the entrance. Haranbal was just beyond the veil. Juan momentarily felt out of breath. Haranbal was breathtakingly beautiful in her white wedding dress decorated with all kinds of rare jewels. The sunlight leaking from the ceiling also made her seem as if she was shining brilliantly. Haranbal¡¯s fancy but natural appearance reminded Juan of a lily in full bloom. It was a type of beauty beyond humanity¡¯s reach. Juan looked at Haranbal in admiration. He felt like he was witnessing the meaning of pure beauty itself. ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time meeting you in a dress, Your Majesty.¡± Haranbal smiled and elegantly bowed. She was using honorifics, perhaps due to the special occasion. Winoa started coughing from the side. Winoa had been holding his breath until Haranbal opened her mouth. He looked back and forth between Haranbal and Juan in disbelief. ¡°Is she really Haranbal? Is she really that Haranbal¡ªwho used to look like a member of a gang?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be saying that in front of a bride on her wedding day,¡± Juan said and kicked Winoa¡¯s foot. Winoa abruptly closed his mouth. Haranbal smiled and pointed to the seat on the right. It was the seat for the bride¡¯s closest guests, and it was the nearest seat to Aunkel. ¡°We have prepared the most special seat for Your Majesty.¡± Juan glanced at the seat, but he didn¡¯t take a seat. He looked around in silence and sighed. The individual he was looking for couldn¡¯t be found, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where¡¯s the groom, Haranbal?¡± ¡°The groom hasn¡¯t been decided yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We¡¯re choosing the groom today. When the groom is chosen, the wedding will be held the next morning.¡± Juan grew curious at Haranbal¡¯s answer. Juan was aware that that wasn¡¯t how elves would get married. This type of wedding was closer to weddings between humans who were members of the nobility. It was a type of wedding that would allow humans to obtain power through marriage and establish alliances through blood ties. In fact, the term for this type of wedding had already been coined long ago. ¡°So you¡¯re selecting a spouse for the royal family.¡± There was no reason for an elf with high status and capability like Haranbal to select a spouse to gain more power for the royal family. Aunkel also wasn¡¯t the type of person to force his daughter into marrying someone for more power. If Haranbal liked someone, she could simply do the first move and propose. In other words, this only meant one thing¡­ ¡°I believe you¡¯ll participate until the end, Your Majesty.¡± Juan realized that he had fallen into a trap, but it was a different kind of trap than what he had in mind. *** ¡°Your Majesty has to participate in the groom search?¡± ¡°It seems that Haranbal¡¯s intentions are indeed like that.¡± Juan sat in the seat Haranbal had assigned to him on the right side of the tent and stared at the flames burning in the middle of the open space. Winoa glared at Haranbal, but he kept on zoning out while doing so. It seemed that Haranbal was beautiful enough to make any ordinary humans fall into a daze while looking at her. Winoa coughed and whispered to Juan, ¡°But when Miss Elaine finds out¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell her about it anyway, and I highly doubt she¡¯ll care.¡± Juan recalled Elaine, who should be waiting for him in Torra. Of course, Elaine had also met Haranbal before. He didn¡¯t know what Haranbal thought of Elaine, but Elaine had never thought of Haranbal as her rival. It was all because Elaine believed that Haranbal was no match for her, and Elaine was right. The rule of the spouse selection was simple¡ªthe strongest would win the bride. The elves were currently fighting each other in a one-on-one duel out in the open space, and the first one to lose their weapons or become incapacitated would lose. Most of the challengers were men, but there were a few women as well. They were young and capable elves, but the duel wasn¡¯t very fierce. It was more like a gladiatorial exhibition than a duel. Winoa tilted his head in wonder and muttered, ¡°Hmm. From what I have seen so far, I feel like I can win if I step up.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a married man with a child, Winoa.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not that I want to be the groom! I just thought that I could win, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up. It seems that the groom has already been decided.¡± Juan quietly examined the elves¡¯ prowess. None of the elves so far had fought with all their might, and none of them kept on winning as well. Juan figured that someone would eventually step up to end this gladiatorial exhibition. ¡°By the way, is there any reason why Haranbal thinks Your Majesty will participate in the selection process? Your Majesty could have simply rejected it as well.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see what happens,¡± replied Juan. Afterward, he glanced at Haranbal. However, Haranbal only smiled ambiguously at him without saying anything. Elves had good hearing, which meant that she was probably listening to Juan¡¯s conversation with Winoa. At that moment, a gray-haired elf stepped out into the open space. His entrance was grandiose because he kicked off the ground and landed on the open space. The slender and tall elf with gray hair looked much older than Aunkel, Haranbal¡¯s father. The young female elf standing in front of him humbly bent down, and powerful energy suddenly pervaded the open space. The energy was so powerful that it made Winoa instinctively flinch. The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard throughout the open space as the white-haired elf and the gray-haired elf exchanged moves. They swung their swords so quickly that the spectators couldn¡¯t catch up to their movements. The spectators were aware that the two were still fighting because of the loud noise of metal clashing against metal. Their attacks sent sparks flying everywhere. For a short moment, a spark could be seen in the young female elf¡¯s eyes. The young female elf flinched, and the gray-haired elf took advantage of that opportunity to strike the back of the young female elf¡¯s hand with his sword. The young female elf lost her sword, and the murderous intent which had pervaded the open space vanished in the proverbial blink of an eye. Winoa couldn¡¯t help but admire the gray-haired elf¡¯s control over his murderous intent. It was such a thick murderous intent as well¡ªas if the gray-haired elf had been standing in front of the person who had murdered his parents rather than in front of a young elf. Winoa clapped with the spectators. ¡°He is amazing. He looks quite old, though. It doesn¡¯t look like he came out to be selected as the groom. Is it a scripted performance to make the actual groom look better?¡± Juan didn¡¯t answer. Another elf walked over to the gray-haired elf. The second duel quickly started. Haranbal leaned toward Juan and said, ¡°That man¡¯s name is Berinsil.¡± ¡°What a peculiar name.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a very old name...¡± The elves¡¯ naming sense was unique, but their predecessors had much stranger names. Haranbal and Aunkel¡¯s names were relatively ordinary. Juan had never heard of Berinsil¡¯s name before, but he seemed to be a powerful man among the elves. When Haranbal mentioned Berinsil, Juan deduced that Berinsil was the main character of this play. As expected, Berinsil was expertly beating up the challengers without much difficulty. After beating another challenger, Berinsil glared at Haranbal with fiery eyes. Haranbal gracefully stared at him without saying anything. ¡°He seems to be a bit too old to be your groom.¡± ¡°Do you really think that elves care about the age gap?¡± ¡°The age gap seems to be too huge, even though you¡¯re an elf. I bet that man saw the rise and collapse of at least two or maybe even three kingdoms.¡± Haranbal chuckled. Then, she whispered into Juan¡¯s ears. ¡°Why don¡¯t you save me from the clutches of a greedy and disgusting old man, then?¡± Juan looked at Haranbal in silence. However, Haranbal was still smiling. ¡°This is an overly cheap and childish way to get me involved.¡± ¡°Well, many people are fans of cliched fairytales.¡± ¡®A young warrior saving the princess from being forced to marry an evil villain, huh.¡¯ It was indeed a suitable role for Juan. After all, he was both a hero and a warrior. It was a story that most people liked as well, but Haranbal made a mistake. ¡°The warrior might not necessarily marry the princess.¡± ¡°Are you even willing to be a warrior?¡± Juan knew that Haranbal would actually marry Berinsil for real just to guilt trip Juan. Haranbal was trying to manipulate Juan, but Juan could see her desperation. ¡°How much weight do I have in your life, Juan?¡± Haranbal quietly reached out with her hand and pointed at Juan¡¯s fingertip. ¡°Do I have at least this much space inside your heart?¡± Juan grabbed Haranbal¡¯s fingertip. At the end of her thin finger was a thick callus that formed after pulling the bowstring too often. She had saved Juan¡¯s life many times before with her callused fingers, and she had also stayed next to him as a comrade for a long time. There was a heavy bond between Juan and Haranbal. ¡°How could I not make a space for you in my heart, Haranbal?¡± Juan whispered, ¡°I couldn¡¯t even fill your gap after you left. I have always been feeling empty because I left a space for you in one corner of my heart. Cold and dry winds are blowing through the gap you left in my heart.¡± Juan fiddled with Haranbal¡¯s finger, but he soon let her go. Haranbal¡¯s hand remained suspended in the air. Meanwhile, Berinsil had just defeated the last remaining challenger. Every participating elf had already been defeated aside from Berinsil, but Berinsil didn¡¯t seem to be tired at all. At this rate, Berinsil would truly become Haranbal¡¯s groom. ¡°Moreover, you¡¯re more suitable for the role of the female knight who will save the prince rather than the role of the princess in distress.¡± Juan stood up and started walking toward the open space. CH 268 Berinsil wore a ferocious expression, but his posture was courteous. He wordlessly stared at Juan. Berinsil was the first to bow and show respect. Challengers would usually show respect to their opponent first, but Berinsil already knew that the main character of this play was Juan rather than himself. His role was to draw Juan out of the crowd. ¡®Was he chosen to play this role just because he seems ill-tempered?¡¯ thought Juan. However, Juan was forced to correct his thoughts as soon as Berinsil got into a proper position and started swinging his sword. Berinsil was a real talent. If he were to decide to fight for real, then he would undoubtedly win and become Haranbal¡¯s groom. Juan barely managed to block Berinsil¡¯s sword. However, Berinsil quickly corrected his posture as if he had expected Juan¡¯s reaction. Berinsil¡¯s swordsmanship felt familiar to Juan. The traces of the elf swordsman of Aruntal who had taught Juan swordsmanship could be clearly seen from Berinsil¡¯s movements. Berinsil was as powerful as the elf swordsman of Aruntal¡ªif not more. ¡®He didn¡¯t show even half of his skills when he fought the other elves.¡¯ Even if the elves in the open space attacked Berinsil at once, they would still not be able to defeat him. However, it would be a different story if Haranbal or Aunkel decided to get involved. Meanwhile, Berinsil was about to deliver his third attack. However, Juan could already beat the elf swordsman of Aruntal. Thinking that he had been polite enough and showed considerable respect, Juan struck the sword rushing toward him. Juan didn¡¯t have to perform proper swordsmanship. His vision, strength, and speed were overwhelmingly better than Berinsil¡¯s. Berinsil¡¯s eyes widened, and he tried his best to hold the sword in his hand, but the blade was split into two. Berinsil looked at his broken sword in disbelief. At that moment, murderous intent soared from Berinsil. However, he wasn¡¯t furious because he got defeated or because his sword was split into two. The murderous intent soaring was out of desperation. Berinsil was about to execute an attack carrying his murderous intent, but someone placed their hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Berinsil.¡± It was Aunkel. Berinsil glared at Arunkel and muttered something to himself. However, he soon turned around and walked away. He didn¡¯t look as polite as when the duel first started. Juan wondered if it was because he was angry about being defeated, but there was something odd about thinking that Berinsil¡¯s fury was only due to his defeat. ¡°So what happens now? Am I Haranbal¡¯s groom?¡± Aunkel chuckled and replied, ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°Are there any challengers left?¡± Aunkel smiled awkwardly before unsheathing two swords from his waist. Juan stared dumbfoundedly at Aunkel. ¡°The bride¡¯s father is going to take part in his daughter¡¯s groom selection process?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed, Your Majesty. However, incest is not that uncommon among us elves. The same is true of humans as far as I know.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Incest was banned in Juan¡¯s empire, but incest was common among the ancient kingdoms and tribes. It was all to prevent losing the power of the tribe as a whole. However, Juan couldn¡¯t have expected that a king as honorable as Aunkel would do such a thing. Aunkel raised his two swords with a bitter expression. ¡°Please think of me as a shameless old man acting up to his future son-in-law.¡± Juan finally realized that Aunkel had been waiting for this moment all along. Winoa was showing his burning desire to fight beside Juan. Juan sighed as if he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Then¡­¡± As soon as Juan agreed to the duel, Aunkel immediately rushed at Juan without even showing his respect. Aunkel¡¯s powerful attack with both of his swords at the same time had enough power to split a dragon''s head in half. Juan¡¯s eyes widened as he received the blow, kicking up a cloud of dust that shook the tents in the surroundings. The shockwave from the attack ruined the wedding hall. ¡®He is serious.¡¯ Aunkel¡¯s attack just now could kill Juan with a single blow. Juan wondered whether this was the trap Winoa was talking about or not, but it would be strange to think that way because they could have just swarmed and worn him down. In addition, if Haranbal and Berinsil joined the fray, it would have been difficult for Juan to survive. However, Haranbal sat and watched the duel between Juan and Aunkel in silence. Aunkel attacked Juan once again by rotating his sword and swiping left. Juan raised his sword vertically to block Aukel¡¯s sword, but Aunkel¡¯s sword abruptly bent like a snake. Aunkel held the sword in a reverse grip and thrust at Juan¡¯s abdomen. Juan barely managed to dodge. A hole was made in his clothes, but he wasn¡¯t wounded. Aunkel¡¯s odd swordsmanship was a swordsmanship that Juan had never seen before. Juan felt like there was a thorn sticking out of Aunkel¡¯s sword. Meanwhile, Aunkel took a stance with his swords and charged at Juan. It seemed that he was planning on cornering Juan, locking him up in a prison of swords. The loud noises of metal clashing against metal could be heard. Winoa was nervously watching the duel between Aunkel and Juan, and he could feel an unknown sense of urgency from Aunkel. Winoa couldn¡¯t understand such urgency and desperation, so he started thinking that perhaps the elves had invited the emperor to force Juan to marry Haranbal for the sake of forming an alliance. However, this was a real life-and-death battle rather than a duel. Aunkel¡¯s sword moves were fatal, and Juan couldn¡¯t do anything other than dodge. There was a shrill noise as their swords collided with each other. All of a sudden, Juan¡¯s figure blurred within the prison of swords built by Aunkel. Juan suddenly extended his sword toward Aunkel as he squeezed out of the small space where not even a finger could stick out. Aunkel was confused, and he momentarily lost his focus. There was a loud clang as he dropped his sword after receiving a wound on the back of his hand. Aunkel groaned as he looked at the sword on the ground. Juan could feel that Aunkel¡¯s murderous intent still hadn¡¯t dissipated. Aunkel tightly gripped the remaining sword in his hand. Aunkel¡¯s murderous intent burned like a prairie fire, but his flames were abating. Aunkel was trying to catch his breath while still holding the last remaining sword in his hand. Eventually, he seemed to have made a decision as he let go of the sword, seemingly throwing it away. The sword produced a loud noise upon hitting the ground. The pallid Aunkel stared at Juan. ¡°That was a good¡­ good duel.¡± However, Aunkel wasn¡¯t smiling at all. He had swung his swords many times, but he only managed to force Juan into defending himself with his sword four times. It was apparent that Juan had gone easy on Berinsil earlier. Juan saw through the essence of Aunkel¡¯s swordsmanship in just two moves, and it became clear that Juan had been going easy on Aunkel all this while. However, Aunkel was upset not because Juan had defeated him. Juan bowed as a show of respect. Winoa hurriedly approached Juan and handed him a glass of water. Juan wasn¡¯t physically thirsty, but he felt thirst in a different sense. Aunkel and Berinsil seemed to have been shaken by the results of the duels, and it made Juan feel uneasy. It seemed that Aunkel and Berinsil had been living with honor as their core values, so Juan felt like he had left a stain on their honors. Winoa spoke carefully, ¡°Well, it seems that things have gotten a bit awkward here.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t seem to think of Your Majesty as a groom material. What if we were mistaken? Considering the beauty standards of the elves, we humans might look ugly as a squid in their eyes and¡ª¡± Juan stared at Winoa. Winoa instantly realized his slip of the tongue and hurriedly corrected himself. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mean that Your Majesty is ugly. It¡¯s just that¡­ it could be the case in the eyes of the arrogant elves. Your Majesty is probably a good-looking squid and¡ª¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Be quiet. However, I must admit that I¡¯m glad that I brought you here with me. You made me feel a bit better.¡± Winoa couldn¡¯t understand what Juan was talking about, but he seemed to have taken Juan¡¯s words as praise. Juan moistened his throat with water and looked around. There was complete silence. No one among the elves seemed to be willing to step out. Winoa whispered into Juan¡¯s ear, ¡°If Your Majesty ends up being chosen as the groom, what will you tell Miss Elaine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a useless concern.¡± Someone finally stood up from their seat. Winoa turned, wondering if there was still someone brave enough to challenge Juan. However, his eyes widened upon seeing a figure he could have never expected. Haranbal was picking up a sword with a bitter smile on her face. ¡°You did a great job, Juan.¡± Haranbal¡¯s tone of voice had returned to her usual self. ¡°I¡¯m the final challenger.¡± To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com. *** ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder about the intention of this duel,¡± Juan said. ¡°I thought you said that the role of a female knight saving the prince suits me more than a princess in distress?¡± Haranbal answered with a smile. The elves weren¡¯t agitated. It seemed that they knew that this would happen. ¡°Please forgive them, Juan. It was out of our expectations that the fight became so fierce. I just allowed them to have a duel with you because they wanted to see how good you were, but I guess they got too emotional.¡± ¡°Do you consider yourself better than those two?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say yes with confidence.¡± Juan carefully examined Haranbal¡¯s posture. Haranbal often used the bow, but Juan knew that she could use the sword as well because she would use it whenever she was cutting leather, trimming meat, or interrogating prisoners. However, it was very rare for her to use a sword against an opponent in close-quarters combat. Of course, she was a great swordswoman, but her prowess with the sword wasn¡¯t good enough for her to start using the sword as her main weapon. Haranbal¡¯s archery had already reached the summit. There was no way that Haranbal could use her sword better than Aunkel or Berinsil, who had devoted their entire lives to swordsmanship. ¡°You can use your bow.¡± ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m standing here right in front of you just to beat you? I wouldn¡¯t have created this situation to begin with if that were the case.¡± ¡®I suppose so.¡¯ Juan nodded and took a stance with his sword. However, Haranbal only looked at Juan with a sword held loosely in her hand. ¡°Juan. Do you know anything about our god?¡± Juan frowned at Haranbal¡¯s question. He was about to answer, but Haranbal went on. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about her strengths or weaknesses. I¡¯m talking about Iolin¡¯s story.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Juan wasn¡¯t very interested in anything else other than Iolin¡¯s strengths or weaknesses. Iolin was very rarely seen, but the same was true of many other gods. She was a god that could only be found in mythology, and only the knights and elves she had chosen could meet her. Iolin¡¯s appearance in the mythology was consistent. She was a goddess who was elegant, honorable, and willing to side with the weak. Iolin would always put the individual¡¯s values first before anything else, and many humans received help from the elves because of it. Therefore, it was a big deal when Juan refused to form an alliance with them. Their antipathy was understandable. ¡°I have no idea why you¡¯re asking me that, but I do know that she is a noble being who values honor.¡± Haranbal stared at Juan without saying anything. What she wanted to say to Juan was clear¡ªshe was begging Juan to spare Iolin¡¯s life. By then, the elves would naturally fall under Juan¡¯s rule and will. However, Haranbal was convinced that the elves wouldn¡¯t suffer beneath Juan. After all, Haranbal was sure of Juan¡¯s nature. Unfortunately, Juan was stubborn. ¡°Iolin¡¯s greatness doesn¡¯t matter. Her existence alone is more harmful than her values. As long as Iolin exists, I doubt that equality will exist,¡± said Juan. He quickly added, ¡°I suggest you don¡¯t try to persuade me, Haranbal. Iolin gave the elves all sorts of blessings. You have been enjoying the privileges of her blessings without doing anything in exchange, so you people do not deserve to complain.¡± ¡±We¡ªhumans¡ªalso have no intention of living under your sympathy forever.¡± Haranbal smiled bitterly at Juan¡¯s attitude and stomped, kicking up a cloud of dust. However, she was neither angry nor disappointed. She simply remained silent as if she already knew Juan¡¯s reaction. Then, she spoke slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Juan. I know that what you say, what you think, and what you mean will surely come in the future, but I have never thought that what Iolin had been doing is wrong.¡± Haranbal looked at Juan with a steady gaze. ¡°Iolin and the elves have been trying our best to protect our rationality in the era of madness, and when you still didn¡¯t exist...¡± Juan remained silent. ¡°We fought even when the continent burned under Gepelude¡¯s flag and when the Army of the Dead ripped apart half of the population. We fought to protect the things we had to protect even when the dwarfs burned forests and made holes in the mountains.¡± The existence of the elves and Iolin was the only shining light in the dark era. ¡°Are we sinners for enduring all those hard times now that the era of madness is over?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t sinners,¡± Juan replied. Haranbal felt a bit hopeful at Juan¡¯s answer. However, Juan¡¯s following words shattered Haranbal¡¯s hope. ¡°Because I will put an end to everything before you become sinners. Some things turn into hope once they disappear.¡± Haranbal looked devastated. She sighed upon seeing Juan¡¯s determination. In the end, she slowly lifted another sword. Juan was concerned upon seeing that Haranbal was using two swords. Although rare, he had seen Haranbal fight with a sword, but it was Juan¡¯s first time seeing her fight using two swords. ¡°I came to give you victory, glory, and eternity,¡± Haranbal¡¯s voice was trembling as she muttered, ¡°I could have been the most powerful helper for your ideals, dreams, and more. We simply wanted to sit next to your shining throne. Your beauty could have shone forever if you were willing, but¡­¡± Haranbal held one of the two swords in reverse and stared at Juan. ¡°But how much are you willing to give up to lose?¡± CH 269 Juan felt as if he had fallen into an illusion where the leaves of the entire forest had turned into sharp blades. Haranbal¡¯s swords were neither avoidable nor stoppable. Even the wind itself seemed sharp enough to cut skin, and the singing voices of the birds were also laced with murderous intent. ¡®This is not an ordinary level of swordsmanship.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t a level of swordsmanship that mere mortals could achieve. Haranbal¡¯s swords were slow, but they were sharp. Haranbal¡¯s eyes were clearly visible in the complete silence, and the color of her eyes was light blue¡ªlike that of a lake. Juan tried to raise his sword, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t stop Haranbal¡¯s assault. He could already see Haranbal¡¯s attack slicing his liver apart, lacerating his heart, and cutting off his head. Juan could feel the traces of Berinsil, Aunkel, and the elf swordsmanship of Aruntal, who had taught him swordsmanship from Haranbal. Juan could see countless legendary figures swinging the two swords with her. Haranbal was attacking Juan with all of their might. It was overwhelming. Juan couldn¡¯t help but admire Haranbal. Haranbal was attacking Juan on behalf of everyone¡¯s will rather than simply performing her own swordsmanship. However, Juan wasn¡¯t alone as well. Juan gripped his sword rightly, and an intense heat burst from his sword. Juan stared directly at Haranbal. Crash! However, the countless legendary figures attacking Juan suddenly vanished like smoke. Juan was about to swing his sword when he realized that Haranbal had slammed her swords into the ground. Juan was stupefied to find that the surrounding land was devastated by Haranbal¡¯s attack. ¡°But why?¡± Juan didn¡¯t attack. Still, Haranbal let go of her swords first. Juan wasn¡¯t confident in winning against Haranbal. He could probably force a victory, but it meant risking a fatal injury. Haranbal¡¯s head drooped. She remained silent for a while before she stood up, revealing her tear-stricken face and bloodshot eyes. ¡°The person who loves the other person more will always lose.¡± Haranbal pressed the corner of her eyes with her finger to wipe the tears away. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you swing your sword?¡± Juan didn¡¯t answer. Haranbal took a deep breath and approached Juan. Then, she held out her hand and said, ¡°Congratulations, Juan. You have defeated the genealogy of swordsmanship that the elves have been honing for three thousand years. You¡¯ve defeated it in less than thirty years without swinging your sword even once.¡± Juan didn¡¯t hold Haranbal¡¯s hand. He only stared at her in silence. However, someone suddenly grabbed Juan¡¯s hand¡ªit was Aunkel. Aunkel¡¯s hands were trembling, and his voice was trembling as well as he said, ¡°The chosen groom is His Majesty Juan Calberg Kennosis.¡± Aunkel held Juan¡¯s hand tightly before continuing. ¡°The groom and the bride will¡­ swear their vows¡­ in front of Iolin tomorrow morning¡­¡± Aunkel gnashed his teeth and trembled. Aunkel couldn¡¯t finish talking, and the elves started to get a bit agitated. Haranbal took over and spoke, ¡°This man is the knight of the knights and king of the kings. I am honored to become the wife of this great man, and I promise him all the blessings I can give¡­!¡± Haranbal declared firmly and looked at Juan. However, Juan did not say anything. Aunkel breathed heavily for a while as if he were catching his breath. Finally, he gathered enough strength to continue speaking, ¡°The two will be recognized as a married couple after swearing their vows in front of Iolin. Let the goddess bless them so they can stay together forever.¡± Aunkel let go of Juan¡¯s hand as if he had no more strength left in him. Then, he turned around and disappeared. The same was true of the other guests. Everyone disappeared one by one into the fog with stiff expressions. The lively atmosphere had faded. Winoa approached Juan, seemingly confused. ¡°I¡¯ve participated in quite a few weddings before, but it¡¯s my first time attending a strange wedding like this. It feels more like a funeral than a wedding.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be Your Majesty who should be worried right now, not me? I think I¡¯ve just heard a one-sided declaration that Your Majesty is now a groom. Oh, maybe it¡¯s not one-sided because the fact that Your Majesty participated in the duel means you were willing to become the groom from the beginning.¡± However, Haranbal answered Winoa rather than Juan. ¡°Forget about Elaine.¡± Before anyone knew it, Haranbal was smiling while walking toward Winoa and Juan with three bottles of alcohol. Haranbal threw one of the bottles toward Winoa, which he caught out of instinct. ¡°Elaine and Juan aren¡¯t actually a thing. Isn¡¯t Juan just chasing after her one-sidedly? Anyway, Juan is my groom for today. Don¡¯t even think about disturbing our first night, Winoa.¡± Winoa looked closely into the bottle. Winoa often enjoyed drinking with Harmon. Harmon had been talking about a rare and luxurious liquor. Harmon had mentioned that he wanted to drink it again, and here it was¡ªsitting in Winoa¡¯s hand. Winoa contemplated deeply whether he should accept the bribe or not. However, he decided to consider Juan¡¯s silence as implied consent. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m sure Harmon will be very happy.¡± *** Juan opened his eyes. A lonely wind blew into the loosely hanging tent. Juan looked next to him and found a few empty bottles of alcohol on the floor, but Haranbal was nowhere to be seen. Juan drank with Haranbal and talked about their old memories last night. Then, Haranbal started dozing off first, and she fell asleep on Juan¡¯s arm. Juan tried to stay awake, but he somehow ended up falling asleep without realizing it. Perhaps he was simply too tired. He slept exceptionally well. It was a deep sleep that he had never experienced ever since he waged war on the gods. Juan stood up and went outside. The bonfire in the open space had already been extinguished, and the pale sky was starting to light up. The dawn was so quiet that made Juan want to sleep again. Then, Juan noticed that a part of the forest had no fog. Juan slowly moved toward that side, getting his feet wet with dew. The air in the forest was heavy and humid. It felt like many people had sobbed their way through the night. Juan noticed someone standing like a dead old tree in the middle of the forest. The individual in question was Aunkel. It was unknown when Aunkel had been standing there, but his hair was wet with dew. Aunkel opened his mouth just as Juan passed by him. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t misunderstand Miss Haranbal.¡± Juan turned upon hearing Aunkel refer to his own daughter in honorifics. Aunkel whispered in a trembling voice, ¡°Miss Haranbal is not someone who would marry a person she doesn¡¯t love for the sake of an alliance. She wasn¡¯t trying to beg for her life as well. However, it doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s ready to abandon her servants for the sake of her personal desires.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Juan asked, ¡°Then why did I have to go through such a complicated process?¡± ¡°Please ask her,¡± Aunkel muttered in a piteous voice, ¡°Please ask her why she chose to be a tree that would be cut down rather than a tree that would only fall down at the end of its lifespan.¡± Juan stared at Aunkel in silence before passing by the latter. The fog enveloped Aunkel, and he soon disappeared from Juan¡¯s view due to the surrounding trees. Not long after, Juan could hear beastly howls in the forest. However, Juan didn¡¯t look back. He continued walking. Soon, Juan caught a whiff of the strong scent of fresh water. Juan broke through the bushes and arrived at a huge lake that shone light blue. A cold mist of water rising at dawn covered the entire lake like a quilt. The lake looked like it was still asleep. Juan found Haranbal near the lake. Haranbal was wearing the same wedding dress and white cloth over her hair, just like yesterday. When she turned and saw Juan, Haranbal revealed a feeble smile. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯ll sleep well until lunch.¡± Juan wordlessly approached Haranbal. Haranbal smiled mischievously and said, ¡°Do you feel like you¡¯re ready to swear your love to me now that you woke up?¡± ¡°Stop joking around. Since when?¡± Haranbal quietly turned her gaze toward the lake. The waves of the lake ticked her ankles. ¡°Since when have you been with Haranbal? Iolin,¡± Juan asked once more. For the full version, visit pawread dot com. Hearing that, Iolin turned to look at him and said, ¡°When do you think?¡± Juan felt like Haranbal¡¯s attitude hadn¡¯t changed. She was moving and talking like usual, and there seemed to be no issues with her memory. ¡°You¡¯ve been Iolin from the very beginning...¡± Haranbal had always been Iolin since she first met Juan. It was when Juan killed Talter. Haranbal¡ªno, Iolin lightly kicked the waves of the lake. The water splashed upward. ¡°You know Yoruq, the elf swordsman who taught you. I wondered what he meant when he asked me to keep an eye on you. It was odd to ask a god to keep an eye on a hunter who was hunting for the gods, right? I decided to spend a long time with you, and it was then that I realized what he meant. He wanted me to be prepared for the inevitable.¡± ¡°What about Haranbal?¡± ¡°Haranbal is indeed Aunkel¡¯s daughter. She was born prematurely, and I accepted her as a sacrifice because she was marked for death. She is one of the few bodies I wear to move around.¡± The name was different, but Haranbal had always been Iolin. She was a colleague and a friend who had been with Juan since the start of his journey. In fact, Juan had been unconsciously aware of such a fact since last night. His question was just for the sake of confirming it. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to come to the wedding,¡± Iolin whispered when she saw Juan approaching her. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to participate in the groom selection process. I didn¡¯t want you to beat the other elves. When you confronted me at the end, I didn¡¯t want you to stand up to me if it meant risking your life. I didn¡¯t want you to come to this lake. I didn¡¯t want you to swear your vows to me.¡± ¡°Then, why did you choose this?¡± Juan came close enough to step on the sand of the lake. ¡°Why did you show yourself to me even though you knew that I would kill you, Iolin?¡± Juan responded positively to Haranbal¡¯s wedding invitation so that he could kill Iolin. After all, the best first move that one could make on the battlefield was the move that would smoothly lead them to the next move. He had already known that the elves'' marriage vows were blessed in front of Iolin. Therefore, it was only natural for Juan to participate in Haranbal¡¯s groom selection process because he had to be with her to meet Iolin. It was the only way for Juan to meet Iolin, whom the elves were hiding. Upon seeing Aunkel and Berinsil¡¯s reactions, Juan realized that Iolin was the one who sent the wedding invitation. Iolin stared at Juan, and he could see that her eyes were trembling. ¡°Because I feel bad for you,¡± said Iolin, prompting Juan to stop walking. ¡°The person who loves the other person more will always lose.¡± Iolin repeated her words from last night¡¯s gladiatorial exhibition. She had spoken those words after deliberately canceling her move. At that time, Iolin and Juan could have fatally injured each other¡ªbut neither of them did so. Juan finally understood Iolin¡¯s intentions. If the hostile relationship were to continue, the conflict between the elves and the humans would be inevitable. Juan was strong, but he couldn¡¯t protect the entire empire on his own. If one of the elves decided that the empire should be taken care of before it got bigger, the empire would quickly become ruined. Juan was still confident of protecting the empire and becoming the final winner, but he was sure that his empire would be reduced to ashes by then. The same would be true of the elves. Iolin couldn¡¯t bear such a tragic future. ¡°I wanted to give many good things to my beloved. It was a foolish and childish idea, but I still don¡¯t think that was necessarily bad.¡± ¡°You can think that way.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you think that way, too? Can you bear seeing your people being so weak and pathetic? Don¡¯t you want to give those poor beings eternal victory, honor, and eternal life?¡± ¡°That is not for me to give. It¡¯s something that they should get for themselves.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you.¡± Iolin let out a sigh and bent down. She dipped her hand into the pale lake water and picked something up from the soft pearl she managed to fish out of the lake. It was a sword that was emitting a blue light. The sword was wrapped with Iolin¡¯s veil. Juan could feel an indescribable force from the sword. ¡°Inside this sword is the epic of glories from the elves and knights who had sworn their allegiance to me. This is a record of victory, reward, and a promise. I wanted to give this to you, but I know that you won¡¯t take it.¡± Iolin could see her face being reflected on the sword¡¯s handle as she held it out to Juan. Juan accepted the sword, but he immediately threw the sword toward the lake. The blade glistened in the sunshine, which had just begun to rise and disappeared into the depths of the lake without a sound. Iolin revealed a depressed look. ¡°It¡¯s sinking.¡± ¡®Everything is sinking.¡¯ The glory and triumph that Iolin had promised the elves and knights were sinking, and it would remain there forever. The glorious kingdom, which could have lasted forever, was sinking into the depths of the lake. Juan took a step closer to Iolin. Iolin shook her head when Juan¡¯s hand reached out for his sword. ¡°Do it with your own hands.¡± Juan flinched, but he soon nodded. He also didn¡¯t want to stick iron into Iolin. Juan¡¯s hands slowly climbed up and reached Iolin¡¯s neck. Juan couldn¡¯t even tell if his hands were moving properly. Iolin stared at Juan¡¯s face. ¡°Consider it an honor that I accepted you as my first groom.¡± ¡°I thought I was the third?¡± ¡°The setting had to be believable,¡± Iolin smiled and whispered into Juan¡¯s ear, ¡°What should I do so that you will remember me? I don¡¯t want to be in your memories as a dying loser in pain or a pale corpse. I¡ª¡± ¡°You had always been like the sun to me,¡± Juan whispered to Iolin. Juan raised his hands and wrapped them around Iolin¡¯s cheeks instead of her neck. Her cheeks were wet with tears. ¡°There are many holes in my heart, Haranbal. They are all spaces that I left empty for those I care deeply about. Sometimes someone would fill those holes, but there are empty holes that still haven¡¯t been filled.¡± Juan placed his forehead against Iolin¡¯s forehead and continued. ¡°I can hear a lonely whistle whenever a dry and cold wind blows through the holes. The cold wind will eventually freeze my fire and heart, but I will remember you shining like the sun every time my heart whistles.¡± Iolin smiled. Juan¡¯s hands around Iolin¡¯s cheeks slowly wrapped around her neck. Iolin¡¯s slender neck was trembling. ¡°You say that now.¡± Juan¡¯s hands tightened. Iolin stared at Juan and started stroking his face with a mournful smile. ¡°You denied eternity, but I hope you will remain as beautiful as you are today. May your empire and your people be as beautiful as your ideals.¡± *** ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Winoa was searching for Juan. He ran around the whole forest as soon as he realized that Juan had gone missing, but he couldn¡¯t even find any elves, let alone Juan. The dense fog which had surrounded the forest had disappeared, and the sunshine finally penetrated the forest. However, Juan was still nowhere to be found. All of a sudden, Winoa recalled Aunkel¡¯s words from last night¡ªJuan had to go to the lake to swear his vows. Winoa started to get concerned that Juan might have actually married Haranbal rather than just spending a night with her for fun. In the end, he started running as fast as he could toward the lake. Winoa¡¯s mood was complicated as he arrived at the lake. It was all because he had no idea what to say to Elaine. However, he still couldn¡¯t find Juan anywhere around the lake. However, he could see footprints by the lake. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Winoa¡¯s shout echoed throughout the lake. He started having suspicions about the possibility of Haranbal jumping into the lake with His Majesty. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± he shouted once again, but the lake remained calm and beautiful. For some reason, Winoa started feeling guilty for yelling at such a peaceful lake. At that moment, someone tapped Winoa¡¯s shoulder. Winoa freaked out and turned around. He saw Juan standing behind him. ¡°Your Majesty! Where the heck have you been while¡ª¡± Winoa couldn¡¯t finish his question. Juan was completely wet from head to toe. Aquatic plants and pearls were all over Juan. Naturally, Winoa quickly removes the aquatic plants all over Juan. The former¡¯s appearance was a bit shocking to behold, but Winoa didn¡¯t hesitate to make a move. ¡°Did you almost drown to death, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Winoa.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Juan didn¡¯t explain anything. ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Juan ordered as if he couldn¡¯t bear to stay here any longer. Winoa stared at Juan for a moment. Then, he nodded and wiped Juan clean with a towel. The lake scattered the sunshine behind them. The sunshine behind them scattered throughout the lake, and the eternal kingdom of the lake shone brightly as it collapsed, seemingly in an effort to shake off the lingering feelings. Juan couldn¡¯t tell if the lingering feelings were holding him back, but he turned around without realizing it. Unfortunately, the destruction unfolding in front of him was a beautiful sight to behold. CH 270 The North would snow for at least half a year, so winter was the subject of both love and hatred in the North. Winter was the northerner¡¯s most feared enemy and grave, but it was also a shield and cradle. It was common to see northerners walking around with their tops off in the Capital of the empire, even in the middle of winter. For such a reason, there was a popular rumor about how northerners were numb to cold or they had been blessed by winter, but this wasn¡¯t the case. The rate of incidence was less frequent than in the other regions, but the northerners could also catch a cold. After all, they were human beings. The northerners would dress up properly in the North but wore thin clothing in the other regions during winter to boast their resistance to cold. It was a popular bluff that the winter in the North was cold beyond imagination. However, there were times when even the cold-hardened northerners would lock their doors and only stay indoors. Those times were whenever the Winter Duke was about to visit. An old man with pale eyes and stooped posture wearing the biggest cape in the world around his shoulder would apparently visit the North. The old man¡¯s cape was so long that it was measured by days rather than inches. It took six days to measure the distance from the Winter Duke¡¯s shoulder to the end of his cape. The Winter Duke dragged his cape while patrolling his territory, and then he would return to his land in the North, where spring could never arrive. During the Winter Duke¡¯s visit, he would sweep past the entire North. The Winter Duke¡¯s visit only lasted for six days in a year, but everything in the North would freeze during those six days, which was a phenomenon called the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. The cycle wasn¡¯t exactly accurate, but the cold would always subside whenever the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape disappeared. Northerners would plan their year accordingly because there was a huge chance that even their strongest warriors would get lost in a snowstorm if they wandered around recklessly during those six days. Therefore, Ivy Isildin couldn¡¯t help but doubt her ears when someone knocked on her door. It was only three days into the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. At first, Ivy thought that it had to have been the wind. After all, the only possible visitor she could have these days would be the Winter Duke. However, Ivy Isildin was once a saintess, so she didn¡¯t really believe in the legend of the Winter Duke. Knock! Knock! However, it seemed that the cold outside had become corporeal. The knocking was too loud and clear for it to be a mere illusion. ¡°Who, who is it?¡± No one answered. Ivy grabbed her spear anxiously. The windows were boarded up, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about someone breaking in through the windows. Honestly, she highly doubted that there was someone outside her door. The Winter Duke¡¯s Cape wasn¡¯t just a severe cold. It brought about it a cold that was too intense that even white bears would freeze, and it had long been terrorizing the northerners. Knock! Knock! Knock! The knock didn¡¯t stop. Ivy was frightened, but she thought that she should open her door just in case. ¡®What if someone got cast away, and they came across my cabin? What if they¡¯re asking for help from their severe injuries?¡¯ Ivy wouldn¡¯t have such thoughts if she had been born in the North. The Northerners would never step outside during the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape sweeping the North unless they were wearing a rope tied to their house. It was all because getting lost in the wild in the middle of the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape meant freezing to death in the proverbial blink of an eye. However, it had only been six months since Ivy started living in the North. Despite the countless warnings she had heard before she settled in the North, Ivy went against those warnings and decided to open the door. ¡®There could be a poor wanderer out there in desperate need of help.¡¯ Ivy couldn¡¯t be blamed for having such thoughts. After all, it was very shocking to even the northerners that there was someone knocking on the door during this period. Most northerners would have covered their ears, started praying, and nailed their doors shut if they were in Ivy¡¯s shoes. Ivy carefully unlocked the door and opened it slightly. A gust of cold wind squeezed through the small gap in the door. Ivy felt a burning pain on her face, even though the wind was cold. Ivy tried to close the door because of the unexpected pain, but the individual outside the door quickly grabbed the handle of the door. The stranger hurriedly squeezed in through the gap and shut the door. ¡°I made it!¡± The stranger was a child in northern winter clothing. The child was wearing all kinds of animal furs, and only her eyes could be seen. Ivy wouldn¡¯t have known that the child was a girl if she didn¡¯t hear her voice. The girl hurriedly shook off the snow from all over her. Just like any other ordinary house in the North, there was a space at the entrance dedicated to shaking off the snow on one¡¯s body. The girl shook off all the snow and started taking off her jacket, coat, hat, scarf, boots, mask, gloves, and all sorts of clothes. It was only after throwing off her clothes like peeling an onion and hanging them in the doorway that the girl could finally be seen. The girl looked like a white cyclamen. Many northerners called cyclamen a winter flower. They were huge fans of the flower because of its tough vitality. The girl was as lively and vivid as a cyclamen sprouting in the middle of winter. ¡°Thank you so much! No one opened the door for me for the past three days!¡± The girl¡¯s words didn¡¯t make sense in Ivy¡¯s ears. ¡®This girl was outside the whole time while the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape was sweeping past the North? How is she still alive? No, how does she still have so much energy?¡¯ ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to stay outside for six days wearing those clothes. I don¡¯t really like wearing them because they¡¯re hot and stuffy!¡± Ivy found it strange and surreal. ¡®Who the heck is this girl?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s your name? My name is Nimeria Nelben.¡± ¡®Nelben?¡¯ Ivy inadvertently looked up and stared at the girl¡¯s hair. A silver-haired general immediately came to her mind¡ªshe was the woman who once ruled the North and devoted her entire life fighting the Crack. In the end, she finally disappeared beyond the Crack. Most of the imperial people remembered her as the emperor¡¯s eldest daughter, but she was more famous in the North because of her other titles¡ªthe daughter of the Winter Duke and the ruler of the North. Ivy could only think of one question upon looking at the girl with hair and eyes resembling Nienna Nelben. ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with General Nienna Nelben?¡± Ivy found it strange that she was asking such a question. Nelben was not a family name but the name of the area where Nienna was found. Nienna¡¯s relatives had died in her hands when the Crack encroached on them. Nienna also hadn¡¯t left any children. In addition, it had only been five years since Nienna disappeared beyond the Crack, so there was no way that the girl in front of Ivy was related to Nienna. ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡± At the unexpected answer, Ivy collapsed to the floor. The spear helplessly slipped out of her hand as well. Ivy doubted the girl, but Nienna¡¯s image kept on coming to her mind whenever she glanced at Nimeria¡¯s hair. ¡°Do you know my mother?¡± ¡°...Of course I do. Everyone knows her.¡± ¡°Wow, as expected¡­ Mother did say that she was a very famous person. She had told me that everyone would keep on asking me about her because everyone knew her. She told me not to tell anyone that she¡¯s my mother to avoid being bothered, but I guess she was right.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Ivy finally realized that she still hadn¡¯t told Nimeria her own name. ¡°Anyway, my name is Ivy Isildin. Have you ever heard of me?¡± Nimeria frowned. She looked troubled as she tried her best to remember Nimeria groaned and agonized for a long time. Eventually, she carefully observed Ivy¡¯s expression and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of you.¡± ¡°...I mean, well. I wasn¡¯t very important, anyway¡­¡± Ivy wasn¡¯t disappointed at all despite Nimeria¡¯s efforts to avoid hurting her. After all, Ivy wasn¡¯t really close to Nienna. The only time they truly interacted was when Nienna rooted for Ivy when she took part in the Western expedition. Ivy staggered up and started preparing to properly welcome her strange visitor. In the meantime, she made a decision to think of more useful questions she should ask her visitor. *** Nimeria was staring intently at the spear on the floor when Ivy came back with some tea and snacks. The spear was taller than her, but Nimeria seemed like she would have no issues handling the spear. Ivy had no choice but to believe that Nimeria was Nienna¡¯s daughter. It seemed that the daughter had taken after her mother. ¡°This is a unique spear. It is entirely made out of iron, but it¡¯s not heavy at all. In addition, the core material is unknown. Honestly, it looks like a big awl rather than a spear,¡± said Nimeria. Ivy couldn¡¯t afford to answer Nimeria. She decided to ask the most important question she had come up with while preparing their snacks and tea. ¡°Has General Nienna returned?¡± ¡®Then, has His Majesty¡­¡¯ Ivy wanted to ask about Juan, but she was ashamed of herself, so she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to ask such a question. Moreover, the mistakes she had committed back then were still haunting her. As far as Ivy knew, Nienna had certainly disappeared beyond the Crack. If her daughter had come from the Crack, it meant that the others could return as well. ¡°No, Mother hasn¡¯t come back. Grandfather allowed no one else but me to come here.¡± ¡®Grandfather? Who¡¯s that?¡¯ There was a rumor in the North that Nienna was the daughter of the legendary Winter Duke. In other words, Nimeria¡¯s grandfather was the Winter Duke. ¡®The blood relative of an ancient existence with an unknown history, huh¡­¡¯ ¡°...How is General Nienna doing? What about the warriors of the Northern Amy that crossed over the Crack together with her?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°As always, my mother is still doing what she likes...¡± Ivy couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Nienna liked to do. As far as she could remember, Nienna had no other hobbies other than killing monsters from the Crack. However, Ivy suddenly recalled that there were a ton of monsters in the Crack. ¡°So she¡¯s still alive, even beyond the Crack¡­¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Ivy had heard about the final showdown, and she thought that it would be wishful thinking to say that Nienna was still alive, even beyond the Crack. After all, it wasn¡¯t a hospitable world for humans, thanks to the countless hostile creatures living there. ¡°The Crack?¡± Nimeria asked, seemingly curious. However, she soon understood what Ivy was talking about as she repeatedly nodded. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the gap in the world, right? The Crack is just a gap. There is a huge world beyond the gap. Naturally, my mother has enough space to stay in that huge world.¡± Nimeria smiled and continued. ¡°However, I heard that it was a barren land when she first arrived. But¡­ um, many people offered to help her at the time.¡± ¡°Help?¡± ¡°The Thornbush Priest Organization wasn¡¯t the only organization that felt Qzatquizail¡¯s awakening. If Qzatquizail truly awakened, then a cosmic disaster would have transpired. Many people had gathered to stop it¡ªincluding my grandfather.¡± Ivy was disturbed by Nimeria¡¯s horrible story. Hearing Qzatquizail¡¯s name alone made Ivy feel a shiver down her spine. ¡°No one knows who it was that played a critical role in stopping Qzatquizail from awakening, but¡ªanyway, it seems that my mother is respected in this world as well, not just in that world. She¡¯s currently living well and is having fun with her life.¡± Ivy was relieved to hear that there was a hospitable world for humans beyond the Crack. After all, the many people who had disappeared into the Crack had always been one of the empire¡¯s debt to the people they had left behind. In addition, Ivy felt like she could finally let go of a burden. Upon letting it go, Ivy started seeing other things. CH 271 ¡°It¡¯s such a relief that General Nienna is still alive. I remember hearing that she¡¯s very picky when it comes to choosing men. Did she manage to find a good husband? I thought she was a bit too old to have a child, but I¡¯m glad to see that you¡¯re healthy. Come to think of it, how did you even get here? You¡¯re so young, but you¡¯ve already left your mother¡¯s side¡­¡± Ivy¡¯s questions poured out like a waterfall after she was convinced that Nimeria was Nienna¡¯s child. Nimeria seemed perplexed by Ivy¡¯s questions. ¡°Um¡­ actually, my mother wasn¡¯t as sad as you think when she sent me here. She has twelve more children aside from me, after all.¡± ¡°...Did you say twelve children?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ivy was momentarily confused. Nimeria looked like a child around the age of ten years old, no matter how much she stared at Nimeria. Considering that it was only five years ago when Nienna disappeared beyond the Crack, Nimeria¡¯s age didn¡¯t make sense. ¡®And she even has thirteen kids in total?¡¯ ¡°My mother has been quite¡­ motivated to make a family ever since she crossed over the gap of the world,¡± Nimeria said. ¡°What about your father?¡± ¡°I have more fathers than siblings, so I don¡¯t know their names. She also has a few wives as well.¡± ¡®She has so many husbands that her children don¡¯t even know their names, and she even has wives?¡¯ Ivy wrapped her hand around her head and decided to bring this matter to the grave. ¡°...Nimeria, perhaps it¡¯s for the best that you don¡¯t talk about General Nienna to other people.¡± Ivy found it a bit worrying, but she understood Nimeria¡¯s story since she was a Westerner. However, the northerners would definitely faint once they heard stories about what Nienna was up to. Nimeria nodded as if she understood. Ivy figured that Nienna definitely seemed strange, even in Nimeria¡¯s eyes. ¡®I think it¡¯s too much to have as many husbands as my mother. So, I¡¯m planning to have only three husbands.¡¯ Ivy remained silent. She contemplated if she should teach Nimeria common sense or morals, but it didn¡¯t seem like Nimeria lacked manners or knowledge. Compared to Nienna, Nimeria was gentler and more polite. This meant that she was well educated despite living in a barren world. ¡®Then, I guess there is no need for me to give her unnecessary advice.¡¯ Ivy thought of Nienna as a more respectable person compared to herself, anyway. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°I¡¯m ten years old now, so it¡¯s about time I have to start adulting.¡± Ivy was speechless. ¡°My mother said that she became the leader of her tribe when she was only ten years old, so she said that we should also do something big. You know, something like preventing the end of the world or becoming a king of a country¡­ grandfather also just told me that the time has come.¡± Ivy seriously considered taking back her thought that everything Nienna had been doing had to have a deep meaning behind them. Nimeria looked serious. At the sight, Ivy wondered what would happen if Nimeria appeared in the empire after the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. *** Nimeria stayed at Ivy¡¯s place throughout the end of the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. The freezing cold didn¡¯t seem to bother Nimeria that much, but she chose to stay in the house and behave after she almost got buried alive in the falling snow. Ivy wondered how Nimeria managed to make it to this cabin for three entire days on her own. ¡°My grandfather must have been watching over me.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Winter Duke?¡± The day after the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape ended, Nimeria stopped swinging a spear in the snowy yard upon hearing Ivy¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Winter Duke¡­ is the title referring to my grandfather, but the others used to call him Frozen Star.¡± ¡°But he must have a real name...¡± ¡°My mother did call him a bastard quite often.¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s just call him Winter Duke, then.¡± Nimeria shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s very rare to see my grandfather in person. He doesn¡¯t get along with my mother very well either.¡± With that being said, Nimeria began to swing the spear again. Her movements had gotten much more elaborate and precise. Nimeria had been playing around with the spear indoors throughout her stay in the cabin during the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. She seemed quite pleased with the spear. ¡°Do you like that spear?¡± Ivy asked. Nimeria shook Ivy¡¯s spear around with wonder as if she was curious. ¡°I like it because it¡¯s perfectly balanced and light in weight. It¡¯s strong, and it seems to have magical power. I feel like the previous owner of this spear was no ordinary human.¡± ¡°Is that so? I suppose you¡¯re right, but I don¡¯t know much about that,¡± Ivy replied feebly, ¡°I found it while searching through the ruins of the Walls of Nulvin. I brought it with me because it was light and it seemed easy to use. I¡¯ve been digging up the ruins of the Walls of Nulvin with a team of investigators to research the traces of that time. We recover corpses and search for traces of the missing. Their possibility of survival is very low, but still¡­¡± Ivy smiled at Nimeria. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that one of the missing people is still alive and in good health. She even has twelve children. You can keep the spear if you like it. I¡¯m pretty sure that one of your mother¡¯s subordinates used that spear long ago.¡± ¡°Really? I think this spear is better than my mother¡¯s Oberon.¡± ¡®Is it that good of a spear?¡¯ Ivy was surprised to hear that the weapon she had been keeping for self-defense was better than Nienna¡¯s magic weapon. As far as she was concerned, Oberon was a powerful weapon capable of almost killing Dismas Dilver, the emperor¡¯s third son. Ivy wondered if it would be okay to leave such a powerful weapon in Nimeria¡¯s hands, but she was once again reminded that Nimeria was Nienna¡¯s daughter. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can keep it. It will be better for you to keep that powerful weapon because you can actually use it, unlike me. Besides, I still have many other weapons that I can use here.¡± Ivy retrieved a sparkler covered with black coals from the stove. It was once a holy sword used by the Templars, but it had become nothing more than just an ordinary sword after the power of the emperor was exhausted. ¡°That sword doesn¡¯t seem like an ordinary sword either. It must have been crafted with great care.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± It looked dirty, but Nimeria immediately recognized that it was a very strong weapon. The sword was also one of the objects that Ivy had found in the ruins of the Walls of Nulvin. There was no way that the weapons of a Temple Order would be in such a remote area, but Ivy knew of one knight who had taken his holy sword to the Walls of Nulvin¡ªthe knight who was once the captain of the emperor¡¯s Imperial Guards. It was actually unknown if the sword actually belonged to that knight, but it was Ivy¡¯s educated guess. ¡°I¡¯m using it as a sparkler because I don¡¯t have one. I¡¯m planning on sending it to Torra and having it melted when spring comes since the empire owns it. The empire won¡¯t have to use any weapons for the time being as long as the current emperor doesn¡¯t start kicking up a fuss.¡± ¡°Hm, is that so?¡± Nimeria tilted her head. All of a sudden, her new spear caught her attention, and she stared at it intently. ¡°Its name is apparently Solvane.¡± Ivy revealed a complicated look and asked, ¡°Solvane?¡± ¡°Yes, the spear told me that its name is Solvane.¡± Ivy¡¯s expression became even stranger. There were often people who spoke nonsense about how they could speak to their armor or weapon. Perhaps Nimeria was one of those people. In addition, Ivy had never heard of magical weapons that could speak despite containing Spirits like Oberon. ¡°That¡¯s unusual. I know someone who has the same last name, but she doesn¡¯t wield the spear.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Nimeria nodded as if she weren¡¯t very interested. Ivy wondered if Nimeria was joking about the spear telling her its name. However, Nimeria seemed like she wasn¡¯t the type to make jokes. Nimeria swung the spear, carving a long arc in the air. The spearhead shone yellow, and it started heating up. It became so hot that the snow melted along the arc that the spear had drawn, which rained down and formed a puddle of water. Ivy flinched and stepped back. She was standing near the door and was a bit distant from Nimeria, but she could still feel the heat from all the way here. Nimeria looked at the spearhead and nodded, seemingly satisfied. The spear cooled down. ¡°This is all that it¡¯s got at the moment, but it¡¯s still pretty useful.¡± ¡°...Are you going to be fine?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Nimeria asked back. Ivy didn¡¯t bother asking if Nimeria could handle the cold like Nienna. However, Nimeria had never shown that she could handle the cold. Nienna could handle the cold because of magic, blessings, and armor. Nimeria wasn¡¯t the daughter of the Winter Duke, and she had neither blessings nor the appropriate armor, so she couldn¡¯t have inherited the ability to resist the cold. In the end, Ivy said something that was a bit off. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your mother will feel uncomfortable?¡± Nimeria¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected question, but she quickly burst into laughter. ¡°My mother has always told me that children should try their best to overcome their parents. She said that parents are objects of respect, but they are also the children¡¯s very first obstacles.¡± Ivy suddenly remembered a certain someone. She recalled Gerard, the adopted son who resembled the emperor more than anyone else. He had a father that he respected from the bottom of his heart, but he had never managed to overcome. ¡®I wonder what his thoughts were after he made the decision to destroy the world just to overcome His Majesty.¡¯ Ivy couldn¡¯t help but think about what meaning the emperor¡¯s children still had in this world. After all, they weren¡¯t really related to each other. ¡®And I wonder what General Nienna thought when she pushed her brother to death?¡¯ Ivy thought that Nienna could have simply felt exhilarated because Nienna was Nienna. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Listening to Nimeria, it seemed that Nienna hadn¡¯t changed that much despite going beyond the Crack. However, the fact that Nienna had thirteen children made Ivy think that her children had definitely changed her life. Ivy felt that she could finally somewhat understand Nienna¡¯s reasoning about why she still hadn¡¯t returned to the empire. The empire wasn¡¯t just a battlefield. It was also a tomb to Nienna, who had been fighting since she was old enough to hold a sword. After defeating the Crack that she despised a lot, Nienna could finally live her life as a human being rather than as a mere weapon. ¡°I see,¡± Ivy answered with much difficulty. Nimeria grinned and turned toward the South. The sky was finally clear after the Winter Duke¡¯s Cape. Ivy realized that Nimeria was about to leave. A midwinter trip was something even the northerners wouldn¡¯t want to do, but it wouldn¡¯t be a huge problem for Nimeria. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ivy asked. ¡°There¡¯s someone I¡¯d like to visit first. My mother said that he is the only person she respects and admires, but I have never met him before.¡± Ivy thought about the identity of the individual that Nienna respected and admired, but only one person came to mind. Ivy thought that it couldn¡¯t be him, but she also wondered why it couldn¡¯t be him. Ivy had a burning question, and it appeared when Nimeria visited her. ¡®Will His Majesty return one day?¡¯ However, Ivy decided not to say anything. The world would bow down at His Majesty¡¯s return, just like a few years ago when he woke up in the South and started taking down the empire. There was a chance that he had already returned, but if that was the case, then why was the world so quiet? There could only be one answer¡ªit was His Majesty¡¯s will. ¡°Once you meet him¡­¡± Ivy gulped and asked Nimeria for a favor. ¡°Can you tell him that there¡¯s someone who has always been praying for him?¡± Ivy wasn¡¯t a real Saintess, but she had always been sincere whenever she prayed for him. However, there was someone else who prayed for him much more earnestly than her. Nimeria vigorously nodded. The Winter Duke¡¯s Cape had just swept across the North, and the North was now racing toward the end of winter. There were many places in the North with snow even in the middle of summer, but life in those places was as strong as the North¡¯s climate. Among them, winter flowers were bound to flourish first. The winter flowers started approaching the South while carrying a brand-new spring in their arms. -The End-