The Fake Hero (2)
The old priest in his magnificent robes smiled benevolently as he gazed upon the golden youth.
“I am well aware of how deeply Your Highness Damian holds faith in the Goddess. However, the Hero’s Trial is, after all, a significant event even within the Church… I wish to confirm whether the selected Hero has the intention to maintain a good relationship with the Church.”
“Of course! I swear upon the honor of the Hero’s family and the name of my second prince. The Hero will surely become a pillar of the Church’s power.”
*How many pieces of coin do I need to throw before he’s satisfied, you damn old man?*
As Damian, this investment had been painful. Just the gold I’d had to hand over to the Archbishop right in front of me must have been an astronomical sum.
They preached about faith in front of us, but they were really hoarding their own pockets. It was as if they were no better than misers.
And wanting to use the Hero as they pleased to manipulate the Church’s power meant that what they truly believed in was undoubtedly gold, not the Goddess.
Damian now carried a heavy burden in many ways because he had received help from that madwoman in the west.
*But acquiring the Hero’s position is still a profit.*
Even if that position turned out to be forged, it would not matter. The Empire was, in the end, the Hero’s family. Since the appearance of the Hero had already been predetermined, obtaining the title of Hero would soon grant him the throne.
The Emperor himself was already feeble and nothing more than a figurehead. This was the perfect opportunity to seize control of the Empire. And afterward, he would also obtain the Saintess.
That was why, ever since his transmigration, Damian had been cultivating his divine power and building connections with the Church.
“Still, I worry about how Prince Theon will turn out.”
“Brother is outstanding, but his heart is weak. He cannot entertain dirty thoughts. Our plan is guaranteed to succeed.”
**《Everyone Obsesses Over Me When I Became the Saintess》**
Theon Asteris.
The male protagonist of the original novel in this damned world.
He was born with a weak personality, fell in love with the heroine, and only reconciled with her after the world had already perished.
That was the end.
So, naturally, it made sense that I, who had transmigrated into this world, was targeting the Hero. In the end, no matter what I did, Theon would not be able to utter a single word.
Then what about the original plot? The world was already doomed to end. No matter how much greed I indulged in, it would never be enough.
“Behold, this is the Holy Sword Calidox that the legendary Hero once wielded.”
The sword the Archbishop presented was faded, yet it still concealed an unmeasurable coldness.
*As expected, it does not respond to me.*
I grasped the sword with both hands and raised my divine power, but there was no reaction. Just as the original story went, Theon was apparently the true Hero.
*Well, I had expected this much. That was why I had created this position today, and with a little tampering on the sword, there would be no problem. Everything was perfect.*
*Tap. Tap.*
The sound of dripping water from the ceiling echoed down onto the ground.
The underground imperial prison was silent today, filled only with the lonely sound of dripping water as people passed by. It almost sounded like someone crying in sorrow.
Were those tears of the ones rotting away in the cells? Or…
Theon, with the gray dawn of early morning still hiding its form, moved through the dead of night wearing a hood, accompanied by his adjutant, to the lowest level of the imperial underground prison.
There had been guards on duty, but thanks to the magic the adjutant cast, they had fallen unconscious without realizing it. That was no problem.
“When I have the time, I should inspect the military equipment here.”
“Hmm… This may be inappropriate, but Your Highness, is that not a harsh measure?”
That was true.
The old man following behind me was a 7th-circle Archmage, after all. He was the pinnacle among the court mages of the Empire. In his prime, he had been the Red Tower Master.
To endure the Archmage’s magic as an ordinary guard was unreasonable. Yet this man was the one who had spoken the words.
*Ah, so the ‘Mad Dog of the Red Tower’ was not mere exaggeration.*
“That is in the distant past. If we measure it that way, Your Highness seems to have changed suddenly. What I taught you felt like it was from just yesterday.”
The adjutant stroked his long beard as he spoke.
Kellion the Archmage. He had been by my side since childhood, one of the few people I could truly trust. He loved to tease me endlessly, yet now he spoke in a dignified tone.
Before my regression, I owed him a great debt.
“Still, an inspection is necessary. Not just this place. I intend to conduct a massive investigation into all imperial institutions, including the Imperial Guard.”
There would be resistance, but I could not know how many humans the transmigrators had planted. If blood had to be spilled, it was better to do it quickly.
Poison would only grow worse if left alone.
“You intend to seize the throne.”
As if the title of Archmage would not disappear, he had already seen through my intentions with just this short conversation.
“The Hero’s Trial will undoubtedly be manipulated by the second prince in collusion with the Church.”
Kellion said firmly.
“Do you recall the words His Majesty left behind before he fell?”
“Yes, I remember them better than Your Highness.”
Kellion looked puzzled, as if he could not understand why he had suddenly brought up the topic.
In truth, it was this man who had brought me to the imperial underground ruins. Thinking of it now, a fresh wave of emotion swept over me. Would I feel the same way each time in the future?
*To truly save all humanity, one must descend to the very bottom.*
The father’s last words were simpler than I had thought. The ruins were in the lowest floor of the imperial underground prison, and the entrance was in the deepest chamber.
At first, there had been no need for riddles, so the true intent had been simpler than expected. Well, I had not known it alone.
Descend to the very bottom, become the Hero, and prove the throne. That was the simple task and final gift my father had left for his children.
“If that is so, the entrance to the ruins will appear soon. Though I wonder whether it will truly emerge.”
“You speak as if you are skeptical, yet your steps have quickened.”
The entrance to the ruins was naturally invisible to the naked eye. The very purpose had been to welcome only the Hero, so without the Hero appearing, it would not manifest.
But the Hero had certainly existed here. If I had come here before knowing anything, I would have returned empty-handed. But the Theon of now was the sun of the Empire that had come from the future.
“Hmm… nothing is visible.”
Kellion used numerous spells in search of the entrance, but nothing came of it. That alone told me how extraordinary the ruins were.
Now I summoned the divine power I was already familiar with, though it was not yet fully familiar.
A different sensation from mana.
It felt as if my entire body was wrapped in a warm cradle.
Soon my eyes blazed with golden light, and the shape of the ruins’ entrance was revealed.
Whoosh—
“This is…! More importantly, Your Highness, those eyes!”
According to legend, the ancestors of the Empire and the great Hero pierced all illusions of the world with eyes that shone with golden light.
These brightly shining golden eyes were, above all else, the certain proof of a Hero. The divine eyes that proclaimed the proud bloodline of the Empire.
Damian had clumsily imitated it, but the difference between fake and real was absurdly vast.
“I already know. I will become the Emperor.”
Passing through the flickering golden light patterns on the wall, I crossed the entrance.
A brief dizziness passed after the sound of a click, and a vast chamber filled entirely with golden light appeared before us.
Soon Kellion followed my path and entered the ruins as well.
“Everywhere is filled with treasures… It reminds me of the dragon lairs I saw long ago.”
If only the treasures here were disposed of, they would be more than enough to sustain the Empire. They would become a magnificent dam to block the hardships ahead.
“Is that so? Then it is fortunate. Kellion, prepare for battle.”
“Do you mean that…?”
Kugugugu…
Vibrations echoed through the vast chamber.
At the same moment, dozens of geometric magic circles appeared in midair, and spatial distortions occurred between the piles of treasures.
*The Holy Sword indeed manifests when the guardian appears.*
The final task that awaited me as the Hero upon reaching the ruins. Proving one’s eligibility by locating the ruins’ position, and this was proof of the abilities a Hero must possess.
I slowly drew mana into my body. The mana swirled explosively, tangled with the overflowing divine power in my veins.
Kellion, with a serious expression, rapidly chanted incantations to prepare his magic.
And then silence.
Kwaaang!
The treasures piled like mountains exploded outward in all directions. Amid the sea of golden fragments, the guardian of the ruins revealed itself.
[Kyooooooo—!!!]
At the same time, we struck the magic we had prepared straight at the dragon’s head.
The sun blazed before our eyes.
Kukwakwakwa-boom!!!