Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: The Healer Has Arrived
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Epania Empire's Emperor.
Sirius Epania.
Opinions on him were always sharply divided.
Some nobles praised him effusively, hailing him as an exceptional figure.
Others despised him with a burning hatred, desperately wishing for a new emperor to ascend the throne as soon as possible.
Indeed, some families had their lives spared thanks to his policies.
While others had crumbled to dust in an instant.
Sirius was the kind of man whose reputation swung to extremes.
Yet there was one point of consensus when it came to evaluating him.
The empire's status as the world's strongest power stemmed from his policies and decisive actions.
To meet this emperor, Krash boarded a carriage from House Juon and was now en route.
Did people know?
That the direct heir of Valheim—the kingdom's mightiest house in Staron—was riding in the carriage of the Juon sword clan, renowned as the empire's supreme warriors.
If word got out, the world would erupt in chaos once more.
Storytellers would delight in spreading the tale far and wide.
Yet there were precious few in the world bold enough to peer into a carriage carrying Dalpiron Juon, the patriarch of House Juon.
As proof, when they reached the palace gates, the carriage passed through without hindrance.
The guards at the entrance saluted tensely as it went by.
Dalpiron's influence was that immense.
In the empire, his presence rivaled the emperor's own.
Krash glanced out the window.
Through a gap in the blackout curtains, the palace's grandeur came into view.
They had already been traveling through the palace grounds for over ten minutes.
The endless gardens and buildings appeared impeccably maintained.
Soon, the main palace building came into sight.
Its massive Epanian walls soared so high one had to crane their neck, topped by a sea-blue roof.
Kkiiik—
Moments later, the carriage halted before the main entrance.
A knight from House Juon opened the door, and Dalpiron stepped out first.
An elderly man in neat attire approached to greet him.
He bowed his head respectfully upon seeing Dalpiron.
He was the imperial chief steward, personally attending to the emperor.
"You've come in such haste."
"Indeed. How fares His Majesty?"
"The same as always. He's even managed a bit more food lately, though he has to force it down."
"His Majesty is most resilient."
White Stone Syndrome turned one's internal organs to white stone.
Naturally, it wreaked havoc on digestion and more, yet the emperor refused to stop eating in his fight to survive.
Dalpiron knew this and offered a wry smile.
He pitied Sirius—the man who had made the empire so prosperous, yet couldn't save himself.
Even so, Sirius prioritized the imperial family's future over his own life, seeking a cure for the White Stone Syndrome.
It was a hereditary curse that plagued the imperial line generation after generation.
Understanding this, Dalpiron had willingly allied with Ixion.
Without the syndrome, the palace's power would grow unassailable, and the empire would know lasting peace.
"Then let us go see His Majesty."
With those words, he glanced back at the carriage.
Two robed figures emerged right on cue.
One was Sizly Epania.
The other was Krash.
The steward glanced their way briefly before averting his eyes.
"This way to His Majesty's chambers."
He was the tightest-lipped soul in the palace.
"Do you really need the robe too?"
As they followed the steward, Krash shot Sizly an incredulous look.
This was her home, after all.
But Sizly placed her hands on her hips, protesting her innocence.
"Do you have any idea how adorably eye-catching I am? One glimpse, and they'd fumble everything. I'm just covering up for their sake."
"Nonsense. You just don't want anyone seeing you're with Dalpiron Juon."
Krash knew full well why, but said it anyway.
Dalpiron glanced at their bickering, and the steward ahead quirked a smile.
"Youthful spirits. Youth is vital, after all."
"You're no old man yourself."
"Haha, I'm only three years your junior, Lord Dalpiron. We're both young at heart."
Dalpiron looked far younger than the steward.
But that was due to his rigorous training preserving his physical prime.
In truth, the steward was the younger by three years.
"The palace is unusually quiet today."
"We cleared out the attendants and knights in advance upon hearing you were coming, my lord."
Quick as ever.
The steward had efficiently swept the halls clean.
He too would do anything to cure the emperor's illness.
"I owe you greatly, as always."
"Nonsense. The empire is eternally indebted to you, Lord Dalpiron."
Their exchange of courtesies continued until they reached a massive door.
A single knight stood rigidly before it.
His massive frame towered at least 2.5 meters tall.
Larger even than Freya's child.
He was the Iron Wall of House Friedwen, the emperor's shield.
Terman Friedwen.
Spotting Dalpiron, he bowed deeply.
"The Emperor's Sword pays his respects."
"Every time I see you, it's the same formality. Enough of that."
"No, sir. As His Majesty's shield, I must uphold decorum to honor his dignity."
"No wonder His Majesty holds you so dear."
Dalpiron smiled, and Terman—his fierce face notwithstanding—grinned bashfully.
Krash gained fresh insight into Dalpiron's stature in the empire.
'He's masterful at handling people.'
The Heavenly Demon Lords in Krash's memories were all eccentrics in their own way.
Take his father, Warlord Balok Valheim.
He secluded himself daily in the forbidden zone, worshipping nothing but martial prowess through endless training.
Even having ascended to demigod status, he never relented.
Demon Lord Terrasius Jeblam was much the same.
Obsessed with magic and curiosity, he dabbled in anything that caught his fancy.
By contrast, Dalpiron was utterly normal.
'Is it the weight of being the Emperor's Sword?'
Krash finally grasped the saying that a position shapes the man.
"Your Majesty, Dalpiron Juon has come to see you. May we enter?"
Terman called out toward the door emblazoned with a white dragon emblem.
A cough echoed from within, followed by a reply.
"Let them in."
"Yes, sir."
Terman bowed and grasped the handle.
Kuung, kuung—
The heavy door creaked open slowly, revealing the interior.
The dimly lit room felt chilled, light blocked by blackout curtains.
Beyond the furnishings, in the cool air, a middle-aged man lay on a grand bed with eyes closed.
His hair, once sea-blue, now hung white as snow across the sheets.
His face bore wrinkles far beyond his years.
"The Emperor's Sword pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Dalpiron bowed deeply on behalf of the group, and Sizly with Krash followed suit.
The emperor slowly opened his eyes, revealing amber irises that gleamed vividly.
Though everything else had faded, those eyes remained strikingly sharp.
Epania Empire's emperor.
Sirius Epania.
He was the empire's ruler.
'His eyes are just like Sizly's.'
Those striking amber eyes were unmistakably hers.
Sizly had inherited her father's bloodline strongly.
Conversely, Third Princess Sigrin's blue eyes came from her mother's side, the empress.
Her signature arrogance traced back to the empress too—Sigrin's looks and temperament leaned heavily toward her mother's lineage.
Sirius began to sit up slowly.
The steward hurried over to support him.
It was a practiced routine.
A sign his condition was deteriorating rapidly.
Krash caught sight of the emperor's bony arm protruding from his sleeve.
His state was dire indeed.
With organs failing, his body was wasting away.
Krash had never met Sirius face-to-face before.
Seeing him now, he understood why the emperor had lost his mind in his final years.
Facing imminent death, sanity was hard to maintain.
Especially for someone in such a precarious, exalted position.
'That must be why war broke out with Staron.'
Seizing the instability from Sirius's White Stone Syndrome, imperial kin tore at each other to claim the throne.
This fractured the empire.
Nobles seized the chance to split factions, pushing policies in their favor.
Desperate royals accepted their support.
Unable to bear it, Sirius drew his sword at last.
And aimed it at Staron.
The massacre of Poison Lord Hardenharts in Staron.
Bianca, turned vengeful ghost by it, assassinated the Poison Lord.
One of the Ten Heavenly Strong slain.
Fury ignited across the empire in an instant.
Staron burned with outrage too.
The empire's atrocities in Hardenharts were plain for all to see.
To unite the empire, Sirius declared war on Staron.
In wartime, the empire could rally as one.
It would expend the nobles' idle power, and dismantle self-serving policies under the banner of victory.
A unified empire would bolster the palace's might, and passing the throne then would ensure eternity.
Thus, Sirius hurled the blade of war at Staron.
Was it because his fiancée Bianca had been caught in the crossfire of his ambitions?
Krash harbored no fondness for Sirius.
From the war dead onward.
Uncontrolled World Erosion outbreaks and seeds of utmost evil.
Ixion's schemes thriving unchecked.
Sirius had hastened the world's doom.
Thus Krash deemed him mad in his twilight years.
Justifying all in the empire's name.
"And you are?"
Sirius turned his gaze this way.
Unfamiliar with Krash, he voiced his curiosity.
Krash threw back his hood.
His signature Valheim dark-blue hair cascaded free.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Krash Valheim, here to cure your illness."
So this time, I'll make damn sure you live.
And keep you from any more foolish blunders before you go.