Chapter 127
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Arrival in the Theocracy
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Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The horses galloped.
The knights of the County of Brushen surrounded Chris's party, heading towards the Theocracy.
A grim atmosphere hung in the air, but among them, only one person—Chris—wore a relaxed expression.
‘Not bad. To be able to travel with an escort like this.’
The Theocracy lay in the heart of Gold Cross, far from the border.
He hadn't known what dangers might lie in wait, so this was a relief.
‘Well, the mood isn't great, though.’
The knights were staring at them as if they were mortal enemies.
The menacing atmosphere, with knights glaring daggers at Chris's party, felt like a fight could break out at any moment, prompting a pale-faced Young Count Roy to give an order.
"They may be Majin, but they are envoys visiting our Gold Cross! Show them some respect!"
‘If something happens, that demon, Christian, won't let me off easy. I have to stop it!’ Young Count Roy knew all too well how formidable and terrifying a demon Christian was.
If trouble were to break out, Roy's life, at the very least, would be forfeit, so he was desperate.
The knights grumbled with disgruntled expressions.
"To think we have to stand by and do nothing while looking at these filthy Majin."
"I'd like to split their heads in two."
"Should I pick a fight and challenge one to a duel? It wouldn't be a problem if I killed them during a duel, right?"
They didn't bother to lower their voices, so their words reached the ears of Chris's party.
Chris let out a yawn and dismissed it as nothing.
‘Just the reaction I expected. Well, it'll probably be like this from now on.’
The hatred between the Majin and the people of the alliance was as deep-rooted as the conflict between demons and the Celestials.
Thanks to Young Count Roy's frantic efforts to prevent the situation from worsening, no blood was shed, but the knights instead ran their filthy mouths.
"By the way, look at their faces. Especially that Young Lord and Young Lady. Do those Dark Magic House bastards pick their heirs based on looks? Both of them have faces that would fit right in at a brothel."
"They both exude a carnal allure. Just my type."
"Which one?"
"Both of them. Heh heh."
"You think they might be sleeping with each other?"
"Could be. Majin are filthy creatures; they probably don't care if it's a relative or even a sibling."
The knights cackled openly, spewing their disgusting words.
The conversation had crossed the line far too much, and Young Count Roy's face turned pale as he glanced nervously at Chris.
Chris simply snorted.
‘How cute.’
Chris had been through too much to be fazed by such talk.
‘Still, I should probably give them a warning.’
If I let them look down on me, some fool who doesn't know their place might try something stupid.
‘It's not like I came to the alliance expecting not to see any blood.’
He was about to turn his gaze to find a target when...
Something unexpected happened.
*Smack!*
A loud sound echoed.
The face of the knight at the forefront, who had been gleefully spouting filth, snapped to the side.
Someone had thrown a gauntlet.
It was Jupien.
"A duel."
She said with her usual deadpan expression.
"If you can, you're welcome to kill me during the duel. The Majin don't hold anyone accountable for what happens in a duel."
"!!"
"However, if I win, I'll cut out your tongue."
The area grew cold.
The one who had been struck was a 4-Star knight.
An officer-class talent, considered one of the best within the knight order.
In contrast, to the knights, Jupien was just a beautiful girl with a delicate, doll-like appearance.
Of course, they had all heard that Jupien was a Young Lady of the Dark Magic House, but they underestimated her due to her young and fragile appearance.
The knight who was hit spat out bloody saliva and growled fiercely.
"How dare you, you filthy Majin. My hands were getting itchy anyway. This is perfect. I'll make you beg for your life."
A brilliant red Mana Blade flared to life.
As if he truly saw Jupien as beneath him, he wasn't aiming for a vital spot like the neck or chest, but for her right wrist.
However.
*Fwoosh!*
An illusion burst forth, distorting the knight's vision.
Jupien's sword multiplied.
The Illusion Sword Art, where the Black Sword inhabits illusions.
And then.
*Slice.*
"Kuaaaargh!!"
A fountain of blood erupted from the knight's sword arm. It had been severed in a single blow.
Jupien's sword didn't stop there.
*Thrust.*
The sword plunged into the knight's open mouth.
If she moved the sword just one inch further, his tongue would be cut off as she had first declared.
"Gh... gh... uh... uh..."
The knight let out a groan. He was so terrified he was even shedding tears.
Jupien stared at him for a moment, then frowned.
"Too filthy to even cut your tongue."
"!!"
*Thwack!*
Kicked by her foot, the knight tumbled to the ground, and Jupien returned to Chris's side as if nothing had happened.
The area fell into a dead silence.
They were overwhelmed by her presence.
The rest of the journey was relatively comfortable.
The atmosphere was still murderous, but no one dared to run their mouths carelessly anymore.
‘A brief moment of comfort.’
Yes, this was only the beginning.
The deeper they went into Gold Cross, the more hostile the stares directed at Chris's party became.
If it weren't for Young Count Roy, whom Chris had brought along as a shield, trouble would have broken out several times over in the tense situation.
Finally.
The tension reached a breaking point.
They had arrived at their destination: the Theocracy of Arhen.
* * *
The Theocracy was a small nation.
Its territory consisted only of the central capital, a few satellite cities, and the surrounding lands.
But no one could disregard the Theocracy.
The royal family of Arhen, the rulers of the Theocracy, were a bloodline descended from the Celestials.
As such, for hundreds of years, they had served as the spiritual pillar for the people of Gold Cross in their fight against the Magitech Empire.
A glorious kingdom that, though small, wielded the powerful influence of a great nation.
With such a tradition, the people of the Theocracy held immense pride and fostered a pathologically hostile atmosphere towards the Majin.
‘Still, isn't this work of art a bit too grotesque?’
The moment they passed through the castle gates and entered, a massive bronze statue in the square caught his eye.
It was a statue in the shape of a large tree, and from its branches dangled countless human heads sculpted from bronze.
The horns on their heads suggested they were meant to be the severed heads of Majin, all of them with expressions twisted in agony, as if they had died under horrific torture.
‘To brazenly display a statue in the square that only the demons of Gehenna would enjoy.’
Chris shook his head.
It was a testament to how great the Theocracy's hatred for the Majin was.
Indeed, the moment Chris's party set foot inside the city walls, they were met with a flood of hostile glares.
The atmosphere was so tense it felt as if a stone could be thrown at any second, and Young Count Roy once again broke out in a cold sweat, his face pale.
"Th-these people are envoys from the Dark Magic House who have come to resolve the plague that has broken out in our Gold Cross! S-so, they're good Majin!!"
‘Ugh, why do I have to be doing this! Send me home, you demon!’ For the record, now that they had arrived in the Theocracy, Sir Press and the other knights had returned to the border, leaving Young Count Roy to swallow his tears in solitude.
Just then, a cold voice was heard.
"Young Count, you tell a funny tale. To think there are good Majin other than dead ones. Are you the envoys from the Dark Magic House?"
"!!"
It was a man with handsome features and blond hair.
He wore the emblem of the Theocracy and had knights lined up behind him.
Chris identified the man in his mind.
‘Holy Knight Miek.’
He was someone Chris knew well.
One of the Holy Knights representing the Theocracy.
He had reached the level of a 5-Star Elder Class.
‘Also famous for his righteous character.’
Thinking that far, Chris couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
A memory of the past had surfaced.
‘He was in charge of my purification ritual, too.’
In other words.
Miek was one of those who had abused him as a child under the pretext of purification.
The reason he explicitly called it abuse was because of the look on Miek's face during the purification ritual back then.
At that time, Miek had been enjoying tormenting his younger self.
‘To run into this guy as soon as I arrive in the Theocracy.’
Without showing any particular reaction, Chris nodded.
"We are the envoys of the Dark Magic House. I assume you've heard what the Main House said?"
"I have. That you have come as envoys to investigate the truth behind the Arrayed Black Death spreading through our federation."
"That's right. The culprit is clearly trying to frame our Dark Magic House. We intend to uncover the truth and make them pay the price."
Miek nodded.
Then he spoke in a low voice.
A voice that others couldn't hear. One meant only for Chris.
"Shut your mouth, you filthy creatures."
"!!"
"I don't care what you're thinking, so just stay quiet and go back where you came from. We had no choice but to accept your visit since you requested it as diplomatic envoys, but the very thought of insects like you setting foot in our sacred Theocracy makes my blood boil."
Chris let out a snort of laughter.
‘Yep, that's the same Miek I remember.’
Chris thought wryly.
‘Should I take this chance to deal with him?’
It wasn't because he held a grudge against the man.
To be honest, it was such an old affair that he had forgotten about it.
If he held a grudge against every single person who tormented him as a child, he would have had to slaughter just about every notable figure in the Theocracy.
‘Still, it's better to kill this one. For the sake of the future.’
If left alive, he would later become a cancer, eating away at the Crusade Alliance.
A rotten bastard more harmful than the enemy.
‘It's about time I showed my strength anyway. And since he's the one who picked this fight, it won't be my fault if one breaks out.’
His calculations complete, Chris provoked Miek in return.
"I have no interest in your frivolous barking. Why don't you hurry up and guide me to your master, the Pope?"
"!!"
"By the way, I heard so much about the Theocracy that I had high expectations, but it seems rather unimpressive. Seeing a nobody like you yapping away without knowing his place says it all."
Miek's face flushed red with rage.
Unable to restrain himself, he was about to grip his sword tightly when he froze.
His eyes had met Chris's.
"......."
Deep, so deep.
Crimson-black eyes that seemed to have swallowed the abyssal sea.
A chilling pressure bore down on Miek.
It was an instinctual sense of danger.
A feeling that he must not draw his sword.
‘What is this nonsense? What is this little brat?’
Miek's brow twitched, unable to comprehend the sensation he was feeling.
He was an Elder Class.
Although he was still a lower-grade 5-Star, he was a proper Elder Class, unlike the half-baked 5-Star Eshid that Chris had recently defeated.
And yet, he was getting this feeling from a mere 4-Star opponent?
"What's wrong? What are you hesitating for? Weren't you about to draw your sword? Go ahead if you want. A Majin never shies away from a challenge."
Miek gritted his teeth.