Chapter 827
Chapter 827
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 827
Chapter Title: The Tyrant for You
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“Arrogant bastard!”
The Great Witch pointed at me with her ragged finger. A black curse erupted from its tip and came plummeting toward me.
Instead of dodging the curse, I created a divine spear and hurled it at the Great Witch.
The curse clung to my body as the spear embedded itself in the Great Witch’s right shoulder. She bled profusely and plummeted to the ground.
“Your Majesty! Are you all right?! I’ll summon the court mages immediately!”
“Do you think a pathetic curse like this can harm me? Seize the Great Witch. We’ll hold a public execution by fire.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The knights charged toward the Great Witch.
I glanced at the curse clinging to my body. My entire left side rippled with dark energy.
The Stormbreaker armor boasted not only exceptional physical durability but also outstanding magical defense. Low-level spells didn’t even scratch it. But this was different. This curse, unleashed with the Great Witch’s full power, had slipped past even Stormbreaker’s protection.
The curse’s energy was gradually fading. I hadn’t relied on Stormbreaker, the Holy Grail’s power, or skills like Complete Recovery or Heavenly Heart.
It was the effect of Arondight, retrieved from the imperial palace’s underground chamber.
Arondight had two effects. The first was the ability to summon and command the divine beast, the giant wolf Ledios. But that power was hard to use fully right now. The divine beast was still recovering its strength.
The other effect was the Blessing of the Lake. As Arondight’s master, I received the lake’s protection, rendering magic ineffective against me. That was why the Great Witch’s curse couldn’t invade my body.
Of course, even the Blessing of the Lake had its limits.
‘The Great Witch’s curse has completely vanished.’
I slowly walked toward the Great Witch, now seized by the knights. I had some questions for her.
“Kaaaaahhh!”
Green flames erupted from the Great Witch. The knights screamed and recoiled as the fire clung to their bodies, blazing fiercely. It was a cursed inferno. The knights charred to death like lumps of coal.
I frowned. The Great Witch’s body was rising into the air. Blood dripped from her mouth as she glared at me with malevolent eyes.
“Indeed, the power of the Holy Grail from legend! Impressive! But don’t get cocky! Possessing the Holy Grail’s power doesn’t make you any less human!”
The Great Witch ranted. She must have assumed the curse failed due to the Holy Grail’s power. It wasn’t entirely wrong. My body, enhanced by the Grail, had some magic resistance. It was just weaker than she thought.
“A dying wretch with so much to say. Where’s Morgana? On Witch Island?”
“As if I’d answer you!”
The Great Witch cast a spell. A massive magic circle over 30 meters in diameter appeared in the sky. From it, a gigantic boulder emerged and crashed toward the ground, smashing buildings to pieces.
‘...Not just any boulder. It’s a golem.’
The golem rose to its feet. It towered over 20 meters tall. It lumbered forward with earth-shaking thuds. Its target was me.
And that wasn’t all. Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, a tornado whipped around me, green fireballs streaked like meteors, and chilling fog crept up from the ground to seize my ankles. With curses ineffective, she was resorting to physical destruction.
A true Great Witch. She had the power to effortlessly annihilate an entire city. That must have been why Morgana could become the second empress.
But all those attacks were magical in nature. The Blessing of the Lake prevented them from harming me. They could only hinder my movements at best.
‘Among those spells, the golem’s the biggest threat to me.’
Only among those spells, that is. Even the golem looked trivial in my eyes.
I glanced toward the imperial palace. It stood unharmed. The protective barrier had repelled the Great Witch’s magic. The palace mages were hard at work.
Kiiiiing!
A massive ice spike hurtled toward me from the front. I could ignore pure magic, but the sheer mass of the ice spike itself was beyond the lake’s blessing.
‘She’s figured out the blessing’s rough limits.’
I swung Arondight. The ice spike shattered into frozen fragments that pelted me. But they couldn’t pierce my armor.
I bent my knees and sprang. In that instant, a sonic boom propelled me to the golem’s head. I raised Arondight high. A blue aura blade surged 5 meters upward. I slashed down from above.
Craaaack!
The golem’s body split in half. But only for a moment. Its insides writhed, knitting the halves back together as it swung a fist at me.
I met the golem’s fist with my left fist.
Kabooom!
The golem’s fist shattered, fragments scattering everywhere.
‘It regenerated instantly from my sword slash... Smashing it works better.’
I discarded Arondight and began pummeling the golem with my fists. Telekinesis let me fly effortlessly. Even without it, I could step on the flying debris from its body to stay airborne.
Bam! Crash! Kaboom!
After demolishing the golem with punches, I landed and looked up. The Great Witch stared at me, drenched in cold sweat.
“Y-You... monster...!”
A thick bolt of lightning struck from the thunderclouds. Of course, it had no effect.
“...I see now that my current power can’t kill you. Next time, I’ll avenge my grandson and granddaughter. You and your empire will be reduced to rubble, not a single foundation stone left!”
The Great Witch’s body rose higher. She was trying to escape.
“You must think I’m a complete fool.”
Lightning was my specialty.
Lightning writhed in the thunderclouds before striking her as a bolt. Never expecting it to turn on her, the Great Witch neither blocked nor dodged. It hit dead-on, sending her crashing back to earth.
Splat.
The sound of meat hitting the ground echoed. I walked toward her. Red blood oozed from beneath her body.
I removed my helmet. The battle was over.
“Dead already? I wanted to burn her alive... Pity.”
At this point, I figured I’d burn the corpse instead.
“Grooo...”
The Great Witch twitched and abruptly sat up.
“Still alive. Good. You won’t last long anyway. Execution by fire in one hour.”
The Great Witch coughed up blood several times, then glared at me with bulging eyes. Blood vessels burst, perhaps. Bloody tears streamed down her face.
“Perish, arrogant emperor! Destruction upon your foolish empire! May all things in this world despise you!”
A black curse shot from her fingertip and clung to my body.
I looked at her pitifully.
“Foolish wretch. I have the Blessing of the Lake. Magic doesn’t work on me. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
“Kekeke. That arrogance will be your doom...!”
The Great Witch spewed black blood and collapsed dead. Her sudden death annoyed me.
I looked down at the black energy—the curse—clinging to my body. Arondight lay apart, but as its master, the blessing remained active. The curse would fade soon.
“......?”
The curse didn’t fade.
It pierced past the armor and settled into my body. My whole body throbbed, and my vision spun.
Cough.
I hacked, and blood mixed with the sputum.
‘...I’m cursed? Ridiculous.’
I didn’t feel like dying. But I sensed my strength waning. I considered Complete Recovery but hesitated.
“Your Majesty! Are you safe?! Your Majesty!”
General Rutheon and soldiers rushed toward me. With all the plaza guards dead, these were reinforcements from the palace.
Cough.
I spat blood again.
Rutheon and the soldiers’ faces hardened instantly.
“It’s the Great Witch’s curse. I’m weakened now. From your position... this is the perfect chance to kill me.”
Rutheon clamped his mouth shut. He immediately prostrated before me.
“How could I, a mere subject, dare harm the sun of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor?! Have mercy!”
“...Just a joke. You’ve got no sense of humor, General. Rise.”
Rutheon stood.
“Your Majesty! I’ll summon the High Priest! Please preserve your sacred body!”
“No need. It’s a weak curse. Rest will fix it. Have the soldiers clean up the area. In two hours, we hold the Great Witch’s public execution.”
“The Great Witch is already dead, Your Majesty. For relations with Witch Island, we should preserve her body for now...”
“With the Great Witch dead, her direct heir Morgana represents Witch Island. Relations with them are already at their worst. General, the Great Witch wielded vile sorcery. Sever her head. And arrest every witch in the capital. The executions will be in the grand plaza.”
“...As you command.”
Rutheon and the soldiers moved out.
I unequipped my armor and sat in a chair. No point returning to the palace. I had to be back in two hours anyway. Better to wait here.
“......”
I unbuttoned my black uniform jacket to check my body. The curse had blackened my left side and chest. The darkened areas writhed slowly. The curse was eating away at me, but agonizingly slowly.
‘The Holy Grail’s power and the lake’s blessing are suppressing it.’
Occasional coughing up blood and dizziness, but no real pain. The curse wasn’t a big issue.
“Palace Knight.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The knight Rutheon had left saluted crisply.
“I need a woman. Fetch a maid.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The palace knight clanked off toward the palace in his armor.
About ten minutes later, a carriage emerged from the palace. It stopped nearby, and four prettily made-up maids disembarked in a group. Their faces were pale and stiff.
“Come to me.”
I beckoned, and the maids approached. I stripped off my clothes and ravished them.
???
The preparations for the public execution were complete at the center of the grand plaza.
The Great Witch Mertalian’s head adorned the top of a pile of firewood and hay. Below it, her body hung from a wooden post. Surrounding them, 32 witches dangled from stakes in a circle.
The execution ground brimmed with citizens, all seething with rage.
“Kill them!”
“Burn the witches!”
“Rip those witch bitches apart!”
“My son! Bring back my dead son!”
The capital had been attacked by the Great Witch. The prime minister had announced it empire-wide, inciting the populace. Many commoners had witnessed the thunderclouds, lightning, green fireballs, and the rampaging golem firsthand, making the incitement easy.
Historically, humans hadn’t gotten along well with other races. Relations with witches improved only after the founding emperor established the empire. Witches looked human and imperial law forbade discrimination, so things had stayed quiet until now.
“Your Majesty. All preparations are complete.”
The Grand Inquisitor spoke. He’d somehow survived the Great Witch’s assault, but exhaustion etched his face.
“Hold on. Something’s off.”
My words turned the Grand Inquisitor pale. He broke into a cold sweat, flustered.
“W-What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“That woman. She’s not a witch.”
I pointed at a young woman tied to a stake. She had long, light brown hair. Tears streamed down her face, giving her an innocent, pitiable air. Her chest was partially exposed, revealing deep, beautiful cleavage that drew my gaze. The impudent wench was arousing me.
“...I beg your pardon, but she’s definitely a witch. We confirmed the presence of mana organs inside her using a magic detection tool.”
“Grand Inquisitor.”
I called impassively, and he flinched. His eyes darted wildly.
“I know you’re a proud guardian of imperial law. However, my throne stands above it.”
“......You speak wisely, Your Majesty.”
“Allow me to enlighten you now. I possess a divine power.”
“...Divine power... Yes, I know. With the Holy Grail’s power, it’s only natural for Your Majesty.”
“I’m not talking about telekinesis. A different divine power.”
“......What power is it?”
“The Art of Discernment.”