Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Empire's Turmoil (3)
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BOOM—!
“Kyaaak!”
“What the hell is going on all of a sudden?!”
The imperial capital of Jeron, steeped in long years of peace as befitting the continent's strongest nation, was suddenly filled with explosive blasts and screams.
[Kihihihit!]
[Uuuu...]
Countless ghosts wailed mournfully as they flew through the air.
Clang—! Shing!
“Block them!”
“You bastards! Do you even know where you are?!”
The capital's garrison troops and the noble houses' guards clashed fiercely with the undead hordes and other followers of evil that had launched a surprise attack.
But amid all that, the most eye-catching spot was elsewhere...
Naturally, it was the imperial palace at the very heart of the capital.
[GRRROOOAAAR—!]
[SKREEEAAAR—!]
A dragon's roar that plunged listeners into terror.
And with it...
Two streaks of pitch-black energy, embodying death itself, slammed straight down into the palace.
Thud! KABOOM—!
Fortunately, the radiant silver barrier enveloping the palace successfully blocked the horrific assault, but those gathered inside couldn't smile.
They could feel the barrier visibly shaking with every attack it repelled.
“Tch! The Immortal King wasn't enough—now even the true dragons...! What's the damage report?!”
“Only four dropouts so far! But if attacks like this keep coming, I can't guarantee how long the others will hold out!”
Atop the magic circle forming the barrier's core, Marquis Lawrence, the lord of the palace's magic tower and grand archmage, gnashed his teeth as he glared at the holographic image before him.
The true dragons had pulled back after a intercept spell fired right after their breath attack, but Immortal King Hans paid it no mind, billowing dark death energy as he prepared his follow-up strike.
“Damn it! Next attack incoming! Everyone, brace for impact!”
RUMBLE—!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than an explosion rang out, and a massive surge of mana rippled back along the barrier surrounding the palace.
“Kuhk!”
“Ugh... S-sorry. I can't... anymore...”
Two mages, unable to withstand the accumulating shock, turned pale and stepped away from the magic circle.
That made six dropouts so far.
They were only providing support to maximize the barrier's efficiency, yet even that was proving too much with the relentless aftershocks.
'Of course, the ones who dropped out are just the young apprentices still learning, but every hand counts right now. If they keep falling one by one, even high-ranking mages won't last.'
Lawrence himself could hold out for a few hours by gritting his teeth and focusing solely on defense, but without counterattacking, they'd just be punching bags.
With no telling what came next, dragging this out wouldn't end well.
“Tch, where's Viscount Pristin?! The palace is in chaos—where the hell is she, and what is she doing? Don't tell me she's still glued to the princess's side even now?!”
There had been three grand archmages stationed in the palace.
One was with the crown prince at the council of elders, and Isea—the other one—was still nowhere to be found.
She couldn't possibly still be grasping the situation.
“W-well... I checked, but... Viscount Pristin left the palace this morning with the princess.”
“What? Of all times, she's outside? And with the princess?”
Even as Marquis Lawrence panicked, the mana backlash continued.
They could only resume talking after two more mages dropped out.
“Wait, didn't His Highness the Crown Prince say he was returning from the Holy Land today too?”
“Yes. Actually, the scheduled time has already passed... Judging by the timing, he's probably caught up in this mess somewhere...”
“...Good lord. The timing couldn't be worse.”
In the end, he had no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut.
At this critical moment, two grand archmages and the two imperial heirs were all out there in the chaos.
Out in the unknown dangers, instead of the safest place here.
KABOOM—!
But heedless of his despair, the Immortal King's attacks raged on relentlessly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ KABOOM—!
Another massive explosion rocked the direction of the palace.
“Your Highness, this way.”
Isea pulled Princess Riley close with effortless grace, then thrust one hand into the air. A surge of blue energy coalesced in an instant, blocking a flying chunk of debris.
“...Thank you, Viscount Pristin.”
With attendants and guards around, they kept up formal tones, but their eyes conveyed their shared tension as they moved toward safer ground.
'Of all times for this to happen. ...If they were going to warn me, couldn't they have been more specific?'
Isea sighed inwardly, inwardly cursing the Church.
The princess's group had no choice but to leave the palace on the day the crown prince returned.
Using the Church's warning as an excuse, he'd pulled extra troops for his own guard, and signs of him exerting separate influence over the military had been detected.
With politics involved, even the princess couldn't sit idly by.
Already at a disadvantage, they couldn't afford delayed responses—and she even planned to turn it into a counterattack opportunity.
'But now it's backfired.'
Yet the Church's warning had only been something vague like “something might happen in Jeron soon,” so holing up indefinitely in the palace wasn't feasible.
Who would follow a leader too scared by vague words to even step outside?
'With the capital's defense barrier active, even I can't teleport recklessly. For safe travel, I need an authorized magic circle... No, with the palace under attack like that, they wouldn't leave passages open.'
There might be escape routes for the command staff in emergencies, but entrances would be sealed to prevent enemy infiltration.
Returning to the palace was impossible; they'd have to survive out here on their own.
'It's a bit far, but heading to the grand temple and using their gate seems safest. Worst case, I abandon everyone else and just grab Riley...'
“Ah.”
As Isea led the group while pondering solutions, she suddenly halted.
Her senses, constantly probing the surroundings with subtle mana pulses even while moving, had picked up a very familiar energy.
“Viscount Pristin? What's wrong?”
“Well...”
Even as she answered Princess Riley, her frown didn't ease.
And for good reason—the mana she sensed...
“It seems His Highness the Crown Prince is nearby.”
It was the same energy as Count Garfield, who had been spreading mana to scout alongside the crown prince at the council. The man scouting just like her.
If she could sense him, he'd surely pinpointed her location too.
No matter how bad the situation, teaming up with him—considering all he'd done—didn't seem wise.
Princess Riley frowned slightly, clearly thinking the same.
“...They're approaching. What should we do?”
But their side apparently thought differently.
Of course—they'd crossed lines, but her side had always held to certain standards.
There was still some distance, but dodging them now would be tricky.
The fifth princess fleeing in fear of the crown prince, a selfish isolationist refusing to unite in crisis, a petty coward prioritizing personal grudges over the greater good...
Who knew what frame they'd spin next?
“Hoo... No choice now. Everyone, stay sharp to the end. Don't show a single opening.”
With resolve steeled, as they turned toward the crown prince's group...
“Ah?”
Isea froze again, whipping her head to one side.
In the same direction as the crown prince's group, but farther away...
“This is...”
A blazing, passionate, radiant energy like a burning sun.
WHOOOOSH—
Racing toward them at ferocious speed.
FWOOOM—!
It streaked past them in a rush of fierce afterwind and lingering light.
“Kyaa!”
“F-fast...!”
The maids squeezed their eyes shut against the sudden gale, while the princess's knight escorts half-drew their swords and swallowed hard.
Its mere passage had imprinted an overwhelming presence, but that wasn't the point now.
Isea, knowing full well, sharpened her senses and turned toward the palace where it headed.
And right on cue...
RUMMBLE—!
An explosion incomparable to any before erupted, sending intense shockwaves rippling out.
Suppressed by the city-wide barrier, but on another level entirely from prior blasts.
“...The Saint, Heinrich Saint Landgard...”
Isea murmured his name unbidden as the energy boiled up from its origin.
“Pardon? That was the Saint just now?”
“Eh? You mean the Church of the Main God's Saint? The hero...!”
“Th-the Saint passed by us? Oh, Main God!”
Her mutter drew reactions from the princess and everyone else.
Some even prayed instinctively.
But that's what a Saint was.
In stature, equal to the emperor... no, in continental crises like this, even greater.
'In a way, that man really is this world's protagonist.'
The savior chosen by God.
Of course, the weight of that title must crush his shoulders constantly.
Sacrifice and devotion were everyday for him.
A far cry from her, struggling to protect even one person.
'...What is he thinking right now?'
Responsibility for the crisis, or some noble sense of duty... She'd probably never understand.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Don't panic—hold the line! The barrier's still solid!”
“No reckless moves! You're the proud Imperial Guard! You want to disappoint His Majesty?!”
Heinrich licked his lips lightly amid the noisy preparations at the barrier's edge.
'Perfect timing.'
The Grand Temple of Jeron was on the city's outskirts, even for the capital.
Barring the Holy Land itself, anywhere with temple-scale facilities faced the same issue.
The vast grounds were secondary; the local rulers disliked housing armed groups like paladin orders and holy warriors.
Especially here, the emperor's seat.
Most citizens used the small prayer halls and shrines scattered throughout anyway, so the Grand Temple's remoteness hardly mattered.
But that meant it was quite far from the central palace.
Without superhuman abilities like Heinrich's, crossing that distance quickly was impossible.
'Like that crown prince loitering halfway there. ...Didn't expect Isea and the fifth princess too.'
Screeech! Bang!
He swung his lightsaber, knocking aside a black scythe in his path, then charged the Immortal King again, slicing through the death energy.
[Kuhahaha! As expected! I knew you'd stand in my way, my one true rival, Heinrich! No idea how you got here so fast, but a hero's gotta be at that level. Kuhuhut!]
“All things in the world lie beneath the Main God's will. You cannot escape it either! Like every Immortal King before you, you'll soon follow in their footsteps, Hannibal!”
Against the palace wrapped in brilliant light, the Immortal King and Knight of Light faced off.
On that fairy-tale stage, a sinister voice from hell clashed with a resolute one brimming with faith, echoing thunderously.
[GRRROOOAAAR—!]
[SKREEEAAAR—!]
As if harmonizing, the true dragons circling the sky—dodging beams from the palace—roared down at Heinrich in unison.
But the Immortal King waved them off dismissively, blocking further interference, and gazed down at him again.
[Fun, so much fun. Knight of Light, Heinrich Saint Landgard. Do you know? Every time we clash, every time you block my path, I feel truly alive. Even in this dead body!]
Arms spread wide as if embracing the world, he tilted his head back to the heavens.
[Come—! Teach me more, more of life! The will to live! An unyielding heart that defies even death!]
Though a mana-amplified voice devoid of emotion, the intensity pouring through was...
A sheer obsession with what he himself lacked.
And in response, Heinrich—shrouded in holy light—slowly raised his holy sword and spoke.
“Now I truly understand. Why that revelation came to me that day.”
The blade's elegant arc wove beautiful patterns in the air, its tip finally locking precisely on the Immortal King.
As if performing in a play.
“This too is the guidance of the divine.”
Though it really was just a play.