Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Empire's Imperial Palace (3)
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After the Hero Party and Hesperon escorted the Fifth Princess Riley back to the imperial palace.
Though Heinrich had requested skipping the cumbersome procedures, that didn't mean the Empire's hospitality was lacking in any way.
Regardless of the party leader being a saint, treating those who had saved an imperial princess was a matter directly tied to the prestige of the imperial family.
How much more so when that princess was the top contender for the throne, now backed by the tacit support of the current emperor?
Naturally, the treatment they received was nothing short of luxurious.
The massive VIP quarters were filled with treasures so expensive that selling just one could cover a commoner's living expenses for a year.
The restaurant kitchen had imperial chefs on standby 24/7, ready to prepare any dish requested at a moment's notice.
Veteran maids were stationed everywhere, meticulously checking every corner as if no inconvenience could be tolerated.
They moved like ghosts, their footsteps and presence minimized to the absolute limit.
'Impressive. Do the imperial maids get special training in stealth techniques? Their skill levels seem pretty high—they could even serve as escorts in a pinch.'
Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of lounging in these opulent quarters for long.
Of course, the Hero Party didn't have the leisure to idly pass the time.
"Uwahaha! As expected of the Empire—the scale is huge!"
"Ooh—look at that gold gleaming."
The imperial family hadn't intended to settle things with mere hospitality, either.
They offered more direct and tangible rewards as well.
Top-grade masterwork equipment was custom-repaired and gifted to every member, along with massive funds under the guise of activity expenses.
They received ample support from the Church of the Main God, so money had never been an issue, but more wealth was always better, wasn't it?
"This one's quite to my liking too. What do you think, Heron?"
"Kuh~ It looks even more dignified now, bro! The feral vibe that screams 'ready to bite' gives me chills!"
And thoughtfully, for Hari, they'd crafted not ordinary gear but a signature "beast-head helmet cape" from the hide of a top-tier magical beast, the 'Shabel Lion'—the kind usually hung on walls as decoration.
As expected of imperial artisans, it was far from ordinary.
'To think they'd turn this into a magic tool in such a short time and gift it.'
It wasn't just durable—it was a genuine magic tool imbued with special abilities.
Not only did it enhance physical and magical defenses, but it also exuded an 'Intimidation' effect on nearby foes. Excellent gear.
'A collaboration between a master leatherworker and an enchant mage, I suppose.'
Hari lightly channeled his energy to inspect the helmet's interior and clicked his tongue in approval.
He could feel the densely packed magic stones lining the leather-lined inside and the intricately woven mana circuits.
'Even if they started crafting the moment they heard we'd rescued Riley in Rohan, they would've had barely four or five days. Maybe even less. ...This is the might of the Empire's imperial family.'
The circuits were simple, likely due to the rush, lacking complex functions, but for Hari's fighting style, straightforward stability was far preferable to fancy frills.
No matter how he looked at it, he loved it.
'...Yeah.'
Hari's gaze, momentarily fixed on the helmet, shifted to Hesperon, who stood blankly ahead with a dumb expression.
'Good. Time to advance this path too.'
At that instant, Hesperon's progression—from summoner to orthodox mage, combat mage, and now enchanter—branched further.
Howard was already burning world tree branches to learn dwarven secrets and could craft ability-infused items, but adding enchantments would multiply the effects many times over.
'Even Hans couldn't do that.'
Of course, Hans could make magic tools too.
The problem was they ran on阴 dark, sinister curse items powered by black mana—not exactly mainstream.
'...Can't be helped; that's just how he is.'
But there was no need for one person to master everything.
Everyone had their own talents.
This world was meant for living together, so they could specialize in their strengths and collaborate!
'Harris brings world tree branches for Howard to craft items, Hesperon adds enchantments with Hans's advice.'
Hubert handles material supply, Hari gathers monster byproducts.
'Infuse Heinrich's holy flames throughout the process, and we could make pseudo-holy swords. Use Hans's abyss for the ultimate demon blades.'
Temper with Heinz 2nd's blood for blood magic armaments.
Combining forces opened endless possibilities!
'Living together and cooperating—truly beautiful.'
Just before the Hero Party departed the palace.
As Hari grinned wickedly, curling his lips.
Hesperon's face broke into a sleazy smile, and Heinrich's lips curved into a gentle one.
And at that very moment, coincidentally...
Similar smiles lingered on the lips of a few others, far away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The organization known as the Oath of Reverse Heaven was founded under the leadership of a revolutionary, an apostle of the "human god," but that didn't mean all its members shared his goals.
He had secretly recruited the top brass through some method, stoking their desires to build power from the shadows, but at its core, it was a loose alliance bound by individual self-interest.
This allowed tight compartmentalized security and autonomy in their domains for efficient operations, but...
Of course, it wasn't without drawbacks.
Whoosh—
Purple flames blazed in the dark chamber.
And with them...
[Come out right now, you revolutionary bastard! You son of a bitch I'll rip apart!]
A rage-filled shout echoed through the space.
[Quiet down...]
[Kihit! Right? Being called so desperately—did he scam him or something? Kihikik!]
[Tch... Now that you mention it, he's not here. I figured he got done in by the Immortal King like Lilith.]
Black silhouettes emerging one by one grumbled amid the commotion.
But ignoring the others, a massive shadow scanned furiously around in a rage.
Not that there was much to see—just shadows flickering with the purple flames from the brazier.
Finally, unable to contain himself, Baltheon—the Oath of Reverse Heaven's southern continent overseer and great warrior of the Kolkos tribal alliance—turned snarling to the others.
[Grr— You lot, if you know anything about that bastard, spit it out now! Hitting me in the back and running? I'll tear him to shreds!]
The other three shadows exchanged glances.
From the looks of it, the revolutionary had played this dumb barbarian and vanished.
They knew nothing special either, but while two watched silently, the third burst into frivolous laughter as if waiting.
[Puhit! That stiff human got you good? I wanted to mess with him first, but he stole my fun!]
[What?!]
[Kakakak— See? Reactions like that—how could I resist? Oh? Mad now?]
[...I'll rip your tongue out first!]
[Eek, come to Enamel continent if you can! Not sure you can with your situation!]
The chamber grew noisy again with their bickering.
Without the usual mediator to calm things and steer the mood, the chaos didn't subside—it escalated.
When it showed no sign of stopping, one of the silent watchers finally intervened with a reluctant, measured tone.
[Sigh—We know infighting gets us nowhere. Drop it and state your business so we can wrap this up. Anyway, is this all that's left? Thought we were thinning out, but it's come to this.]
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
One hot-tempered brute with crude speech, one insane clown itching to provoke, and a stone-faced spectator who hadn't spoken since complaining about the noise.
Now he was the only sane one left—a lineup that drove it home.
'The Oath of Reverse Heaven is done for. What a shame. Wait, is that why the revolutionary bailed?'
They'd profited nicely back when things were active here, helping each other.
A regrettable situation all around.
After a brief pause.
[So what happened exactly with the backstab?]
They heard the full story from the now-calmed Baltheon and understood his outburst.
The revolutionary had approached offering help in the south, then stolen the precious "Seed of Madness" while he was off-guard and vanished.
Of course, extracting it from the abyss required organization-level support, so it wasn't solely Baltheon's.
But he'd overseen the plan's completion and success, and priority rights were agreed to be his...
[But he ignored that and took the seed, ruining everything! We would've finished before the second continental conference!]
Now they couldn't meet the deadline.
[Hmm—He pushed ahead ignoring the agreement. Meaning...]
[Puhihit, he must've deemed it pointless now! With all the recent ops going south?]
[...He noticed something and went rogue...]
The air grew tense.
With deserters already, everyone sensed the group was finished.
Especially since it was the founder—the de facto leader.
Still, setting that aside...
[Kik, so? Gonna scrap all our prep and hide again?~]
[Ridiculous! Can't back out of what's started!]
[Despite setbacks... the continent's chaos now is the perfect chance...]
Objectively, this was still prime time to act.
[No choice then. Only one thing left for 'us' to do. We'll have to.]
Lower orgs and even execs had dwindled to half or less.
Sitting idle, the rest might collapse anytime.
[Kikik~ Perfect! Enamel's forces are stretched with the continental alliance nonsense—time to rattle their brains!]
[South goes without saying! Minor snag, but info lockdown's perfect— just needs time.]
[East... has issues, but nothing major... with our preparations...]
No elaborate strategy this time.
Unlike before, with meticulous plans for max efficiency and synergies.
Just unleash everything they'd steadily prepared.
'The problem is all our variable-accounting ops got smashed. Obsessing over minimal losses backfired, flipping the whole board. Should've done this sooner.'
After the first three responded, the measured voice followed.
[Central... Empire loses its focal point once we handle the returned Fifth Princess. Problem is no prior setups here...]
The crown prince and princess kidnapped by the Immortal King, then her solo escape and return? Unforeseen.
No contingencies in place.
[Still, target right after the second continental summit. ...Pity Lilith isn't here; it'd be easier.]
The Immortal King hogged most blame with his overwhelming presence, leaving the low-profile Oath of Reverse Heaven relatively unknown despite their deeds.
Their final struggle entered countdown.