Chapter 245: Villain (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245: Villain (2)
Slice—!
The sharp, sickening sound of a throat being slit echoed through the plaza. Then, with a dull thud, Vitura’s head fell to the floor.
Rani remained frozen for a moment, her head bowed and her sword still extended from the follow-through of her strike.
It lasted a second at most, perhaps only half. Yet that brief silence after the deed felt like an eternity to her.
‘Ah… Sir Vitura.’
She found herself wishing that eternity would never end.
She wished everything would just stop right here.
Because from this moment on, the man she had to mourn was not the hero who had sacrificed himself for the children of Ayula, but a hideous puppet of the Zipple Clan.
Spurt—!
Hot blood gushed from Vitura’s neck, drenching her face. A few droplets splashed into her eyes. Blood and tears mingled, streaming from between her trembling eyelids.
“Father!”
Rani cried out, her voice cracking as she looked toward the fake Holy King.
However, the father she called for was the true Holy King, Miklan, who was surely now in Ayula’s embrace.
“Father, Father! No, this can’t be. This can’t be happening! Father, why… why is this happening?!”
Rani threw herself forward, clutching the fake Holy King. She immediately began casting divine healing magic, but the wound in the imposter’s neck was far beyond any mortal healing.
Vitura had made sure the blow was fatal. The fake Holy King’s Dormant Volcano Crown lay on the ground, soaked in blood.
Amidst the clash of steel, the shouts of the paladins, and the terrified wails of the crowd, Rani’s desperate cries pierced through the chaos.
Loyalists, traitors, and commoners alike—everyone felt a chilling premonition at the sound of her voice.
Whether they knew the Holy King was a fake or not, his death was a staggering shock.
“His Majesty! His Majesty has fallen!”
“Commander Vitura Belter has… the King…!”
“Saints! Tend to His Majesty at once!”
It was one of the captains of the Dawn Order who called for the saints. Even knowing the fake Holy King was dead, he shouted because he knew the saints in the procession were also Zipple’s dogs.
Now that Vitura and the fake Holy King were dead, only one objective remained for Zipple’s loyal hounds.
They had to secure the survivors of the bio-golem experiments at all costs.
Only by disposing of this damning evidence—proof that could cripple the clan—could they hope to escape responsibility for the Holy King’s assassination.
Since the Holy King had died in front of everyone, Zipple would only protect those who delivered results.
“Move! Out of the way! We must examine His Majesty!”
The saints at the back of the procession began to push their way into the battlefield. However, the chaos only intensified as the citizens, having witnessed the Holy King's death, began to spiral into a panic.
In front of Rani, the paladins of the Golden Shield Society and the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection continued their fierce struggle.
“Dawn Order! Capture all the heretics alive!”
It was then that Rani finished her performance, her sobs over the fake Holy King’s body ceasing.
“Golden Shield! You must not let them fall into the hands of the Dawn Order, no matter what! There must be a reason why Vitura and the Dawn Order tried to kill them, even at the cost of committing treason!”
“Rani Salome, did you say treason?! His Majesty met his end because you failed to protect him! Who are you calling a traitor, you wretched girl? I’ll tear you apart!”
“Paladins of the Golden Shield, follow the orders of Rani Salome! Block the rebels! Protect the citizens near Rani!”
The loyalists of the Golden Shield Society reformed their lines. As men handpicked by Vitura himself, their solidarity held firm even in the midst of the horrific melee.
“Golden Shields, look closely! Your actions are the very definition of rebellion! Forget the citizens, shouldn’t you at least open a path so the saints can examine His Majesty? He might still be alive! If he dies because he couldn’t receive treatment, you lot will…”
“His Majesty has passed away by the dagger of Vitura Belter. And you, who followed his orders, will pay the price for the King’s death.”
“Attack!”
Though outnumbered, the Golden Shield Society was overwhelming the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection.
However, it was the Golden Shield who felt the pressure.
Rumble…!
The ground began to shake from outside the plaza.
Knights in heavy armor were charging in on horseback—an expected development, given the chaos. They were all Zipple’s lackeys.
‘Kid,’ Murakan whispered to Jin, who was hidden among the crowd.
‘Yeah.’
‘If it looks like the holy girl’s side can’t hold out, should we step in? If something happens to her, I won’t just fail to repay my debt—Vitura’s sacrifice will be for nothing.’
‘That won’t happen.’
‘How is she supposed to stop them?’
‘She can’t. Not if there’s no one left in the Holy Kingdom to help her.’
As soon as Jin finished his reply, more paladins and soldiers from the Dawn Order arrived.
At a glance, there were over a hundred paladins, and the line of soldiers arriving to control the crowd seemed endless.
“Kill the rebels! Capture Rani Salome and the heretics alive!”
As the newly arrived captain shouted the command, the paladins formed a breakthrough formation with mechanical precision, while the soldiers used their spear shafts to push back the citizens.
‘But the citizens can’t accept this situation,’ Jin thought. ‘It’s obvious to anyone that the Dawn Order are the real traitors.’
If it had just been a confrontation between the Dawn Order and the Golden Shield, things might have been different.
But Vitura killing the fake Holy King had been the decisive blow.
“We must protect His Majesty’s daughter!”
“You can’t take Lady Rani! Not content with harming His Majesty, what do you intend to do to her?! You filthy Zipple lapdogs…! Have you no shame before Ayula?!”
“Block them! Use your bodies to block them!”
Suddenly, the citizens in the plaza began to rush toward the battlefield.
The Holy King and his daughter had always been beloved by the people. From the citizens' perspective, the Dawn Order were the ultimate villains who had murdered a father in front of his daughter on a festival day.
Furthermore, while Rani and the Golden Shield had acted rationally and understandably since the incident began, the Dawn Order had shown a blatant obsession with capturing the survivors—even spouting nonsense about treating a king who was clearly dead.
— It is true that Zipple and Kinzelo have completely seized control of the Holy Kingdom’s leadership, but they do not yet rule the hearts of all the citizens. It’s thanks to their alliance breaking down, which delayed their plans to indoctrinate the masses.
— Then we must win the citizens' sympathy.
— I shall become a very convincing villain.
This was the conversation Jin and Vitura had shared the previous night.
Though Jin didn’t know it, in his previous life, the indoctrination of the citizens had already been completed by this time. That was why no one had cared about Rani when she became a broken shell of herself.
Exhausted by their lonely struggle, Rani and Vitura had eventually abandoned the Holy Kingdom and vanished without a trace.
But now, history had changed because of Jin. The conditions to reveal the truth were fully met.
“What do you think you’re doing?! You must know how grave a crime it is to shield heretics! Move! I’m warning you, move…!”
The face of the Dawn Order captain, who had been shouting so confidently, began to twist in a grimace.
It was because the number of citizens blocking the path of the reinforcing paladins was not just one or two.
Every citizen filling the plaza was throwing their body in the way for Rani’s sake. The soldiers thrusting their spears were being pushed back instead, and the paladins could only repeat the same warnings, paralyzed by indecision.
“I said, move!”
If it were any day other than the Advent Festival, they might have pushed forward, even if it meant being drenched in the blood of innocent citizens.
But to do so now would cause a backlash far greater than the testimony of the bio-golem victims ever could.
There were too many eyes watching.
Among them were the eyes of hundreds of journalists from various nations. Massacring their own citizens in front of them in this situation was, quite literally, madness.
Even with Zipple at their backs, they wouldn't be able to handle the fallout.
“Lady Rani, Golden Shield! We are here!”
“Do not worry and stand firm! Protect the children who were dragged to Zipple’s laboratories!”
“Ayula shall judge you all…!”
There are few things in the world more terrifying than an angry mob. The paladins of the Dawn Order hovered on the periphery, unable to approach.
Rani was no longer crying.
The dried tracks of her bloody tears were stark against her skin. Wiping them away, her gaze fell upon Vitura’s head, which now rested on the ground. A faint smile graced his lips.
Amidst the countless voices and the din of the plaza, Rani slowly knelt beside the fake Holy King.
“Death shall lead to rest, for those who labored on this heavy and dark earth. In the vast embrace of Ayula, the soul shall be free, and all past pains shall become a pleasant jest to delight you…”
It was a prayer whispered so softly it was barely audible.
Yet it was like a breeze. Just as blades of grass bend to the wind, the screaming citizens began to sit down one by one, closing their eyes.
“May all past pains become a pleasant jest to delight you…”
“The burdens left behind shall be gladly taken up by those like you to become the morning’s light, and those who share this load shall be people just like you…”
There wasn't a single citizen who did not know the prayer.
It was a sight to behold. Even the foreigners were moved, closing their eyes or bowing their heads to offer their condolences.
The paladins of the Golden Shield Society sheathed their weapons and knelt. Soon, even the paladins of the Dawn Order, sensing the atmosphere, joined in the prayer.
If not for the discarded steel and pools of blood staining the ground, no one would have believed a battle had just been raging.
As the prayer neared its end, a man quietly approached Jin’s side.
‘Young Master.’
‘You’re here, Dino.’
Dino Jagrun.
The man now undeniably called a great young journalist in the media world. Upon receiving Jin’s summons, he had rushed to the Holy Kingdom and prepared his report.
‘The records left by Mutual Silla are ready for publication. I focused on the similarities and connections to the Tragedy of Colon, with the spotlight on the damage the Holy Kingdom has suffered.’
‘Good work. Any loopholes for Zipple?’
‘None. There is too much evidence pointing to the direct involvement of Zipple’s leadership for them to just cut off a few tails. And, just as you predicted, the fact that Kinzelo has custody of Kall Zipple is the biggest factor.’
Dino smiled as he added one last thing.
‘Perhaps, with this incident, the era of Zipple being called "good" will come to an end.’