Chapter 67
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Aftermath and the Encounter
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Crossbridge, the Holy See.
Holy Emperor Hypreit II surveyed the conference hall with weary eyes.
The black sun, which had caused everyone such worry, had vanished in a single day.
But in stark contrast, the atmosphere in the hall had grown even more somber.
The elders, who had been arguing boisterously just yesterday, were all silent.
Moreover, the Knight Commander, who had been passionately advocating for a military buildup, was now avoiding eye contact.
This entire scene was the result of one single fact: the black sun had disappeared overnight.
The Holy Emperor let out a sigh, his gaze sweeping over the attendees before he spoke.
"The black sun has vanished."
""
""
The urgent crisis had, fortunately, ended without any incident.
Yet even as the Holy Emperor declared the situation resolved, not a single person responded.
They all just sat there, heads bowed low in silence.
The Holy Emperor furrowed his brow amidst the palpable silence filling the hall.
He turned to Antonio, the elder seated closest to him.
"Elder Antonio."
""
"The black sun is gone."
""
Hearing the Holy Emperor's words, the First Elder's expression darkened.
His brow and the corners of his mouth twitched repeatedly as he struggled to suppress some reaction.
The Holy Emperor, facing him, knew exactly why the elder was acting this way.
The memory of yesterday's debate was undoubtedly vivid in Antonio's mind.
Otherwise, there was no reason for the talkative First Elder to be so tight-lipped.
The Holy Emperor's gaze then shifted to the Fifth Elder sitting next to him.
The Fifth Elder was the one who had been ordered by the Holy Emperor to research the black sun.
"The black sun."
""
"The black sun is gone."
"Yes."
The Fifth Elder also met the Holy Emperor's gaze, his voice quiet.
As he answered the Holy Emperor, the corners of the elder's mouth kept twitching up and down.
He looked as though he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to voice it.
Watching the intimidated elder, the Holy Emperor sighed once more.
Shaking his head in disappointment, the Holy Emperor issued an order to the Fifth Elder.
"We do not know when the black sun might appear in the sky again."
"Yes."
"Ensure the theologians do not neglect their research on the black sun."
"Yes. I understand."
As the Holy Emperor's gaze moved past him, the elder finally managed to still his twitching lips.
The fallout from last night's debate turning into a pointless exercise seemed to be quite significant.
After the Fifth Elder, the Holy Emperor looked to the Knight Commander on the opposite side.
The Knight Commander, Libelz Etherunt.
Libelz, a Holy Knight chosen by the black holy sword and a scion of one of the Empire's most prominent noble families, was no different.
Receiving the Holy Emperor's gaze, Libelz fidgeted just like the other elders.
"Lord Libelz."
""
"Lord Libelz?"
"Yes, Your Holiness."
When the Holy Emperor called his name a second time, Libelz squeezed his eyes shut and responded.
His usual confidence was gone, leaving only a deflated figure.
Seeing Libelz like this, the Holy Emperor let out a dry laugh.
It wasn't every day that the great Knight Commander showed such a weak side.
The Holy Emperor did not forget to pose a question to Libelz as well.
"The black sun is gone."
"Yes."
"What are your thoughts, Lord Libelz?"
"I am relieved that it passed without any major issues. It seems this black sun was merely a warning."
"So you believe."
The black sun.
The greatest curse the Evil God could unleash had vanished overnight.
This also meant a full-scale invasion had not yet begun.
Even at this very moment, the Evil God's forces were likely preparing for war somewhere on the continent.
It was clear this wasn't an issue to be dismissed simply because the black sun had disappeared.
Libelz, with hollow eyes, added his opinion.
"That said, we must not let our guard down. We never know when the black sun might rise again."
"Your thinking is correct, Lord Libelz."
""
"Lord Libelz. How is the matter I entrusted to you yesterday progressing?"
This time, the Holy Emperor was asking about an agenda item from the meeting.
The task the Holy Emperor had assigned him yesterday.
It was to arrange an escort for the food convoy being sent to the Hegros Kingdom.
Naturally, it had not progressed very far.
At the Holy Emperor's inquiry, Libelz's face grew even more troubled.
He spoke to the Holy Emperor with a grim expression.
"We are still in the process of organizing the formation."
"I trust you have learned much from this incident."
"Yes."
"Henceforth, focus on training a strong military so that troops can be dispatched at a moment's notice."
"As you command I will carry it out."
As the Holy Emperor's gaze moved away, Libelz quietly sat back down.
Perhaps because everyone who had spoken with the Holy Emperor had fallen silent.
A deep silence once again descended upon the conference hall.
The previously boisterous hall now felt like a momentary illusion.
In the silence, the Holy Emperor's gaze swept over the faces of Crossbridge's leaders.
Despite his advanced age, a sharp light still shone in the Holy Emperor's eyes.
The Holy Emperor looked at the members of the council, who held key positions in the six temples, and spoke.
"I could not hide my profound disappointment in Crossbridge after yesterday's events."
"We are ashamed."
"No, it wasn't just yesterday. We have yet to find half of the Heroes, and no one predicted the black sun until it rose."
""
CRACK!
The Holy Emperor's fist slammed down on the gavel and its block, and the wooden block shattered into pieces.
Everyone stared at the Holy Emperor in shock, who had instantly destroyed the wooden block.
Despite having completely smashed the block, there wasn't a single scratch on his hand.
Having captured everyone's attention, the Holy Emperor's face became stern.
He swept all the scattered fragments off the desk and warned the clerics in the hall.
"It seems you all intend to prepare for the Evil God only after you're dead, is that it?"
""
"The six great gods do not deign to help those who cannot even manage their own affairs."
As the Holy Emperor rebuked them, quoting a passage from the scriptures, all the clerics bowed their heads.
Even the elders, who would normally speak their minds freely to the Holy Emperor, could not say a word to Hypreit II in this moment.
Amidst his boiling emotions, the Holy Emperor shifted his gaze to his own hand.
He had said everything that needed to be said; now it was time to do what had to be done.
"The black sun vanished in a day. But I do not believe yesterday's discussions were entirely meaningless."
The gavel and its block had already been destroyed by the Holy Emperor's hand.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Holy Emperor's fist struck the table hard.
Using his fist in place of a gavel, the Holy Emperor looked around at the clerics and brought up the next topic.
Besides the matter of the black sun, there were many other important issues for Crossbridge to address.
"We will end the discussion on the black sun here. The next item on the agenda is the subjugation of Kueberberg."
Kueberberg, the Lord of the Abyss.
Subjugating the minion of the Evil God that was gnawing away at the Empire was the next agenda item for the Holy See's meeting.
"It seems to be somewhere around here."
Somewhere in the Ketterent region, in the western part of the Empire.
There, Yutenia, holding a Holy Relic, spoke.
The jewel in Yutenia's hand was emitting a red light, standing still in its place.
It was exhibiting a reaction that only occurred when another Holy Relic was nearby.
This meant there was a Holy Relic somewhere near Yutenia.
Hearing Yutenia's voice, Peter began to look around.
"Are you saying that progenitor vampire is somewhere around here?"
"It seems so. I'm glad we seem to have made up for the time we lost yesterday."
Peter nodded quietly at Yutenia's words.
Just as Yutenia said, they had been forced to stop for the entire day yesterday.
The reason was that the entire sky had been shrouded in darkness, making normal travel impossible.
Even though Yutenia could create light with magic, driving a carriage through the darkness relying on a small light was a dangerous affair.
Besides, it was impossible to use magic while using the Compass of Etalia.
Even if they created light to move, it would have been pointless.
In the end, they had stopped in one place, built a fire, and waited for the darkness to recede.
"Indeed yesterday, I thought something terrible was about to happen."
"I wouldn't dare presume to know His thoughts but I wonder if the Great One was testing the world."
"Testing the world?"
"It's merely my own speculation, of course."
Yutenia said this while hugging a book and placing Alpha on her shoulder.
She cut the conversation short, thinking it would be impious to say more.
Was it because Peter, too, had felt a sense of awe when faced with the black sun?
Peter, following behind her, didn't argue or question her about her master.
"Whatever the reason I hope I never have to witness such a sight again."
Instead, Peter showed fear whenever he looked at the sky.
It seemed it was still too early for him to serve her master, but one day he might just bow to His greatness.
Yutenia smiled with satisfaction and quickened her pace.
As Yutenia, holding the Compass of Etalia, continued forward, the jewel in her hand suddenly began to show a change.
"The signal has gotten a little stronger."
Vwooom
The jewel, emitting a red light, was vibrating more intensely than before.
This meant they were much closer to the Holy Relic.
It also meant they could encounter the Holy Relic if they continued in their current direction.
Filled with anticipation, Yutenia moved in the direction the compass guided her.
Peter, following Yutenia, also spoke with a hint of expectation.
"We'll be meeting the vampire in person soon, then."
"If this direction is correct No, I'm not so sure."
"Pardon?"
Yutenia, who had been walking according to the Compass of Etalia, wiped the smile from her face and refuted his words.
Peter looked confused by Yutenia's sudden change in demeanor.
But Yutenia wore a serious expression as she glanced back and forth between the compass and the surrounding terrain.
To her, it seemed there was something wrong with the direction the Holy Relic was pointing.
"We're moving away from the nearby mountain. It looks like the Holy Relic is located in the middle of the road."
"The middle of the road? Don't tell me"
The location the Compass of Etalia was guiding them to was moving away from the mountain.
This fact pointed to only one thing.
It meant the Holy Relic was likely not in a fixed location.
Considering the characteristics of the Holy Relic Yutenia had heard about, the Compass of Etalia was now detecting a different Holy Relic.
There was an unidentified Holy Relic nearby.
Realizing this, a wary look crossed Yutenia's face.
"It means it's likely on a person, not in a place."
"You mean there are people carrying a Holy Relic?"
"Perhaps it's those people over there?"
In the middle of a rough, unpaved road.
There were people approaching Yutenia and Peter.
Two people wrapped in thick cloaks.
One was a man who looked like a knight, with a strong-looking face and a sword at his hip.
The other was a girl walking beside the man, her face hidden by a hood.
Despite her covered face, the girl exuded an inexplicable air of dignity.
"Isn't this cloak too hot?"
"It has a cooling spell on it, does it not?"
"But it's still hot. Isn't the cloak you're wearing cooler than mine, Lian?"
The distance between them slowly began to close.
As the gap narrowed, Yutenia could hear the voices from the other side.
The two seemed to have a master-servant relationship, as the man appeared to be attending to the girl.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of two sets of footsteps echoed on the narrow path.
The distance shrank until they were close enough to converse.
The moment the girl, who had been talking with her male companion, finally turned her head forward.
Yutenia's and the girl's eyes met in mid-air.
"Instead of complaining, it would be better for your health to walk a little more My lady?"
"That jewel could it be a Holy Relic?"
Over the shoulder of the cloaked man.
The girl muttered, her eyes fixed on the Compass of Etalia in Yutenia's hand.