Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Quartz Throne 8
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“Eek!”
“Aaack!”
The vassals and maids screamed.
Ansetus IV sat alone on the throne, bearing their screams on his back. He had gathered all the mana within himself, desperately trying to awaken the King's Radiance once more to stand against those invaders, but the throne remained utterly still.
‘Is this… the consequence of my own inadequacies?’
After triumphing in the grueling contest for the throne, Ansetus IV had completely let himself go.
The descendants of the Yaegras divine clan had a trait: once the throne’s master was decided, even a wastrel could hold onto the seat unless something extreme happened.
No matter how his other brothers twisted with jealousy and gnashed their teeth in frustration, once the decision was made, they had no second chances.
And so Ansetus IV had reveled in his victory. He enjoyed the king’s position, the king’s power, and all the pleasures he had overlooked as a prince.
Was this the result?
“Your Majesty! The outer walls can’t hold much longer!”
“The naga fused with Nether monsters are pressing their assault ferociously…”
“The holy knights are losing strength, and the white magic has weakened to the point it can’t be used!”
“What shall we do?!”
The soldiers kept delivering one piece of bad news after another.
“Deploy the reserves for rotation, and abandon the odd-numbered gates in the inner keep.”
Koral Sahar’s multi-layered walls could still defend sufficiently even if some gates were given up. The problem was that the soldiers were utterly exhausted.
“It’s only been four hours since they rotated with the reserves.”
“Then we’ll just have to twiddle our thumbs until doom comes!”
“Your Majesty.”
“It’s because of my own failings that this has happened. Who would have thought the long history of the Yaegas divine clan would end with me? Are we protected now only by the multi-layered walls of Koral Sahar, built on our ancestors’ wisdom? Hahaha.”
Ansetus IV let out a hearty, bitter laugh.
The prophecy of Jupiter’s era coming to pass, and the first to fall being his throne in Koral Sahar of all places.
But then, suddenly, one of the maids stood up and began walking forward.
“If I may be so bold, Your Majesty.”
She simply tore off her maid’s attire and stood before Ansetus IV.
Black hair, deep violet eyes—a beauty so captivating. She was taller than the other maids by a head, yet until moments ago, she hadn’t stood out at all among them.
With that height and figure alone, she should have drawn every eye. There was no explaining it otherwise than magic at work.
“Might I dare to sit upon the throne?”
“Hmm…”
The king’s guard stepped forward, but she advanced without a hint of intimidation.
“Are you Arael? Daring to claim the title of the living goddess?”
Ansetus IV was no fool. He could easily guess the identity of the woman who had appeared before him.
“Traitor!”
“Your Majesty! Give the order, and we’ll deal with her.”
The guards were shocked and outraged to learn the woman who had been hiding as a maid was Arael. If things went wrong, they could be held accountable for their lax vigilance.
The old Ansetus IV might have done just that…
But the current Ansetus IV had no intention of persecuting his guards over something like that.
When his position as king was secure and his power absolute, he could berate his subordinates and vent his frustrations freely. But now, he was in a position where he had to watch others’ reactions.
Experiencing the transience of power firsthand, as he gazed steadily at this woman called Arael before him, he even felt an impulse to hand over the throne to her right then and there.
But to yield it without a fight would wound his pride as one who called himself the oracle of the Yaegras divine clan. If he just gave it to her like this, he’d go down in history as a spineless king, wouldn’t he?
“I’ve no memory of claiming it… but if people need that belief to find peace, it’s not so bad. What people need now is faith and reassurance, isn’t it, Your Majesty? Seems like you could use some too.”
“Then why not bestow that faith and reassurance upon the people right now? Dispel this storm at once and slay those naga. Then naturally, people will admire you, and I might even share this throne inherited from my ancestors with you. Or perhaps become my wife and share the crown?”
As Ansetus IV posed the question, Arael smiled.
Seeing her spread her arms to hold back those behind her, it was clear she hadn’t infiltrated here alone.
‘Looks like her subordinates are bristling at the idea of marriage and sharing the crown. But I’ve become useless too. For my own men—not even the party involved—to be outraged at the oracle of the Yaegras divine clan suggesting marriage.’
How much must they look down on him to rage like that?
At that moment, Arael spoke.
“A glorious proposal. But if Your Majesty would just lend me the throne for a moment, I can resolve this crisis without further losses. And if I fail, of course, the throne will return to its rightful owner.”
“Haha. A generous offer. But as the oracle of the Yaegras divine clan, I won’t yield the throne so easily.”
Then one of the maids—clearly one of Arael’s subordinates—stepped forward and hurled jeers.
“No, you’re just scared! Scared that the King's Radiance will shine when someone other than you sits on the throne!”
“Y-You insolent wretch!”
The guard captain couldn’t hold back and advanced. Drawing a blade before the throne without the king’s permission was punishable by severe penalty.
Yet that blasphemous remark had struck too close to home to ignore.
He was determined to hold her accountable… but
Before the guard captain could even draw his sword, Arael casually flicked her hand.
They were clearly two paces apart… yet a black shadow grazed the guard captain’s throat.
“Huh?”
The guard captain saw darkness suddenly flood his vision.
His armored body shot up into the sky.
No—his head had separated from his body and was falling to the floor.
“Eek?!”
“Ugh…”
The guards who had just been condemning Arael moments ago were now gripped by fear at the sight.
The guard captain was the strongest warrior among the guards, a renowned knight even in the royal castle.
To see such a man slain in a single blow, without any resistance, without effort—it made them recall Arael’s fearsome reputation anew.
‘Impossible.’
‘Such a tragedy before the king’s throne!’
But amid the shock, a flicker of hope stirred too.
‘Could this woman really turn this situation around?’
Outside the castle, the naga horde was a scene of apocalyptic doom. It was hopeless.
In this crisis, the current King Ansetus IV had essentially proven he was unfit for the Yaegras throne.
No matter their loyalty to the king or devotion as faithful believers of the king’s church, the grounds to criticize the king were fully enshrined in the church’s teachings.
“I have committed rudeness before the throne. Please look upon me with mercy, Your Majesty.”
Arael smiled.
It was a truly alluring smile.
“As a descendant of Emperor Yaeslat, I too have the right to claim the throne. I beseech you to reconsider. Must innocent subjects shed blood needlessly?”
But then the throne room doors burst open, and a booming voice rang out.
“It’s a scheme! Do not listen to her!”
The one who entered the audience chamber was Azadin.
“Hmm?!”
The vassals’ gazes converged on Azadin.
“Speak. What scheme?”
“Those colluding with the naga infiltrated the underground and were performing a wicked ritual there. They were extracting white mana from the throne itself, weakening its power.”
Doubts began to murmur among the vassals.
‘That makes sense. A Herald woman claiming to be the emperor’s descendant and demanding the throne? There had to be some trick.’
‘But the one saying it is also a Herald?’
‘And where’s the proof? Evidence of this ritual?’
Their reluctance to trust the Herald clan clashed with their desperate wish for some salvation to break this crisis.
Ansetus IV hesitated before questioning Azadin.
“Proof?”
“No need to ask.”
Arael sneered.
“If the ritual’s undone, then use the King's Radiance to resolve this crisis right now, can’t you?”
Arael had apparently given up even on feigned reverence. She was openly demanding the king fix the situation on the spot.
“Yes! Resolve this crisis at once!”
It was then, as all eyes turned to Ansetus IV—
*Thwack!*
A jet-black steel arrow pierced Ansetus IV’s chest. A black steel arrow had gone straight through his heart.
“Ah!?”
“Assassination!”
“Ugh…”
Azadin grimaced at the sudden event unfolding before his eyes.
‘Killing Ansetus IV!? Is she insane?’
Confirming the throne’s master as incompetent and receiving the succession—that must have been Arael’s grand plan.
But killing the king? Eliminating the throne’s master and then sitting upon it wouldn’t easily be accepted as legitimately manifesting the King's Radiance.
Before Ansetus IV, no Yaegras divine clan member who sat on the throne had ever failed to awaken the King's Radiance.
Everyone believed that any true Yaegras could awaken it simply by sitting. Purging the current king and taking the seat was unwise.
Curious, Azadin examined Arael. Astonishingly, even she looked flustered.
‘Not Arael’s doing?’
“Kill the Heralds!”
“Soulless murderers!”
The agitated guards drew their weapons and charged.
“This is bad!”
As the situation spiraled out of control, Arael assumed a defensive stance to protect herself. But then…
“Everyone, back to your places.”
A clear woman’s voice rang out. A woman with long silver hair tied up high had somehow approached the throne.
“…….”
“No way.”
Azadin’s eyes widened at the sight of her. Arael was flustered by the unexpected figure.
“Aldis!?”
Standing before the throne was Aldis Jedaha, like a great aunt to both Azadin and Arael.
And that wasn’t all.
“This is the audience chamber of Aldis Jedaha, rightful descendant of Emperor Yaeslat. All of you, refrain from rudeness.”
A tall elf Azadin knew well stood attending Aldis. Seeing him with his bow at the ready, it was clear the arrow that assassinated Ansetus IV had come from him.
“Master?!”
Kazas—the elder who created the Kazas Sea and granted Azadin his power—picked up the corpse of Ansetus IV slumped by the throne and tossed it aside.
The man who, until moments ago, had been the most noble being in Koral Sahar rolled across the floor like butchered meat.
“…….”
“Ah.”
The sight was so shocking that even Arael was frozen. As the Heralds of Arael’s tribe panicked, Aldis sat upon the throne.