Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Golden King 2
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Azadin was taken aback by Manza-Zadek's grotesque appearance but did his best not to show it.
"First off, congratulations on the birth of your son, Celestial Lord. Haha. For your grown child to come seeking you out on his own—quite the talent."
"I am humbled."
"Right. An audience at a time like this—what's the occasion? I've heard you've recently dipped into your coffers to aid the city's defenses, and I'm grateful for that."
As the concubines fed him grapes, Manza-Zadek rolled his eyes. His yellow pupils, glaring like those of a massive beast, filled even the valiant Azadin with fear, unease, and disgust.
*Is this the Golden King of Brtuma?*
The Celestial Lord Kazas, already accustomed to the Golden King's shocking visage, smoothly broached the subject.
"It's nothing major, Your Majesty. My foolish son wishes to offer whatever meager skills he has in loyal service to you. I humbly ask that you employ him, even in some lowly post."
Even if Azadin offered advice on city defenses, there was no reason for the king to heed him. That was why the Celestial Lord of the Azure Banner Party had come with this request to place Azadin directly under Manza-Zadek's command.
"Spare me the formalities. Everyone here knows how to keep their mouths shut, don't they?"
Manza-Zadek turned to Azadin with a grin.
"I've heard you're of the Herald Clan. Raise your head. Let's speak freely."
"Yes."
Azadin lifted his head at Manza-Zadek's words, which revealed he already knew of his Herald origins.
"So. Which side are you on?"
"I am honored, but if you ask where I stand..."
"Azadin. Your sister is the traitor Arael, isn't she? So why contact me through the Azure Banner Party? Does that mean you don't share her aims? Are you with the Council of Elders, then?"
"......"
Azadin was startled by Manza-Zadek's far greater knowledge of the Herald Clan than expected. Moreover, from his words, it seemed he was already in league with Arael?
"You already knew of my movements, then. And you've been in contact with Arael as well."
"Brtuma is a wealthy land. Its gold can command even ghosts. Do you think a young girl like Arael would rebel on her own, relying solely on her skills without any backing? Someone's funding her. And that's me."
Though Manza-Zadek had transformed into this hideous, flabby form, he must have once been as beautiful and robust as the portrait hanging before them in his youth.
"So. Which side are you on? The Council of Elders? Or the rebels?"
At that moment, sharp killing intent poured down upon Azadin. The experts hidden in Manza-Zadek's audience chamber would attack in unison at a single word from the king.
Azadin had already detected that experts guarding the king's massive body were densely concealed throughout the chamber.
*Impressive. I thought he was just a madman, but he's unexpectedly sharp. A true Golden King.*
Amazed by Manza-Zadek's keen response, Azadin honestly laid bare his intentions.
"I merely strive to alleviate the people's suffering. That is the Emperor's law and the Herald's duty."
"Hahaha. What a delightful answer. If that's your true heart, you're quite the entertaining fellow."
Manza-Zadek suddenly burst into laughter at Azadin's reply.
"For the Herald Clan that assassinated the Emperor to uphold his law. You're still keeping it secret from the novice Heralds, I suppose."
"Pardon?"
"Use your head, fledgling of the Herald Clan. How could a mighty emperor who claimed all eight Quartz Thrones single-handedly fall so suddenly without an heir? You don't seriously believe that nonsense about him dying of illness and weakness, do you?"
Manza-Zadek laughed as he spoke, then choked and coughed. The concubines brought a damp cloth and meticulously wiped the saliva and food scraps drooling from his mouth.
Azadin was appalled by the sight, less like tending to a person and more like grooming livestock.
But Manza-Zadek's words were even more shocking than his appearance.
"The Emperor was assassinated by your kind."
*********
The Aragas were bound by the Curse of Service, yet they took pride in the Emperor having chosen them as Heralds.
It was proof that their martial prowess, their strategies, their abilities surpassed all others. The Curse of Service was heavy, but being chosen by the Emperor was an honor. It had only become a curse because the Emperor had fallen unexpectedly and abruptly.
That was what they had been taught.
But was it all a lie?
"Oh dear. It seems you knew nothing. Or perhaps you preferred not to know? Heh heh, teaching those who don't wish to learn is no fun."
Seeing the madness in that smile, Azadin suddenly grew curious.
"If the Emperor was assassinated by the Herald Clan, why hasn't it been made public? And how do you know of it, Your Majesty?"
"From the King's Church's perspective, the Emperor was one who denied the kings' legitimacy, yet also the one closest to the Yaeghas divine race. If such a being is slain by a godslayer, it highlights their irreverence and depravity—but also their competence, doesn't it? I possess many texts attesting to this, but the evidence matters less than whether you choose to believe it."
Manza-Zadek's demeanor, and the ambiguities he pointed out regarding the Emperor's fall, all proved his words true.
"Your clan, having assassinated the Emperor, uses his name and the Forgotten Curse to extort loyalty from your own. So why not abandon that worthless Herald Clan and serve me instead? Many former Heralds already do. No need to worry about the Curse of Service. As a descendant of the Yaeghas divine race, I can shield you from that much."
"The reason I came here is that the Naga clans serving the Nether are about to attack Brtuma, and my own kin plan to seize this land's Royal Throne in the chaos. Many of Brtuma's people will be massacred. I seek to prevent that."
"Hahaha. I thought it was a joke, but you're serious. A Herald truly following the Emperor's law!"
Realizing Azadin had come purely to protect the people, Golden King Manza-Zadek burst into laughter.
"That makes you all the more appealing. You, Azadin—serve me."
"Isn't that why I'm petitioning to serve under you now, Your Majesty?"
"No, you seem like you'd help with the city's defenses for a bit and then vanish. I mean serve me in earnest. Ah, but to do that, I must first prove I'm a lord worthy of your loyalty. Otherwise, to one ignorant of the circumstances, I'd just look like a piglet drowned in debauchery. Isn't that right?"
"No, sire."
"Hahaha. You'll make a fine servant. You even know how to spout obvious lies. But fine. It's no easy feat not to despise my form without knowing the situation."
Manza-Zadek pointed to his throne. The seat he occupied was carved from a massive log that could hold even an elephant.
"Beneath this lies a Quartz Throne—the Throne of Yaeghas. Do you know why I'm doing such things atop this sacred throne of Yaeghas?"
"As a mere subject, I can only assume there are profound schemes beyond my comprehension. How could I fathom Your Majesty's deep intentions?"
"Because I'm working to strengthen King's Radiance, even if just a little. First... I should explain why King's Radiance has been weakening of late."
"You're telling *me* this?"
Azadin was stunned, realizing Manza-Zadek meant to reveal a shocking secret—the secrets of the Yaeghas divine race.
"Yes. Don't I need to prove I'm a lord worth serving? So wash your ears and listen well. I'll tell you the secrets of the Yaeghas divine race and the Emperor that I've researched all this time."
Azadin was drawn in, listening intently to Manza-Zadek's words.
*********
The Yaeghas divine race originally possessed physical bodies but one day attained great enlightenment, discarded their flesh, and ascended to higher-dimensional spiritual beings.
When they discovered the Hubris Continent, its rulers were the Nagas, and humans suffered under Naga tyranny or were ravaged by the Nether's emissaries, incomprehensible to mankind.
The noble Yaeghas divine race descended to save suffering humanity. Of course, some among them came not for noble ideals but to indulge in the physical pleasures they had long forsaken.
Eight Quartz Thrones were installed across the Hubris Continent, and through them, the Yaeghas divine race began a war to save humanity.
When that war ended, those who had descended for noble ideals returned home, while those who came for carnal delights remained. That is why the descendants of the Yaeghas divine race were left on this land.
But pleasure soon grew stale, and when the gods who had descended returned to their world, those left behind realized they were inferior to their ancestors.
And their power gradually waned.
The order established by the Yaeghas divine race—the King's Church—revered the divine race that brought King's Radiance.
At first, this order was a faithful tool for the royal bloodlines. But as the gods' power weakened, the kings and nobles realized it had become a shackle tightening around their own necks.
Their ancestral spirits, the Yaeghas divine race, had abandoned them, the divine blood that distinguished them from commoners was fading, and the powers of darkness were resurging.
The royals, knowing the truth, trembled in fear, some resorting to mass suicide or descending into madness. They began concealing the facts from later generations and claimed to *be* the divine race.
The term "Yaeghas divine race" originally referred only to those who had descended.
But their descendants muddled the terminology to bolster their authority, while striving to replace the vanishing divine power with the myriad magics and sorceries lingering on this land. Some even succumbed to the temptations of the dark forces that had once been their enemies.
It was then that Emperor Yaeslat was born.