Chapter 604: The King of Pride (Part 8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 604: The King of Pride (Part 8)
"An Evil God?"
"Yes, an Evil God."
Muen shifted his posture, tilting his head to get a better look at the terrifying shadow beneath the lake. "The Fallen Evil Sacred Tree?"
"Indeed. That is His honorific name. Don't worry, saying it aloud within this phantom won't cause any trouble, but you’d best show some restraint once you’re outside."
Mela spoke with a half-smile. "Being this close to that sword is basically the equivalent of shouting His name right in His face. He has quite the morning temper."
"I see. I understand now."
So that was why the current... no, why the likely deceased Previous King had gone to such lengths to plan all of this.
But...
"I get the logic, but why is it an Evil God again?"
Muen was genuinely baffled.
When he was being hunted by his own maid, he ran into an Evil God.
When he went to rescue his kidnapped Senior, he ran into an Evil God.
When he went on a fun two-person dungeon run with the Saintess, he ran into an Evil God.
And now, when he just wanted to help Celicia take the throne for the sake of the Empire’s people—and definitely not just to become a Prince Consort or anything—how did he end up running into an Evil God again?
Has this world already been molded into the shape of the Evil Gods, or...
"Am I just naturally incompatible with Evil Gods?"
"Who knows?"
Mela crossed her arms, adopting a profound air. "But perhaps... these heart-pounding encounters are simply a part of your fate?"
"Heh, then my fate is exactly as shitty as I expected."
Muen gave a couple of mirthless chuckles before his expression turned solemn. He looked at Mela with a serious gaze.
"There’s one more thing I want to ask."
"Ask away."
"What exactly was the 'Great Chaos'?"
A look of contemplation flickered in Muen's eyes. "I’ve consulted many historical records and ancient texts, but there’s very little information regarding that period. All I know is that it was a terrible disaster triggered by the descent of the First Evil God... but looking at the corruption of the Sacred Tree, that era doesn't seem to be quite that simple."
The Golden Tree was radiant.
Yet its shadow was horrific.
From Mela’s words, Muen could infer that while the First King was the catalyst for the Sacred Tree’s fall, it had already accumulated enough "darkness" long before that.
Evil Gods.
Just Gods.
A history that had nearly vanished.
The era of Great Chaos had almost severed the world's civilization, forcing it into a massive regression.
The more he tried to investigate, the more Muen vaguely sensed that a staggering truth was hidden deep behind it all.
"Regarding that..."
Mela lowered her gaze, a trace of reminiscence appearing on her fair face as if she were recalling memories from a very distant past.
"It isn't time for you to know the details yet. But I can tell you this: the so-called Great Chaos... though caused by deities, its fundamental root... was humanity."
"...So, it wasn't a natural calamity..."
"It was a man-made disaster."
Mela’s voice sank as she finished his sentence. "A purely man-made disaster."
"..."
Muen fell silent for a moment, his gaze returning to the shadow beneath his feet. "Just like this?"
"In a sense... yes, more or less."
"Don't tell me it's some cliché plot where humans touched a forbidden taboo they shouldn't have and drew the wrath of the gods."
"Heh, if it were really that simple, that would be a blessing."
"But..."
It seemed the details truly involved some unspeakable secret, as Mela’s words came to an abrupt halt.
She turned to gaze at the Golden Great Tree. On her small face, which bore no marks of time, a sense of world-weariness and depth finally appeared—one that actually matched her true age.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't..." Mela whispered, almost inaudibly.
After a period of silence, the light and shadows around them began to blur. Muen looked up and realized Celicia was no longer visible in the distance.
"Alright, the phantom is fading. I’m done chatting with you, kid."
Mela clapped her hands, cutting off any chance for Muen to ask more questions as she prepared to leave.
However, before departing, she suddenly tossed a disc-shaped object to him.
Muen, still pondering the deeper meaning of her words, scrambled to catch it. He looked at it closely, confused.
"What is this?"
The bronze disc seemed to be missing something; there was a clear indentation in the center. Even so, as Muen held it with both hands, he could feel its ancient and heavy aura.
"This is the third core of the Palace Forbidden Spell."
"A Forbidden Spell core?"
Muen was stunned, then immediately reacted by pulling a similarly ancient and unremarkable metal component from his storage magic device.
This was the item Muen had taken from the little girl. It was crescent-shaped, and when he placed it onto the disc, it fit perfectly into the indentation. It was clearly made for this slot, though it only filled half of it.
"Everyone believes there are only two cores for the Palace Forbidden Spell, but in reality, there are three."
Mela spoke with casual indifference.
"Gather all the cores, and you can fully activate the power of the Palace Forbidden Spell. It should be of some help to you."
"Something like this..."
Muen was flabbergasted. "How did an important item for the palace's defense end up in your hands?"
"Heh."
Mela curled her lip disdainfully. "Who do you think designed this Forbidden Spell? That old Emperor who commissioned me back then was stingy as hell. What's wrong with me keeping a little backdoor for myself?"
"..."
Muen’s eye twitched. "I’d expect nothing less from you."
"Sigh, where do you think I get the materials to upgrade your gear? A spendthrift disciple like you has no idea how hard it is to run a household."
Mela shook her head with a sigh, then said, "I’m leaving now. You guys handle the rest yourselves."
"Safe travels... wait!"
Muen held up the disc, his eyes wide. "You haven't told me how to use this! Giving me an item without instructions is like handing me a rusty broken sword and telling me to go fight the Demon King. It’s unsettling!"
"Usage? Figure out small things like that yourself."
Mela waved her hand impatiently. "I’m not your mother. Do I have to chew everything up and feed it to you?"
"..."
"However..."
Just before Muen could succumb to the urge to smash the disc into Mela’s face, the scummy loli tapped her lips theatrically.
"Since you are my beloved disciple after all, I’ll give you one hint."
"A hint?"
Muen’s eyes lit up. As expected of Teacher Mela—brilliant, mighty, and exceptionally cute. Even if her personality leaves something to be desired, I’ll never call her an old—
"Do you want to experience being 'torn into eight pieces' again?"
"My deepest apologies. Please go on, Teacher Mela."
"...The hint is actually quite simple."
Mela looked up at the tall, holy Golden Great Tree.
"How do you think one goes about completely destroying a tree this large?"
"Completely destroying a tree this size?"
Muen thought for a moment. "Cutting the roots?"
"That’s one way, but it isn't thorough enough."
"Burning it?"
"Well, that’s a distant second, but you can't achieve that yet. This thing is being watched personally by an Evil God; it’s not on the same level as those million masterless souls you burned before."
"Then... I can't think of anything else."
Muen frowned.
He knew Teacher Mela was guiding him toward something, but these were the only methods he could currently conceive.
After all, he was just a minor, newly-ascended fourth-tier martial artist. Could he really just charge in and hack down the physical body of an Evil God?
"The logic is actually simple. Just don't focus too much on the tree itself. You must realize that its vitality doesn't just come from its roots."
"Doesn't just... come from the roots?"
Muen chewed on the phrase.
"Yes."
Mela raised her hand as if to shield her eyes from the non-existent yet overly dazzling sunlight.
"The things on the outside are also very important."
*
The phantom from a thousand years ago vanished. Muen returned to his senses and found himself still within the Imperial Palace.
Outside the window, flames soared into the sky, making the originally solemn and magnificent palace look even more eerie and silent.
"The outside?"
Muen turned his head to look at the sky. Dawn had not yet arrived; the heavens were illuminated only by the fires of the riots and the brilliant light radiating from the Golden Great Tree.
He reached out, mimicking Mela’s gesture from moments ago, using his palm to block his vision as if he were trying to grasp that light in his hand.
Then, he left only the deep night visible through the gaps between his fingers.
"I see."
A look of realization dawned on Muen's face. He murmured, "I think I know what to do."
*
"So this is... the First King and the Sacred Tree?"
Celicia had also returned to reality from the phantom. Brilliant specks of light surrounded her, like ten thousand fireflies swirling through a field.
"Was it you who showed me those images?"
Celicia touched the specks of light with immense tenderness.
When the laws and status of the Sword of Kings were severed, and when Albert lost his qualification to be Emperor, the power drawn from the Empire through the Golden Great Tree was no longer under his control.
Similarly, he could no longer draw more power... this was what it meant to "cut the roots."
The Imperial Emperor, Audrich Leopold III, had finally succeeded through a series of schemes and sacrifices. He had diverted that being's attention away from himself, gaining the opportunity to thoroughly excise the blessing and curse that had been attached to the Royal Bloodline since the time of the First King.
"Do you understand what you’ve done, Albert?"
The breeze caught her skirt. Surrounded by the swirling light, Celicia looked holy and majestic.
"Everything you did was never for the sake of the Empire. You were truly pushing the Empire, step by step, into the abyss of destruction."
"Wh... what..."
Albert froze, looking as if his entire worldview had been shattered. He clutched his head, letting out a pained wail.
But soon, he looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"So... so what! Even if the Sacred Tree has fallen, so what? The Sword of Kings... the Sword of Kings was bestowed upon the First King before that happened! Which means the First King’s covenant is still in effect!"
"You are beyond redemption!"
"Shut up!"
He suddenly raised his voice, roaring:
"Don't you understand? The order and glory of the Empire are eternal! As Emperor, I am the order of the Empire, and that glory exists forever within my soul! Therefore, I am the only one qualified to control this nation!"
"Besides... besides!"
Crack. Crack.
The Sword of Kings trembled again. But this time, the noble luster and patterns on the blade began to peel away automatically. It was as if a monster hidden for a thousand years was finally tearing off its high-and-mighty, holy disguise.
A thick darkness, accompanied by a foul stench and putrid blood, began to flow out. Withered, branch-like tentacles extended from the hilt, writhing as they bored into Albert’s body.
A hideous eye opened upon the Sword of Kings, and it shrieked and roared in unison with Albert:
"Besides... how do you think the Empire has lasted for a thousand years? Why has the Empire grown stronger and stronger? Why has the Leopold family’s position remained unshakable?"
"Do you think all of this came from the brilliance of the Leopolds?"
"No!"
"It was me! It was me! IT WAS ME!!!"
"Everything is because of me!!"
"Only I can ensure the Empire continues forever! Only I can make the Empire even more powerful! And only I... can allow the bloodline of people who were once commoners like you... can allow the name of Leopold... to rule this Empire for eternity!"