Chapter 134

“Today, I truly broaden my horizons,” Master Geher, who was directly guarding the Emperor, exclaimed in admiration. Beside him, there were already piles of dead insect-like creatures. These were all chimeras.

From within the veil, a pair of beautiful eyes scanned Geher up and down before finally letting out a sigh. To the naked eye, he looked like a farmer who had spent his entire life tilling the fields, awkwardly holding a curved blade. He seemed like someone who should be holding a hoe, plowing the fields, not a sword. It was as if someone who had only ever read books was now holding a sword, or someone who had never held a bow was now trying to shoot one—everything about him was clumsy and awkward.

There were so many openings that it was hard to decide where to strike. Yet, every time that awkward sword swung, the chimeras of the Hilrae Church fell one by one.

Instant death. Even if it wasn’t Sestine but Kyle who was present, there would be no saving them. With a single strike, instant death—there was no time for the Saint’s healing abilities to take effect.

*Clack clack.*

The golden beetle, also known as the Gold Eater, charged forward with its saw-like teeth. Faster than an arrow and harder than steel, this too was a type of insect chimera. The donations from the wealthy, entrusted to the priests of Hilrae for healing, were being used to create these monstrosities.

*Screech!*

With the sound of metal being sliced, the donation was cut apart like paper. The Saint glared at Geher with sharp eyes. The old man, clumsily swinging his sword, seemed to have deceived her.

To anyone watching, he looked like the king of beginners, but in reality, he was a master of a level she had never encountered before. It was hard to believe even after seeing it. The Church’s budget was on the verge of bankruptcy because of this one man!

The old man winked at the Saint with one eye and greeted her.

“Shall we continue?”

Since the chimeras he had brought were all wiped out, he could kill her. But killing the Saint would mean truly declaring an end. Judging by how far they had come, the Church Country seemed ready for that, but the Emperor might not be.

Geher glanced at the Emperor, who shook his head.

The greatest strength of the Three God Faith wasn’t the Saint or the Holy Knights—it was faith and belief. They had bought the faith of the continent’s people, granting them immense divine power.

As long as that foundation remained intact, killing the Saint would only deal a certain amount of damage, not truly threaten the gods. It would only provoke them further.

Though he was human and his anger flared, the Emperor was first and foremost the Emperor. He always had to consider the empire as a whole before his personal feelings.

The current empire could not afford to face the Three Divine Gods. His people believed in him, but perhaps even more so in the Three Divine Gods.

“Ha!”

Sestine sighed and looked around. Seeing Arseria, who was clearly defeated, she took a deep breath but made no move to help.

The moment she joined in, the old man would attack again. She looked around and found a luxurious chair, plopping down on it. It seemed the Church Country’s plan had failed.

“Your Majesty, we underestimated you.”

“I too underestimated the Church Country. I didn’t expect such a great sacrifice.”

Yet, the Emperor’s tone was filled with deep regret. Because of his personal guilt towards Edmund, the empire had suffered a great loss today.

It was a perfect mistake, one that even ten mouths couldn’t justify. A monarch must speak through results. He had no superiors, no one to answer to.

If he turned a blind eye to his own mistakes, no one would dare point them out. So, even as the Imperial Palace shook as if it would collapse, he remained seated on the throne.

He wondered if his son would have the courage to inherit or seize the throne after this. Did he really want it so badly that he would go this far?

“How did you break the Imperial Palace’s protective barrier? Can you tell me now?”

“……”

“Did Edmund agree to destroy one of the royal family’s ancestral treasures with his own hands? It was inscribed with dragon blood and cannot be repaired. Did he not feel any regret?”

The Saint, who had learned well from her god, remained silent. She simply maintained her quiet. The Emperor grew angry at her lack of response, but the silence continued.

Nothing is as frustrating as the right to remain silent. Perhaps the Saint had changed her strategy to killing the Emperor with frustration.

*Bang!*

The loud explosions that had been continuous earlier had now quieted down enough for the two to converse. Arseria, the Saint of Elysia, swung her two hammers madly. Each time the hammers, made of light, cut through the air, a buzzing sound echoed.

But when those hammers collided with the Void Sword, even the sound lost its power and faded. Emptiness was as powerful as fullness.

Then, wouldn’t it be easier to reach the extreme of emptiness rather than fullness? Compared to the entire world, I have nothing.

That’s why Leyman is Leyman. His gaze was endlessly calm. Each time the emptiness collided with the hammers, the divine power within them dissipated. The hammers crumbled like disposable items, requiring constant rebuilding.

Seeing the overflowing divine light gradually diminish, Arseria sighed. Leyman, while fighting, also gauged the Emperor’s intentions.

As she gave up on creating more hammers, the old man silently stopped. The defeated Saint clasped her hands in reverence.

“I didn’t know someone like you existed in the empire. What was that technique just now?”

Her tone had become polite and respectful. Leyman answered lightly.

“It’s called the Void Sword.”

“Void Sword…”

“It was my desperate attempt to counter the Demon King Grimudo. I struggled for years to create something that could work against him. But…”

The Saint looked puzzled. The old man reminisced about the past, quietly closing his eyes. He too had grown old. Even thinking of the Demon King, he felt no desire for revenge. Just fear.

“But?”

“When I didn’t have the Void Sword, I had the courage. The courage to go to the Arctic and see if my technique would work. But once I had the Void Sword, my courage disappeared. All that remained was fear—could this really stand against the Demon King?”

The battle in the throne room ended like that. The two Saints neither fled nor continued their attack, quietly sitting down and closing their eyes.

Even now, no reinforcements had arrived. The Church Country had failed in its objective. If the ultimate goal wasn’t achieved, it was ultimately a defeat. The only question was the extent of the defeat.

Today’s events were today’s, and tomorrow would come whether they wanted it or not. More important than war was the post-war negotiations.

Now, they needed to assess the damage to both the empire and the Church Country, and then negotiate with the Emperor. Until they knew who had suffered more, silence was the answer.

*****

People who visit the capital say this:

Truly, it is the world’s greatest city. The pinnacle of human civilization. It must be wonderful to live in such a large and beautiful city.

But humans don’t know satisfaction, so those who actually live in the capital only see the bad points first. The Imperial Palace is no exception.

The Imperial Palace isn’t a tourist attraction you can just wander into. If you don’t have the right status, a single wrong word to the guards at the entrance could get you in trouble.

Like skimming the surface of a watermelon, those who can only admire the grandeur of the palace from afar think it’s magnificent. But living there, it’s not as glamorous as it seems.

*Sip.*

The maid carefully set down the tea, and the lady tasted it with just her tongue. She waited a moment.

After confirming that nothing had settled in the tea and her tongue wasn’t numb, she slowly took a sip.

Even in her old age, the beautiful woman was once the most stunning of all. Like a crane among cranes, the women of the Rose Palace were all beauties, but even among them, there were distinctions.

It was the perfect condition to provoke jealousy. Here too, there were rules and regulations, and various devices and security personnel to prevent poisoning among the concubines.

Their job was to taste the food before it was served to the ladies. But as history has shown, if someone is determined to harm another, no system, no matter how elaborate, can stop them forever. In her youth, the lady had once spat out poison and survived. Since then, she had developed this habit.

“It’s truly a beautiful place. It must be wonderful to live here.”

The guest from the grasslands, unaware of her thoughts, gulped down the tea.

Is that how it seems? The Third Empress, Erinine, smiled inwardly as she sipped her tea. The Rose Palace was the most beautiful palace in the Imperial Palace, but living there was suffocating.

It was decorated so beautifully because otherwise, the inhabitants would go mad. Even with all the charming and pretty decorations, it was still stifling. If it were dull, dark, and plain, half the residents would likely suffer from depression.

“They call you the Wolf King outside, don’t they?”

“Well, yes. It’s not a nickname I gave myself, but that’s what everyone calls me.”

The gray-haired woman, who had never been to such a luxurious place before, was too busy looking around to focus.

The Eastern Plains were far from such opulence. There, wealth was measured in livestock, not money. When the cold winds blew and the livestock froze to death, you became a beggar again.

The Empress, who had never lived in such a place, secretly envied the Wolf King. On the other hand, Kisea envied the woman before her. Even the teacup was made of silver—something unimaginable for someone like her.

It wasn’t that she didn’t have the money, but her way of thinking was different. Masters were people who couldn’t possibly be without money. If they were desperate, they could just cover their faces and rob someone.

But Kisea honestly felt it was a waste. She would never spend money on such things. A glass cup was more than enough—why bother with a silver one?

The Empress didn’t care. This wasn’t bought with her own money but with the imperial household’s funds. In other words, it wasn’t her money. Who would regret spending blind money?

The two women, each secretly envying the other, continued their conversation. The Empress sighed inwardly. It seemed her son was really going to cause trouble.

‘They say you can’t catch a tiger without entering its den, but is this really the right thing to do? Sigh.’

But her son wanted that tiger skin so badly, what could she do?

In truth, she wished her son wouldn’t take such risks. But it was too late to discuss that now. The Empress knew that well.

Having lived in the treacherous Imperial Palace and established her position, how could she not understand the ways of the world? Having plucked the tiger’s whiskers, the tiger would come looking for her even if she didn’t enter its den.

Having come this far, giving up now would only invite the Temple to act. They would simply bring in another prince or princess to continue their plans.

From the moment they joined hands with the Temple, she and her son had no choice but to keep running. The Wolf King’s arrival was also the Temple’s doing.

“…So, when will the person who knows the Empress’s palace arrive? There should be one more person here, but I haven’t seen them yet.”

The Wolf King sneered. The Third Prince, Edmund, had said that if she waited here, his subordinate Milenia would show her the way. So she was waiting here!

But how long was she supposed to wait? Until either the empire or the Church Country achieved complete victory?

If the empire won, she would have to flee in a hurry. Even as a Master, becoming a public enemy of a nation was too much. It’s not like the empire didn’t have its own Masters.

But if the Church Country won, all she would have done was come here and drink tea. What would the Church Country think of her when it came time to reward her efforts?

Would they keep their promise to someone who came as a mercenary, drank tea, and left? If she didn’t want to be treated as a fool, she had to do something.