Chapter 305

[So that’s how it happened. That’s what we experienced in the Arctic. Even I can’t easily believe it, but it’s all true.]

The dragon spread its wings atop the spire and muttered. After setting down the coffin it had carried here, it swung its arm and opened the lid. The body enshrined within the ice coffin was smiling. It looked more like someone who had fallen into a deep sleep rather than a dead person.

[And what I, what we saw, was never a lie. The being created in such a way left this world, closing its eyes under the blessing of the heavens.]

As soon as they returned to the capital, a curious father and daughter asked about what had happened. The dragon, who was pleased by their respectful demeanor—treating him like an ancestor without flaunting their status as emperor and princess—spoke tirelessly, recounting everything he had seen.

“It couldn’t have been a lie. He came to me too.”

After hearing the entire story, Ardein von Illumina sighed and muttered. The emperor, now understanding why his daughter had remained so calm despite hearing all this, closed his eyes, nodded, and spoke.

“I heard that you were the closest to this priest during his lifetime, Your Highness Roka. How would you like to hold the funeral? If you wish, we can spread the word of all he did to save the world and hold a grand state funeral. We can announce to the continent who saved it.”

The emperor. Though he is called by that name as the ruler of the most powerful and legitimate nation on the continent, he is not above kings. The rulers of each country are independent and consider each other equals.

Roka, who holds the title of Beast King, had become a figure worthy of respect. In terms of strength, legitimacy, and position, the authority to decide how to honor the deceased lay with this girl.

“I will take him back to his hometown. I will bury him there.”

[What use is earthly blessing to someone who has already received the blessings of the heavens? It seems better to me. This capital is not where he should be buried. He should return to his hometown.]

And since Roka had decided to enshrine Kyle’s body in Pumpkin Vine Village, no one could object to that decision. Especially since the dragon agreed.

“If it’s his hometown, the hero Yurinel Larkponsia would know. She’s from the same village as this priest and has adventured with him for a while, so she probably knows the way. Your Highness Roka. If necessary, you can take her as a guide. I will issue the order.”

“Father. Will the church agree to this? The hero doesn’t belong to our imperial family…”

“Now that she has lost her power, she has no value. The church no longer cares about her, so they won’t mind how we treat her. Besides…”

He glanced at Roka and smirked as he replied.

“If the church wants to object, let them try. If they have the courage.”

Leyman and Geher, upon seeing Roka return, acknowledged her as their superior. They determined the outcome without even crossing swords.

It was the first time since the Primal Demon King Grimudo that these Grand Masters had shown such a lack of confidence. For the emperor, it was quite a shock.

“He was your master’s former comrade…?”

It was also quite strange that they still called this priest “master.” Normally, someone of such strength would have an inflated ego, not caring about emperors or kings.

“Then shall we meet him?”

“Your Majesty, I will also accompany you to the saint’s hometown.”

“Very well. Then all that remains is to summon the hero here…”

As if on cue, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway. The corridor shook with the clamorous noise, and a panting, overweight chamberlain burst through the door without even knocking.

The fact that he acted so rudely meant there was a good reason for it. The emperor, instead of scolding him, simply watched quietly.

“Gasp, gasp, Your Majesty. It’s, gasp… wheeze…”

He gave the man a moment to catch his breath. Finally, the man, drenched in sweat, managed to speak.

“Something terrible has happened, something terrible!”

“What, have giant flesh monsters invaded the capital again?”

“No, not that! It’s not that big of a deal, but for some reason, the hero party has suddenly regained their power. Even the Sacred Sword has reappeared!”

Was that really something to make such a fuss about? For a moment, everyone thought so, but as always, one must listen to the end. Wiping his sweat, the chamberlain continued.

“And now they are clashing with our imperial guest, Emperor Harmail. They’ve drawn their swords and are facing off, ready to fight at any moment!”

If this report had come just a day earlier, perhaps they would have feigned panic, but the emperor simply smiled as he looked at the three travelers who had just arrived in the capital.

“I leave it to you to persuade her.”

The wolf nodded slightly.

“Need help?”

Yanid asked from the side, but the girl only shook her head in response.

She could handle it alone.

*****

No matter how smart or talented you are, somewhere in the world, there’s someone better than you.

That’s what my mother always said when I was young. But Yurinel had never agreed with that. No matter where she looked in the world, there was no one with greater talent than herself.

You could say she was full of herself, but it was the truth. In her eyes, the only person with greater talent was the Primal Demon King.

But in many ways, he was no longer human, so she prided herself on being the best among humans. But that confidence, that arrogance, shattered like it had been struck by a hammer.

“What… what is this? Is this the power a human can wield?!”

The sky turned completely red, and a blazing sun filled the heavens. Overwhelmed by the suffocating heat, the people who had been fighting each other stopped and looked up at the sky simultaneously. They realized that the outcome of this fight no longer mattered.

The hero party, Emperor Harmail, even the Primal Demon King Grimudo—they had all felt the dense, dark aura he emitted.

Though the majesty of this sun couldn’t match that, it was still one above all, ten thousand below. No one had expected any other being to emit such a level of power.

“Damn humans, how dare you summon something like this! I never trusted you from the start! You planned to trap and kill me all along!”

Screaming internally, Harmail glared at the hero party with a furious expression. It was absurd that these people, who had come as guests of the empire, were trying to get revenge for past events, but this monster was beyond absurd.

How could there be two beings with such power in the world? No matter how balanced and powerful her dragon demon techniques were, they seemed no match.

“Just you wait, I’ll repay this grudge!”

What on earth is that beast girl? Could she be Epirna from the Eastern Plains, whom I’ve only heard rumors about? No, that no longer mattered. She had no intention of seeking revenge against such a monster, so it didn’t matter who she was. No, she never wanted to know!

If she could just return safely to the demon world, she would forget about unifying the continent and live contentedly as the demon emperor for the rest of her life.

Thinking this, she flew away at top speed, but the next moment, Roka opened her palm. A full moon appeared, emitting a cold light and a gravitational pull.

“Huh, huh…?”

Moving forward, but going backward. Only when she saw the surroundings moving in the opposite direction did the woman show a fearful expression, but it was too late.

When she came to her senses, she felt a hand gripping her shoulder. As the hand tightened, a fear that her heart might stop surged through her.

“Ah, it hurts…!”

“Ah…”

With a creaking, cracking sound, her shoulder dislocated, and her arm hung limply. Roka looked at what she had done with wide eyes.

So… she never meant to do this! She just wanted to grab the woman. But it seemed she had unknowingly used too much force…

“Sorry. It was a mistake. But are you Yurinel Larkponsia?”

The sulking wolf let go of her arm and asked. Harmail, more stunned than in pain, felt her mind go blank. Wait, so they weren’t after her from the start?

She suspected it might be some high-level deception, but there was no reason for it. If they were after her, they would have drawn the sword at her side and struck her down instead of lying.

So it was most likely a misunderstanding…

“Yurinel is that girl over there, you idiot…”

She was about to curse but quickly swallowed her words. Demons strictly adhere to the principle of survival of the fittest.

She had seen Roka’s power with her own eyes and felt it with her shoulder. So she didn’t dare get angry here. If she cursed and lost her head, she would die with regret.

“Yurinel Larkponsia?”

“No. You must have mistaken me for someone else.”

Yurinel, who had sheathed her Sacred Sword at lightning speed, slowly stepped back. Parnell and Lucia also swallowed hard. Today was just not their day!

“I told you not to do it. Attacking Harmail is a bad move, I said it so many times!”

“I knew in my head I shouldn’t do it. But I wanted to.”

“After what that woman did to us, I would have died of resentment if I didn’t get revenge.”

Where on earth did this monster come from? They were people who were called geniuses wherever they went, but this young wolf girl surpassed them in strength.

This was beyond talent.

“That’s her! That’s the hero Yurinel Larkponsia! Go and capture her!”

“Where is this demon lying? Do you have any proof that I’m the hero?”

“Bullshit! Can’t you see the sword she’s carrying? That’s the Sacred Sword. The radiant sword that destroys demons. Just draw it and you’ll see who’s lying!”

Swoosh!

As soon as the words ended, the Sacred Sword rose sharply. Its radiant blade was fully revealed. The sword trembled, resisting the external force trying to pull it, but resistance was futile.

To think she could draw and control someone else’s sword at will! It was a shocking fact, but now even that didn’t seem important. Roka’s eyes narrowed as she saw the glowing blade.

“Why did you lie…?”

“Attack, now!”

“E, e, e, Elemental Punishment!”

So startled that she even hiccuped, Parnell stuttered through her incantation and unleashed her most powerful spell. Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning—the five elements resonated and amplified their power, but at that moment, the blazing sun above emitted an even stronger force, exploding and shaking violently.

The overwhelming power of the sun suppressed and swallowed the five elements. Fire was consumed, ice melted, wind torn apart, earth shattered, and lightning pushed away.

Flash!

At the same time, the Resonance Sword, which had somehow been drawn, emitted a cool sunset glow and grazed past the party’s heads. The feeling of the twilight and extinction power brushing past their hair was anything but pleasant.

“Why did you lie?”

“Fine, I’m Yurinel Larkponsia. Sorry for lying!”

With this one strike, they could have been annihilated. Finally realizing this, Yurinel sighed and raised her hands in surrender. There was nothing else she could do.

“We should have prepared a teleportation spell.”

Watching the royal secrets of the Citadel being trampled beyond belief, Parnell muttered with a hollow expression. Where on earth did this crazy wolf come from?

Wait a minute.

Speaking of wolves, something comes to mind.

“Is your name Roka…?”

The girl’s ears perked up.