Chapter 316
Translator: yun
After finishing our business and tying up any loose ends, I headed for the hall. It was only recently in ruins but the hall looked magnificent as if not a scratch had ever been laid on it.
Seeing how it could restore the hall this well, divinity was truly a force to be reckoned with. Even though the sa power would swallow people as sacrifices.
‘It was ant to be a power that helped humans but now it has beco one that swallows them whole.’
It had devoured Amor, Hernan as well as Castor and I.
And the worst human to ever exist, the late emperor, had been born from that power.
The templars who had gathered neatly in a line before , lowered their backs. There were even so who knelt on the ground and so who muttered soft hurrahs upon my arrival.
‘More seed to have gathered.’
As if they had all planned this beforehand, everyone was wearing simple traditional outfits. Their pure white tunics, their fluttering togas and their gazes that reflected off the silver between the fabrics.
In tis of turmoil, the treacherous danced while a hero would be born. I wondered what they looked for in the new emperor.
Consud by those thoughts, I found myself in front of the throne before I knew it. When I took my seat, the templars and ministers straightened their backs. Amor soon took the seat next to as if he had been waiting while Julian took the seat just a seat down.
“I greet Your Majesty, the noblest root of the Empire.”
Granius took a step forward before kneeling on the ground. On the ground, he clearly reported the present number of templars, the number of soldiers who were non-templars and other military and armoury statistics.
I was already aware of all this information but this was more for the other templars and ministers. Preparations for the war had been going well.
Afterwards, templars would co forward to report their duties in turns. Just as I had seen in historical dramas of a distant past, they would step forward one by one for their report.
Glancing towards Julian, he nodded his head. That ant there were no problems so far. Well, if they dared to lie before , they were well aware that they would not be able to leave here alive.
My gaze shifted to capture Hernan who remained still in his seat. He smiled as though he could sense my gaze. No, it was as if he had been staring at this whole ti. I let out a soft sigh at his intense gaze.
‘I already told him not to look at like that.’
He reminded of a puppy in a pet shop begging to adopt him. I wondered how I managed to get this feeling from a young man who was sitting so far away from .
I shut my eyes slightly before opening them again. My eyes wanted to hide from his tenacious gaze.
‘I am rely a passerby that cannot take any responsibility.’
It was when I raised my head with another sigh. One of the Templars of Chaos was in the middle of their report.
Creak.
The doors that had been tightly closed swung open before soone walked right through it.
“Saintess?”
Soone who had been staring blankly at the intruder muttered.
“Oh my heavens. H-How rude!”
Before he quickly exclaid. But she walked at such a hastened pace, it was as though she never cared about what they were saying. Her red hair fluttered vigorously behind her like waves.
“The noblest root.”
Marissa, who was donning thin clothes with a deep v-line and gloves as per usual, stopped before the steps.
“The Saintess of the late emperor greets the new Emperor, Your Majesty.”
“Saintess!”
Noticing the vines creeping up Marissa’s feet, I raised my palm. Amor glanced at before slightly tilting his head. My gesture caused the vines that were restraining her to loosen. The templars and ministers also fell silent at my beckoning.
“Alright. What seems to be the matter?”
When I asked her gently, Marissa’s eyes widened before she lowered her head again.
The emperor’s gaze, the emperor’s words–they were all power. Even if everyone else found them distasteful, as long as they remain in the emperor’s favour, anyone could live a completely different life. It wasn’t sothing that had never happened before.
“You are rely a humble Saintess, could you please lower your volu? You’re being too senseless.”
“I do not think she’s humble.”
I grinned while holding my chin.
“Besides, there must be an important reason why she had to barge in during a eting, right?”
Knowing my past experiences with her, she was not soone to act like this for no reason. Unsurprisingly, Marissa gave a low chuckle.
“Of course.”
What the woman held in her hand was a parchnt. There was what seed to be a flat coin at the end of the string binding the parchnt.
“At tis as busy as these, docunts that should be quickly delivered are not and ssengers are lining up in front of the door.”
She flipped the coin upside down.
It was the emblem of the goddess, Diana.
One of the attendants received the letter before delivering it to . Soon after opening the letter, my expression twisted.
[We are currently in danger. For so reason…]
Perhaps it was because they had written this letter in a hurry but the characters in the middle of the letter beca increasingly ssy.
[The enemy is a Templar of the Lord. It seems to be a woman. We are unable to stop the invaders.”
Was it Rusbella? I closed my eyes.
“This is extrely urgent.”
Nurous had already died and there were an overwhelming number of injured soldiers every day. This request for aid, while blunt, remained polite and earnest.
[We do have an extraordinary talent helping us to hold out here but we’ll need more forces soon. Even if it is a agre amount. If you plan on sending templars, please send them with haste.]
Currently, our western front was going up against forces several tis their size. Perhaps they really were reaching their limits.
“May I ask what seems to be the matter, Your Majesty?”
Julian, who had been observing the situation, asked.
“The situation in our western front has beco dire. We will need to send them reinforcents imdiately.”
The Head Templar of Diana was requesting for forces that were nimble, strong and could be deployed imdiately. In other words, she wanted templars.
‘How many people can I send through the remnants of the God of Wind.’
I calculated anxiously. It would be too little. But who was I supposed to send?
“Why don’t we send the patrols first?”
“We should not, Your Majesty. Aren’t they the people guarding you right now, Your Majesty?”
As I expressed my thoughts on sending patrols, I was t with opposition. But if that was the case, there would not be enough people I could send.
‘Should I send the Templars of Chaos? I think I might receive backlash from the west.’
It was at tis like this I find it regrettable how the Templars of Chaos were once enemies of the Empire.
“Your Majesty, I would like to make a request.”
Soone spoke up amidst the uproar stirring the templars. I turned my head to find that it was Marissa who was standing tall proudly.
“What is this request of yours?”
“Could you please hear out?”
So templars frowned at the fact that she was not getting straight to the point and revealing her request. Thinking that this was an act of defiance against the emperor’ authority, there were even so that demanded for her exit.
“You’ve helped nurous tis. I’ll try my best as long as it’s within my abilities to do so.”
“Thank you.”
As she smiled cheekily, her lips seed to be mouthing the word ‘Child’.
“Saintess Marissa. I used to be known as Marissa Ensys, the Head Templar of the Sword. Your Majesty, could you help return my lost na?”
In spite of the pointed gazes towards her, she remained standing tall, looking as straight as a sword.
“What would you like to do?”
“Give a sword.”
At this very mont, she was neither a saintess nor a puppet of the late emperor dressed in a thin dress. There was only a knight who had lost her way of life and wanted it back standing in front of .
“The late emperor had taken my sword, my fingers and placed a curse on so that I was unable to use my divinity freely.”
She removed her gloves before thrusting her hand forward. There was a red halo around her wrist–like the one Hernan used to have–that looked like a restriction.
“Have you been unable to escape it?”
“Only a Templar of the Lord can set free.”
In other words, she wanted to set her free from this curse.
‘I wondered if I could.’
The mont I thought about it, the diary glowed dimly. As soon as I lifted my hand, a small purple butterfly flew from my fingertips. The butterfly landed on Marissa’s hand.
Crackle.
The mont it did, a dark red lightning struck her hand as if it was its last attempt at resistance before disappearing into dust along with the butterfly. And now, on Marissa’s wrist, instead of a red halo, there was a red scar.
“The curse…”
Marissa mumbled before rubbing her wrist.
“Rebecca, the sword.”
She handed a sword that the emperor only used for show. It was extrely eye-catching given that it was ant to be used for rituals but it didn’t seem to matter what sword Marissa received.
“You wouldn’t mind any sword?”
“I wouldn’t mind even if it were dirt-cheap.”
As I walked down the steps, everyone held their breath before I pointed the blade at her.
“What would you do once I hand you this sword?”
“What would you like to do?”
She knelt down before replying sincerely.
“I wish to set those who have been deprived of their lives free.”
Marissa chuckled softly.
“You have set free.”
After raising her head, she montarily stared off into the distance in a daze before staring back at .
“If that’s the case, I will lead our forces at our western front with this sword. Your Noblest Majesty. Would you please allow to be the vanguard of the reinforcents?”
When she grabbed the sword, the tip of the blade glowed in red. The divinity fluttering down the blade like flas did not seem like an insignificant amount.
“To each Templar of the Sword, their sword carries different anings.”
She struck the ground with the blade.
“My sword is ant to protect. I will protect Your Majesty and this country.”
“Are you saying that you’re still willing to protect this country even after losing your life to it?”
“Yes. Since Your Majesty is now this country.”
Marissa spoke as proudly as she did back when we first t in that dim alleyway. I tilted my head with a bitter smile.
“The place you are heading off to now may as well be your death. I will only send the smallest number of templars.”
No, that was the only number I could send. In order to deploy reinforcents quickly, I would have to use an Artefact of the God of the Wind but there was clearly a limit on the number of people I could transport.
“We, Templars of the Sword, are swords ourselves. This sword will decide where it will break.”
Marissa, who had been kneeling on the ground without caring about dirtying the hem of her clothes, slowly looked away from .
“What do you think? Duke of Develo.”
So in the crowds widened their eyes. Because not only did the emperor address him with honorifics, he had only recently been the Crown Prince’s loyal henchman.
“I agree with everything you’ve said, Your Majesty.”
Hernan replied ekly.
Here was the woman who had lost her life to the emperor. And there was Hernan who had lost not only his life but his ego as well. The two who had lost their freedom. Why did they wish to be tied down once again?
Clang.
The chains around his hands shook. It was a restraint pushed for by the Head Templars who feared the ferocious Templar of Beasts.
“No one here trusts you. Because you had been brother’s loyal guardian.”
“I won’t deny that.”
No one was making excuses for him. As he continued standing by the Crown Prince’s side even if he had been alone. No one knew that he had lost his ego. Which was another reason why he could not make excuses for himself.
This poor, sorrowful and pitiful man.
“You are strong and you might pose the biggest threat amongst all those left of his faction.”
Man sought out god for the misery they could not escape. But if gods were the source of their misfortune, who does man turn to?
Before I realised it, I was staring straight at Hernan.
“But now that we’re going into war and the barrier has disappeared, I’m willing to grab any rope. That’s why I’m willing to use you.”
He knelt on the ground calmly.
“How can I not abide by your wise judgent? I shall follow your commands with everything I have. Please feel free to use .”
Just like how he once called out for , his voice was gentle without any sense of tension.
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