Chapter 455
Chapter 455. Those Who Receive Retribution
“……Huh!?”
In the darkness, Emperor Rieken Hoshutoren Ryod Kaizan regained consciousness.
For a moment, I was confused about where I was, but realizing I was still in the carriage helped me calm down. In the first floor, the court ladies lay piled up, not moving an inch.
(They don’t seem to be dead…)
They appeared to be unconscious, just like me.
—After contacting the Demon Lord’s Prince.
Rieken had managed to escape in the nick of time from the presence of the Demon Lord’s Prince using a concealment spell.
However, I had tumbled down the stairs and badly injured my back, unable to continue fleeing, hiding instead in the first floor of the carriage. In any case, it seemed I had been isolated from the outside world due to the Heroes’ barrier, so even if I had run outside, I might not have been able to escape far…
(I was… mistaken.)
Relieved that I was still alive, I trembled in fear once more.
(I can’t believe such a monster exists…!)
It was completely different from what I had been told!
Could it really be that the Demon Race is such an incredibly terrifying and powerful species!?
And the Holy Church’s valiant fighting spirit was also utterly unlike what I had heard. The Light Blade Cultists I had trained with such care hadn’t been helpful at all, making the disparity all the more striking.
The preconditions, the information I had received beforehand, were far too detached from reality.
—I must take action. At this rate, not only the Empire but humanity itself might seriously face annihilation.
(The Holy Church’s words… were correct, after all…)
I felt utterly crushed.
…Still, what had happened in the battle? The outside was far too quiet.
Could it be that the Demon Lord’s Prince won? Or was it a mutual kill…? The fact that even the court ladies in the carriage had fainted surely indicated a significant magical interference had occurred, but…
I found myself hoping it was a mutual kill, but wishful thinking was dangerous. I had just been painfully reminded of that fact.
To be honest, my back hurt, and my legs were still trembling, making it difficult to walk, but if the Demon Lord’s Prince had indeed triumphed, he would surely be after my head, and staying in the carriage any longer didn’t seem like a good idea.
I felt bad for the soldiers and court ladies, but for now, I had to focus on surviving…
(I have a mission to lead the Empire, humanity, toward a better future.)
For the time being, I decided I would punish the old chancellor who had fed me nonsense once I returned to the imperial capital.
Once again using the concealment spell, Rieken nervously peered out through the large hole in the carriage wall.
“Ugh…”
The stench nearly made me vomit. A mix of blood, entrails, and mud… it was truly a scene of death. A staggering number of soldiers lay collapsed. Had the Imperial Guard been wiped out? They didn’t seem to be merely unconscious.
Ah… the Heroes were hardly visible. Only blood-soaked Holy Swords and armor were scattered in the mud. The chances of them having survived seemed low…
The ordinary soldiers surrounding the carriage appeared to be moving cautiously in the moonlight, seeming to observe us from a distance, as if hesitant to approach. How could they dawdle during this dire situation where the Emperor’s life was at stake? No, perhaps it was too harsh to blame them. We had to regroup somehow…
Just then, as I thought that, I stepped outside.
“[—Concealment is forbidden!]”
A heavy pressure descended upon my shoulders.
An unnatural, grotesque wave of magic power.
“Aaaaaaaahhhh… Aaaaaahhh!?”
A voice was forcefully squeezed out from my throat, which morphed into a scream midway. The concealment spell has been undone!
“Still lurking around here…! You bastard…!”
The sound of heavy footsteps approached.
There stood the Demon Lord’s Prince, covered in blue blood, skin scorched, and battered, wearing an expression of fury. Silver chains wrapped around his body, continuously sizzling against his blue skin, releasing slender wisps of smoke.
He had removed his grotesque bone mask, revealing his true face. That youthful, handsome visage was twisted in rage, with red eyes blazing fiercely in the darkness.
“It’s your fault… that it’s come to this.”
The Demon Lord’s Prince inched closer, his spear’s tip glimmering dully in the moonlight.
“You too… will receive your retribution…!!”
“N-no!! Someone, anyone!!”
Rieken rolled away in a desperate attempt to escape.
But the spear, thrust callously, pierced through his foot.
“Ahhh! Gwaaaahhh! Somebody, please help meee!”
Clutching his bleeding foot, Rieken writhed in agony.
“Despite inheriting the Holy Silver Curse, you’re in this state. For someone like… someone like you…! Damnit!”
Behind him, the Demon Lord’s Prince roared.
“You won’t find any Heroes to save you!!”
Thrusting the spear into the Emperor’s abdomen.
“There’s nowhere to run…!!”
With brute force, he hurled the impaled Emperor into the sky.
“Waaahh— Aaaaahhh!?”
A chilling sensation traveled from his abdomen to his waist as liquid poured out.
But before he could even grasp the seriousness of his situation, he was thrown into the air.
What raw strength! In the blink of an eye, he soared above the height of the two-story carriage.
The world spun round and round. —If I fall from this height, I’ll die! I have to do something, but how? At least I need to land on my feet, and then escape from that terrifying Demon Lord’s Prince—
A vicious light reflected in my vision.
“……Ah!?”
It was the statue of the Empire’s founder, Hero Kaizan, mounted on the rooftop of the Emperor’s personal carriage—
The statue holding high the Holy Sword.
It loomed closer.
Closer and closer!!
The meticulously forged blade by the Dwarf Blacksmith—!!
“Ahhhhh!?! Waaaaaaaahhhh!!”
The Emperor’s scream, filled with shock and terror.
“Gu-be-ah!”
Cut off. The statue’s Holy Sword pierced through his face.
Impaled. Like a crucified frog, the Emperor’s limbs spread wide as fresh blood splattered downward.
And, thanks to the amazing sharpness due to its Dwarf craftsmanship, he was slowly sliced in half by sheer weight.
With a thud, he fell from the roof.
…Now the statue of Hero Kaizan was stained crimson with the blood of his descendants.
The resolute visage of the Hero who defeated dragons and founded a nation for the innocent people looked dignified. But now, that expression seemed consumed by passion. From the corners of the Hero statue’s eyes, blood flowed like tears.
The bloodstained Holy Sword lay empty, illuminated under the moonlight…
“Hmph.”
Snorting, the Demon Lord’s Prince observed the scene.
He turned on his heel and hurried away.
No… he tried to leave, but…
“Guh… ugh…”
He dropped to his knees, clutching the spear like a staff, retching violently.
Even now, the jewels on his ring flickered intensely. His breath came in ragged gasps, his eyes unfocused. Nausea swept over him, and small spasms were evident in his limbs.
This was, needless to say—an ominous sign.
The pride of the hunter continued to gnaw away at the Demon Lord’s Prince.
