Chapter 486
Chapter 486: Almost There (1)
“No, what are you talking about? Why would I take you with me!”
Bishop Porisco asked in confusion, and Ghislaine answered nonchalantly.
“I want to meet the King too.”
“So why are you asking me? You could just ask Marquis Branford!”
“They said it’s not possible right now.”
“Oh no, oh no. If I take you with me, that day will be the day the King passes away.”
“……”
“You’re definitely going to annoy the King and give him a heart attack.”
“No, how can you think that about me…?”
“I see you just as you are!”
The King was already in such poor health that everyone had to tread lightly around him.
But if this idiot goes in and annoys him, the King dies? Then Porisco, who took Ghislaine along, would be done for that day too.
Porisco complained, “I hate to say it, but honestly, he’s practically a corpse. He’s got no influence. There’s really no need for you to meet him. Why do you want to meet him anyway?”
“I just want to ask him some questions out of curiosity.”
Given the circumstances, it was clear that the Duke Delphine Faction was obsessively targeting the royal family. They didn’t seem interested in winning a war.
Yet, nobody knew why they insisted on launching a war. Even Marquis Branford didn’t understand. Everyone thought the Dukes were simply trying to seize the kingdom.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely wrong, but it felt like there had to be a real reason behind it.
So, I just wanted to ask if the King knew something. Plus, I wanted to ask about the Shadow Knight Group too.
Porisco looked exasperated. “So… you just want to meet for some random curiosity? No big reason?”
Nodding.
Porisco, tearful, said, “Is the King your friend? You meet him just because you’re curious? That’s someone who might not even last until tomorrow!”
“……”
“Please, can you stop tormenting me? I’ve done everything you asked! Huh? I gave you Piote and a sacred relic! I donated all my wealth to you!”
“……”
“I’m an investor in cosmetics too! I secretly brought together all the donations for investment, so why do you keep making things difficult for me?”
“……”
“And even if I go with you, you still can’t meet the King.”
“Why not?”
“Because Marquis Branford checks personally. Even the assistant priests. So asking me is pointless.”
“Hmm…”
If that’s the case, then it was obvious that following Porisco would lead to getting caught. They’d be that thorough with the inspections.
Considering that Marquis Branford prioritizes the royal family’s safety, it made sense.
After a long complaint, Porisco looked around and whispered, “But… even if you do meet him, the King won’t like you.”
This time, Ghislaine looked astounded.
“No way, how could he dislike me before even seeing me?”
“Marquis Branford is supporting you. The King absolutely dislikes Marquis Branford.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
Even though Marquis Branford held all the power, he was loyal to the royal family. If he had ever had any other intentions, the King would have been replaced long ago.
The idea that someone like him would be disliked was intriguing.
Porisco gave a look as if asking how she didn’t know that. “Well, it’s obvious. It’s because Marquis Branford holds all the power.”
“But the King isn’t in good health to run the state.”
“Ugh, but that’s not how human emotions work. Everyone’s whispering, but every time he goes, he curses Marquis Branford.”
“What does he say?”
“Just… thinks he’s the King… looks down on the royal family… what else? Something about being a puppet king his whole life… that he’s just lived under surveillance… anyway, he’s lost it. I think he’s senile.”
“Hmm.”
“So what can be done? He can’t even hold himself up. If Bramford wasn’t around, the state would be in chaos. That guy is keeping everything in check, so only then does the kingdom manage to keep running. Honestly, the nobles are all a mess.”
Porisco didn’t even consider that he was part of that mess.
Ghislaine nodded in agreement. “I see.”
Hearing that, it seemed the King had a pretty exhausting life.
I could understand it to some extent. With the limited information I had, it seemed the Shadow Knight Group wielded considerable power.
But if the King was saying such things, then the power must have been greater than I had thought.
It was clear the King had been harboring dissatisfaction about this for a long time. Even after falling ill, he still disliked Marquis Branford.
To be unable to let go of power even when his body was failing — that’s the nature and fear of power.
Ghislaine nodded as if understanding. “Well, then there’s nothing else to do. I’ll just have to try and meet him later when the opportunity arises.”
I needed to find another way. A safe way to meet the King.
Porisco smiled broadly and nodded. “Yes, good thinking. You’re as good as a royal confidant, so surely an opportunity will arise. So…”
Stopping in mid-sentence, he squinted at her. “You’re not thinking of wearing a mask and sneaking in, are you?”
“…What do you think of me?”
“No, it seriously feels like you would do that. If you really did, it would be chaos. You might literally die of a heart attack. You’d instantly become a traitor.”
“……”
Seeing everyone so unified in their warning, it seemed she really was in a precarious position.
“Ugh, I’m not going to do that. I’m busy too, you know.”
Ghislaine shook her head and stood up.
Normally, she would push through anything, but the thought of the King dying from something might make it a lot trickier to bulldoze through this.
‘Hmm, maybe I should look for something healthy to eat.’
Honestly, it wasn’t a matter of life and death, so I could afford to think it over some more. If necessary, I could capture someone from the Duke Faction or the Salvation Society and torture them.
There was no helping it. I’d have to wait for a chance to meet later.
“Then I’ll be off. Take care.”
Porisco looked at her with a worried expression as she left. A look that hoped she wouldn’t cause any incidents.
Considering he was the one that got into all sorts of trouble himself.
As Ghislaine left, she stole a glance at where Rosalyn was.
She was surrounded by noble young ladies, proudly showing off her bracelet. It looked like the happiest she had ever been.
Ghislaine sighed a bitter smile and approached Meriel, giving her a bracelet and whispering quietly.
“Keep this a secret. Tell Rosalyn it’s just from her. Hide it well.”
With bright laughter, Meriel hid the bracelet carefully. It seemed she would have to stick to wearing dresses with wide sleeves for a while.
She had always been the one to cheer on Rosalyn.
*
After hearing the news from the Duke’s faction, Raoul wore a somber expression.
All four legions had been annihilated. It was just like getting hit by the Northern Army.
Recalling the war process detailed in the report, he displayed shock for the first time.
“Count Penris…”
Incredible. How could one person fight this fiercely?
He knew Penris was exceptional, which was why he used superhumans as bait.
He pushed the kingdom’s army aside, anticipating that Ghislaine would return and the 2nd Corps would lose, leading him to split the legions.
He didn’t want the oversized Northern Army to engage fully.
That’s how he attempted to seize the capital swiftly and capture the King. As long as he achieved his goal, he wouldn’t care about losing the other legions.
But to have lost to Count Penris entirely…
“No matter how I think about it, it makes no sense… How can such mobility be displayed?”
Even reports seemed unbelievable. A military disguised as Count Penris showed up everywhere.
The advisors maintained a silent demeanor. They could hardly understand either.
“We should have killed him back then.”
He should have taken him out when they met at the banquet long ago. No matter the cost.
Underestimating him as just a rather excellent young man was a massive mistake. It turned out to be a creature beyond imagination.
In the heavy atmosphere, Gathros spoke up.
“In the past, the ‘Shadows’ blocked us, and now Count Penris stands in our way. Truly, the royal family’s lifeline is surprisingly tenacious.”
Raoul glanced at Gathros. Back then, Raoul was young and not in a position to command political affairs.
So, he only had a general idea of the situation.
“I believe we failed due to being overly cautious. We should have simply pushed forward.”
“It’s okay. Were you not holding your breath, fearing the Shadow Knight Group’s leader might still be alive? The losses from that time were too great, and we needed to regain our strength.”
The Salvation Society had been lurking throughout the continent for a long time. After lying low for so long, the first place they moved was right here in the Ruthania Kingdom.
“And it’s also the place where they tasted failure right at the start.”
The Salvation Society had known there existed a group called the Shadow Knight Group in Ruthania. Despite their thorough preparations, they had still lost.
Thus, the Salvation Society bore great fear of the Shadow Knight Group leader. Both Gathros and Melchior felt the same way.
“Just how strong is he…?”
Raoul could not comprehend it. No matter how strong someone was, they were just one person. Yet, they were terrified enough that they’d held their breath for over a decade, desperately searching for his whereabouts.
Only once they were certain he had truly vanished did they prepare to take back the kingdom.
Raoul was indeed aware that numerous high priests of the Salvation Society had been wiped out. Therefore, it put him on edge too.
But look, as they held back and wasted time, a monster like Count Penris was born.
That regret kept echoing around in his mind.
“It seems we’ve been too frugal with our power. We should have initiated the war sooner, even if it meant some risk.”
“That’s not true. The Forest of Monsters is a dangerous place. If the Forest of Monsters is indeed the sanctuary we seek, would not the guardians be protecting it? The decision to conserve our power back then was not incorrect.”
Gathros nodded a few times as if agreeing and continued, “Also, we needed to keep our identity hidden. So, we didn’t participate back then. We merely faced an unexpected variable named Count Penris. We can’t know everything.”
Having failed once, they aimed to seize the kingdom safely. After all, waiting was an easy thing for them.
Gathros spread his arms wide and smiled. “It’s better than before. Look, can you feel the divine energy steadily rising in the world? Ultimately, we shall prevail.”
“……”
Raoul could say nothing. Honestly, he felt nothing.
Yet, he could not deny it. The speed at which the rift was opening was indeed accelerating, and the number of high priests in the Salvation Society was increasing as well.
So there seemed to be something he couldn’t feel.
Gathros, with burning eyes of desire, continued, “We must soon find the ‘King.’ If we can find him, we can realize our wishes quicker.”
Raoul cautiously posed a question. “What if we poured all our strength into seeking that ‘King’ instead?”
“That would not do. Even if we find the King, without the ‘sacred relic,’ we cannot fulfill our desires. Thus, we must conquer the Ruthania royal family first.”
“……”
Raoul furrowed his brow slightly. He had no idea what the ‘sacred relic’ meant or what it was for.
Ultimately, he shook his head, as if giving up. “I hope it’ll be found somewhere soon.”
As far as he knew, there wasn’t just one sacred relic. Priests of the Salvation Society were also moving to search for the relics in other kingdoms.
They needed just one from anywhere. Then they could enter the ‘sanctuary.’
The only reason Gathros had come to Ruthania was that he was sure one of the relics was located there.
Raoul was also hoping they’d find the relic soon. Not for the Salvation Society, but because he couldn’t endure this suffocating situation.
‘It’s the only way to get this madness to end quickly.’
With their focus fixed on finding relics, they faced limitations when it came to strategizing. It had happened again.
If their goal was the royal family, they would have slowly expanded their territory.
Because of the Salvation Society’s bizarre stubbornness, they had no choice but to adopt such a strange strategy. Therefore, all Raoul wanted was to put a swift end to this religious farce.
To do that, they needed to find the sacred relic quickly.
“Other kingdoms are also in trouble now.”
As the priests of the Salvation Society flocked toward Ruthania, the number of places they could move elsewhere naturally dwindled.
On top of that, another troublesome matter had recently arisen.
“A strange necromancer is causing a stir. Apparently, he’s capturing priests to experiment on.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard the news. Truly an impious fellow.”
At first, they believed he was an enemy of the Salvation Society. But that man was targeting not just the Society but the kingdom’s people indiscriminately.
He was merely a madman taking advantage of the chaos to fulfill his desires. Yet this madman was surprisingly strong.
Capturing superhumans from the Salvation Society to conduct experiments—how absurd.
Gathros spoke with a gaze full of concern. “We sent Aiden, so it will be resolved.”
“It’s a pity he hasn’t been deployed in this war.”
Aiden the Executor was incredibly strong. Even Count Kayen Valjack, the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword, recognized him.
Yet they had to send him away due to some lunatic.
Gathros nodded as if in agreement. “There was no choice. We can’t let the other side get out of hand either.”
The Duke’s faction felt that this war could be sufficed with just the high priests. After all, they had lured away Count Penris.
But that strategy had completely failed. Hence, the absence of the battle-hardened Executor Aiden was sorely missed.
Yet Gathros had no regrets about sending Aiden.
“Even if we conquer the Ruthania Kingdom, once all the kingdoms and factions get their act together and come here, it will become difficult. So we must keep watching the other kingdoms carefully.”
Until they find the sacred relic and fulfill their objectives, they must maintain a delicate balance.
That’s why an exceptional candidate like Aiden had to be on the move.
Raoul also agreed with that sentiment. They still had high priests left on this side.
They now had time to reconsider how to lead the war.
“We still have sufficient troops. However, Count Penris and the Northern Army are stronger than expected. I heard a new superhuman has also joined.”
“I’ve heard the report. We too must prepare accordingly.”
“Yes, to minimize damage as much as possible…”
While Raoul and Gathros were deep in thought, suddenly, the conference room door burst open.
Raoul was startled upon seeing who entered.
“Count Valjack.”
The man with the momentum of a lion and the stature of a tower was none other than Count Kayen Valjack, the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword.
He looked at Raoul with a blank expression and spoke.
“Baron Joseph, there’s no need to think anymore. Give up on minimizing damage.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wasn’t it all messed up due to Count Penris in the first place? Gather all the remaining troops and inform the vassals. I will take command of the Southern Army. The Emperor’s orders have already been given.”
“Are you serious…?”
“Yes, I will move directly to seize the capital. And…”
Kayen’s eyes gleamed ominously as he broke into a fierce smile.
“I’ll wipe out the Northern Army too.”
