CH 58

Chapter 58 Voice(1)

Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae

“Our emperor who came down in human form.”

“Our emperor who filled the glasses with the blood of our enemies and their flesh.”

“Our emperor who is our beacon of hope, even through death.”

Amongst the screams and rising smoke, Rieto was on his knees, citing prayer after prayer without skipping a beat.

It felt uncomfortable for those listening, to hear three similar voices come from a single mouth.

Camille could feel an inscrutable itch inside her. However, unlike her inner feelings, her energy level was starting to feel better.

‘So this is the emperor’s grace………’

It was different to the power of the ‘grace’ that was bestowed upon her during her Paladin ceremony. Common ‘graces’ like stronger physical and mental fortitude, and a few magical ‘graces’ were given upon being made a Paladin.

For more,

Dilmond moaned as a powerful shock hit his shield.

Ethan tried to get through his shield with powerful strikes.

Even though Dilmond had never been lazy in his training, he could not help but feel Ethan’s powerful strength a bit frightening.

Dilmond bitterly resented the strength and ‘grace’ that Ethan was blessed with. But still, he never thought that he would fail his assignment. He heard a voice from behind that he’d waited for.

“Knights, forward!”

With Anya’s voice, the undead knights revealed themselves. They had been waiting for the Paladins that had been burning in the alleyway to move towards the back of the group.

As the undead knights revealed themselves, a cold air swept through the area, while a burning heat existed behind the Paladins. Ethan looked at the undead knights and smiled.

“Although we were the ones that had killed them, it seems like they ate each other’s eyes and flesh. No wonder you lot are called ravens.”

“Well I’ll be happy to rip and eat that smile off your face.”

With his undead knights, Dilmond charged forward.

*****

“Anya, can you tell me the current state of the fight?”

Juan asked Anya what the situation was like. Having just slain a Paladin knight, she was wearing blood all over herself. Tiredness had engulfed her face as well.

“Someone of bishop class is raining down a blessing to the Paladins in the city. The only Bishops close by would be…..Bishop Karl and Rieto, but there’s no way that pig Karl would put himself in danger, so it’s most likely Rieto. There was talks of him coming to get something from Hiveden as well.”

“Yeah, he was coming to get the indeterminate polyhydron. So that’s the bastard that’s keeping these Paladins alive.”

“Yes. This couldn’t be achieved with any ordinary ‘grace’. Especially as burns are normally hard to recover from but if its bishop level……”

[Anya, Juan.]

They could suddenly hear a voice inside their heads. It was Lars.

[I’m sending you voices created in my head. I apologise if you’ve found it unpleasant. I’m heading there now.]

“Huh? What are you saying! No!”

Anya shouted in panic. Lars replied as if he could hear what they were saying.

[I’ve got a grasp of what’s happening. And the sun is up, so like me, the undead knights won’t be at their full strength. I have to join in order to turn the situation around.]

“Stay still Lars. You’ll only create more worry for the rest of us.”

[Juan.]

“I said no.”

[My knights, my friends are dying. I can’t just stay put.]

“You’re already plenty useful by summoning the undead knights. If you continue to argue, Anya will come and break your legs.”

Juan replied with a crude feeling.

Lars had already used too much of his negative energy. If he’d use more strength in his current state, there was a high possibility that the indeterminate polyhydron wouldn’t be enough to keep his sanity.

“You’re the only one who can summon and control the undead knights. Anya can only control the knights that are summoned. If you die here, the undead knights will disappear and the hugin knights will be no more. Is that what you want?”

[………..]

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”

Juan turned towards Anya.

“Anya, so let me be clear. If I can kill this bishop, then this godforsaken situation can be won, right?”

“Uh, yes. Of course. But there’ll be paladins guarding this bishop, and he’ll be blessing himself with the same ‘grace’ as well. It’d be almost impossible to kill………..”

“I still have to try. Meanwhile, stop Lars from joining the fight.”

As Juan faced towards the Paladin camp outside the city, he turned around.

Before he left, he stopped and looked at Anya. Anya’s pupils were wet with anxiety. Juan said to Anya as if he was trying to calm her down.

“Don’t die.”

*****

Sina’s face darkened seeing Bishop Rieto furiously continue his prayer.

Asking for the emperor’s power to kill the emperor’s people.

The Paladins were slaughtering civilians and destroying Hiveden.

It was hard for Sina to stay still while she watched on, but she couldn’t do much as her body had been restrained tight.

“Camille!”

Sina shouted to Camille who was standing next to bishop Rieto, guarding him. Camille glanced towards her. Her expression faltered upon seeing Sina’s fierce eyes.

“Is this what you want? To help instigate a slaughter? Do you think the emperor would have stood for this?”

“We are not the emperor.”

Camille replied with a stern face.

“We are not great like him. We cannot think the same way as him. We are only but listening to his words, spreading his worth across the empire.”

“You’re spreading his worth by killing unarmed civilians?”

“Eliminating his enemies is a part of it. We are the emperor’s spear, so it can’t be helped that we are viewed in that light.”

“Instead of pointing your weapon at the innocent weak, couldn’t you stop other swords that need to be stopped? Wouldn’t that be closer to what you are trying to achieve?”

Camille declined to reply. Her lips were tightly squeezed and she avoided Sina’s eyes.

She of course knew full well that these actions were wrong and that Sina’s words were completely right.

However, having spent all those years as a member of the White crow knights, she felt like it was her duty to go against her feelings.

Like Ethan said, maybe the only way to truly escape from their shackles as White crow knights was to kill Lars.

At least for today, Camille decided to throw away any sentiments.

And at that precise moment, Bishop Rieto’s prayers suddenly stopped.

Upon looking, Camille noticed a trembling Bishop Rieto as he looked somewhere towards the east.

His face was distorted in anger and confusion.