Chapter 300: 158. Yet Another King -1 (Part Two)
Chapter 300: 158. Yet Another King -1 (Part Two)
Translated by A Passing Wanderer
Edited by RED
**
Five days passed by after we dealt with Duran and his gang.
Under Tina’s command, the Necromancers quickly took action. They absorbed life force from various livestock, not human but actual animals, and summoned skeletons to immediately start working on reconstructing the royal palace as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“These men dared to rebel against our Queen Tina!”
The survivors among the rebelling feudal lords were dragged out into the city’s main plaza, before being placed on the guillotine.
“W-wait! We were just...!”
“We were only listening to Rehton’s...!”
“Execute them!”
The guillotine’s blade mercilessly came down and chopped their heads off. The citizens angrily kicked the severed heads around or spat at the corpses.
As for me, I was sitting on a hastily-constructed throne located in the wrecked audience chamber of the palace. Its wall still had a gaping hole, and a rather pleasant breeze was blowing inside.
I was receiving the reports on the current situation of Aslan while enjoying the fresh air. “Hmm. The punishment of Queen Tina, is it...”
Sure, the coup d’etat was initiated by Rehton and the feudal lords, but Tina was ‘at fault’ for failing to prevent it in the first place. And it was now my job to decide what her punishment would be.
Her getting stripped of her throne was obvious, but she still needed to be further punished somehow. Her guilt in this case was rather large, but she was Aslan royalty, so that should count favourably for her.
“What should I do?”
While I was stuck in the dilemma trying to decide on Tina’s punishment, I got a peek into Rahamma’s vision being shared with me. I had summoned him earlier, and he was currently sitting on one of the World Tree’s roots along with Tina.
He was solemnly maintaining his silence, although Tina, in his embrace, was busy weaving some flowers together to create a wreath to decorate his skull.
Plenty of awkward air was wafting around between the father and daughter, but Tina seemed to be genuinely happy, so I decided to let them be together for a little while longer.
“...I’m tired.”
Summoning King Rahamma for even a short period of time exhausted a lot of my divinity. I had to shake my head hard at the dizziness creeping up on me.
I then summoned a certain item from the item window, a golden bangle. This was the treasured tool of the very first Holy Emperor, Ordin Olfolse.
The cracked parts had been completely repaired by now. I wondered if it was possible for me to use it right away.
“I should ask Hans about it later.”
I might end up breaking it again if I carelessly used it in the wrong manner.
While I was thinking about that, the doorway to the royal audience chamber was urgently pushed open, and Charlotte, her face quite pale, ran up to me. “Your Majesty-!”
I was startled by her voice, and quickly looked back at her. It was so rare to see her get so flustered.
Could it be that she had learned something new about the army of blood that was supposed to be marching towards the Aslan capital?
If so, that would certainly complicate the matters a great deal.
It was already taxing enough to get a handle on this place’s situation after dealing with Duke Duran’s matters. But now, we also had to defend against the army of blood, too?
I stood up from the throne. “Is it the army of blood?”
Charlotte nodded and started to reply, but she still seemed to be in a fluster, because she ended up stuttering a little, “T-those bastards have reached our capital, Your Majesty.”
I massaged my temples.
‘These damn vampire bastards, they just don’t want to give me some time to rest, now do they?’
They were getting their butts whooped every single time, so why were they still throwing tantrums like this?
Now I needed to get ready to mobilise the twenty thousand troops on standby. But what Charlotte said next made me freeze up on the spot.
She stared at me with trembling eyes and reported, “...They have attacked Laurensis, the capital of our Theocratic Empire, Your Majesty!”
I had no choice but to freeze up at that report.
**
Inside the audience chamber of the Holy Emperor...
Holy Emperor Kelt Olfolse had put on a set of radiant golden armour.
“Your Majesty. You look truly dependable, sire!”
Oscal Baldur the Sword King, kitted out in a similar set of golden armour, bowed deeply as he addressed his emperor.
There was a look of satisfaction written all over Oscal’s face.
He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that one day he’d get to witness the Holy Emperor put on his golden suit of armour once more.
Kelt glanced at Oscal for a bit before guffawing, “Is that so? It certainly has been a while since I last put this on for something serious.”
Unlike these two nonchalant old men, Raphael, standing next to them, was groaning under his breath. “...Your Majesty, may I remind you that our enemies are at our doorstep?”
“I know that already. You have told me that dozens of times by now, Raphael. However, I’m still curious. How did these bastards get this far?” Kelt shifted his puzzled gaze over to Raphael.
“A demonic beast from Hell dug a passageway underground, Your Majesty.”
“Oh-hoh! A demonic beast from Hell, is it? That sounds rather interesting. But they didn’t dig into the capital itself?”
Raphael bowed his head. “...I assume they were wary of being found out by Your Majesty’s senses. Just one mistake would have resulted in them being buried alive, after all.”
“Mm, you’re right about that. But they sure sucker-punched me real good on this one. To think that the commotion down in Aslan was nothing but bait. The vampire who planned this whole thing out, that bastard will be a rather cumbersome opponent, indeed.”
After listening to Cardinal Raphael’s report, Kelt began loosening his neck, then picked up his trusty warhammer resting against his throne. Its huge hammer head left the hilt looking comparatively puny.
“However, that bastard is also rather cocky, isn’t he? Not targeting my grandson but me, instead.”
Kelt slung his massive warhammer over his shoulder easily.
He was none other than Kelt Olfolse, the strongest Holy Emperor in history, and the founder of the Order of the Golden Cross. Such a man was now taking a step forward towards his next great deed.
“This is my first time stepping onto a battlefield after the war in Aslan. But I didn’t even need to put on my armour back then,” the Holy Emperor muttered to himself, as he started walking down the crimson carpet.
—
His group left the audience chamber and walked down the Imperial Palace’s corridors. They arrived on the highest balcony located on the palace’s top floor.
Kelt rested his hand on the railing and stared in some amazement at the skies above a valley far, far beyond the outer walls of the capital of Laurensis. “Hmm. The morning sun, it... has vanished.”
Crimson fog resembling storm clouds had spread all over the skies above. Kelt shifted his gaze and stared at the huge hole in the mountain range on the opposite side. That’s where the demonic beast of Hell was standing tall.
This monstrosity was at least fifteen metres high. Three angry-looking canine heads that resembled wolves were attached to the hulking body, seemingly burning in undying flames. Thick and viscous saliva dripped from those heads like molten lava.
It was Hell’s guardian, Cerberus!
Meanwhile, the royal guardian knights that answered only to the Vampire King, along with other vampire nobles and the lycans they had reared all strode out from the gaping chasm on the ground. It didn’t stop there, as an army with around fifty thousand low to mid-tier undead crawled out from the hole after them, too.
The undead continued to rise from the gap as if a gateway to Hell itself had opened up underground.
Kelt stared at this spectacle with an indifferent face, then asked, “What are the Crown Imperial Prince and Luan doing?”
“They have taken over command of the outer walls, Your Imperial Majesty. Also, the other territories have heard the news and are urgently mobilising their troops as well.”
“I see. Although my son is an idiot, he’s still good at fighting, so he should do a good job even if we let him be. Also, my grandson should be on his way now, after receiving this news.”
Holy Emperor Kelt shifted his gaze over to an individual standing right in front of Cerberus.
This figure had a ragged cloak flapping around his shoulders, while the body underneath was wrapped tightly in bandages. A dense crimson fog was circling around in his vicinity.
His muscular body was at least three metres tall. His lengthy crimson hair was whipping in the winds, and he was wielding a lengthy staff that almost matched his height.
It was the king of all vampires, King Vlandmir!
A trickle of cold sweat fell down Raphael’s face. Even though the vampire was doing nothing but simply standing there, the pressure emitted by his presence alone travelled such a vast distance to harshly prick at Raphael’s skin.
‘That bastard is the Vampire King that His Highness the Crown Imperial Prince mentioned...’
The existence referred to as the strongest Vampire King in history, ever...
Kelt stared at the Vampire King in the distance and was somewhat surprised. “Well, now... that’s quite unpleasant, isn’t it?” He then shook his head. “Raphael, it seems that I lack the qualification to be the Holy Emperor.”
Raphael glanced back at Emperor Kelt.
“I should be more concerned with the safety of my subjects, yet...” Kelt spun the warhammer in the air before pointing at the Vampire King. “...Yet, all I feel right now is sheer joy.”
Sparks suddenly jumped off from his body as his nearly-unstoppable power tried to erupt out of him.
A cruel smile slowly spread across Kelt’s face next. “After all, I suddenly find myself with an opportunity to collect the skull of a Vampire King before I die of old age!”
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