25. The Devil Proposes (3)
Cadenza spoke to the Holy Emperor again with a straight face.
“Rather than that, the reason I have urgently requested an audience with His Holiness is because I have urgent matters to discuss.”
Seonghwang turned his head at his urgent tone.
There was a scroll there.
The scroll depicted a man holding a sword to the neck of a huge dragon.
George.
The sword he was holding was the holy sword Ascalon.
“Is this the work of Ascalon?”
“yes.”
Seonghwang closed the curtain.
This was not Seonghwangcheong. I was more concerned about security.
“Tell me.”
“Ziek van Holwitsch. “He has awakened his aura.”
“I heard the report, but… is it true?”
“I saw it firsthand.”
Seonghwang was surprised and looked straight at Cadenza. Oridon helped with the cadenza.
“It’s real. he is.”
“Lord Hollywhig. and Lord Holypeach. “Do you know how important the story you two are talking about?”
Cadenza answered immediately.
“Do you think the Zodiac Knight would lie to His Holiness?”
“However… none of the oracles say that the 4th generation will be able to use Aura.”
“Your Holiness, I believe that his very existence is an oracle.”
Seonghwang let out a short groan.
Those were such scary words.
God sent a special hero.
In 666 centuries, such a thing has only happened once.
It was he, St. Georg, the first warrior.
“A hero who uses aura. “If he really has that kind of power… then things are going to go exactly as you thought.”
“The Zodiac Knights
will be reorganized around him. Ascaron comes to the forefront of the Imperial Palace and prepares for war against the devil.”
“I am afraid.”
“I trust that your Holiness will make a wise choice.”
Cadenza bowed his head and opened his mouth again.
“For that purpose, Your Holiness, please allow me to do one thing.”
“Permission. “What do you mean?”
“Who sent the Holy Knights guarding the outskirts back to Noi Ekan?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“We need their necks.”
“Amo?”
“I’ll give it to Bear Zeke.”
“It’s too terrible to be a joke.”
“I can roughly guess who it is. I don’t want to kill innocent people. “Your Holiness please speak.”
“I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Zeke is a true warrior. We need to convince
him that
we are just before he is disappointed by the
bureaucratic high-ranking clergy of the Holy Imperial Office
. “If we miss this opportunity, Zeke will truly be leaving us.”
Cadenza told Seonghwang everything that had happened in Sieg and Neuekan.
Of course, it was completely different from the story told by several cardinals and high-ranking paladins.
After hearing the whole story, Seonghwang slowly nodded.
“I know what you’re talking about. There were three people who led that work. “Cardinal Ruhr and the two paladins who serve him.”
“also. All right.”
“Are you really planning to kill me?”
Cadenza nodded with a stern expression.
“The Zodiac Knights are the twelve constellations that protect Seonghwangcheong. “It is a meteor that can cut down anything for the sake of justice.”
He saluted politely and left the temporary castle imperial palace. Oridon often followed his companion at a fast pace.
Seonghwang watched the backs of Cadenza and Oridon for a long time.
“Lord, please say just one word. “ My
soul will soon be healed.”
He folded his hands and lowered his head, but he still couldn’t hear anything.
As has been the case for the past 80 years.
A crossroads appeared.
Zeke looked at the two paths in front of him one after another.
Northeast pipeline to Zoryx.
and the southeastern pipeline to Acoma.
Vice Mayor Segetsu
didn’t say anything in the end. They were just repeating the words, “Let’s have an audience with His Holiness.”
There was nothing I could do in Acoma unless I knew about them.
I briefly thought about meeting my younger siblings.
However, he could not abandon Joryx Castle and go to Acoma Castle just because he wanted to meet his younger brother.
I looked towards Joryx Castle.
Then Akoma Castle came again.
The corpses of countless Paladins still
appeared in my dreams.
If they go to Joryx Castle like this, who will be able to protect their honor?
“Are you still worried?”
“Yes, Deus.”
“Then should we at least torture them to find out?”
Segetsu let out a dry laugh.
“Haha, a joke…
“A joke? what is that? This body is major and torture. “The thrill of tormenting weak people and making them reveal secrets is the best.”
“No matter how much you want to have Duke Zeke
all to yourself, you must not create a rift with Seonghwangcheong.”
“How can finding the truth be a problem?”
“I really wish you would. “Because I can think of everything so simply.”
“Maybe you’re too complicated.”
While the two were arguing, Sieg was sitting in the coachman’s passenger seat, looking at the two roads alternately.
At that time, two knights riding on four horses were seen running at high speed from the direction of Acoma.
A cloud of dust rose from the horizon and
quickly approached the distance where a face could be recognized.
Scatul said, opening the carriage window.
“This is Cadenza and Oridon.”
“Did you go to Acoma?”
Deus tilted his head.
The sound of the horses’ hooves made a loud noise, and then Cadenza said hello to Zeke.
“What happened to your visit to Neuekan?”
Zeke’s expression darkened.
Deus opened the carriage window and
stuck his head out.
“Why are you asking this even though you know? “It’s obvious.”
“Is it also annihilated?”
“I don’t know, if you search the entire mountain, you might find at least one alive one. “First of all, there wasn’t a single human left near Neuekan.”
Zeke looked at Cadenza with a stern expression.
“Mr. Cadenza.”
“You don’t look good. “You seem to be in a lot of pain.”
“Mr. Cadenza, you have a
high status in the Imperial Palace, right?”
“The Zodiac Knights are a unit under His Holiness Seonghwang’s direct command. However, even if it is successful, you cannot give orders unilaterally. There is only one thing we serve: the Lord. His justice determines everything.”
“Was it justice to send the Outer Paladins back to Neuekan?”
“no.”
“Then please teach me. “Who gave that order?”
Cadenza didn’t answer right away and
looked into Zeke’s earnest eyes.
“What do you plan to do when you find out who it is?”
“I…
Deus struck.
“Of course we have to chop it up and make it into dumplings.”
Cadenza ignored Deus’ words and asked Zeke again.
“What is your definition? Zeke. How about it? “Can you cut down someone you consider evil, even if he or she is human?”
There was no wavering in Zeke’s eyes.
“It will ring. If it is evil!”
“Some argue that good and evil are relative.”
“Having hundreds of lives lost in vain cannot be a relative good under any circumstances. “It is absolutely evil.”
Cadenza closed his eyes and opened them again.
“Cardinal Lulua and two Arch Templars. This is what they did.”
Segetsu shouted in surprise.
“Cadenza! Why that…
“They are evil even by my standards. The precious army of God was sent back to the rough terrain just for the sake of losing face .
Even though the possibility of not returning alive was much greater. What benefit would that have for our humanity, for God’s lost sheep? “I just don’t know.”
The deputy mayor bowed his head.
I vaguely decided to keep it a secret because I wanted to protect the Holy Emperor, but I had nothing to say in response to Ca Denza’s heavy words.
He was young and capable, but he was also a man within the boundaries of power. I had no
choice but to think and judge ‘politically’
.
And because the words were spoken by the politically more influential and powerful Zodiac Knight, they felt even more weighty.
Cadenza said.
“It is God’s providence that evil is destroyed. Even if it is a human being, there can be no exception. Isn’t it? Jik.”
“Cardinal Louris. “I will go see him.”
Zeke clenched his fists.
At that time, Cadenza
opened the sack tied to the horse’s waist and turned it over.
“There is no need for that. “The reason Sir Oridon and I went to Acoma is to destroy evil.”
Three heads tumbled down.
Their blood was still thick and their eyes were wide open as if they did not understand the reason for death.
Zeke looked down at the three people on the floor.
There was no need to ask for identity. They would be Lulu and his two knights.
Suddenly tears burst out.
“Mr. Cadenza.”
“yes.”
“Are we, the warriors, going on the right path?”
“of course.”
“Thank you.”
“you’re welcome. You are still young. Now you have greater abilities than me, but you are still young. Besides, you are only a B-class hero. “If you touch a high-ranking person like a cardinal, the harm will extend to your family.”
“So Mr. Cadenza himself…
“It’s not that big of a deal. Then, Mr. Zeke, shall we go back to Joryx Castle? “Hasn’t the matter there been concluded yet?”
“yes!”
Zeke bowed his head deeply to Cadenza and Oridon.
I would be lying if I said I felt refreshed.
Still, I felt like I could put an end to it.
Segetsu borrowed a horse from there and left for Acoma.
I expressed my gratitude several times to Zeke and the other two paladins.
Zeke also expressed his gratitude to Segetz. Thanks to that, we were able to find out the last of the Holy Knights on the outskirts of Neuekan.
It took about ten days to reach Joryx Castle by carriage.
That was also when the state of Guando was perfect.
From the first day, Zeke and the Zodiac Knights faced countless monsters.
With the support of Skatul and Sadimus Laque, the three warriors
defeated the monsters one after another.
From those as strong as dragons to those who attack in numbers like insects.
Zeke gained a lot of experience while fighting all kinds of monsters.
Cadenza was even more surprised to see Zeke like that.
Zeke’s growth could not be explained by simply gaining an aura and increasing his combat power.
Scatul’s education and accumulated experience have led to explosive improvement in capabilities, but the current level of growth has infinitely exceeded predictions.
Cadenza had the experience of competing with Zeke once not long ago.
However, the Zeke of today is not the same person as he was back then.
The evening after a fierce battle.
We selected monsters that could be used as food and hung their meat on the bonfire.
Whether Zeke used the aura or was selected as a candidate for the Zodiac Night was of little importance to Deus.
Because Zeke’s true value is revealed at this time.
“I found wild garlic. “ The meat
will be delicious today.”
“what is that? Are you going to eat it?”
“It’s a type of spice. “It tastes better when aged in soy sauce, but wrapping the meat and grilling it will also enhance the flavor.”
“try. “I’ll give you a taste.”
Yulgeum nudged Deus’ side.
“Please do it, I have to do it. “I always told you to be nice to the person who cooks for you.”
“But doesn’t the damn woman go home? “Aren’t you busy?”
“I do work whenever I can. Anyway, all I have to do is look at the documents, stamp them, and it’s done.”
“You sound like a high-ranking government official.”
“It’s not that different.”