Episode 199
“Oops!”
The moment Tris’ sword, which had been withdrawn, flashed, a gust of wind swept through the center of the yard.
However, those who watched were more focused on the situation inside the dust kicked up by the gust of wind rather than on such an amazing miracle.
As the thick dust flew away, people simultaneously sighed.
“Oh my…”
“This can’t be right!”
Jerome has dropped his sword and is motionless, as if he has fainted.
What was even more surprising was that blood was flowing freely from the side of his head.
Those with sharp eyes noticed that it was coming from the fallen Jerome’s right eye.
That moment.
“dare!!”
Tris let out a thunderous roar and rushed like lightning along with the two superhumans next to him.
Unlike Jerome, who fell and couldn’t move, he looked towards Logan, who was standing unharmed, although he was holding his torn side.
Logan’s complexion instantly turned blue due to their flash of life.
“Where!!”
At the same time, I saw a giant screaming and running out.
No matter how much he looked at it, it only seemed a bit slow, so Logan gritted his teeth and changed the direction of his sword.
Has the emperor’s imperial pride been overlooked too much?
‘Even if I die, I’ll take at least one person with me!’
I forced myself to fight, fueled by a desire that I didn’t know was possible.
However, the power, which had already reached its lowest point, could not easily overcome its limits.
Quang!
At the same time that Luther Kyle was thrown back in vain by Tris’ attack, the two superhumans lightly subdued the exhausted Logan, grabbed his arms and legs, and threw him to the floor.
‘Damn the rain.’
Is this how I die?
So vain?
As he bit his lip until it bled, a strong impact hit his head.
thud.
“Bwak!”
Tris steps on Logan’s head.
He quietly aimed his sword.
“Pay with your life for harming the people of the empire.”
That’s when a cold voice pierced Logan’s ears.
“What are you doing now?”
A quiet but subtle voice captured the audience’s attention.
As if drawn by an unknown force, the eyes of everyone in the same space automatically turned to the head of the table where the voice was heard.
And Triss, who saw the emperor’s slightly frowning face, immediately knelt down on the spot.
“Your Majesty. This is someone who dared to harm a talented person of the empire in front of your eyes. You must put him to death and establish the authority of your Majesty and the empire.”
“It was something I told you to do, so you punish me because the results are unsavory? You’re making a mockery of me.”
Surprisingly, the emperor’s cold voice was instead directed at Triss.
At that moment, Tris’ face turned pale, she raised her head in surprise and hit her forehead on the floor again.
“I am absolutely not! Your Majesty, I just do it for the sake of the empire…”
“I am the empire and the empire is me. But you refuse my orders and serve me?”
A tone that feels emotionless.
Tris trembled at those words and slammed her head into the floor of the main hall one after another.
bang. bang.
His face was soaked with blood flowing from his broken forehead, as if he had not protected himself with the Force.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I couldn’t understand Your Majesty’s intentions and dared to do something presumptuous.”
Tris raised her head and shouted loudly.
“I beg you to plead guilty!”
“I beg you to plead guilty!”
The superhumans who followed him and subdued Logan also bowed down all at once.
Luther Kyle, who was about to run away in a fit of convulsions at the embarrassing sight, froze, and Logan also made a blank expression.
The emperor’s calm tone continued.
“Hmm. Still, you realized your crime in time, so we decided to punish you considering your contribution to the empire throughout your life.”
Logan came to his senses a little at the gentle words.
‘I’ll show you as expected.’
Such a thought naturally appeared in Logan’s mind, but the Emperor’s words that followed were completely different from his thoughts.
“Tris, you will forfeit your position as leader of the Imperial Knights and your title will be demoted. Runus Fabian. Same goes for you two.”
It was an unintentional protest, and in some ways, it was too much of a punishment for an action that could be seen as a favor to the emperor.
‘What is this?’
Logan looks around, wondering if he’s the only one feeling strange right now.
“Thank you for your generosity!”
Rather, the superhumans once again bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the emperor.
No regrets whatsoever.
At least that’s certainly what their faces looked like on the outside.
‘No matter how strong the authority of the monarch is, they treat superhumans like this…’ As
Logan watched the situation with dumbfounded eyes, the emperor’s eyes turned to him.
The brilliance of the black eyes that strangely caught my attention from the beginning.
I wondered if I could see that shine again.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s an accident that can happen in a fight between warriors. I won’t hold you guilty about this. Rather, I was impressed by the bravery of Logan McLane, a young hero with a force that goes beyond common sense. He declared his victory and gave it a fitting award. “I would like to give you compensation.”
“Oh oh!”
The gathered ministers seemed to be particularly cheering, as if trying to erase the disgraceful behavior of the superhumans that had just occurred.
and.
“Logan McLane, young hero of Grandia. Swear your allegiance to me, and I will promise you greater power and wealth than anything you can imagine in that small kingdom.”
Even Logan could not speak for a while due to the emperor’s unexpected words and could only remain frozen in silence.
– Whatever you imagine, I will give you more.
The words alone are already an unimaginable proposition.
Logan also had no choice but to be tempted.
There is no way the emperor would spout lies in front of so many subjects.
‘If I just nod my head here, the danger to me and my family will disappear.’
After going back in time, the biggest goal was to achieve the safety of the family.
But….
‘The moment I become naturalized, I will have to stand at the forefront of the war to conquer the empire. To prove your worth. I must attack my hometown…’
It was better to give up the expectation that a war of conquest would not occur.
Even if he didn’t bother to confirm the rumors he had heard in his past life, the emperor’s black eyes were full of greed.
Even though it was directed at him now, it was a look in his eyes that clearly showed the inclination of a person who had never had to compromise anything in his life.
‘I’m not one to listen to what others say.’
And his boiling heart was also a problem.
As soon as I imagined bowing my head quietly for my family, the memories welling up were screaming at me to reject the easy choice.
– Wouldn’t it be okay to just adapt and live? What is the difference between the tyranny of the nobles of a rotten kingdom and the oppression of an empire?
– I’ll give you a clear answer. Still, there is a difference between those who see people as people and those who see them as objects.
– I will die to live as a man!
Louis Highon.
The values pursued by the current swordsman’s right-hand man and the leader of the Grandia Liberation Front in his past life.
At the time, I was only burning with revenge, and I could only hear it with one ear and pass it by, but most of my comrades sympathized with that ideology and sacrificed their lives to live as human beings according to those words.
‘Cathy Lyman Trey….’
Dozens of names of comrades who died like that came to mind at first glance.
These people are now living under their own family or as wild people somewhere.
Force users and mana users could become second-class subjects of the empire and be treated according to their abilities, but they refused to do so.
Even though I was not able to treat him kindly because I was half crazy, the final moments of those who were considered my colleagues came back to me one by one in my memory.
In addition, the refugees of Grandia were dragged into the center of the empire, bundled up like fish in a seaside city.
The country is completely devastated by the scars of war.
‘In my past life, I didn’t fight for ideals like them.’
And now it was something that hadn’t happened yet.
He had never thought that his love for his kingdom and his people was so great.
‘But…’
The memory of my past life, where I fought only with anger, has not yet forgotten that anger.
No, I couldn’t forget it.
You can call it stupid.
It doesn’t matter if it seems stupid.
As long as he couldn’t forget the resentment he had accumulated in his past life, he couldn’t choose the easy path.
Even if the end is destruction.
‘I just have to protect my clan and my family with my own strength!’
so.
“Thank you very much for the generous offer, Your Majesty. However, as a citizen of Grandia to my core, I cannot serve the monarch of a foreign country. I would appreciate it if you could understand with a generous heart.”
A gasping sound seemed to come from somewhere around me.
The emperor’s complexion also hardened slightly.
“Huh. I could give you a territory the size of the Kingdom of Grandia, or I could give you more wealth than the entire kingdom. Is this an answer you gave with a clear understanding?”
Huh!
Sounds of sighing in vain were heard one after another from all over Daejeon.
Proof that this unconventional attitude shown by the emperor is not common.
But Logan’s face did not waver.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I will never forget the grace you gave me.”
Just politely kneel down on one knee and bow your head.
I thought that if the emperor had respect, he wouldn’t take it any further than this.
“Huh… heh heh. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! It’s been a long time since I experienced this. Yes, but that makes me crave it even more.”
what?
“Well, I saw a wonderful sight, so that’s it for today. You should stay in the imperial palace a little longer. Once you experience the empire a little more and find out what you can enjoy, your mind will also change.”
Murmur.
The emperor’s unconventional proposal was not over yet.
I felt something ominous, but I couldn’t say no here.
“…Thank you for your grace.”
“Good. Call the bishop and heal Jerome and the guests! And enjoy the beginning of the festival! Let my guests know about the riches of the empire!”
“I will follow your orders!”
The chaos of Daejeon came to an end with loud cheers.
* * *
“I am Plantas, Ageron’s servant. It is an honor to meet you.”
An elderly priestess who looked somewhat pale placed her hands together in front of Logan.
Although he was dressed rather plainly to be considered a priest of Ageron, the god of gold and commerce, the second rank of the Nine Great Gods, his status was evident just by the long, high magistrate on his head.
“No. It is an honor for me to meet you, Bishop. The injury is not that serious, but it is causing inconvenience.”
“You don’t have to feel burdened, brother, as you have received a worthy reward from the Emperor.”
Bishop Plantas grinned as he answered like the bishop of Ageron.
It would have been a huge price to pay to call the Bishop of the Nine High Priestesses, who was not a high-ranking priest, to treat a simple wound, but there was no need for Logan to worry about that.
‘It’s probably not because of me that called the bishop.’
So, naturally, I was curious about the results.
“What about Sir Jerome, Bishop?”
“Ah, Sir Jerome, who fought the duel, unfortunately could not recover his right eye.”
“yes?!”
Pretend to be surprised.
Plantas smiled bitterly at that.
“Auror users tend to have difficulty dealing with divine power due to their powerful energy, but Sir Jerome’s injuries were strangely not healed. It’s probably all because of my shortcomings.”
Those words made my fists grow stronger.
The flame cut through them. It was confirmed once again that the final stab with the vision of splitting the supernatural ability had inflicted a fatal wound on the future monster.
Logan was cheering on the inside, but On the outside, he sighed,
“…It’s a shame. So the bishop’s expression…”
“Your Majesty didn’t seem to mind much, but Sir Jerome… Well, this isn’t what I’m talking about. “I’ll take a look at your wounds, brother.”
“Oh, my injuries aren’t that big…”
“No. Be careful of injuries caused by auras. Even if it seems trivial now, it can leave lasting effects.”
The pale-faced bishop said and immediately began praying.
“To the nine gods who look down on the world, I ask you, my humble servant….”
At the same time, I feel closer to the source than I have in a long time. A secret energy fluctuated around him.
The overflowing energy soon seeped into Logan’s whole body.
It was a golden divine power, a little different from the white light seen at Stella’s statement ceremony, but the effect was clear. The
minor injuries seemed to have been washed away in an instant, and he was healed. Of course, even the slight internal injuries sustained when being suppressed were completely healed in an instant.
“Wow. This is indeed great divine power, Bishop.”
Logan continued to admire, while Bishop Plantas tilted his head while looking at him.
“I haven’t seen many wounds caused by Aurors, but this is the first time I’ve seen them disappear so easily. I guess it’s because of your strong constitution.”
It was a natural guess for the bishop who didn’t know that Logan had already pushed the remaining Aurors away.
Logan just smiled and bowed his head to the bishop.
“Thank you for the favor.”
“No. Like I said, it was a good deal.”
Plantas shook his head with a smile.
Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she suddenly asked,
“Ah, you said you came from Grandia? I heard you were quite a high-ranking person there…?
” ..Why are you saying that?”
Logan nodded with a shocked expression as he didn’t think he was bragging about his status in front of a priest who was a bishop.
“Oh, it’s none other than a strange story I heard in the diocese of Grandia.”
“It’s a strange story. What?”
“Yes. There is a rumor that babies who are incapable of divine power are often born. Do you know anything?”
Huh?
What does this mean?
