episode_0178

As soon as Amon finished speaking, the remaining demon worshipers looked at the ceiling.

“There was a rat hiding!”

I hurriedly hug Senna and run as I see a dull purple haze emanating from the hands of a demon worshiper named Delta.

“Die!”

-Quaagh!

I open the inn door, ignoring the purple light coming from behind me.

“Haa…haa…”

“Great… Your Highness?”

-Wood!

-Kwasik…

Unsettling sounds are heard from inside the unstable building.

Should I say it is similar to the sound of wood collapsing?

“You might chew your tongue, so be quiet.”

-Tadadadadak!

I feel like the building is tilting and try to get out, but the speed at which it collapses is unusual.

damn…

What if an important pillar or beam was attacked?

I thought something big would happen if I went down the stairs, so I opened the window next to the stairs…

-Clink!

“Aaaah!”

Smash it and jump off.

“Ugh!”

I think I sprained my ankle when I landed.

I think jumping from the third floor, not alone but carrying Sena’s weight, was a bigger shock than I thought.

“Are you okay, Archduke?”

Let’s nod as if I agree…

-Cow!

The area where the room we stayed was collapsed beyond recognition.

Fortunately, we found the demon worshipers as soon as we confirmed that only the third floor on the west side where we were collapsed…

“What about demon worshipers?”

“I don’t feel it.”

I can’t see it.

damn.

Where have the demon worshipers gone?

I look at the collapsed wreckage so anxiously.

When part of the inn building in Roman collapsed, the soldiers waiting nearby and Mary rushed to the scene.

“Oppa? Are there any injuries?”

Mary asks with a worried face, and I nod slightly as I look at the ruins.

“Yes, but… the intelligence agency… agents…”

The room where demon worshipers gathered was engulfed in an explosion that made it unrecognizable.

I feel something stirring inside me as I see the intelligence agents caught up in an unexpected magic.

Again… again… my incompetence made the intelligence agents…

In deep anger, I bite my lip and give an order to a nearby commander.

“If you see any suspicious people, arrest them immediately! If they resist, you can kill them. And rescue the people trapped in the rubble right away!”

“Yes! I take orders!”

Then give the order and clear the debris.

Damn it… I took my opponent too lightly.

Grab a large piece of wood.

“Ugh!”

Use your arms to lift a large wooden plank, remove the lump of cement underneath, and search for survivors.

What kind of magic is this that is so powerful?

Currently, the most common magic attack here is fireball magic.

However, a simple fireball spell cannot produce this kind of power.

Of course, there are stronger magics, but fireball magic is the most common due to mana efficiency, fire rate, and difficulty aiming due to excessive firepower…

The magic I saw just a moment ago is not universal magic.

I blame myself for my incompetence, reflecting on the ominous-looking haze of murky purple and the ridiculous range, attack power, and casting speed for a normal attack spell.

damn! Again… again…

Many soldiers died because of my previous mistakes.

I promised myself not to make that mistake again, but…

Haha… That’s like me.

I was blaming myself and lifting the wreckage…

Something sharp digs into my fingertips.

“Ugh!”

A stream of blood flowing from the hand.

A sharp piece of glass is stuck in my finger, so I pull it out roughly.

It doesn’t matter that I’m sick now.

“Your Highness, just a moment. Blood… blood.”

Sena comes over and grabs my arm.

“This is nothing.”

I don’t suffer at all from anger or self-blame toward myself.

“Your Majesty the Archduke… you are bleeding a lot.”

As if he was worried about Sena, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my forehead, and my forehead felt stinging.

“There are deep wounds on my forehead and cheeks. If you don’t treat it quickly, it may last longer.”

At those words, I lift my sleeve, wipe my forehead and cheek, and look.

The wound must have been quite large, and I cleaned up the debris again after seeing that my white sleeve was stained with red blood.

“Well… I’ll treat you right away. Just a moment.”

I yell, ignoring Sena who is annoying me next to me.

“What do they do? Why don’t you save the survivors?!”

Ignore Sena’s words and lift the wreckage.

-thud!

Throw the heavy plank far away.

“His Majesty the Archduke.”

Sena sounds angry.

“If not treated now, it may recur later.”

As he says that, he caresses my cheek with his bright white hand.

“Soon… it will be okay soon.”

And soon his forehead and bleeding hands.

When the pain goes away, I nod to her and express my gratitude.

“Thank you.”

After saying that, he quickly cleared up the wreckage.

***

“Sister Sena, are you really saying that demon worshipers are active?”

An explosion occurred at an inn in Roman.

The Ministry of Intelligence is stepping in to control the site and install barriers.

As for the reason…

Debian believes that there is no need to make the people of the empire uneasy by revealing that demon worshipers are active, so intelligence officials are busy hiding the inside story all night long.

“Yes. Clearly, that magic was magic using demonic energy. That ominous-looking purple mana. That must be Magi.”

The Pope, dressed in a light gown, clutches his forehead as Sena speaks.

“Oh… God. Why are you making me face such a harsh fate?”

The Pope calls out to the main god, but the god gives no answer.

Within…

“Wait a minute. Then, as the Archduke said, Valoran was the liaison of the demon worshipper. I didn’t even know that, and I was viewing Debian in a negative light…”

Gregory

Evidence was presented that Valorant was a demon worshiper, but Gregory XV did not believe it due to the circumstances at the time.

If I were to make an excuse for him…

The former emperor was executed on charges of colluding with demon worshipers and betraying humanity.

I couldn’t help but think that it was a ploy to follow suit and demand support.

“Hehe, maybe this would be good? Sister Senna.”

Senna spoke cautiously, looking at the Pope’s worried expression.

“Your Holiness the Pope, when I saw their conversation. It seems like a high-ranking demon is behind them. If they are not punished as soon as possible, I will make a coffin to resurrect the Demon King.”

A coffin blessed by a high-ranking demon after a huge number of human sacrifices were made.

A female blood relative of the first warrior was placed inside it and used as a living sacrifice to conceive the Demon King.

Just because they are female blood relatives does not mean that anyone can be used as a living sacrifice.

Young, healthy women of childbearing age.

Additionally, if the female blood relative is pure, the Demon King can gain even stronger power.

As of now, it is clear that Princess Joy will be targeted as first priority.

The high-ranking demons they were talking about were probably the Locust.

Other than that, there is no news of demons descending at all.

Although they are not very strong for a high-ranking demon, they are a demon that commands so many locust swarms that it is difficult to count them, so it would not be difficult to cause enormous damage to the empire.

“ Speaking of which… First of all, we should officially announce that demon worshipers are active.”

Sena says while thinking about those words.

“The Archduke seems to want to hide it as much as possible. He wanted to take this opportunity to strike them all down.”

The Pope’s eyebrows twitch at those words.

“Is that possible?”

Likewise, demon worshipers do not sell out their comrades through torture.

When they accept their peers.

Because the curse of transplanting a heart prevents him from selling out his comrades.

“I don’t know much, but… I think it would be better to respect the Archduke’s wishes first.”

Sena The Archduke she saw was not a fool.

Even though we did our best in this incident, we probably didn’t expect that the demon worshipers would use such powerful magic.

It was definitely unexpected.

It seems that the Grand Duke has been steadily preparing to deal with the demon worshipers.

So you must have found out where they meet.

Moreover, seeing that he finally returned to the imperial palace late in the morning after checking all the survivors caught up in the explosion, I realized that he was not as sinister as the rumors said.

There’s no way a person with such a strong sense of responsibility could be sneaky.

That’s why Sena speaks her thoughts carefully.

“He is definitely a capable person. First of all, how about respecting his opinion and observing it?”

“Hmm… If his plan goes according to plan, there is no reason to object, but what if it fails?”

Although the Pope feels sorry for Devian, there is a part of him that is not trustworthy because he is much younger than himself and looks like a child when it comes to this issue, which depends on the survival of humanity.

“Then, you should tell the Grand Duke at that time to get a list of demon worshipers and arrest them first.”

It may be a bit of a no-brainer, but thanks to Debian, I was able to recognize the danger to humanity.

Therefore, the Pope knows that it is time for him to step down.

He bursts into laughter.

“Sigh… I hope things work out as he planned, by the way, I feel very sorry for him. They knew that demon worshipers were active, but they didn’t receive our help. This is so embarrassing.”

His shame is natural.

‘Valorant, I can’t believe he was a demon worshiper.’

Pope Gregory XV after the death of the previous emperor.

Valorant was planning to marry the Crown Princess as his wife.

And the nobles who rebelled against Valorant.

If the two had fought, the empire would have been divided and demon worshipers would have taken advantage of the gap.

‘Maybe it didn’t end there.’

Demons and demon worshipers would have persecuted the Holy See, which they feared…

‘As I remember… the only people in the royal family who can be used as living sacrifices are the current emperor and Princess Joy.’

A cold sweat runs down the Pope’s back at the thought that he probably used the Emperor or Princess Joy to resurrect the Demon King.

However, Devian killed Valorant and came up with a policy of appeasement that calmed the nobles’ complaints and prevented a civil war.

And he divided the imperial faction, whose power seemed to reach the sky, and weakened their power.

“Ah… what can we say about this…”

The Pope let out a deep sigh. The more he thinks about Debian’s efforts, the more he feels like hiding in a mouse hole.

Until recently, the Pope had no intention of supporting him even if he died.

But Debian was doing that without anyone knowing.

I feel very sorry that the Pope, who should be at the forefront of the fight against demon worshipers, kept him in check and harassed him.

‘The mistake must be corrected even now.’

If the Pope supports Devian, the people of the empire will view him more favorably.

‘It won’t be easy for the demon worshipers to incite the people of the empire to rebel.’

The authority held by the Pope.

That authority is completely different from that of the emperor.

The leader of the only group in the world that can use divine power.

If the Pope, who uses divine power to look after the poor and teach them, and who is respected by the people of the empire, and indeed by the people of the entire continent, comes forward and supports Devian, the people of the empire who have received the grace of the Holy See will think of him more positively.

Therefore, in order to correct his mistake, he hints at Sena.

“Sister Sena. I would like to announce my support for him even now.”