episode_0188

CLXXX.

Let’s go back in time to when Pope Judas departed from the Caligula Temple in Hubble to the palace of the Clitenese Empire.

Pope Judas led the knights, led by the Sword of Caligo, towards the entrance of the palace.

And there, as if they had regained their color, were the knights waiting for the Pope and his party. The knights were wearing golden armor that was dented and damaged, as their armor had not been repaired yet.

The Gold Dragon Knights are the first knight order of the Clitean Empire.

“Welcome.”

The leader of the Gold Knights, greeting politely.

But it wasn’t just a polite and formal welcome.

To them, it was a kind of welcome and welcoming that was accompanied by a demonstration of force.

“This is a bumper crop. Really.”

It was a laughable thing for Pope Judas.

Kukung-!!

This time, instead of Pope Judas, it was Caligo’s sword behind him.

In fact, when he heard the news that Pope Judas might have been wrong, Caligo’s sword became more genuinely angry than ever.

How can you do something like this in front of Caligo’s sword, whose anger from back then has not yet completely subsided?

“Ouch!”

“Kwak!”

The knights of the Gold Dragon, who had not yet fully recovered from the wounds they received from Pope Judas, are now overcome with blood and collapse in the face of the force of Caligo’s sword.

As the divine power core, which had already been damaged once, is shocked once again, it is inevitable that a groan will be heard.

“Don’t do any tricks.”

“Huh! Why… … ?”

When the Gold Dragon Knight Commander asked why he was doing that, Caligo strode over to him with his sword and lifted his head, which was sitting on the ground, desperately trying to endure the pain.

And Caligo’s sword, which forced him to be at eye level with the Knight Commander,

“I told you not to do anything.”

He let out a growling sound as if he was spitting out something. Unable to handle that gaze and momentum, the Gold Dragon Knight Commander lowered his eyes.

“You don’t do anything. Think? Don’t. Flirt? Don’t. Talk nonsense? Don’t do that. Just exist. Just breathe.”

“Coolook!”

Only when the knight commander, who was facing the momentum right before his eyes, began to see black blood flowing out with foam from his mouth did Caligo finally take back the momentum he had been spewing out.

“Please treat me.”

“Yeah.”

Pope Judas nodded with a smirk at Caligo’s sword’s actions of calmly entrusting the treatment to Pope Judas, who had caused the accident himself.

The friendship that existed between the two was that great.

Like the word friend, it is close and strong as we have known each other for a long time.

The gleaming gold armor of the Gold Dragon Knights, their pride and joy, was now tattered and covered in black and red scabs.

A group of magicians were waiting in front of Pope Judas and Caligo’s sword as they leisurely walked through them like a defeated army and entered the palace.

No, it seemed like it was waiting, but as the two approached, it hesitated and started to move away, as if the sea was parting.

They saw it too. What happened to the Knights just now.

“, I’m waiting for you.”

“That’s right. Because I told you to.”

Pope Judas entered the palace where the Emperor was waiting, guided by the Magic Commander as if it was natural, as if such arrogance was his nature.

“Oh, welcome… … .”

“Are we all here?”

The face of Pope Judas, who cut off the Emperor’s greeting and asked him like that, was so cold and indifferent that there was not a trace of a smile.

“All gathered. All the princes and princesses.”

Clearly, the Great Hall was not narrow. No, it was wide enough. In the first place, there was no way the Great Hall where the Emperor worked could be narrow!

Nevertheless, with all those with titles and positions higher than duke, princes, princesses, and the emperor’s women gathered together, it felt crowded.

Some were scared, some were hopeful, some were indifferent, and some were annoyed.

Pope Judas, who did not even pay attention to such princes and princesses,

“Give it to me.”

He said so, stretching out his small hand toward the empty space.

When a look of doubt appeared on the faces of those in Daejeon, except for the sword of Caligo,

“Here it is.”

A man suddenly dropped from the air and handed a wad of paper into Pope Judas’ hands.

But those gathered at the event weren’t interested in the wad of paper. They were focused on the person who suddenly fell from thin air.

A black cloth wrapped tightly around the body.

A suit that covers all of the body except the eyes.

A stealth technique that the strong are unaware of.

There is only one person on the continent with such a unique outfit.

“Shadow?!”

At the sound of someone shouting in shock, people start to hesitate and back away from Pope Judas and Shadow in the already narrow arena, and many end up getting tangled up and falling over.

“It really does all sorts of things.”

Towards the nobles and the royal family who were terrified by the reprimands of the Jewish Pope,

Lovely love―.

In response to the man’s actions of waving his hand,

“Gyaaah!”

“Eww!”

The screams grow louder and the confusion worsens.

“You too, do your best.”

Of course, Pope Judas quickly flipped through the papers and disappeared into thin air again after saying those words, but the confusion that had arisen was not easily quelled.

Where is this?

This is the palace where the Emperor of Clifton resides.

But no one knew until Shadow got here.

The palace is equipped with a magical alarm to warn of such hiding. You managed to bypass it easily and hide in the main hall.

The Emperor unconsciously stroked his thick neck. That was how he realized that his hands were sweating so much that they were soaking wet.

“Stop talking nonsense. Those who are being called, come forward.”

The royal family and nobles who had been trembling in fear at the chilling aura of the Jewish Pope now looked upon him with one emotion.

Fear. Terror.

“Prince Rembrandt. Princess Amelia.”

The bundle of papers that Pope Judas saw consisted of at least ten sheets, but the people he called were only two.

As expected, the bundle of papers he had seen were something like evaluations of princes or princesses. As he called out to the two people, he took only two pieces and threw the rest on the floor.

Again, this is the Great Hall of the Clitean Empire, where the Emperor makes decisions on the great and small matters of the nation. There, on the floor, a piece of paper with something written on it flutters and falls.

Yeah, you said it nicely, but it’s illegal dumping.

Whether the Emperor was shocked or not, Pope Judas’ mood became increasingly tense when the prince and princess he had called did not come forward.

“Prince Rembrandt. Princess Amelia. Where are they?”

It’s not that they didn’t come out, they were just not there. They clearly said that everyone was gathered here.

“That, that’s… … .”

– Prince Rembrandt and Princess Amelia are currently in custody.

The answer came from the air. From Shadow.

“Detention? The prince and princess? Where? No, why?”

Pope Judas quickly asked questions as if he had heard an absurd story.

― The prince and princess were each detained in the basement of the palace. The reason for their detention was the same.

“What is it?”

― An apology for the past and a request for active cooperation from the candidates.

“… Why?”

– yes?

“Why is that grounds for detention?”

― I don’t know. It’s the idiots who are idiots, but how could I, who am not idiot, know what the idiots are thinking?

Pope Judas unconsciously understood the words spoken in such a serious tone.

“Bring it.”

The one whom Pope Judas ordered to bring the prince and princess was not a paladin or a shadow. It was an order to the captain of the Gold Dragon Knights waiting outside the Great Hall.

And the Knight Commander, whose body had already memorized the words through two training sessions, unconsciously clenched his fist against his chest, bowed his head, and quickly ran to answer.

It would have been natural for the emperor’s face to distort as he watched that scene.

But what can I do?

I’ve already tasted the bitter taste twice.

Even just releasing energy would cause serious damage to the divine power core.

How long did it take for an uncomfortable silence to settle over Daejeon?

“Please enter.”

A man and a woman with haggard appearance enter the main hall after hearing the words of the knight commander who is clearly nervous.

The man appears to be in his late teens and the woman in her early twenties, an age when they are just beginning to show off their vitality, but their faces are full of shadows.

Of course, the man was Prince Rembrandt and the woman was Princess Amelia.

And the reason why the two people’s faces are dark is because they are mistaken in thinking that this is the place to discuss their punishment.

That would be the case. The Gold Dragon Knight Commander himself came to him and urgently ordered him to come to the Great Hall. Inside the Great Hall, nobles and members of the royal family, including the Duke, were all standing, so it was easy to misunderstand.

but,

“Which of the two of you wants to be the emperor? Raise your hand.”

Not only Prince Rembrandt and Princess Amelia, but also the royal family and nobles were left speechless as if they had been mentally attacked by the bomb-like question, and could only open their eyes wide and say nothing.

“No?”

Only after hearing the question asking if there was anything else, did they come to their senses and begin to rebel.

“What the heck… … Huh?!”

“This is strictly an internal matter… … bang!”

Of course, he couldn’t just sit back and watch that happen. Even without Pope Judas stepping in, Caligo’s sword had already planted his huge, iconic sword into the ground.

You might think that his unique stance, reminiscent of a goalkeeper, is nothing special, but it is.

The nobles, royal family, and the emperor who were in the battle felt as if the air had collapsed three times. In a situation where they could barely breathe, the nobles forced themselves to suppress the complaints that had been rising to their chins.

“This is something we’ve already agreed to in advance. Remember? Evergreen. Continental Council. Punishment clause. ”

Yes, that’s right.

The series of actions that Pope Judas is currently taking were agreed upon in advance. The emperors also agreed to accept them, and it is not a simple verbal agreement, but a written agreement with the imperial seal.

Of course, it was a coercive situation where if the situation was not accepted, not only would the entire royal family be exterminated, but the empire would also come to an end.

In any case, as the saying goes, “There are no playful words in the palace,” the words spoken by the emperor, especially in front of those with considerable status and power on the continent, must be protected.

So,

“If you have any complaints, feel free to come forward. I’ll use the excuse of breaking the treaty to sweep it away. I’ll also destroy this place while I’m at it. Oh, the Dean was expecting this? You’re rejecting me? This time, you want to drop a meteorite here?”

The Jewish Pope could proudly say that he would destroy the palace, and could threaten the Dean with the example of the latter.

“Anyone else have something to say?”

The nobles were dumbfounded and scared, like dogs, when Pope Judas asked them questions while sweeping them away.

“Then. Let’s go back. Who wants to be the emperor? Raise your hand?”

Pope Judas again asked the two princes and princesses:

But unexpectedly, Prince Rembrandt looked at Pope Judas with transparent eyes at his question, and the princess glared at Pope Judas with eyes full of ambition.

This was something that showed that the princess was more interested, but Princess Amilia did not raise her hand.

It could be simply an act of humility, or it could be the noble act of saying no once in a while. Or it could be something embarrassing.

But just because Pope Judas is making a joke about it now doesn’t mean the position is any joke. We’re talking about the emperor of an empire.

If you are talking about a place like that, and you can’t even raise your hand, then it’s better not to do that kind of greeting.

“No? Then let’s do this.”

“Yes?”

Princess Amilia asked again, greatly embarrassed, as if she expected to be advised once more.

“Prince Rembrandt is ennobled as Crown Prince, and Princess Amelia is ennobled as Crown Princess.”

The Jewish Pope made the declaration without giving any more time. It was a unilateral declaration, but it had special weight because it was made by the Pope of Caligo.

“If, from today onwards, Crown Prince Rembrandt and Crown Princess Amilia are in trouble for any reason in the Imperial Family, I will consider it a challenge to the Order of Caligo, Evergreen Academy, the Cradle of the Martial Arts, and the Tower of the Philosopher, and I will respond with all my might.”

“Huh!”

Some people hold their breath in surprise.

Some people couldn’t hide their defeated expressions,

Someone is weighing Rembrandt and Amelia, looking back and forth as if looking for profit.

But one thing is certain,

“I will admit it.”

Even the Emperor was quick to acknowledge that Pope Judas’ declaration was not bad for the Imperial Family.

Because the imperial family, which had already lost its basic right to self-defense due to its inability to accumulate divine power, now had a strong protective shield and shield.

Well, he had to keep an eye on the Caligo cult, but that fanatic group didn’t really cause trouble unless someone insulted their god or joined hands with the demons, so the emperor thought it was a good thing.

“I will dethrone and take that brat whose name I don’t even remember, who was the former crown prince. I will fix his mental state. How dare you target Gray-sama?”

That is, until Pope Judas’s words, thrown out as if a sudden thought had occurred to him, came out along with these chilling words.

“Ah! I heard there was a Nitas Knapul among the Hubble Warp Gate wizards. Come to think of it, it started at the Imperial Tower, right?”

The current Emperor of Clytonia, Santiago, looked like a storybook devil, like Pope Judas, with the face of a young child and a wicked grin. A devil who steals souls with his clever words.

“First, let’s open the warehouse where the emperor has kept it for generations. I heard there is a warehouse prepared for reconstruction in case the empire falls?”

“!!!”

Emperor Santiago had to revise his previous assessment.

This guy is not a good guy, he’s like a devil.

It’s just like a natural disaster. A natural disaster where you can’t do anything about it once it happens.

The reason Pope Judas stayed in the palace until late at night when the news of the temple was delivered was not for any reason such as a meeting or the education of the crown prince or crown princess.

While investigating the treasure vault that has been passed down only to the emperors for generations, together with the sword of Caligo,

“Hmm. I think the witch would like this. Is this the devil’s eye? Something like that?”

“Hmm? The Pope. This. I think Miss May would like it. I can feel that special power of witchcraft.”

“Oh? This is! This is a good cane? I wonder if Candidate Lina would like it if I gave it to her? Oh, Candidate Lina would like to receive it from Gray, so it would be better to give it to her through Gray.”

I didn’t realize how much time had passed as I was checking each item, sealing them safely, and packing them.

The thing that took the most time here wasn’t the time spent investigating or the safety seal.

packaging.

More than half of the time spent on packaging was spent choosing beautiful wrapping paper and thinking about how to wrap each item to suit its shape.