Side Story Chapter 66
“May Hermes bless this land… Hello.”
The first person that appeared was a wrinkled old man that seemed to be well over sixty. If he was a priest, he would probably be an archbishop.
“I don’t think that is time for us to exchange greetings,” Cain said; only the other man’s age kept him from abandoning courtesy altogether.
“I sense you are hostile towards us.”
“You and dozens of other people trespassed on another person’s private property and surrounded the owner to ‘say hello’. Who wouldn’t be hostile?”
“Oh, my. That was never our intention… We didn’t think this place was private property, given that it has been deserted for a long time.” The old man looked around the area.
“You know now, so please leave.”
“First of all, I apologize for the discourtesy, but please forgive us as we can’t leave yet.” The old man bowed slightly.
Cain’s face darkened. Since he and the others were wearing robes, the priests and paladins didn’t seem to know their identities, but that wouldn’t last long.
‘I’ll have to come on a little strong,’ Cain thought. He was practically guarding Joshua on behalf of the one thousand Imperial Knights of the Avalon Empire, so he could not tolerate any variables.
He let his energy loose. At least twenty of the white-clad paladins trembled and grimly drew their swords.
“Archbishop Grimman, he isn’t an ordinary one. He’s at least A-Class…” one of the priests whispered into the old man’s ear.
“…I see.” Grimman, the old man, nodded with certainty. “As you heard just now, I’m Grimman, a priest from the Hubalt Empire that serves Hermes.”
“I didn’t think someone like an archbishop would be in Avalon.” Cain raised an eyebrow.
High-ranking priests were mainly divided into four classes. There was one pope, and the pope had three cardinals directly under their command. The highest-ranking priests after cardinals were archbishops.
Even in all of the wide Hubalt Empire, there were only ten archbishops, one of them being Grimman, the old man that had introduced himself just now. When such figures visited another country, it was a diplomatic courtesy to inform the leadership of that country.
“We’re currently handling a matter that demands the utmost discretion. Besides, there is nothing remarkable about a priest serving a god, so why would I announce my arrival to other people?”
“That’s what you think. Don’t you think you should follow the rules of the country you visit?” Cain snapped.
“Judging from your way of speaking, you must be from the Palace of the Avalon Empire.”
As Grimman pointed out, only people involved in the highest levels of the state could know if an archbishop had entered their country. Cain, however, was counting on Grimman to say that. The moment Cain concluded that these uninvited guests wouldn’t leave willingly, he decided to reveal his identity.
Cain took off his hood. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary man in his forties, but the paladins remembered the appearance of every single key figure on the continent. They recognized Cain’s face right away.
“No way… The Combat Emperor?”
“Cain de Harry!”
“A Star!”
Judging from their startled reaction, Cain became certain that their target wasn’t him or Joshua.
“…I did think you must be an extraordinary man, but I never expected to meet such a renowned man such as yourself,” Grimman said.
“So what is your business here? A foreign priest operating with his knights without notifying the country he visits is more than enough to become a diplomatic issue.”
“Is it safe to assume that the rumor is true?”
“Rumor?” Cain repeated.
“Most people know that the Combat Emperor Star has been wandering around the continent for a long time in search of a particular man. If you’re here…”
The energy that Cain released intensified. “Don’t change the subject. Answer my question. And what rumor are you talking about?”
“…I don’t know the exact details, but it’s said that the Emperor of Avalon has finally returned to his land.”
Cain raised an eyebrow.
There was only one reason the news would spread so quickly.
‘Someone who knows that His Majesty returned has leaked the news on purpose!’ Cain clenched his fists. There were too many suspects.
“I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings, so I’ll answer your question,” Grimman easily replied.
“…Go on.”
“We’re looking for someone. Of course,” Grimman added, “that person is one of ours and has nothing to do with Avalon.”
Cain tried hard to not be conscious of the people behind him because he instantly knew who Grimman was talking about. There were a total of four people in Cain’s group—Joshua, Iceline, and her.
“Why would you look for one of your citizens in Avalon?” Cain asked, feigning ignorance.
“I received a revelation.”
“A revelation? Is there still such a thing as a god now?” Cain asked.
The question could be regarded as blasphemy, but it was said that even a dog barked louder in its home. Cain wasn’t subdued in the slightest, causing the paladins to tighten their grips on their swords.
“Indeed, gods no longer exist in the heavens,” Grimman unexpectedly replied. An archbishop openly stating that there was no god was basically denying the existence of the temples.
“…Are you serious?” Cain narrowed his eyes.
“Yes—they coexist with us in this land.”
“Are you talking about authorities?”
“Authorities? Ah, we call those powers ‘blessings’ or ‘descents’. People were chosen by gods when they reached the peak of their faith,” Grimman preached.
“I don’t want to argue about our differing views. So what is this revelation you received?”
“Just like there were demon kings wielding the powers of the Seven Evil Sins, ruled by the Demon Spirit rules over them, Hermes reigned over the Four Archangels.”
Only the Hubalt Empire citizens called the Angel Spirit ‘Hermes’. What Grimman was saying was that the revelation he had received was from the Angel Spirit.
“So?” Cain tilted his head.
“Our paladins recently received the Four Archangels’ blessings, but they weren’t the only ones. Hermes herself descended in the Hubalt Empire.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes; the situation is the opposite of what happened in Avalon, the country that was once dishonored with the title of ‘Empire of Demons’.”
Like a sly fox, Grimman laid provocations at Cain’s feet, such that if Cain lost his temper and attacked Grimman, Cain would just be proving Grimman right.
“Watch your mouth. Our emperor annihilated the Demon Spirit,” Cain warned Grimman.
“Oh my, you misunderstand me. That is why I said ‘once’. Who in this world wouldn’t know the story of His Majesty Joshua Sanders, the Martial God? To be honest, I also respect him even though I’m a foreigner.”
“…Get to the point.”
“Earlier, I told you that I was looking for someone, didn’t I? I received intel that she’s hiding in this country, and Hermes herself sent a revelation instructing me to come here,” Grimman replied with a small smile.
“That isn’t a good enough reason—”
“Quite the contrary.” Grimman shook his head, interrupting Cain.
Cain flinched because radiant light suddenly shone from behind Grimman’s back.
“Is that…?”
“I also have been given the honor of receiving a blessing.”
Grimman looked like an angel—the light took the form of two wings. As Grimman gradually released an overwhelming amount of energy, Cain also drew up more of his mana in response.
“As you may have already expected, the woman we’re looking for is Lilith Aphrodite, the witch with a germinated seed of a demon king,” Grimman explained.
“That’s ridiculous. You’re poking around a foreign country to solve your own country’s issues. Do you think I’ll let that slide?”
“Of course.”
“What?” Cain frowned.
“You have a duty to cooperate with us, Combat Emperor. Anyone harboring demonic power is the enemy of the entire continent.”
The other priests also released their divine power, pressuring Cain. He was certain that he could kill them all, but the Hubalt Empire would inevitably make an issue of it and start a war.
“Where’s your evidence? Don’t tell me that your plan is to poke around the entire continent for such an absurd reason such as ‘divine revelation’. No one will put up with it, much less Avalon!” Cain roared.
“Of course not.” Grimman smiled and pulled a crystal ball out of his inner pocket. “This item was recently developed in the Hubalt Empire.”
“An item…?”
“It’s an artifact modeled after an old relic that responded to the demonic power in its vicinity.”
Cain's eyes slowly widened.
“It has already been certified by many priests and mages of the Magic Tower. If this artifact turns black… it means a person who possesses demonic power is nearby,” Grimman said, his eyes fixed behind Cain.
“Wa-Wait—”
“Shall we try it?” Grimman slyly suggested..
All the priests infused their divine power into the crystal ball, the air humming with power.
Things were getting bad. Cain desperately searched for a solution. However, Cain didn’t even have time to respond. With a great rumble, the crystal ball turned so black that it couldn’t be mistaken even from afar.
“The demonic power in the air is very thick…” Grimman narrowed his eyes. “Just as expected, one of those three people must be the person we’re looking for.”
Cain tensed.
“Please hand her over. This matter is very serious; depending on your response, it ould turn into an international dispute.” Grimman tilted his head.
Cain realized that he couldn’t hide Lillith any longer. The only method he could think of right now was silencing all the priests and paladins for good. If they were all dead, the situation in the Avalon Empire wouldn’t be leaked outside.
“I’m saying this just in case, but don’t do it. We already reported to the Empire that we’re in Avalon, just in case the worst happens,” Grimman warned.
Cain bit his lips, caught in a web of indecision. It turned out silencing them wasn’t an option either. Grimman saw right through Cain.
One of the robed people under scrutiny came forward, stopping the other two, and strode toward Cain and Grimman. Cain instantly recognized who it was; he only needed to see the man’s physique to know that it was Joshua.
‘Master…?’ Cain wondered.
Joshua’s next move was truly a sight to behold.
“There is one person in this world who has both demonic and divine powers,” Joshua said.
“You’re…?”
Without answering Grimman, Joshua took off his hood.
His divinely crafted visage was revealed to the world. Grimman and his group stared at his pitch-black hair and eyes, their eyes nearly popping out of their skulls. Not one had expected to meet the Emperor of Avalon here.
“That—” Joshua pointed at the crystal ball. “—is my demonic power.”
“Ma-Martial God?”
“Keep talking,” Joshua snapped, the end of his mouth curling into a vicious smirk. “What are you going to do?”
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