Side Story Chapter 153
Joshua wasn’t the only one who noticed the oddity. Crevasse approached him with a dark expression.
“...Joshua Sanders.”
“It’s okay.”
“But...”
“Can you help us?” Joshua asked, abruptly changing the topic.
“As you already know, our contract only binds me to protect this vault,” Crevasse reminded him.
“Bel showed up at the Palace,” Joshua informed the dragon.
Crevasse’s eyes almost popped out of his head. The dragon had no need to remember human names—except Joshua Sanders and this one man named Bel.
“That crazy butcher is up there?” Crevasse shivered in fear. It was highly unusual to see a dragon, the strongest creature in the Human Realm, getting scared, but it was understandable. There had been only around one hundred dragons, from young hatchlings and adults to ancients who had lived for tens of thousands of years. This incredibly powerful human had beaten every one of them to death using only his fists.
Dragons were very rational beings, so Crevasse’s judgment was far more accurate than that of any ordinary creature.
“Wait, I know you’re strong, Joshua Sanders, but you’re acting too reckless this time,” this mightiest of beings cautioned.
Joshua was the anomaly who had annihilated the Demon Spirit in the Human Realm. Even if it hadn’t been done in the Demon Realm, the Demon Spirit’s home ground, Joshua was strong and Crevasse had no intention of denying that. The problem was that Crevasse didn't feel the same way when it came to picking the strongest human. Crevasse assessed Joshua to be at the level of a dragon lord; although an unprecedented evaluation, whatever god was out there had decided to create two monsters in one generation.
“Are you that scared?”
Crevasse frowned. He knew Joshua was provoking his pride, but his thoughts remained the same.
“I’m being realistic, not afraid. To be honest, I don’t mind dying right now, but it’s different for you.”
“I have a lot of family members to look after.”
“That is why you need to be careful. It’s better to avoid fighting that monster if you can.”
“I can’t do that, unfortunately, because Bel fellow is coming after my family and home,” Joshua bitterly answered.
“...What a disaster.” Crevasse let out a long sigh. He’d known it was a possibility—a person who was as strong as Bel would naturally dream of ruling over the entire continent.
“Let me give you some advice,” Crevasse said.
“Advice?”
“Think of it as a suggestion, if you feel offended.”
Joshua shook his head and smiled. “No, I’m grateful for any helpful advice.”
“I assume that your real body is still stuck in that ridiculous ice boulder.”
Joshua nodded.
“Don’t let other people deal with this man unless you wish to lose your dear family and comrades. Since you said that you already met him in person, I think you know what that means, don’t you?”
“Somewhat.”
“Once you’ve completely eliminated the Demon Spirit and cast away the ice boulder, make it your priority to acquire the Seven Evil Sins' powers. If you can get the Four Great Angels’ souls, then so much the better. That wouldn’t be impossible considering your past.”
“Would merging the primordial stones into one not be enough?” Joshua asked.
“It wouldn’t,” Crevasse said, so firmly that he sounded cold. “Had you seen the dragon lord and that monster fight, you would have known that.”
“I’m already on high alert right now. I really couldn’t think of him as a human in our first encounter.”
“The lord lasted half a day against that human,” Crevasse added bitterly.
Lilith and Aisha' eyes widened. The dragon lord was close to a demigod, but she had failed to last more than half a day.
“...I see,” Crevasse suddenly said, much to the women’s confusion. “You already know everything, so you’re just watching even though your son is in that state.” Crevasse nodded.
Kireua was quietly observing the death knights standing in the corner.
“My son isn’t weak,” Joshua quietly said.
“I get what you’re thinking, but it’ll never happen. I think your second choice is my first choice. I recommend you correct that.”
With that, Crevasse turned away.
Lilith, Joshua’s mouthpiece, felt ice water run through her veins. She could not believe how the conversation ended.
“Wa-wait!”
“Human, protect Joshua Sanders’ soul well. Without him, there is no future for this continent.”
“From what I heard, there is a year left before Joshua exits the ice boulder. Do you think that we can realistically hold out until then?”
Lilith couldn’t ask the question to Joshua but wished to hear the dragon’s honest opinion.
“...Half a year,” Crevasse answered.
“Half a year?” Lilith heaved a sigh of relief. Crevasse’s estimate was more optimistic than she had expected. Really, with the dragons exterminated, it would be a miracle if they held for half a year.
“That’s the longest that humans and all the races on the continent would be able to last before they all kneel before this human named Bel.”
* * *
“—Agh!”
“Does it hurt? Does it? You motherfucker!” Kurz continued to beat Babel. Nowhere about him could be seen the dignity of the emperor of Hubalt, despite his many citizens sticking their heads out to see what was happening. There were foreigners who came to study or for travel watching as well.
Babel was already covered in wounds. He had lost most of his teeth and his eyes were swollen beyond recognition. Worse, he was getting dragged around the streets with a collar around his neck like a dog. For the head of the Agnus family, this was utter humiliation. Carmen von Agnus was beside Babel, not being treated any better than him.
Kurz spat on Babel’s wide back and then took a look around him.
His anger hadn’t subsided even after all the beatings, and yet he had to put on appearances as the emperor! If Kurz could do as he pleased, he would have executed the wretched people. In fact, he would have done it already if Bel hadn’t told him that Babel and Carmen would serve some useful purpose. Kurz was actually benefiting from what the two had done, forcing him to acquiesce to Bel.
“The head of the Agnus family, proud knights of the Avalon Empire, dared to harm His Majesty! It is only right to execute the perpetrator and display his head in the plaza, but His Great Majesty has expressed his will to bring the perpetrator to the Emperor of Avalon and hold him accountable! All citizens are advised to witness the perpetrators’ faces!”
The plaza instantly erupted into chaos. Justification mattered in any war, and an assassination attempt against an emperor was just that.
“Th-The head of the Agnus family?”
“A-Anyhow, it’s true that Cardinal Kurz has taken the throne. How will the country change...?”
“Then are we going to war against Avalon? But the Emperor of Avalon is the Martial God!”
Joshua was literally a god to ordinary citizens, and they had been living in peace. The sudden declaration of war was appalling enough, but their opponent was the Avalon Empire, where the god of war resided!
“But... maybe we have a chance.”
“For goodness’ sake! What are you talking about?”
“To be honest, His Majesty almost got assassinated, so what would the rest of the world think if we don’t hold the Emperor of Avalon accountable for his crime?”
“You have a point...”
“They would call us weaklings because the country is ruled by priests.”
“Mmm... But we can always figure out the whole story and then make them pay.”
“Who knows? Maybe the higher-ups think that this is for the better.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Haven’t you heard that all the Four Paladins were slaughtered?”
“I-Is that true?!”
The murmurings continue to get louder and louder. Although they spoke in hushed voices, some of Hubalt’s knights were able to hear them with their heightened senses, and reported it to Kurz.
“...Hah. The tide has turned. Other countries will have to tiptoe around us now,” Kurz murmured.
His intention was to use this situation to overturn the rest of the continent’s thuggish impression of tybalt. The paladins had entered Avalon’s capital as a delegation sent to congratulate the Emperor of Avalon on his return, but they had attempted to take over the Avalon Palace! The news had spread like wildfire, and Hubalt was branded as a public enemy of the entire continent.
However, thanks to Bel’s astonishingly quick return, an assassination attempt against the great Hubalt Emperor had been made only days later, giving Kurz a way out of the situation. All Kurz had to do now was simply paint a picture wherein Hubalt had made a preemptive strike on Avalon after noticing Avalon’s plan to assassinate an influential man of the Hubalt Empire.
Of course, a detailed investigation would reveal that the narrative was full of holes, but the details were meaningless once it had escalated into all-out war between the two empires. The winners took all, the weak got eaten, and the strong survived... In the end, the winner’s words would be the truth and the history.
“Anyhow, thank you. You two idiots made things way easier,” Kurz murmured. “Bel acts like he’s thoughtless, but he’s surprisingly insightful in times like this.”
Babel slowly looked up. “Shall I make a prophecy?”
“A prophecy...?”
Babel’s mouth was smeared with blood, and only a few teeth remained attached to his gums. Nevertheless, he smiled from ear to ear, utterly confident.
“I guarantee you that the moment you cross the border to the Avalon Empire, you will die before His Majesty, the Emperor of Avalon, lands a single blow from his spear.”
Although no one noticed it, that was Babel’s first time calling Joshua “His Majesty”.
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