Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 72: The Emperors Will

“Do you think I’m wrong, child?”

At the Emperor’s words, Ardein couldn’t say anything. Speculation or not, she had never thought in that way.

The Emperor, discerning that his daughter had no thoughts at all, sighed and continued.

“Grimudo is strong. No one knows exactly how strong he is, but it’s definitely a fact that I don’t even need to say that he has power that goes beyond common sense.”

But even that primordial Demon King, was he that strong from the beginning?

Was he born with transcendent talent from the start, a being who innately reigned above all?

Was that talent so great that it surpassed the hero among heroes, Yurinel?

The Emperor asked. The Princess couldn’t answer this time either. She had no thoughts about Grimudo. Strictly speaking, he is an outsider that she doesn’t need to care about.

That man, crouching still at the North Pole, is a legendary being that no one dares to touch. A living, breathing legend. No one tries to bring that legend into reality.

Even the Trinity Church, while spreading its ideology throughout the continent, tries not to pay attention to Grimudo.

The justification is that since he is at the North Pole, they won’t touch him first.

But even though he came to the continent and turned the Citadel Kingdom into the Citadel Republic, the extremists of the Trinity Church did not bring up the story of taking revenge on him. That would be suicide, for Grimudo is akin to a Natural Disaster.

If you were unlucky enough to be hit by it, there’s no way but to blame your own luck.

They just raised their voices and poured out petitions, hoping that they wouldn’t be the next target. Because all three goddesses leading the Trinity Church did not want an all-out war with Grimudo.

“What made him that strong is the power of time. The power and knowledge accumulated over countless eras. That is a power that is impossible for us, born long after him, to overcome. But you told me that’s not the case.”

“The Sapling...!”

Even the Princess had to realize it now. After all, that Sapling brought the future to the present, transcending time.

She realized that a miracle was the most decisive way to narrow the gap between Grimudo and others.

“B-But he in the North Pole all that time. Why would a god give a miracle to prepare for him?”

“You’re wrong. He was just watching. The way you speak makes it look like the church or the Empire has imprisoned him there.”And while a secret, the Emperor was able to indirectly measure Grimudo’s power in the past, without even going to the North Pole. Since that day, he sometimes envied the Ancient Demon King.

Without a single person following him, Grimudo is the Overlord. Nothing in the world can go against his will. He is a Demon King in the true sense.

In the Emperor’s view, the only being in the world who could call himself the Demon King was him. Other Demon Kings were nothing more than Demon Clan Leaders in his eyes.

“Think about it, how many of those superhumans would take to face Grimudo’s monster legion if he one day decided to erase us from the world?”

The Emperor asked, and the Princess couldn’t answer this time either. It wasn’t that she had no thoughts this time.

But even without saying it, she already knew the answer. The Emperor slowly recited.

“Ten thousand? A million? Ten million? Would about thirty million be able to face them?”

An army of thirty million? Don’t be ridiculous. Even at the height of the Empire’s power, it was difficult for the army to exceed one million.

And that’s not even close to just the soldiers under the Emperor’s military authority, and the number one million only appears on paper after gathering the private soldiers of the frontier lords and local nobles in various places and performing some conscription. In reality, it means it’s a theoretical value that has never been reached even once.

But that one million can’t even step in Grimudo’s shadow. He just needs to select and send out a few monsters. How can an army of one million elite soldiers possibly face Grimudo’s monster legion that shakes the earth with every step?

Even without the Monster King himself appearing, other monsters led by the Hydra would be enough to overwhelm them. Thinking like this, Ardein also realized something.

The Sapling of Lineage was not a miracle given to create what she was thinking.

Seeing the Princess who seemed to have realized something at last, the Emperor smiled.

“No matter how many superhumans there are against the Ancient Demon King, it’s meaningless. What is needed is one powerful transcendent being who overwhelms all peers.”

“Ardein. Even if the Sapling seems like a limitless miracle, everything in this world is finite, everything has a price. How you distribute and use that finite power will determine the future.”

He pointed to the burning beacon of the sanctuary with his finger and continued.

“And one of those heroes is probably in front of me. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you met that person named Kyle. What can’t someone who can create such a thing do? You have been guided by a god without even knowing it.”

“That... I never thought of it that way...”

“That child you mentioned, Roka, is probably the same. Think of it simply. If the Trinity can select heroes, why wouldn’t someone higher than them be able to do so? He probably foresaw that you would clash with Grimudo on the way to the North Pole.”

The Emperor reached out his arms to hug his daughter once, then gestured for her to step back.

“Then what I have to do is also set. Now, I will command you not as a father but as the Emperor. Ardein. Open the door and call back those who left earlier. I have something to say in front of them.”

*****“I hope they’re doing well...?”

Roka and I are currently just tilting our teacups in the reception room of the imperial palace. For me, even this single cup of tea is something to be grateful for.

Long ago, when traveling with Yurinel, we met an old lady wearing tattered clothes. She lived in a shack, her waist was bent and she was limping.

Although I couldn’t bring youth to her with my power, I could at least straighten her bent back.

She expressed her gratitude by taking out an old bucket and scooping water from the well to serve us. It was the only drink she could give us.

The well seemed to have not been maintained for a long time, so the water wasn’t clean.

Yurinel frowned, and I stopped Parnell from spilling the cup. Lucia at least politely refused, but in case the old lady felt awkward, I drank all that water.

She served us that water in gratitude, so I drank it gratefully.

Before leaving, I conjured a new reviving spring for her.

So this tea water given to serve guests is something I’m grateful for, but Roka... I don’t know.

The child didn’t even glance at the cookies that came with the tea. Our Roka doesn’t really like sweet things, and she hates bitter things too!

This tea water is a bitter drink to Roka, and the cookies seemed to be nothing more than lumps of bland flour to her. She didn’t put anything in her mouth and her expression only darkened, so in the end, I had to ask a maid next to us.

I asked if she could make a dessert using things like eggs or milk.

No matter what, in a situation like this, I couldn’t ask for meat when it wasn’t even mealtime yet.

It was a compromise of sorts.

“That’s an egg pudding!”

Fortunately, she readily accepted the request and went to the kitchen, and a little later, a chef brought out a yellow pudding.

He confidently said it was made using only eggs, milk, and honey, and Roka ate it with some satisfaction. And even then, it probably doesn’t suit her taste, but the child would eat it since it contained eggs.

“You can’t go in! No matter if you’re the Archbishop, that person is Her Highness the Princess’s guest...”

“Step aside! I must see that person.”

When I was looking at Roka with a sense of satisfaction, even though it wasn’t a dish I made, there was a commotion outside.

Shouts were heard one after another, and an old man in black priestly robes walked through the crowd towards me. When he saw me, he was about to say something but his eyes widened.

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Well, we were acquaintances. Although it’s been a long time since we last met.

“Archbishop Armata. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“You’re definitely the one who was beside the Hero at that time...”

He probably won’t remember me, or maybe he’ll only remember me as the person who was next to Yurinel.

Yurinel had introduced me to Archbishop Armata, the priest in charge of the Grandera diocese of the Hillai Church, before.

His expression changed in a complex way.

“I didn’t know you had the ability to heal the Princess’s illness and make His Majesty rise to that extent. I see why the Hero rejected the priests of the Church who volunteered and selected you to be by his side. It wasn’t just because you were childhood friends.”

I see. Fortunately, it seems everything worked out well. It appears the Lord has postponed His Majesty’s passing. Only then could I let out a sigh of relief.

“Then is the Hero also here by any chance?”

“Hm? She’s probably still in the Demon Realm. I’m not at her party anymore, so I don’t know for sure...”

“You left the party? Why aren’t you helping the Hero?”

“Because Saint Aridel is there now.”

Ah. Only then did the Archbishop seem to realize something and let out a deep sigh.

“It seems we... had a big misunderstanding about you. Why hasn’t anyone corrected that misunderstanding until now? Why hasn’t anyone pointed out the one you serve?”

He reached out his hand to grasp mine and infused divine power. The moment the power of Goddess Hillai tried to flow through my body, the Lord’s power, already abundant, naturally drew that power and led it elsewhere.

Is it my imagination? For a moment, it seemed like the Archbishop’s divine power was fluctuating.

“I remember now.”

He let go of my hand and smiled bitterly.

“Your name was definitely Kyle. I thought you, who was next to the Hero at that time, were an ordinary priest, but neither you nor the one behind you were ordinary.”

Not even minding his trembling hand, he continued.

“Can’t you see it? The one I serve just saw you. And the infinitely shining halo lurking behind you. We need to reconsider our judgment of the one you serve.”

“Archbishop, there’s one thing I’d like to tell you before that.”

Since the one before me was the Archbishop of Hillai, there was something I needed to say to him.

He might already know, but there’s no harm in making it clear.

“I think you already know, but an Evil God appeared near the Vlad Duchy. It seems to be born out of the resentment of many children coalescing together.”

“Ah yes, I heard about that. An emergency has been declared throughout the entire Church. Everyone is busy running around now. This is how big things happen. When there’s nothing going on, it’s quiet, but once one thing happens, they keep coming one after another.”

He let out a deep sigh, greeted me, and turned his head.

“It was nice to meet you. Next time, it won’t be me, but an envoy from the Church who will come looking for you. But before that, you’ll have to greet a guest first.”

Following the Archbishop’s gaze, my gaze also shifted. Past Roka, who was eating the egg pudding without taking her eyes off me, I saw a blond man who somehow resembled the Princess. Only his eyes were ordinary blue eyes, unlike the Princess’s green eyes.

That man saw the Archbishop and opened his mouth sullenly.

“Oh my, I didn’t know the Archbishop would be here.”

“Now, let me introduce you. This is His Imperial Highness, the Third Prince of the Empire, Edmund von Illumina. Your Highness. This is Kyle, a priest who serves an ancient god.”

Then, I’ll let you young people talk. Leaving those words behind, the Archbishop disappeared.

The murmuring around me could no longer be heard either. The Prince smiled at me, but the gaze in his eyes was not favorable. However, his eyes soon took a warm glint, masking away his true feelings.

“So the savior of the imperial family who saved my father and cured my sister was here.”

“Greetings to Your Highness. I am Kyle, a humble priest of the God of Hope.”

But whether they love me or hate me, a priest is someone who must love their neighbor. I just greeted him with a soft smile.

I just felt a little bitter. It seemed like he didn’t have a good relationship with the Princess.