Episode 336
The great emperor, who ruled over half the continent, had been slowly descending into madness, tormented by the fear of death.
Obsessed with the desire to live forever, he scoured every ancient ruin across the land, collecting relics in a desperate quest for immortality. He even formed a secret unit dedicated to this pursuit.
As the continent’s sole emperor succumbed to his madness, what once seemed impossible began to manifest.
This latest expedition was yet another product of the emperor’s deranged whims.
“He’s overcoming his illness, but the madness remains,” thought Kalito. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but Kalito was willing to do whatever it took to benefit from the emperor’s insanity.
“Your Majesty, I, Kalito, am prepared to do anything for you,” he declared.
The emperor burst into a hearty laugh. “Kalito, there’s no one as loyal as you.”
Kalito felt satisfied that his words had pleased the emperor and raised his head. But then, the cultist mages behind him suddenly lunged at him.
“What are you doing?” Kalito shouted, struggling as he activated the artifacts he wore.
Crackle!
But the artifacts sparked and failed to work. It seemed the entire camp was equipped with devices to disrupt magic.
Kalito turned to Gillian beside him. “Commander! We need to get out of here!”
As he urgently turned his head, Kalito witnessed an unbelievable sight.
“Ugh…”
Gillian was ensnared by something invisible, unable to move. No matter how much he resisted, he couldn’t break free. His muscles strained, but it was futile.
“Argh!” Gillian tried to summon his aura to escape, but the invisible force only tightened its grip.
Seeing even Gillian captured, Kalito trembled with fear. The mages grabbed his head and forced it back.
One of the mages approached with a golden basin, from which a strange-colored smoke rose.
“Let go! Let go!” Kalito shouted as the mages pried his mouth open.
“Mmmph!”
The mage poured an unknown liquid into Kalito’s mouth.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Held by the mages, Kalito had no choice but to swallow the mysterious liquid.
“Ugh…”
His head spun, his vision blurred, and he was plagued by hallucinations and phantom sounds.
Meanwhile, the mages joined hands and began chanting around the immobilized Gillian and the fallen Kalito.
The cultists’ eerie incantations in an incomprehensible language pierced their ears.
“Ugh!”
Kalito curled up, feeling the strange liquid coursing through his veins. His limbs trembled, and his eyes felt like they would burst from the pain.
“Aaaagh!”
The sound of the mages’ chanting and Kalito’s screams filled the camp.
Beyond the curtain, the emperor listened to the cries of Kalito and Gillian with satisfaction.
“Your loyalty will make the empire stronger.”
“A secret society within the Holy Kingdom?”
Beatrice explained that the Golden Dawn was a revolutionary group formed to combat corruption and rectify the wrongs within the Holy Kingdom.
Even more astonishing was that this organization had descended from the Dawn Society, where Pab and Laura had once been active.
Beatrice recounted how, as a child, she had been rescued by Sir Pab from slave traders and taken to a monastery. In honor of Sir Pab, she adopted the surname Valencia and grew up to become a member of the Golden Dawn. While praying, she received the Sun’s Mark and ascended to the position of Pope.
Zeke nodded as he listened to her story. “Incredible. I had no idea Your Holiness had a connection to Sir Pab. I also didn’t know about the Golden Dawn within the Holy Kingdom.”
“The activities of the Dawn Society, which rescued the descendants of Luvern, were continued by the Rose Society, while the Golden Dawn maintained its presence within the Holy Kingdom,” she said, glancing at the situation board on the wall.
“As you know, Sir Zeke, the situation in the Holy Kingdom is dire. The clergy, who should be the most virtuous, are only concerned with their own gain, neglecting the welfare of the people.”
Zeke looked at Beatrice. “I understand. On our way here through the port, we witnessed the grim reality. The citizens, unprotected by the Holy Kingdom, have become victims of orc hordes and are being taken by the Empire’s forces as sacrifices for dark magic.”
Beatrice closed her eyes, overwhelmed by deep sorrow and anger at Zeke’s words. When she opened them again, the gentle, innocent gaze was gone, replaced by the fierce determination of a warrior.
“The Golden Dawn will seize this opportunity to reform the decaying Holy Kingdom and protect its people.”
Zeke nodded at her resolute declaration but still asked, “Your Holiness, with the orc army approaching from the front and the Empire’s forces closing in from the flanks, if the cardinals and bishops in power sense your intentions and incite internal conflict, Vadoka will fall.”
Even the strongest fortress is useless if it crumbles from within.
Beatrice’s expression hardened at his words. She wanted to deal with them immediately, but the situation made it difficult.
Holding her head, Beatrice spoke, “I know. That’s why I can’t act against them and have to leave things as they are. But the longer this drags on, the more the Holy Kingdom will rot, and I’m afraid it will never recover.”
The complex structure of Vadoka’s Holy Kingdom had created a tangled web of political factions. Even if the Golden Dawn managed to eliminate some of those in power, other greedy individuals would quickly fill the void.
Zeke looked at Beatrice. “Your Holiness, I have a way to save the Holy Kingdom.”
Beatrice’s head snapped up at his words. “Sir Zeke, what do you propose?”
Zeke leaned in and whispered something to her.
Beatrice’s face grew serious as she listened. “Sir Zeke, will this plan work on them?”
“They’re greedy. They’ll fall into the trap,” Zeke assured her.
Beatrice bit her lip, contemplating, then nodded. “We’ll do as you suggest, Sir Zeke.”
With her decision made, Zeke retrieved something from his inventory—a seemingly unimpressive cup. It was none other than the ‘Holy Grail,’ one of the sacred relics.
Holding the Grail, Zeke declared, “This Grail will create a new opportunity for Vadoka’s Holy Kingdom.”
Pierre, the chairman, hurried to the assembly hall after receiving an urgent summons from the other cardinals and bishops.
There, the cardinals and bishops sat with grave expressions. Pierre’s face mirrored theirs as he took his seat.
One of the cardinals addressed him, “Chairman, what exactly is happening right now?”
Pierre pressed his temples, clearly troubled. The news he received was that Zeke Draker had presented the Holy Grail, a gift from the Fairy King, to the Pope, who then used it to empower the paladins participating in the crusade.
Pierre and the high-ranking clergy of the Holy Kingdom were well aware of the Grail’s capabilities. Vadoka secretly preserved records of hidden historical events, including those involving the dragonslayer Terracan Draker and the light mage Claudia Luvern.
The records detailed how Terracan Draker had awakened new powers with the Grail to defeat the evil dragon Bahamut. The high clergy and senior paladins knew this, so they couldn’t help but be interested in the power the Grail offered.
Moreover, as clergy members rose in rank, they gained more power through wealth and political influence. But the paladins were different. They needed to reach higher levels of strength to earn the title of Arch Paladin.
Paladins often became private soldiers under more powerful clergy to meet the conditions for becoming stronger. If the Pope used the Grail to quickly empower them, the clergy would lose control over the paladins.
Pierre ground his teeth, thinking of Zeke, who had suddenly appeared and disrupted Vadoka’s Holy Kingdom with the Grail.
“To be blindsided like this…”
Vadoka had its own way of doing things. Pierre had expected Zeke to eventually come to him, apologize for his initial rudeness, and gradually adapt to Vadoka. But he hadn’t anticipated Zeke would seize the initiative with the Grail.
Another bishop suddenly stood up and shouted at Pierre.
“My paladins are already restless! They’re worried they might miss the chance to receive the Grail’s blessing if they’re late!”
Hearing this, the other council members nodded, their faces filled with concern.
At this point, there was no way to stop the paladins from leaving their ranks to join the Pope. As holy knights sworn to the order, it was only natural for them to become the Pope’s sword, the highest authority in the church.
With just the Grail, the Pope had captured the hearts of all the paladins in the Holy Kingdom.
The bishop’s outcry sparked a wave of anxious complaints and raised voices, turning the meeting room into a chaotic scene.
Pierre, who had been quietly listening to the others, slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. He spoke to the room.
“Silence.”
At Pierre’s command, the shouting council members fell silent and returned to their seats.
In truth, no one was more troubled than Chairman Pierre himself. He had the largest number of paladins under his command, and if they began to defect to the Pope, he would suffer the greatest loss.
Looking around at the council members, he began to speak.
“It seems everyone is overly worried.”
Pierre continued, trying to calm the council.
“Even if the Grail exists, the current Pope doesn’t have the power to mobilize all those paladins. As you know, paladins are like moving piles of money. Without the council’s approval of the budget, how could the Papacy possibly sustain them?”
The council members pondered Pierre’s words and soon nodded in agreement.
They had paid a hefty price, using ill-gotten wealth, to draw the paladins to their side. As a result, the paladins were wealthier and more indulgent than any knights in any kingdom.
It was impossible for the Pope to bear the cost of maintaining such paladins. The power from the Grail might be fleeting, but the pleasures and luxuries of material wealth were long-lasting and sweet.
The council believed the paladins would never give up that life.
Just then, someone rushed into the conference room. A priest approached Chairman Pierre and whispered something to him.
Upon hearing the whisper, Pierre was taken aback and stood up abruptly.
“Are you saying Sir Baorud has entered the Papacy?”
The other council members were equally shocked.
Baorud Corvaccio. He was one of the four Arch Paladins in the Holy Kingdom of Vadoka.