Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 75: Rayman and Geher

“It feels like my body has become twenty years younger. Even if my lifespan doesn’t change, I will be able to live more comfortably until that day comes.”

The Emperor, who had consumed the Firefly Crystal Fruit in front of the people he had gathered, leaned back on the throne with a much more relaxed face. The faces of the people were filled with surprised expressions and envy as they left the throne room.

The desire for that small fruit that the Emperor had swallowed naturally overcame the fear of being in front of the royal court. Knowing that those who saw that greed would seek out that priest, the Emperor ordered the Imperial Knights to carefully guard Kyle.

“Mr. Madeleine. What do you think?”

The Emperor did not try to elevate himself in front of this person.

Because he was someone who deserved it.

“It is definitely the power of an ancient god. I can be certain of it.”

“Has the darkness that resided within you disappeared?”

“The Evil Energy of Grimudo, which had been stubborn no matter how much I tried to drive it out, melted away like ice exposed to sunlight when it touched that light.”

The one called Mr. Madeleine became lost in thought as he looked at the sacred beacon of Sanctuary.

“The power of the Demon King, Grimudo, is something not even the Goddesses can overcome. Unless it is a law of the universe, nothing can so unilaterally overwhelm the power of that Demon King.”

“Madeleine... No, I will now call you Sir Rayman. Until now, I have not asked out of consideration for your dignity, but now I would like you to answer.”

Until now, he had not asked, but now there was a need to know.

When the Emperor asked, the old man called Rayman turned pale. Rather than it being a difficult thing to answer, it seemed painful just to recall what had happened then.

“Just how powerful is Grimudo’s... that even someone like you could not overcome even a fragment of that power and suffered until now?”

“That one’s Evil Energy is a power that devours and assimilates all magical powers in the world.”

The answer was not given by the old man called Sir Rayman. Another old man slowly clasped his hands behind his back and walked over from behind him.

The nobles would have been quite surprised to see this person. The treasurer who guards the imperial secret treasury. Why is this old man, whose name is not even known, here?

Was this person of high enough rank to face the Emperor in person?

“That bastard’s energy spread throughout our magic circuits during the battle, occupying various parts of the circuits and hardening to control the flow of magic. It stuck to the magic circuits like a leech, contaminating them.”

“We tried to push it out with holy power, tried to borrow the power of rituals, and even swallowed elixirs. But it still persistently stuck there. All remedies were ineffective. Even though it was only a fragment of his power, there was no way for us to reverse that contamination with our strength.”

“So neither I nor this friend could draw magical power from the world, and we couldn’t naturally recover magical power, so we couldn’t exert our strength until now. It’s only because it was us that it stopped at this point. If it were a master of a lower level, the Evil Energy would have assimilated and devoured all the magical power in their body.”

That’s right. This person’s name is Hermit Geher.

Along with the serene Rayman, he was a challenger from a previous era who had faced the Ancient Demon King. However, that challenge was possible entirely because they did not know about Grimudo.

Master Rayman still shuddered at their foolishness whenever he thought of that day.

“No master on the continent could match us, so we called ourselves Grandmasters. Not knowing that the name we gave ourselves was false, we were engulfed in arrogance and challenged that Demon King of the North Pole.”

“This friend and I were not even a match for him. Only after facing him once did we realize why he does not try to conquer the continent and act as an emperor.”

Would you believe that the evil energy of his magic that naturally flowed into their bodies during the battle still remains in their bodies and exerts toxicity even after decades have passed?

Fortunately, the two of them were of such a high level that it stopped at this point. If a weak person had suffered the same thing, their body’s magic power would have already been devoured by the evil energy and they would have died miserably.

When the gap with others is this big, worldly power and authority do not catch his eye.

When he himself is already in power and authority, would he feel good about having an additional title like emperor?

“In my opinion,”

Sir Rayman sighed.

“To face Grimudo, that person from five hundred years ago must return.”

Of course, that person does not refer to the first Emperor.

That person inherited the bloodline of dragons and also reached the level of a master as an individual. However, no matter how legendary the achievements of the first Emperor are, all of that is meaningless in front of the Ancient Demon King.

Even an emperor cannot do anything alone without people helping him by his side. If the current Emperor had Rayman and Geher, the founding Emperor at that time also had similar people.

The swordsman without a master. Master Heron. It was this person who ended the chaos of 500 years ago and established a new order represented by the Empire. Then he disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

“Only after facing the sword he left behind were we able to shed our false names.”

Hermit Geher also acknowledged it. They had thought of themselves as Grandmasters, but in fact, they had no choice but to admit that they were just slightly stronger masters.

What is a Grandmaster? Even a master is already considered the pinnacle of humanity.

The concept of a Grandmaster has not yet been properly established. So if one thinks they are stronger than other masters, they sometimes call themselves a Grandmaster.

But now they know. There is only one person throughout history who can truly be called a Grandmaster.

Only that person from five hundred years ago.

That person did not seek out the primordial Demon King, and the Demon King did not seek out that person either. So no one knows which side has the upper hand.

However, at least if it were that person, he would not have been helplessly defeated by Grimudo like they were. Rayman and Geher could bet their entire fortune on that one point.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate that you two have recovered. Just in case, let me ask, you won’t be heading back to the North Pole to settle the score with Grimudo, will you?”

The two old men laughed awkwardly at the Emperor’s joke.

Settle the score with Grimudo? How dare they? They had neither the qualifications nor the ability to do so.

If they went to the North Pole again, forget about revenge, wouldn’t there just be two more corpses?

“If you’re going to stay by my side anyway, could you help me just one more time each?”

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

The Emperor finally brought up the main point. The two masters readily agreed.

It was this Emperor who had hidden the two who had fled to the Empire after being miserably defeated by Grimudo, and had helped them recuperate until now.

This favor may not have been great enough to repay with their lives, but it certainly had a profound impact on them.

“Please, state your wish, Your Majesty.”

“I want to test my son.”

The Emperor spoke slowly. The two were not very surprised.

After all, the Emperor constantly tested his sons and daughters back when he was healthier.

“Edmund, it wouldn’t be a big deal even if that child actually rebelled. If he has the ability to usurp my position, I can willingly take off what’s on my head and hand it over to him in recognition of that ability. But my son has joined hands with the temple. The temple only cares about the will of the gods they serve, regardless of what happens to the rivers and mountains of our empire.”

“If the goddesses desire it, would they care about the interests of the empire? There have been countless struggles for the throne until now, and I was not born as the crown prince either. But even though many people have taken the throne, none of them sold off the empire’s rivers and mountains just to ascend to the throne. I really don’t want to break that precedent.”

If the Emperor were truly heartless, he would have executed Edmund without a second thought to make an example of him.

If he had a little more compassion, he would have made him withdraw from the struggle for the throne, granted him only a suitable position, and taken care of the prince’s forces. The reason he is giving one more chance instead is because he, too, was ultimately a human being.

The Emperor was not a bad ruler in many ways, but he was a father before a ruler. In fact, things had become so twisted because he was not a heartless person when it came to his child.

It could be said to be his biggest flaw as a monarch.

“I, too, am someone who came to this position while shedding the blood of my brothers and sisters, I do not wish for this to occur again...At least while I’m still alive. But that will be entirely up to that child.”

Rebelling and becoming emperor is no big deal. If he proves that he has that much ability, he could even pass on this heavy burden to him right away. The current empire definitely needed such ability.

However, not only did the Third Prince join hands with the Temple, but he also began selling the empire’s interests to the Temple. Just the fact that he joined hands with the Temple to assassinate the Crown Prince was already crossing the line. That’s why the Emperor did not make the Third Prince the Crown Prince even though his own illness had worsened.

But when it came to passing the throne to someone else, truly, even though they were his own children, there was not a single one who caught his eye.

He even thought of adopting a son and passing the throne to him, although it ended with just contemplation. Now that Ardein has returned, the Emperor has one more option.

“Now I really don’t want to see any more bloodshed. Seeing the blood of family is enough when you’re young. It’s not something to do at this age.”

But an emperor who sells the empire’s interests to another power?

That’s not something that can be overlooked just because he’s a son. That’s why the Emperor sincerely hoped that Edmund would pass his test.

He wished that even if his sons and daughters could not forgive each other, they could at least tolerate each other, but he didn’t know if that would be possible.

In fact, he himself knew in a corner of his heart that it wouldn’t be possible.

“That’s why I might be doing this even though I know the answer. Maybe I want to console myself even in that way.”

“What is the plan?”

As if the effects of rejuvenating from eating the Firefly Crystal were for naught, his face looked like it had aged another ten years.

“If we push that child just a little, all the answers will come out. I just hope that Edmund doesn’t make the worst choice. Then I will also... have to do what I must.”

Family feuds are difficult to interfere with.

The two old men deliberately looked the other way and pretended not to hear. But inwardly, they were reciting the Emperor’s plan in their heads.

“Now, let’s get up now. You two must be busy, so I won’t take up too much of your time. Ah, Sir Rayman. Could you please go and relay my words to the Imperial Chamberlain? I would like to invite my daughter and that priest to my dinner.”

There was no need to ask which daughter he was talking about. Rayman nodded.

“Ah, and please also relay the order to bring that child named Roka along. Whether it’s two or three, it won’t make a difference.”

If that child is truly the hero chosen by the God of Hope, there is something the Emperor must pass on to that child.

Hermit Geher asked. His expression was quite unexpected.

“Are you going to give her a chance to draw that sword?”

“It’s not something she can pull out and take just because I give it to him. In the first place, that sword is not mine either.”

The swordsman without a master left his sword stuck in the ground before leaving. Until now, many imperial family members have tried to grasp that sword, but it never reacted at all. This sword was not left behind for the descendants of Illumina.

Even though it is in the imperial palace, it is a sword left behind for others who are not of the imperial family.

Even Rayman and Geher were not chosen as the owners of this sword. They merely grasped the sword and gained some enlightenment, but through that enlightenment, they were able to move forward.

“Everything is a matter for that sword to decide. I am merely providing an opportunity.”

The Emperor, too, once tried to unravel the secret of that sword in his passionate youth. He thought that the secret to gaining strength like the swordsman without a master was hidden within it.

Now he understands. That sword is not his, it never was from the beginning, and he is merely a custodian.

The swordsman without a master, like Rayman and Geher is now, was not a subject of the first Emperor but closer to a business partner. It is not recorded how this person thought of the first Emperor, but one thing was clear: he did not look favorably upon the opportunity he left behind becoming the exclusive property of the imperial family.

Just looking at that one point, one could not deny that the imperial authority was facing great constraints from its very birth. For master-level powerhouses who can exert strength beyond that of a group, even the Emperor can make requests but cannot give orders; it is a somewhat horizontal relationship.

But is it only imperial authority that is like that? It’s the same everywhere in the world.

It is not a disadvantageous condition only for the empire, so whenever the Emperor looked at the empire’s rivers and mountains, he always felt sorry for his ancestors. The situation was not very good from the time he inherited the empire, but a monarch is a position that must provide answers with results, not excuses.

If he could not do that, he should not have put this imperial crown on his head in the first place.

How could an emperor of a nation hold anyone else responsible for national affairs? In the end, there was no one but himself.

“I have made countless mistakes while living until now.”

The old man, who was looking at his own reflection in the window, sighed.

“Those mistakes have become a knot that cannot be untied unless one side dies. Even though I know that knots can be untied by striking them with a knife, I am a foolish person who tries to untie them by hand.”

Therefore, that responsibility should not be passed on to the next generation. No matter what outcome is faced, shouldn’t it be settled while he is still alive?

Even if that outcome is his heart being torn apart, it can’t be helped. As the current Emperor, it was his duty to see this through.