Side Story Chapter 66

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.”

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?”