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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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The prophecy that the Demon King of Death would return.
The declaration that a new hero had been chosen.
The Earth Mother’s oracle, announced at the Alliance Council, plunged the kings of each nation into shock.
This was impossible.
They had to prepare for the prophecy as soon as possible.
Their agitated reactions threw the previously silent grand hall into chaos.
The Emperor of the Empire was no exception, his face contorted as he shouted at the Pope of the Holy Kingdom.
“What wicked scheme are you plotting, Pope?!”
“Why is the Emperor of the Empire so enraged? The benevolent Earth Mother, concerned for her pitiful humans, has prophesied the impending crisis.”
Using fear to coerce faith.
The Holy Kingdom always used the one true god’s divinity to exert its influence.
The Emperor of the Valtarian Empire was well aware of this.
This time would be no different.
They would use the Demon King’s resurrection as a pretext to wage war.
Barbarossa gritted his teeth, glaring at Boern, who was smiling meaningfully.
“The entire continent is already overflowing with corpses from the constant wars… Is the benevolent Earth Mother complaining that there aren’t enough sacrifices?”
“……”
The Emperor’s words were the epitome of blasphemy, questioning and cursing the Earth Mother’s divinity.
However, the Pope didn’t refute him.
How could a human understand the divine will?
The devout seeker, who had heard the voice of the one true god, accepted the divine will without a moment’s hesitation.
“But I heard that the Saintess Party had put the Immortal Demon King to eternal rest…!”
“The Demon King is being resurrected?! What did the Saintess Party do?!”
The fear of the Disaster God wielded by the ruler of Death still lingered vividly.
Therefore, the kings of each nation questioned the Saintess Party’s achievements and recalled the terror of Death.
He will return soon.
It was only natural for the kings, who had become complacent in the hard-won peace, to feel fear.
And-
Their attention focused on the new hero declared by the Earth Mother.
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Was a bit of hypocrisy inevitable for the sake of the divine will?
It made me want to vomit.
The one true god’s manipulation was truly appalling.
To declare the apostle serving the Disaster God of War as the Holy Kingdom’s hero.
It was an act that deceived even the devout followers who worshiped her.
What was her intention?
If I were to encounter the Earth Mother’s possessed body again, I wanted to grab her by the collar and demand an answer.
“Edanant…! Edanant!”
“…Yes.”
As soon as I left the grand hall, Ludmilla approached with an urgent voice.
She seemed to have learned about the Earth Mother’s oracle, having heard the kings’ loud voices.
I could tell from Ludmilla’s worried expression.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course I’m fine.”
I answered, suppressing my anger and bewilderment towards the Earth Mother.
I clenched my fists, trying to appear composed, lest Ludmilla’s worries deepen.
“Just like Maximilian, you were chosen by a holy sword, so it’s only natural for you to be selected as the Holy Kingdom’s hero. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“But you…”
Ludmilla sighed and trailed off as I shook my head.
She knew.
That a hopeless situation had unfolded.
If I continued to be dragged along by the Earth Mother, I would eventually face the worst-case scenario of confronting the Saintess Party, who were attempting to resurrect the Disaster God of Death.
Of course, I had no intention of obediently following the will of the damn one true god.
I would prevent it, even if it meant resorting to the extreme measure of summoning the Disaster God of War to the mortal realm.
“Shall we take a walk?”
“Of course.”
It was an unreasonable request.
To ask for her company while she was in the middle of guarding the grand hall where the kings of each nation were gathered.
She would surely refuse.
But contrary to my expectations, Ludmilla readily agreed.
I was momentarily shocked as I watched Ludmilla, who valued duty above all else, leave her post so boldly and irresponsibly.
I had never imagined that she, a stickler for rules, would display such a daring side.
“To suddenly be declared the Holy Kingdom’s new hero… What an absurd situation.”
“Now I understand why the Holy Kingdom was so secretive.”
The impact of instigation was always greater when it was delivered all at once.
To announce the Earth Mother’s oracle at the Alliance Council meeting where the kings of each nation were gathered.
It was a cunning move, befitting the sly followers of the Earth Mother.
“The kings attending the Alliance Council must be frantically searching for me right now.”
“Hehe, then I have the protagonist of the oracle all to myself.”
Perhaps it was to ease the heavy tension.
Ludmilla smiled gently and spoke playfully.
All to herself…
She wasn’t wrong.
In my eyes, only the beautiful princess with flowing golden hair was visible.
“I don’t know what to say to Zebeline…”
“Edanant.”
I sighed heavily, thinking about Zebeline.
Ludmilla’s previously gentle expression instantly turned grim.
I had made a slip of the tongue.
To mention the White Dragon in front of the Red Dragon.
Ludmilla reacted sensitively, as if I had touched a sore spot.
I broke out in a cold sweat at her sharp response. Ludmilla then grabbed my hand and spoke in a firm voice.
“I have you all to myself right now. Didn’t you say that?”
“Yes, that’s right…”
“So focus on me. Don’t worry about anyone else. Especially the First Saintess!”
“……”
She was acting incredibly mature.
And at the same time, she was displaying childish jealousy.
Every aspect of her was lovely.
Had I already fallen head over heels for her?
Every time I witnessed Ludmilla’s various sides, I couldn’t help but wonder.
I was even worried that we might end up getting married within the year, as the Emperor wished.
“I think I saw the Earth Mother’s possessed body earlier today.”
“What? Is that true?!”
I mentioned the Holy Kingdom’s prospective saintess I had encountered while strolling through the rear garden with Elizaveta.
To be precise, it was the Earth Mother Gael, who had possessed the prospective saintess’ body.
The one true god of the continent.
The supreme being who stood at the pinnacle of all creator gods.
Ludmilla reacted strongly when I mentioned the Earth Mother.
It was only natural for her to gasp in shock, as the Earth Mother was the deity worshiped by most nations, including the Valtarian Empire.
“I’m not certain. I only sensed a small amount of divine power from the prospective saintess who was suspected to be the Earth Mother’s possessed body.”
“But your intuition has always been accurate, hasn’t it?”
“I’m not that confident. I’m often wrong.”
“Hmm…”
I hoped my intuition was wrong this time.
Because whenever my intuition proved to be accurate, it always led to unfavorable outcomes.
However, as Ludmilla had said, my intuition was often correct, so I couldn’t let my guard down against the Earth Mother’s possessed body.
Moreover, she had shown a keen interest in Elizaveta, so she would surely reappear.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Was she simply captivated by Elizaveta’s beauty?
Or could there be another reason?
Countless questions flooded my mind, and a sense of foreboding struck me like a bolt of lightning.
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Could there be a vessel capable of fully containing the one true god’s divinity?
No,
There could never be a perfect possessed body.
Except for Beatrice, who had betrayed the one true god who cherished her.
Despite carefully selecting pure maidens with a high affinity for divine power and nurturing them as prospective saintesses in the sanctuary, they had failed to create a perfect possessed body.
That’s why Gael had declared that, excluding Beatrice, there would never be a perfect vessel capable of receiving her divinity.
However, her prejudice was shattered after encountering the third princess of the Valtarian Empire.
Elizaveta von Valtarian.
Beatrice’s rival, who had clashed over Maximilian.
She had been so focused on nurturing Beatrice, the most suitable possessed body, that she had forgotten about Elizaveta’s existence.
Gael acknowledged her mistake and decided to use Elizaveta as a substitute for Beatrice.
‘If only that damn maggot hadn’t interfered…!’
If she had managed to grab the beautiful princess’s hand, the possession would have been successful.
But someone had interfered.
The outsider, the anomaly who possessed the Disaster God of War, was the culprit.
Edanant von Hohenberc.
The root that threatened the one true god’s throne.
The calamity that would ruthlessly destroy the one true god’s garden.
It was all because she had spared him at Beatrice’s tearful plea.
She should have eliminated him, even if it meant earning Beatrice’s eternal hatred.
“You dare defy the supreme one true god twice? Know your place, outsider.”
“The first time is always the hardest.”
The prospective saintess with flowing orange hair stepped forward.
The young man with gray hair blocked her path.
“If you activate your divinity here, your true nature as a disgusting and repulsive worshiper will be revealed. So stop your futile bluffing and retreat from the mortal realm. You belong in the dark and lonely abyss. Consider it my final act of mercy that I haven’t exposed your identity using the Holy Kingdom’s oracle.”
“……”
She had hit a nerve.
That was his fatal weakness.
Gael smiled triumphantly as Edanant remained silent, seemingly speechless.
However,
Unfortunately, the enemy before her was a stubborn one that would even shock the one true god.
“If I self-destruct here, all the precious prospective saintesses you’ve been cherishing will die.”
“…What? Self-destruct?”
The villa where the Holy Kingdom’s envoy was staying wasn’t far away.
If Edanant, armed with explosives all over his body, were to self-destruct, the Pope and the prospective saintesses would surely be reduced to ashes, not even a single fragment remaining.
“I’ve been foolishly trying to hide my identity all this time. In the end, all I need is to eliminate the witnesses. You dared to manipulate me with an oracle? Let’s see how you like it, damn one true god.”
Edanant said, spreading his arms like a philosopher who had discovered the truth.
Gael gasped in shock and stepped back.
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violence, always