Chapter 241 – Who Am I?
William Armstrong.
The head of the Marquess Armstrong, whose strength and authority are incomparable to those of the current imperial family, and the maternal relative of maternal relatives who produced the current empress.
The influence he exerted was powerful enough to make flying birds fall,
Based on that influence, he made the emperor a puppet and ruled the empire in secret.
Shadow Emperor.
People called him the Shadow Emperor with fear and disgust.
The man who was so feared and loathed that he dared to be called an emperor is now,
“Stop squirming. Isn’t it gross?”
“What is the Shadow Emperor? The Earthworm Emperor would be much more suitable.”
I was being thrown out like a burden and being openly insulted.
“Tsk! I will kill you. “I must do whatever it takes!”
There was no way William, who was born into a wealthy family and walked a solid path, would have received such an insult.
Like a monster, he had red veins in his eyes and continued to chant terrifying curses.
The appearance was so eerie that the faces of the nobles, who had already turned blue with his appearance, turned even more gaunt.
Even Arthur, who had developed a strong heart second to none while working as a ranker, carelessly stroked his forearm as if he had grown fat.
However, the targets of the curse, Jun and Franco,
“Pope, this bastard is still alive.”
“Leave it alone. It seems like you think the current situation is a dream. If you leave it alone, it will wake up on its own.”
He reacted angrily, even pinching his nose.
It really seemed like he wasn’t afraid of the curse at all.
Arthur, who had been tormented by William for half his life, could not overcome his curiosity and asked the two of them the reason.
“Are you not afraid of the Marquis Armstrong? No matter how much he calls it a religious order, if he decides to seek revenge, the religious order will not be immune from damage. “I don’t know if you’re a stranger, but I remember that you, the Pope, found the Marquis Armstrong quite difficult.”
“It certainly was. “The power of the Marquis Armstrong was something that not even the church could ignore.”
Franco did not deny that.
However, unlike the cool affirmation, the eyes looking at William were still cold, as if looking at something insignificant, and continued speaking.
“But I realized it when I caught this guy. The Marquis Armstrong is certainly a picky person, but this guy is not. “This guy is not the Marquess Armstrong.”
“What are you talking about! “I am, I am the Marquis Armstrong himself!”
“That’s your family name. “You are just a human being made of blood, flesh, and dirty greed.”
Franco remembered.
In a castle surrounded by high walls and numerous soldiers, we see William, wrapped in various mysteries, looking down on the world arrogantly like an emperor.
And then I remembered it.
The image of a man who passes by a high castle wall and numerous soldiers with a single magic, neutralizes many mysteries with a single slash, and brings out the old and ugly thing hidden within.
“Not long ago, you would have been part of the family. Actually, everyone, including me, thought that way. But not anymore. As long as this friend is around, you can never hide behind your family.”
While saying that, Franco tapped Jun on the shoulder.
William’s gaze naturally turned to Jun.
Flinch!
What did you think of when you saw him?
William’s eyes, which were filled with anger, were filled with fear.
Franco and Arthur were greatly impressed when they saw him, but not June.
He was very unhappy with the anger that still took hold.
That’s why.
Suddenly!
“Hi!”
“Don’t worry. Because the only thing I cut was the rope.”
The rope that was restraining his body was cut.
“… What are you thinking?”
William let out an ugly scream and his face turned red for a moment before asking with a serious expression as if he had never done anything like that.
Instead of answering, Jun gestured towards the wide open entrance.
It meant to run away no matter who saw it.
William, who had been watching for a moment, got up from his seat and headed toward the entrance.
The nobles who belonged to his faction took care of the first prince and quickly followed him.
Meanwhile, none of the church’s troops, including Jun or Franco, caught them, and eventually they reached the entrance safely.
“You will regret this moment forever.”
Boom!
The entrance door closed, and only William’s resentful voice echoed faintly in the grand hall.
“Yes, you will regret it. “Not me, but you.”
Listening to him, Jun snorted as if he had no idea.
――――――
The cult occupied the capital of the empire.
The news quickly spread throughout the empire through the church’s communication network.
It was very surprising news, but most of the people of the empire nodded as if they just expected it to be so.
This is because the church announced in detail the reason for sending troops and the mistakes committed by the empire before dispatching troops in order to reduce confusion among the people of the empire.
Out of useless pride, a warrior with a mission to save the world puts himself in danger, and instead of realizing his mistake and asking for help, he tries to hide it and cover it up.
Most of the people of the empire were angry at the empire’s behavior and viewed the church’s occupation as justified.
No, rather, I welcomed it.
That’s right, as soon as the church took over the capital, they hunted down and punished all the immoral people, their associates, and non-humans who used the shield of status and power to avoid punishment with a terrifying force.
This is because it realized the fairness and common sense that the people of the empire had longed for, such as lowering excessive and murderous taxes and eliminating various evil laws.
Some intellectuals expressed doubts about how the capital of the empire was taken over so quickly and easily, but this was quickly overshadowed by the news that the church was looking for intellectuals to help ensure the safety of the people.
Anyway, most of the people of the empire welcomed the church’s occupation of the capital, and as their lives improved day by day, they hoped that the church would occupy the empire forever.
Of course, not everyone welcomed the cult’s takeover of the capital.
The corrupt and dirty, and those whose loyalty to the empire took precedence over their faith in the church, rebelled against the church’s occupation of the capital and sharpened their swords to punish them.
However, I could not swing that sword easily.
For that to happen, the public sentiment was completely tilted toward the denomination.
Most of those who protested were people who normally did not pay attention to public sentiment, but they could not do so this time.
Even if they decided to fight against the religious order, it was their subordinates who directly fought against the religious order.
If you recklessly confront the church, those below will point their spears and swords in the opposite direction as soon as they see you.
Moreover, a handwritten edict from Arthur was sent ordering him to follow the control of the church.
Ironically, a sacred contract was also included, proving that it was written voluntarily and not under coercion.
Those who opposed the attempt to raise an army in the name of rescuing the emperor who was detained by the cult gnashed their teeth and tore up the royal decree and contract.
He then insulted Arthur, calling him a traitor who was trying to sell out his country, a puppet of the religious order, and a spoiled lion cub.
These were insults that would hurt his pride, but Arthur listened to them all with one ear and let them go with the other.
-Joy! When did I stop calling you that?
While snorting.
Rather than suffering, he handed over everything to the church and enjoyed a level of comfort comparable to his days as an adventurer.
Those who protested when they heard the news from the church went wild and went crazy, but they did not move hastily this time either.
It was because he believed that if he waited quietly, he, the so-called Shadow Emperor, would be the first to rise with his gun on his head.
-But why is it so late?
-Well?
However, no matter how long I waited, there was no news that the Shadow Emperor had raised an army.
There were occasional reports of seeing him, but no news came since.
At the moment when he felt strange about it, the comrades who had decided to take up swords together stopped hearing from each other one by one, and the forces under their command began to go under the control of the religious order.
-?
Those who rebelled felt that something was very, very wrong.
――――――
“Shit! Shit! Zenjaaaaang!!!”
“Hey, Marquis. Calm down!”
“This is not the time. We must run away quickly!”
William, with wild hair and spouting profanities like a madman.
His subordinates forcibly dragged him back.
The hand was too crude and insincere to be the hand extended by a subordinate to his master.
Well, it has to be that way.
You must be exhausted both mentally and physically from living on the run for days and days, and above all, there is no hope in sight.
I’m sure by now he’s internally scolding his owner for not giving up even after repeating the same process over and over again.
“Our Junie is really, really evil.”
Jun couldn’t bear to deny those words.
