He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 21

Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor – Episode 21 (21/300)

Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor 21

Where there is meeting, there is parting.

“You have to return to the Order?”

“Yes, the elders have sent a message for me to return. Now, I must go back.”

Stella is returning.

I feel a bit sad at those words, but it was somewhat expected.

I walked a few steps ahead of Stella on the secluded forest path, then turned to her and asked.

“Let me guess. The elders don’t like you getting close to me.”

“…That’s right, it’s regrettable, but yes.”

There were many reasons why the elders of the Purification Order would dislike that.

They, too, would want to increase the power of the Order or their own power during this time of the empire’s decline.

Of course, there was also the option of cooperating with me and sharing power, but to others, the imperial family probably looks like a paper tiger now.

More like a delicious cake than a partner to cooperate with.

“There’s no need to be too sad. I expected it.”

The wind blowing through the forest fluttered her long, silver hair.

After sweeping back her wind-blown hair, I held out my hand to Stella.

“Still, I can hope for a personal friendship between you and me, right, Stella?”

I had half expected the Order to come out crookedly anyway.

So, from the beginning, what I wanted was to strengthen my personal friendship with Stella.

I don’t know what kind of relationship I will have with the Purification Order in the future, but her friendship will definitely be helpful then.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“It’s a bit late, but you can call me Franz when we’re alone.”

“…Yes, Franz.”

Unlike my somewhat business-like demeanor, Stella’s eyes were full of regret.

Seeing those eyes made me feel even more regretful.

I had some rapport with her while spending time together these past few days.

Stella is definitely a good person, but our personalities are almost opposite, so it might have been difficult to get closer anyway.

“Then, good luck.”

“Your Majesty, no, Franz, I’ll pray that things go well for you in the future.”

After exchanging our last greetings, Stella immediately left the Demon Realm camp.

After she left, I took some time to contemplate.

“Would it have been better to hold her back?”

“Are you referring to Bishop Stella?”

The captain of the guard, who heard me muttering after Stella left, asked back.

I didn’t particularly ask for an answer, but he added to my thoughts.

“I don’t think that would have been possible. If Your Majesty had really wanted, you could have told her to stay longer, but…”

“It would have been a difficult situation for Stella.”

So, making her stay a few more days wouldn’t have meant much anyway.

“Then, Captain of the Guard, gather the troops right now. There’s an urgent matter.”

“What is it?”

Even as the captain of the guard questioned me, I was looking at the status window message that appeared right after I said my last goodbye to Stella.

[Trial of Valor – Prevent the Assassination of the Saintess]

[Protect Stella, the Saintess of the Purification Order, from assassins]

[Bonus Objective: Eliminate All Assassins]

[Failure if Stella is assassinated.]

“Uninvited guests have arrived. Let’s give them the hospitality they desire.”

* * *

“Tch, the opportunity arises just as she’s about to leave.”

“Our reputation is at stake.”

The assassins hidden among the bushes and shadows of the trees spoke with resentful tones.

For the past few days, they had been tenaciously seeking an opportunity to assassinate their target, Stella.

But they couldn’t dare to attempt the assassination.

“Because of that monstrous emperor.”

“Why does the emperor possess such power?”

The emperor’s godlike actions they had witnessed in the Demon Realm.

He had practically killed every monster in the Demon Realm indiscriminately.

And that was the emperor alone.

“How can we attempt an assassination when someone like that is lurking around the target?”

If they had recklessly attempted the assassination, they would have likely been annihilated instead.

“There were opportunities to try, though…”

For example, when the target was fighting monsters.

If they had aimed for the target then, the assassination itself might have succeeded.

“But if we had, we would have all died.”

The mission objective itself would have been achieved.

However, it would have become a suicide mission where the assassins themselves would all die.

Regrettably, the assassins didn’t want to risk their lives on this mission.

At least, they didn’t want to volunteer for a mission where they would definitely die.

“But now that emperor and the imperial army are gone, she’s completely unguarded.”

The assassin hidden in the shadows looked at Stella’s escort procession with a wicked smile.

It was hardly even worth calling it an escort procession; it was practically no different from a small-scale explorer squad.

“There’s a reward for patience. Now, let’s get started.”

The fellow assassins nodded as if they had been waiting for this, and they all moved like the wind.

Moving swiftly through the bushes, the assassins quickly surrounded the escort procession from all sides.

Even in the midst of this, Stella’s escort team didn’t notice anything suspicious.

“Easy.”

It’s so easy without any interferences.

The past few days of hardship felt foolish.

Soon, the leader of the assassins nocked an arrow on his bow.

Then, a stream of green light settled on the arrow.

The spirit of the wind dwelled in the arrow, and soon that arrow left the bowstring.

Whoosh!

Thwack!

“Cough!”

The arrow flew through the air like a snake, twisting and turning.

The arrow, as if chasing the target on its own, accurately struck the neck of the escorting knight.

He was a knight wearing full body armor and a helmet, but the arrow accurately shot through that small gap.

Shushushuk!

“Cough! An, an ambush!”

“Protect the Archbishop!”

Soon, the other comrades also fired ‘curving arrows,’ and the soldiers and knights of the escort force were hit by those arrows.

A significant number of troops were killed or injured in their vital spots, and their combat power sharply decreased.

“Close combat team, engage.”

The leader of the assassins decided to start close combat.

At this point, when they started to solidify their defense, arrow fire alone had its limits.

They had to break into their ranks, shake them up, and break down their defense again.

Shashashak!

“Team 1, disrupt the front! The rest aim for the flanks!”

The number of assassins was much smaller than Stella’s escort force.

But the assassins’ skills were overwhelmingly superior.

In just a few minutes, the soldiers and knights couldn’t properly respond to the continuous surprise attacks.

Thud!

“Everyone, stay calm! We can defeat them by responding with the Blessing of Protection!”

But soon, a shield made with divine magic blocked the assassins’ attacks.

Stella cast a divine spell to create a shield for the soldiers.

As she cast the protection spell first, other priests helped her and cast protection spells on each soldier.

The holy knights cast protection spells on themselves and resisted the assassins’ swift attacks.

“Not bad, but I expected this much.”

The assassins were all elites, but they were at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle like this because they were few in number.

But the leader of the assassins had already taken that into account.

“All we have to do is kill the target.”

Coincidentally, the target, Stella, was maintaining most of that troublesome protection spell.

If they killed her, or even just hit her, she wouldn’t be able to maintain the protection spell.

In that case, the resistance of the escorts would be wiped out again, and they could assassinate her easily.

Tap!

“Stop, stop him!”

“The Saintess is in danger!”

He sprinted faster than the other assassins.

Ignoring the escorts who had cast the protection spell, dodging all the attacks, and performing acrobatic jumps to outwit them.

Chwachwak! Chwaak!

“Ugh!”

Ironically, those who were protecting Stella most closely were not the soldiers or knights, but the priests.

The priests had lower defense compared to them.

That’s why the assassin could easily dispose of them.

Then, Stella was temporarily exposed in a defenseless state.

“It’s over, Saintess.”

That’s it.

It was difficult to survive in a state exposed to a skilled assassin without any means of defense.

That should have been the case.

“No, not yet?”

“What?”

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

The assassin leader, who was rushing towards Stella to stab her heart.

But suddenly, along with someone’s voice, a strong impact struck his side.

He was kicked away by someone.

As he flew away, the one who kicked him let out a sigh of relief and said.

“Phew, barely not late.”

It was Franz. Stella looked almost ecstatic as soon as she saw him.

The emperor himself felt a bit guilty, so he said awkwardly.

“Sorry I’m late. I could have told you before I left, actually.”

That way, they can’t catch and kill the assassins.

Franz, who wanted to complete the ‘bonus objective’ if possible, deliberately used Stella as bait.

“No, thank you for coming even now.”

“That’s why I like you.”

Thanks to Stella, who didn’t ask or question, there was no need to make any more excuses.

“The Emperor… interfering after all…”

Conversely, the assassins who fell into the trap became embarrassed.

Not only had the emperor appeared, but the imperial soldiers, as if they had been waiting, began to attack the assassins from here and there.

The assassins fell one by one to the bolts fired by the crossbowmen.

Even if they tried to dodge with agile movements, it wasn’t easy because the emperor’s soldiers were skilled, unlike Stella’s escorts.

It was thanks to their skills honed while hunting monsters in the Demon Realm.

“Kugh, the mission has failed. Everyone, retreat!”

The leader of the assassins made a quick decision.

Assassination is absolutely impossible in this state.

After this, the vigilance will be even stronger after arriving in the village.

Not only will assassination become physically impossible, but the condition of ‘leaving no witnesses’ will also become impossible.

The mission has clearly failed at this point.

“Then we must return alive!”

Even if the mission fails, they can’t die like dogs here, so it’s time to retreat.

“What should we do, Captain? If we return to the organization like this…”

The assassins, who had already been trying to escape since the emperor appeared, couldn’t have bright expressions.

It was clear that they would be held accountable even if they returned to the organization.

Perhaps they could even die if they were unlucky.

“Report about that emperor. If we bring that information, the organization will forgive us to some extent.”

But the leader of the assassins was calm.

The emperor’s unbelievable level of ability.

No, having an incomprehensible talent beyond his immediate capabilities was unprecedented information.

Clearly, just knowing that information might be enough to be forgiven to the extent of saving their lives.

“Re, really… maybe you’re right-”

Thud!

“…!”

But the neck of the subordinate assassin, who was rejoicing, was cut off in the blink of an eye.

The assassins who were escaping together in the side were horrified.

“Why are you relieved? It’s not over yet.”

The emperor, who had followed them at some point, was standing in front of them.

“He was definitely much further behind…”

“You were too slow, so it was easy to catch up?”

Shuk, Chwaak!

At the same time as those words, another person was cut down by the emperor’s sword, which moved like lightning.

“E, everyone, run away! Hide!”

“Yeah, run away.”

The assassins, knowing that it was impossible to outrun him with speed, immediately tried to hide.

Because everyone scattered and fled like ants, it was impossible to chase them all at once.

“Let’s play a life-or-death game of tag.”

But the emperor was just leisurely finding them.

Numerous aura spiderwebs stretched out around him.

It didn’t seem easy for the prey to escape those spiderwebs.