The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 184

The Allied Forces were guarding the banquet hall where the feast was being held.

The Allied Forces, an organization preparing for the war against Alheim, was a group created by Gideon.

With Gideon imprisoned, the necessity of the Allied Forces was being re-evaluated. However, with the war against Alheim imminent, the Sword Dragon took over as commander and reorganized the system.

After the Demon King appeared in the free city of Arconia, elites from each country gathered in the Allied Forces to prepare for the inevitable war.

The knights, each possessing at least Graduate-level skills, were individuals hailed as geniuses in their home countries.

These people, who would be treated as high-level personnel even if they joined an average knight order, were gathered in front of the Imperial Palace.

“…What is that?”

“I don’t know either. What on earth is happening…”

All the knights gathered in front of the Imperial Palace were looking up at the sky.

This was not only the case for the knights, but also for the Sword Masters of the Soma Association.

“…I have traveled many places in the world, but I have never seen such a sky. Sword Dragon, do you know what that is?”

“There’s no way I would know. But one thing is certain… that power is as dangerous as Lucifer’s mana.”

The Sword Dragon swallowed hard as he looked at the sky above the Imperial Palace.

The dark sky was destructive, as if it would devour everything.

The Allied Forces had just fought a fierce battle with Lucifer, but they felt an eerie energy from that sky, as much as they felt from Lucifer.

“Bethel, you said Rael went inside, right?”

The Sword Dragon spoke to a veteran soldier guarding the Imperial Palace.

“Yes, yes…! We tried to follow him, but we felt a strong mana inside, so he told us to guard the Imperial Palace and not let anyone in…!”

“Mana… so a Demon King has appeared here as well.”

The Sword Dragon nodded.

When Lucifer appeared, it was questionable why Rael didn’t ask the Allied Forces for help but went directly. He had rushed to a more dangerous place himself.

It was truly a hero-like move.

“Hero…”

Amadeus, the Inquisitor General who joined the Allied Forces to assist the Saintess, looked up at the sky.

A pitch-black sky and an eerily frightening energy.

What on earth was happening inside the Imperial Palace?

‘He lives in a different world from me.’

Amadeus had never felt his inadequacy once since becoming the Inquisitor General of the Order.

His fists and holy magic were strong enough to reach the realm of Sword Masters, and he was confident that he could even defeat a Demon King.

However, Lucifer, whom he actually saw, was completely different from what he had imagined.

It is said that ten Graduates are needed to kill one high-ranking demon.

Then how many Sword Masters are needed to catch a Demon King?

Amadeus was able to see the result for himself.

The mana used by that monster dominated the entire space and swallowed humans like a natural disaster.

Despite the addition of the Sword Dragon’s Jeongryeokgung [a technique focusing and amplifying power], the Silver Cross Knight Commander Marco’s Sanctuary, and the Saintess’s magic, there were numerous casualties.

Furthermore, if Lucifer hadn’t been weakened by the Hero’s power, it was impossible to guarantee how much damage would have occurred.

‘But the Hero is fighting such a monster alone….’

Amadeus looked at the magic power erupting from the sky.

Mana burst from the dark sky, mana spread out, and unidentified forces flickered.

Even he, who was no different from a Sword Master, was witnessing phenomena he could not understand.

Amadeus’s hand trembled.

The events happening in the sky instilled fear in him.

This was an inevitable, instinctive phenomenon as a human.

However, inside the Imperial Palace, streams of divine power were still visible.

The Holy Sword Saint and the Hero’s divine power.

Even in the face of a monster that could subdue the sky, he was unleashing divine power as a follower of Gaia.

“This is the hero of the era and Gaia’s choice….”

Amadeus made the sign of the cross without realizing it.

Rael.

The Hero of the Gaia Order.

He is no longer a simple hero.

He was the hero of the era and the messiah we must follow.

‘The Gaia Order must follow the Hero. Everything is according to Gaia’s will.’

One thought firmly took root in Amadeus’s mind.

And the same thought flashed through the minds of the knights who were watching this scene.

Rael was once again engraved in their hearts.

“…Moo-cheon, Amadeus, Marco! And… Lucas and Carlson. Both of you, come with me. We’re going to break into the Imperial Palace.”

At that moment, the Sword Dragon raised his sword.

The sky is getting darker and darker.

Rael told them not to come in, but they couldn’t delay any longer.

“I, It’s dangerous! Sword Dragon!”

“The Imperial Family, including His Majesty, will be in the Imperial Palace. We can’t entrust their safety entirely to Rael!”

The moment the Sword Dragon tried to break into the Imperial Palace with his sword.

Kugugugung-!

An enormous amount of divine power and magic power poured out from the ceiling of the Imperial Palace.

Numerous streams of light began to erupt from the Imperial Palace.

The threads covering the sky, like trees spreading their roots, instantly pierced the blackened sky.

“Th, That’s…!”

“Let’s go in!”

The Sword Dragon looked at the sky that had regained its light and rushed into the Imperial Palace.

In the end, Rael had won against the Demon King.

Numerous Allied soldiers followed behind the running Sword Dragon.

“Rael!”

What the Sword Dragon saw when he arrived at the reception room was Yuri collapsed and Rael kneeling on one knee.

Rael was frowning and clutching his chest.

“…Sword Dragon.”

“Yes. Rael, what on earth happened? Did a Demon King appear?!”

The Sword Dragon looked around.

His eyes trembled for a moment when he saw the bodies of the Imperial Family, but the Sword Dragon soon looked at Rael.

“…Yes. Well, that’s right.”

Rael felt the murderous intent within him and glared at Yuri.

She seemed to have lost consciousness and was lying down, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her body.

‘Fortunately, I wasn’t too late….’

Rael felt a headache and relaxed his body.

The fact that the Sword Dragon was here meant that he had also successfully stopped Lucifer.

As soon as he realized that, the tension was released.

“Rael! Rael! Wake up!”

“…. I overdid it. I’ll leave the rest to you. Sword Dragon.”

Rael felt his consciousness fading away and closed his eyes.

*

In a quiet room.

Rael frowned at the touch of hands pressing down on his back.

“Ugh. Ack. Ack… Reina. It hurts, is this okay?”

“Just wait a little longer. It’s supposed to hurt.”

Two days had passed since the banquet.

Rael opened his eyes at the Elven healing center.

If his body had been poisoned by mana, he would have gone to the Order, but because Rael’s body was so strong, it was concluded that it would be better to receive natural mana and heal naturally.

“Reina. But is this really helping?”

“Don’t worry. Natural mana is healing, right?”

“That’s true… but why are you the only one coming? There must be other elves. Wouldn’t it be better to have more elves for treatment?”

It hadn’t even been two hours since Rael opened his eyes, but he had only seen Reina during that time.

“Th, That’s… um. Because I’m the best at handling natural mana. That’s right. Don’t ask unnecessary questions and focus! Focus!”

“Ack…”

Rael lay face down and focused on the natural mana that Reina was infusing into his body.

Certainly, natural mana was not ineffective.

His body, which had been strained from using Rotation and breaking through Shattering Sky, was recovering quickly.

“Reina, by the way, how is Yuri doing?”

“Yuri doesn’t have any major injuries either. But she seems to be having a hard time mentally. She said she doesn’t want to meet anyone until you wake up, so I’ve been isolating her.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“More than that, what happened? Did a Demon King really appear?”

Reina asked, pressing down on Rael’s back.

Reina also saw the Imperial Palace at the time, but the darkening sky was a rather frightening sight even for the elves.

“…Something like that. I’ll explain after I talk to Yuri.”

Rael nodded and entrusted his body to the natural mana.

First, he needs to get on the same page with Yuri.

Knock knock-

At that moment, there was a knock on the healing center door.

“Ah, you guys are here. Come in.”

Reina opened the door to the healing center, looking at the faces outside.

“Rael! Are you okay?”

“Sir Rael. I’m glad you opened your eyes.”

Lucas, Carlson, and the Sword Dragon had come to the healing center.

Rael first greeted Lucas and Carlson, who were approaching.

“I’m glad you guys look healthy too. What happened to Lucifer?”

“We succeeded in sealing him with the Saintess at the center, and he’s now in the Order. I survived with the help of the Sword Dragon and Moo-cheon. I almost died, sir.”

“…That’s a relief. I’m sorry I couldn’t go help.”

“It’s okay, Sir Rael. That means you trusted us that much.”

Lucas smiled.

Rael must have fought a formidable enemy as well.

He probably had to seriously consider whether to go to Lucifer or the Imperial Palace.

In the end, he trusted Lucas and Carlson.

“That’s right. I trusted you.”

“But I won’t listen to the next request. Sir Rael.”

“…Lucas, you can’t do that too.”

Rael smiled faintly.

If Lucifer is sealed in the Order, he will have to stop by as soon as his body recovers.

“I thought you were dead when you said you’d leave the rest to us and collapsed. Rael. I’m glad you opened your eyes.”

“I’m sorry if you were worried.”

“No, you’ve worked hard. Rael.”

“Thank you for saving Lucas and Carlson, Sword Dragon. I survived thanks to you. Come to think of it… how’s the atmosphere outside?”

Rael asked cautiously.

He was having a relaxing time at the Elven healing center, but the outside must be in a state of emergency right now.

“Needless to say. It’s a major incident in which the Emperor and Princes of the Karmen Empire were killed by the demons. Not only the Empire but the entire continent is burning with hostility towards Alheim. From their point of view, it’s something that could happen to them at any time.”

“I guess so.”

Rael nodded.

It’s a good thing that hostility towards demons is rising on the continent.

“Yes. The Allied Forces also suffered great damage, and thanks to that, the Empire is uniting for the first time in a long time since the Great War. After all, an external enemy is the most effective way to unite the inside. The nobles have also started supporting the Allied Forces because they have a knife to their throats.”

“…Gideon was right. It seems people only unite when danger comes right before their eyes.”

Rael chuckled.

He doesn’t think what Gideon did was right.

However, it was absurd that his ideology itself was not wrong.

“What will happen to the next Emperor in the end?”

The next Emperor is the most important thing at this founding festival.

The Emperor who was supposed to announce the next Emperor is dead, but that doesn’t mean they can’t appoint an Emperor.

“…Since there are only two members of the Imperial Family left who can ascend to the throne due to this attack, one of the two will ascend to the throne. But the 1st Princess Serena was never interested in the throne in the first place….”

The Sword Dragon looked at Rael and nodded.

Yuri will become the Emperor.

That was virtually a foregone conclusion.

“In the end, it’s back to where it started….”

Rael sighed in relief.

There were many processes, but in the end, the golden rope was successful.

“However, since it wasn’t a proper promotion process… there will definitely be complaints.”

“What do you mean by complaints?”

“Although Her Highness Yuri’s power was enormous, there were still many forces supporting the legitimate 1st Prince, and a few remained on the side of the 2nd Prince. But since those two died at the same time… some voices are suspecting the 2nd Princess.”

“There are guys who are talking nonsense like that? Who are they?”

“Calm down. Lucifer actually appeared, and there’s the fact that a Demon King strong enough to hurt you appeared, so the 2nd Princess won’t be framed as the culprit.”

“…I see.”

Proving Yuri’s innocence is not difficult.

However, right now, making her the Emperor is more important than her innocence.

And that’s not as difficult as you might think.

“It must have been hard for Yuri. She had to hear such things even after fighting the Demon King with me.”

“…Rael. What are you talking about? Her Highness fought with the Demon King?”

The Sword Dragon expressed his doubts at Rael’s words.

“That’s exactly what I mean. If it weren’t for Her Highness Yuri, I might have been in danger too. Maledrax appeared in the Imperial Palace.”

“Maledrax…?! The strongest monster among the four Demon Kings who rule Alheim appeared, is that true? But the 2nd Princess doesn’t have that kind of power…”

“No. The 2nd Princess and I defeated the Demon King together. I can prove it.”

The fact that Yuri is excellent as an Emperor will naturally be revealed over time.

However, the nobles won’t stay still until then.

They will interfere with everything and bother her until Yuri seizes the throne.

‘The only effective way to deal with nobles who only move when danger appears before their eyes is force.’

Fortunately, Rael knows how to handle nobles well.

It’s not difficult to quell the dissatisfaction of nobles full of arrogance and pride.

All you have to do is give them a warning that a knife can actually come to their throats.

“The 2nd Princess’s power is no less than mine.”

The power she has.

It was time to let the Empire know.