The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 153

‘Heeik!’

‘Aaaagh!’

The retainers and maids screamed.

Ansetus IV, deafened by their screams, sat alone on the throne. He tried to gather all the magical power within him to somehow reawaken the light of the king and fight against those invaders, but the throne did not budge.

‘Is this… the result of my lack of virtue?’

After winning the arduous succession battle, Ansetus IV had completely let himself go.

The descendants of the Yaegas gods, by their nature, could usually maintain their position once the owner of the throne was decided, no matter how depraved they were.

Even if other siblings twisted with jealousy and resentment, once the decision was made, they would not have a second chance.

So, Ansetus IV enjoyed his victory. The position of king, the power of the king, and all the pleasures he had to forgo as a prince.

Is this the result?

‘Your Majesty! The outer walls are failing!’

‘The onslaught of the Nagas, fused with the Nether’s creatures, is too fierce…’

‘The Holy Knights have lost their strength, and their white magic is weakened and unusable!’

‘What should we do?!’

The soldiers were relaying bad news one after another.

‘Deploy the reserves and rotate them. Abandon the odd-numbered gates in the inner walls.’

The multiple walls of Coral Sahar could be adequately defended even if some of the gates were abandoned. The problem was that the soldiers were too exhausted.

‘It’s only been four hours since we exchanged with the reserves.’

‘Then, I suppose we can only twiddle our thumbs until we are destroyed!’

‘Your Majesty.’

‘It is because of my lack of virtue that this has happened. To think that the end of the long history of the Yaegas gods would begin with me. Is the only thing protecting us now the multiple walls of Coral Sahar, built with the wisdom of our ancestors? Hahaha.’

Ansetus IV burst into a hollow laugh.

To think that the first place to collapse as the prophecy of the Age of Jupiter was fulfilled would be his throne, Coral Sahar.

But then, suddenly, one of the maids stood up and began to walk forward.

‘Excuse me, Your Majesty.’

She simply tore off her maid’s uniform and stood before Ansetus IV.

Black hair, deep purple eyes, she was a captivating beauty. She was a head taller than the other maids, but until just now, she had been completely inconspicuous among them.

This height and figure alone would have drawn attention, but if it hadn’t, there was no other explanation than magic.

‘May I dare to sit on the throne?’

‘Hmm…’

The king’s guards stepped forward, but she walked out without flinching.

‘Are you Arael? Daring to falsely claim to be a living goddess?’

Ansetus IV was not a fool. He could easily guess the identity of the woman who had stepped forward before him.

‘Traitor!’

‘Your Majesty! Give the order, and we will deal with her.’

The guards were shocked and enraged that the woman who had been hiding as a maid was Arael. If they were not careful, they could be held responsible for their lax security.

If it were the Ansetus IV of the past, he would have done just that….

The current Ansetus IV had no intention of persecuting the guards for such a reason.

When his position as king was secure and he held absolute power, he could urge his subordinates and say whatever he pleased, but now he had to be mindful of others.

Experiencing the impermanence of power firsthand, he looked at this woman named Arael before him and felt the urge to hand over the throne to her immediately.

But to hand it over without doing anything would be an act that would offend his pride as the last of the Yaegas gods. If he handed over the throne to her like this, wouldn’t he be remembered in history as a foolish king?

‘I don’t remember falsely claiming anything… but if people need to have that belief to feel at ease, then that’s not so bad. Isn’t what people need now faith and reassurance? I think you need that too, Your Majesty.’

‘Then, how about bestowing that faith and reassurance upon the people now? Immediately quell this storm and defeat those Nagas. Then, naturally, people will admire you, and I might even consider sharing this throne I inherited from my ancestors with you. Or, would you not rather become my wife and share the crown?’

As Ansetus IV asked that, Arael smiled.

Seeing her raise her hand to stop someone behind her, it seemed she hadn’t infiltrated this place alone after all.

‘There are subordinates who are furious at the idea of sharing the crown through marriage. But I’ve become useless too. The fact that my subordinates, who aren’t even involved, are enraged at the idea of me, the last of the Yaegas gods, marrying.’

How much must they look down on him to be so angry?

Then, Arael opened her mouth.

‘That is a glorious proposal. But if you would briefly grant me the throne, I can resolve this situation without any further damage. If I fail to resolve this situation, then of course, the throne will return to its rightful owner.’

‘Haha. That’s a generous offer, indeed. But I, as the last of the Yaegas gods, will not give up the throne so easily.’

Then, a woman who seemed to be one of Arael’s subordinates among the maids stepped forward and jeered.

‘It’s not that, you’re just afraid! Afraid that the light of the king will shine when someone other than you sits on the throne!’

‘You, impudent!’

The captain of the guard could not hold back and stepped forward. Drawing a sword before the king without his permission was a serious offense.

However, that disrespectful remark had struck too close to home, so he could not stand idly by.

He would make sure she paid for it! That was what the captain of the guard thought, but….

Before the captain of the guard could draw his sword, Arael lightly waved her hand.

Although they were clearly about two yards apart… a black shadow brushed past the captain of the guard’s neck.

‘Huh?’

The captain of the guard suddenly saw his vision turn black.

His armored body suddenly soared into the sky.

No, his head had separated from his body and was falling to the ground.

‘Heeik?!’

‘Ugh…’

The guards, who had been denouncing Arael just moments ago, were terrified by the sight.

The captain of the guard was the strongest warrior in the guard and a well-known knight in the royal palace.

Seeing such a person killed so easily in a single blow, without any resistance, made them recall Arael’s reputation.

‘This is impossible.’

‘What a tragedy in the king’s court!?’

But on the other hand, they also felt a sense of anticipation.

‘Could it be that this woman can really resolve this situation?’

Outside the royal palace, the Naga forces were like the day of destruction. It was a hopeless situation.

In this situation, the current king, Ansetus IV, had clearly proven that he was not fit for the throne of Yaegas.

Even if they were loyal to the king and devout followers of the King’s Church, the grounds for criticizing the king were also contained within the teachings of the King’s Church.

‘I have committed an act of disrespect in the royal court. Please, be merciful, Your Majesty.’

Arael smiled.

It was a truly captivating smile.

‘As a descendant of Emperor Yaeslat, I also have the right to claim the throne. Please reconsider. There is no need for innocent people to shed blood.’

But then, the door of the throne room opened, and a booming voice was heard.

‘It’s a conspiracy! Do not listen to her words!’

The one who entered the audience chamber was Azadin.

‘Hmm?!’

The gazes of the retainers focused on Azadin.

‘Speak. What is the conspiracy?’

‘Those who colluded with the Nagas infiltrated the underground and were performing an evil ritual there. They were extracting white magic from the throne, weakening its power.’

Then, voices of doubt began to rise among the retainers.

‘That’s right. For a messenger clan woman to claim the throne as a descendant of the emperor. There must be some trickery involved.’

‘But the one saying that is also from the messenger clan?’

‘And there’s no proof, is there? Where’s the proof that they were performing a ritual?’

The desire not to trust the messenger clan and the desire to have some salvation to overcome this situation were clashing.

Ansetus IV hesitated and asked Azadin.

‘What is the proof?’

‘There’s no need to ask.’

Arael scoffed.

‘If you have resolved that ritual, then you should be able to resolve this situation with the light of the king, shouldn’t you?’

Arael seemed to have given up on even feigning respect. She was openly demanding that the king resolve the situation immediately.

‘Yes! Please resolve this situation quickly!’

All eyes were on Ansetus IV when it happened.

-Thwack!

A black steel arrow pierced Ansetus IV’s chest. A black steel arrow had pierced Ansetus IV’s heart.

‘Ah?!’

‘Assassination!’

‘Ugh…’

Azadin frowned at the sudden event that had unfolded before his eyes.

‘To kill Ansetus IV!? Are they insane?’

To confirm the incompetence of the owner of the throne and receive the throne, that must have been Arael’s grand plan.

But to kill the king? If she sat on the throne after eliminating its owner, it would be difficult to be evaluated as a truly legitimate king, even if she manifested the light of the king properly.

This was because there had never been a time when the light of the king had disappeared after a member of the Yaegas gods had sat on the throne before Ansetus IV.

Since everyone believed that anyone from the Yaegas gods could manifest the light of the king, it was not wise to purge the existing king and sit in his place.

Curious, Azadin looked at Arael. But surprisingly, even Arael was flustered.

‘It wasn’t Arael’s doing?’

‘Kill the messenger clan!’

‘Soulless murderers!’

The enraged guards drew their weapons and began to charge.

‘This is bad!’

Arael took a defensive stance to protect herself as the situation took an unfavorable turn. But then….

‘Everyone, back to your places.’

A clear female voice was heard. A woman with long silver hair tied up had already approached the throne.

‘…….’

‘No way.’

Azadin’s eyes widened as he looked at her. Even Arael was taken aback by the unexpected figure.

‘Aldis!?’

The woman who was like a mentor to both Azadin and Arael, Aldis Jedaha, was standing before the throne?

And that wasn’t all.

‘This is the court of Aldis Jedaha, the direct descendant of Emperor Yaeslat. Everyone, refrain from disrespect.’

A tall elf, whom Azadin also knew well, was assisting Aldis. Seeing him holding a bow, it was clear that he was the one who had fired the arrow that killed Ansetus IV.

‘Master?!’

Elder Kazas, the one who created the Kazas Haze [a magical mist] and gave power to Azadin, picked up the body of Ansetus IV, who was lying on the throne, and threw it.

The one who had been the most revered being in Coral Sahar until just moments ago rolled across the floor of the hall like butchered meat.

‘…….’

‘Ah.’

Even Arael was frozen by the shocking sight. While the messengers of Arael’s faction were also bewildered, Aldis sat on the throne.