I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 186



186 – Beyond Happy Ending (2)

Even though he was locked in the palace, he didn’t become completely deaf.

I had to go into hiding because of Acleron’s threats, but there were still people who came to visit with news.

Even if I had no power, it wouldn’t change the fact that I was the empress.

There were times when Achleon himself spoke, just like now.

Outsiders seemed to interpret this process as meaning that I had not taken a break from state affairs.

The more I listened to it, the more helpless I felt… … but in many ways, I couldn’t choose not to listen.

From noble mtl dot com

My days were filled with despair that could not be washed away.

“Gamigin has occupied the western trading area without permission. Naturally, all contact with the Empire has been cut off.”

“… … What about the contact networks you’ve established? Were they all useless?”

“Yes. As far as we know, there are no survivors. This confirms Gamigin’s betrayal. Considering the time period, it is not strange to think that he committed it immediately after His Majesty died.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

The trading area was crowded with people.

There must have been many deaths, including minor ones such as officials and guards, and there were even villages nearby.

They were all my responsibility.

Achleon was definitely with us when I made my choice.

But now he seemed to be indifferent.

“It’s been three years.”

“… … ?”

“Just three years? The peace that was achieved through so many sacrifices ended in less than three years. You also achieved this peace together, so why don’t you care?”

“Didn’t I tell you that? I am not a saint of peace, but a saint of order.”

If that’s the case, I said that last time too.

But what kind of order is Acleon maintaining now?

Was there order in war?

How could that be? War is ultimately chaos.

This is a bloodbath that breaks all rules.

Achilles is a man who is excessively faithful to his title of saint.

Although he shows madness in his faith, he is not a person who trusts his intuition too much.

Fundamentally, he was also a person who moved for good values.

In a situation like now, it would be right to have doubts at least once.

But Achilles seemed unmoved in the least.

I only know of one instance where a ‘saint’ was so certain.

“You are the god of order. What kind of order did Temes see in the midst of war that led him to issue such an order?”

“You finally understand me. But how can a weak human understand the will of God? I personally regret this incident. However, as a saint, I am having a more fulfilling time than anyone else.”

“I still can’t understand you.”

“It is not something that requires understanding.”

The current Achilles is clearly instigating war.

But I couldn’t think of a way to stop this flow.

The demons have become the enemies of humanity again.

The empire had to collect the blood price of the emperor, but the reality is that the Grand Duke of Illencia, who called himself the Spear of the West, disappeared like dew on the execution ground.

Although it was an issue that absolutely could not be ignored, the response of the central aristocracy was still lukewarm.

No. I would say it is clearly going in the worst direction.

When I received the report yesterday, my face almost turned red.

– As for the Demon Lord issue, we can leave it for now since we have the Manshinjeon troops and new garrisons.

– For now, we need to resolve the issue of His Majesty the Emperor’s absence.

– In principle, the regent should be Her Highness the Empress, but since she has been in seclusion since becoming pregnant, I… …

– No, the problem is that the Empire’s state affairs were too dependent on His Majesty. In the future, the authority of the House of Peers should be increased…

It seemed that the ’empty seat of the emperor’ was a much more important issue for the nobles than Gamigin’s betrayal.

Perhaps they still think there is enough insurance in the West.

Well, that’s not entirely wrong.

Karzan and I believed that a new era was coming, but we did not think that we could remain defenseless.

We have prepared to deal with it even if Gamigin betrays us.

Instead of the Grand Duke of Illencia, there are two insurance policies placed in the West.

One was the temple corps directly managed by the Pantheon, and the other was the western garrison that pushed in the new aristocracy.

But they wouldn’t know.

The Western Garrison is just a shell in name only.

They have no power.

Although nominally jointly monitored by the Empire and the Pantheon, in practice this only leaves room for Karzan to intervene when necessary.

The imperial family at that time did not have the capacity to govern the western part.

“I recently received an interesting document from the Imperial Court. They said they would grant me the right to requisition supplies, but asked me to stop the Gamigin.”

“Ha. I guess you accepted.”

“Of course! I see that the Western Garrison is also full of enthusiasm, and I will give them a chance. The courageous ones seize the opportunity.”

“You’re saying that you’ll eliminate the garrison first. You don’t have to beat around the bush. I understand the meaning of that now.”

“Haha, well. I still see Ellis as a pure person. Please, keep that purity for a long time.”

Most of the central nobles did not directly face the battlefield.

Most of the guys who brag about being veterans must have been moving around in the safe rear.

A tale of bravery in personally subduing the rebels of Illencia?

Well, after Count Bertus died, there was no rear or anything.

In the midst of this mad offensive, a few dead men without commanders may have arrived.

All of those dead people would not have been in good condition.

The imperial forces at the front would have fought to the end even in situations where they could not avoid annihilation, while in the safe rear, they would have simply finished off the already wounded dead.

In fact, I had heard a tale of heroism told by a nobleman in the capital.

– When I was in the military, the dead from evil spirits came rushing in like a tidal wave.

– All the other soldiers were killed. My comrades and I were the only ones left on the front lines.

– We fought without rest. We fought for days on end.

– And when I came to my senses, the clear sunlight was shining down.

The nobles waged a three-day siege behind thick walls in the rear.

In a safe castle with adequate preparations.

So, even if the cowardly nobles died and woke up, they wouldn’t know.

The war against the high-ranking Demon King was not something that could be endured by sending just a few soldiers.

The civil war we fought was not that light either.

Sirien Illencia is a cruel person.

He annihilated my blood relatives without even giving a proper reason, and yet he suppressed the noise with his power.

Even though the opponent was a demon, they did not hesitate to commit unnecessary massacres.

But there is no doubt that his skills were genuine.

Even the most powerful demon lords were wary of Illencia and became quiet.

So the poor Western Army will take the place of the Grand Duke of Illencia?

That’s not even a funny joke.

That force won’t be able to last even an hour against Rajen Bertus.

If there had been such a monstrous knight… … it would have been Gamigin to fear war.

In reality, the only ones who have the power to protect the West now are the Pantheons.

But the saint of order had other thoughts.

Can the Pantheon function properly in this situation?

“Tell me, do you have any intention of protecting the West?”

“It’s not up to me. Well, I guess the Saint of War will try.”

“He still has the wounds he received during the civil war… … No. It was you who brought faith and war together. Could it be that you started back then?”

“God sees farther than man.”

Wrong.

There were so many things wrong from the start.

Achilles was never my ally from the beginning.

I didn’t convince him. I made him believe I did.

That way, you’ll have more confidence in yourself.

Actually, I never doubted him.

In retrospect, Karzan and Achleon did not get along very well.

Maybe Karzan knew this fact.

Then… … why didn’t you tell me even though you knew that?

Achreon smiled broadly.

“Ellis, do not be afraid. I can feel it. Temes is… … looking at me. His presence is so vivid that I cannot sleep.”

Wrong.

This guy is crazy.

“Temes is coming. He is coming slowly but surely. I would like to ride out and meet him right away, but he wants me to finish what I have to do here.”

If we leave this man alone, the empire will collapse.

I tried to stop Acleron even at the risk of my life, but it was already too late.

My anxiety became reality.

Three days after news arrived that Baal had set out on a campaign, Dersian died.

Within a few days, the tower collapsed and Harmenia was destroyed.

After Karzan, everyone I knew died, but I had no time to grieve.

Destruction gave me no time.

Baal was coming for me.