Chapter 288
“It’s not difficult. I just need to take care of the ones at the top.”
“!!”
“Once I deal with the leader, the Ghost Sword King, and the second and third in command, the Beast King and the Duke of Illusion, they won’t dare to think of challenging us.”
They were the patriarchs of the Ghost Sword, Magical Beast, and Illusion Demonic Houses, respectively.
“What an absurd thing to say… How do you plan on dealing with them?”
Everyone reacted as if it were nonsense.
It was only natural.
All three of them were magi of the Absolute Realm of 8-Star.
The Ghost Sword King, in particular, was a figure who had reached the peak of high 8-Star, an absolute being who would not have been outmatched even when compared to the Nordian of the past.
“Have you already forgotten who it was that made the Demon King of Azure Flow kneel?”
“!!”
In truth, Chris’s plan was not simply to eliminate the Ghost Sword King, the Beast King, and the Duke of Illusion.
‘I have to make the entire Tri-Alliance kneel before the Dark Alliance.’
An incomprehensible thought.
If the Tri-Alliance were to combine all their strength, they would actually surpass the Dark Alliance.
So how could he possibly make them submit?
And ‘by himself’ at that.
‘I have a plan.’
Chris smiled and declared.
“Don’t worry. Just trust me and leave it to me.”
***
In the end, the three patriarchs decided to follow Chris’s opinion.
It was partly because they trusted him, but also because there was no solution to be found by retreating and holding their ground.
‘If the Four Kings’ Castle and the Tri-Alliance join forces and advance on the Southern Magus Nation, we won’t be able to handle it anyway.’
In the end, everything rested on Chris’s shoulders.
‘I have to make the Tri-Alliance submit and manipulate the Karn Empire into attacking the Four Kings’ Castle from the rear. Only then can we avoid defeat.’
Avoid defeat.
From the beginning, Chris didn't think he could win this war.
The difference in their forces was that great.
‘Just being able to hold them off would be a great success. After that, I can bring down the Four Kings’ Castle.’
The plan for the future unfolded in Chris’s mind.
‘After I break the momentum of the Four Kings’ Castle with this war, I must bring them down from the inside.’
From the inside.
It was a statement with a hidden meaning.
Destroying the Four Kings’ Castle from the outside was practically impossible.
Even if it were possible, an immense amount of blood would be shed.
Therefore, Chris was planning to dismantle the Four Kings’ Castle from within, by himself.
Chris thought more specifically.
‘I just have to become the Castle Lord of the Four Kings’ Castle.’
It was an absurd idea that would make others ask if he had lost his mind.
But it was not an empty thought.
He had a plan.
‘If this war concludes successfully as I intend, it’s more than possible.’
In any case, it was a mad thought.
To enter the Four Kings’ Castle himself and then make it submit.
‘But, I have to do it.’
Chris’s gaze lowered and hardened.
‘If not by this method, I will never be able to find out the truth of Ragnarok from my previous life.’
The Blood Drenched Demon King destroyed the world.
But why?
No, before that, why did ‘Idrinne’ become the ‘Blood Drenched Demon King’?
Looking back, there was more than one suspicious point.
‘Thinking about it now, it’s a wonder I never questioned it before.’
It was a change that had occurred after he became an Elder.
As if a dam had burst, questions he had never thought of before came flooding to his mind.
Among them, a question that he absolutely had to find the answer to.
‘I also have to find out why I regressed.’
This, too, was likely related to the Ragnarok of his previous life.
‘I have to become the Castle Lord of the Four Kings’ Castle to be able to answer all these questions.’
To do that, he first had to conclude the war successfully.
The first step was to make the Tri-Alliance submit.
***
He did not head straight for the Tri-Alliance.
‘Because I need to do some groundwork first.’
The place he headed to was, unexpectedly, the Holy Empire.
“Have you been well?”
“I-I’ve been well. B-but why are you here?”
“Why else? I came to meet the Holy Emperor. You’ve gotten close to him in the meantime, right?”
Surprisingly, the place he was in now was the imperial palace of the Holy Empire.
And on top of that, he was here to meet the Holy Emperor?
Ruina, who had been dragged along again as an unwilling companion, had a pale complexion.
“Well, it’s not impossible to come and meet the Holy Emperor. You just have to introduce me. You’ve built up that level of connection, haven’t you?”
“I have b-built up the connections, but…! If the Holy Emperor finds out about your identity, Your Grace.”
“He won’t find out. We just have to be good at deceiving him.”
“But our opponent is the Holy Emperor?!”
Ruina shrieked.
‘No, if you want to die, die alone. Why drag me into this! What am I supposed to do if I get burned at the stake along with you!’
Just then, the sound of a tongue clicking was heard from the side.
Evan was looking at Ruina as if she were pathetic.
-Grand Duke Christian is risking his own life and facing danger for the greater good.
-And this money-grubber, Ruina, is again only thinking of her own greed….
That was what his gaze seemed to say.
It was just as Ruina, bursting with frustration, was about to open her mouth.
“Well, don’t worry too much. I doubt we’ll die, probably.”
“Grrr! If your identity as a magus is revealed, you can just run away to the Magus Empire, but I’ll have to shut down my merchant guild!!”
“On the other hand, if things go well, you might be able to demand that the Holy Emperor grant you your ‘lifelong dream’.”
Ruina flinched.
Her lifelong dream. The reason she lived so tenaciously, like a money-grubber.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, it seems I might be able to put the Holy Emperor in a tremendous amount of debt. While we’re at it, I should be able to make a request for something like your lifelong dream.”
“……”
“Of course, to make your dream come true, the consent of the Karn Empire’s emperor is the most important thing, but another opportunity for that will come soon enough.”
As one might expect, he was planning to make use of Ruina in the Karn Empire as well.
In the end, Ruina followed Chris’s words and soon scheduled a meeting with the Holy Emperor.
For reference, Ruina had made the Holy Emperor's acquaintance using the Fanatic Order incident as a pretext and had since then rapidly built a close relationship.
“Ohoho, my skills are quite something, aren’t they? I’ve always been quite capable.”
“You’re lying. You must have used the Hero’s name.”
“Tsk. It’s the same thing. The only reason the Holy Emperor is taking notice of the Hero is thanks to my smooth-talking… no, thanks to me speaking well of him.”
Chris nodded his head.
‘Even the Holy Emperor can’t ignore someone like Evan.’
Although he was currently cast out, as the legitimate heir of a renowned swordsmanship house counted among the three great bloodlines of the Alliance and a Hero recognized by a Constellation, he was worthy of the Holy Emperor’s attention.
“I’ll be counting on you in the future, Sir Hero.”
At Chris’s playful words, Ruina and Evan stared blankly at him for a moment.
“What?”
“I am not the Hero.”
“…What?”
Evan said something completely unexpected.
“You are the Hero. Christian.”
***
“What, what is that supposed to mean?”
Christian wore a dumbfounded expression.
What kind of goddamn hero was he supposed to be, a magus?
“Of course, you’re the Hero. Everyone saw you defeat the monster from the Fanatic Order.”
“I was not recognized by the ‘Scales of Justice’.”
“What? That can’t be.”
Chris looked bewildered.
It was a legendary-grade artifact in the Holy Empire.
An artifact that discerned between good and evil.
It also served as a Hero Detector.
‘In my previous life, Evan was definitely recognized by the Scales of Justice. Why? Don’t tell me?’
A thought occurred to him, and Chris’s mouth snapped shut.
A question here.
What is a Hero?
It refers to a brave soul who will save the world.
So, how is it determined who is the Hero?
It was ambiguous.
Because one wasn't a Hero simply for receiving a lot of a Constellation's blessings.
There were a fair number of knights and mages who received the blessings of Constellations. That didn't mean they were all Heroes.
On the contrary, among the Heroes of the past, there were not a few who had not received a Constellation's blessing.
‘And in an age of chaos, countless scammers pop up, calling themselves heroes.’
That was why the method of discernment using the artifact known as the ‘Scales of Justice’ was created.
The Scales of Justice, as its name suggests, is an artifact that determines how just a person is.
It had one other function as well.
It determines how many achievements one has accumulated for the sake of the world.
Only when one is recognized as having accumulated achievements ‘worthy of saving the world’ are they called a Hero.
‘Damn it.’
A cold sweat trickled down Chris’s back.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Evan had yet to accomplish much as a Hero.
On the other hand, himself?
‘…Oh, for crying out loud. By the Hero Detector’s standards, I am the Hero, aren’t I.’
When it came to achievements accumulated for the world, there was no one who could match Chris.
In truth, it had all been for the sake of wealth and glory, but in the end, everything he had done had indeed been for the sake of saving the world.
‘No, me, a Hero? What kind of bullshit is this!’
It was a horrific thought.
“Christian, I believe that you will, of course, be recognized as the Hero by the Scales of Justice.”
Evan, the genuine hero, nodded at Chris, sending him a look filled with steadfast trust.
Chris made a face as if he’d bitten into something foul.
‘Goddamn it. I refuse.’
In truth, there was no harm in being recognized as the Hero.
Since it would be his fake identity, disguised with the Constellation’s emblem, that would be recognized, there was no risk of problems. On the contrary, it would be advantageous, as he could use it in many ways when operating on the Alliance’s side in the future.
‘Still, I hate it. It’s galling enough that I’m suffering like a dog in that bastard Evan’s place, but to be recognized as the Hero on top of that!’
It was an instinctive revulsion.
However, he had no way of avoiding getting on the Scales of Justice.
‘To have an audience with the Holy Emperor, I absolutely have to get on the Scales of Justice….’
As mentioned before, the Scales of Justice also had the effect of discerning good and evil.
It was a tradition that anyone visiting the Holy Emperor’s palace must be weighed on the Scales of Justice.
“Step on.”
The priest said curtly.
The scales were hanging from a large, pillar-like statue carved with the image of a Constellation.
‘No. A strange incident might happen.’
If an evil person were to step on the scales, the statue would be dyed in a red light, and if a good person were to step on them, a white light would rise.
‘Please just be a normal white color. Please.’
However.
It was the moment he stepped on the scales.
“Hmm, pa…?”
A white light did rise.
The problem was that it wasn't a normal white light.
The priest’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“Th-this is? N-no way?!”
“That light?!!”
All the surrounding priests began to murmur.
It wasn't just those nearby.
Fwaaaaaaaaat!
A brilliant light burst forth from the statue.
It was a light so intense that it seemed to dye the entire Holy Emperor’s palace.
So much so that every priest in the palace could see it.
It was the Holy Light, which signified that the one who had stepped on the scales had accumulated achievements worthy of saving the world.
‘…I’m screwed.’
Chris lamented.
He had won the Hero lottery.
***
“A Hero has been born?!”
“That’s right!! And not just any ordinary Hero! A radiance intense enough to cover the entire Holy Emperor’s palace?!”
The palace was thrown into an uproar.
For reference, the radiance of a Hero is also graded.
The more significant the achievements accumulated to save the world, the more brilliant the light that is emitted, and the radiance Chris had just shown was of an intensity for which it was hard to find a precedent.
It seemed this result was likely because his achievements from the Age of Ruin in his previous life had also been counted.
‘Damn it.’
Chris escaped the ecstatic priests, entered a waiting room, and made an expression of pure agony.
-As expected of Christian. I believed in you.
Evan’s gaze, now filled with even stronger respect, seemed to say as much, which only made him feel worse.
He let out heavy sighs, but it was already too late.
‘Now that it’s come to this, it can’t be helped. I have no choice but to make use of this ‘Hero’ title.’