BXBX NOVEL Side Story Chapter 144
Side Story Chapter 144
After Cardinal Kurz and the paladins left the dungeon, Babel called out to Carmen.
“Carmen von Agnus. Carmen, wake up,” he repeated, but Carmen showed no response. Babel gritted his teeth. “Shit.”
He had been too complacent thinking that the “Holy Empire” wouldn’t cross the lines of human decency.
“I can’t believe that I’m meeting you here like this...” Babel mumbled, bitter and regretful.
Carmen von Agnus was the sister of Aden von Agnus, Babel’s foster father—in other words, she was Babel’s aunt. However, Carmen and Babel had drifted apart after they had discovered that Babel was a member of the Britten Family, so when Babel had inherited the title of Duke Agnus, Carmen von Agnus had voluntarily left the family. However, Babel had just been a tool for Aden von Agnus’s revenge.
“You always weighed on my mind... but I’m too late.”
When Babel had been young, Carmen had taken very good care of him because she had thought he was her actual nephew. From Carmen’s perspective, Babel had been the only legitimate son, and Joshua had been a lowly bastard who was an Agnus in name only. Babel still couldn’t forget the look on Carmen’s face on the day it became known that Babel von Agnus was actually Babel ben Britten.
“I guess that Bel, the Battle God, really is a human weapon who only knows battle,” Babel remarked. He spoke from experience, having directly clashed with Bel, lending his words a certain weight.
After going through all that trouble to bring Babel and Carmen as hostages, Bel hadn’t made the slightest attempt to interrogate them nor use them as hostages against Avalon. He had simply tossed the two of them to his subordinates and instructed them to do what they would, which eventually led to the current situation.
“I’m not sure if Joshua knows about that monster.”
Babel never imagined that Bel had already devastated the Palace of Avalon and then returned to the Hubalt Empire before standing in Babel’s way. Bel was the first person after Joshua that made Babel think that an individual could threaten an entire country.
Babel had witnessed Hubalt’s ambitions to conquer the continent. Just like they had with the Martial Emperor, they wished to rise above the title of the “Holy Empire” and rule all of Igrant.
Kurz had given Babel a week to think about his offer. After Hubalt subjugated Avalon and Babel chose to become the Emperor of Avalon, Hubalt would not only give him all sorts of powers but also the chance to get revenge on Joshua. Of course, Kurz wouldn’t really trust Babel even if he said he agreed to the offer, so Kurz would obviously employ some form of safety measure on Babel, like a mana pledge.
“...Hah, how did I get into this mess?” Babel slowly closed his eyes and let it all sink in.
There was only one thing he could do right now. Although his mana had been sealed, Babel had regained a little bit of his vitality after getting all that water poured on his face. He now had the strength to at least clench his fists.
“I only have one chance.”
Babel was going to catch Kurz and the paladins off guard during their next visit.
* * *
“I met Babel von Agnus just now,” Kurz reported to the man who was sitting on the throne with a dull look on his face.
“What did he say?”
“He wants a little time to think about it.”
Bel, the man on the throne, chuckled. “Cardinal Kurz—no, should I call ‘Your Holiness’ now?”
“You can call me whatever you would like to call me.”
“You don’t have to be that submissive.”
“What do you mean...?”
“I’m not interested in political power. I simply wish not to receive any orders because I’m sick of it.”
Kurz’s expression subtly changed. Although Bel said that he had been receiving orders, no one had actually dared to boss around Bel as he was the only one on the continent who had a chance of winning against Joshua Sanders.
For the sake of the day they would execute their grand plan, Hubalt had continued to gather sparring partners for Bel in secret, and Bel had kept on fighting against and again. Of course, Bel had only been compliant because fighting was exactly what he wanted to do. The only reason he had become dissatisfied with his life was that he had become peerless.
However, Kurz wasn’t foolish enough to say that out aloud.
“...If so, wouldn’t it be better to claim the throne yourself?”
“It’s too bothersome.”
“Someone has to claim the throne, since the seat is vacant now.”
The moment Bel had returned to the Hubalt Empire, he had thrown the Emperor of Hubalt in the dungeon, discarding him like the unwanted puppet he was.
“You do it,” Bel abruptly said.
“Pardon?
“Having two masters will just create confusion. Besides, I’d have to think about politics and stuff, so you can be pope and emperor.”
Kurz trembled uncontrollably with excitement. How desperately he had been wanting this?
“...Do you mean it?” the ambitious priest asked.
“Yeah, so quit that with your weird, serious tone. It doesn’t suit you anyway.”
“But, Bel.”
“See? It’s way better to just call me by my name.” Bel shrugged.
Kurz stared at him, wordless. He was realizing that he had been greatly mistaken in measuring this man by ordinary people’s standards. He actually felt guilty that he’d doubted such a remarkable man for a moment.
“...Thank you.” Kurz nodded.
“It’s only right. The positions of pope and emperor have finally merged, so we’re in the perfect autocracy. But imagine the monarch bowing and talking in a formal tone to a man like me. What would the citizens think of you?”
“It doesn’t matter, Bel. You’re now going to be a supreme god, so no human standards could be applied to you, much less restrict you.”
“What are you talking about?” Bel asked.
“I’m going to make a public declaration that there is the Battle God in Hubalt, just like the Martial God in Avalon.”
Kurz’s proposal intrigued Bel.
“Isn’t that blasphemy?” Bel asked, grinning. “Hubalt’s been treating other gods except for Hermes as nothing but phantoms.”
“Our country has changed and a new era has come, so we should have new ways of thinking.”
“Hahahahahaha!” Bel burst into laughter and slammed his fist into his armrest. “That’s hilarious. Well, yeah, it would be weird for a god to tiptoe around humans. That’s exactly the life I wanted. I can enjoy all the privileges without any of the responsibilities.”
“Everyone on the continent happens to be watching Avalon right now, so I’m going to use this opportunity to move our army across the border.”
“Good. Then I guess that it’s finally time for me to step in.” Bel stood up from the throne and grinned. “My subordinates who were scattered all over the Empire must have come together by now, so let’s get ready.”
Kurz’s mouth split into a wide smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing the Battle God’s light shining over the battlefield.”
* * *
Lilith didn’t even slow down when she got to the Palace of Avalon. Given the army of undead near the east gate, the Palace was quite empty aside from essential personnel.
‘I’ve been wondering how I should get there... This’ll make things easier,’ Lilith mused.
-If we run into someone, I’ll explain.
‘Why? Are you going to use my body and yell “I’m Joshua Sanders”?’
-Why not?
‘Forget it. I’m never letting that happen,’ Lilith refuted.
The fact that the First Prince of Avalon and the Sword Emperor had found out about Joshua’s presence in Lilith’s head was embarrassing enough. Although she had never done anything that would cause a misunderstanding, she was together(?) with a man right now. She would feel guilty if the Queen Consorts heard about it.
-You worry too much.
‘Would you please not read someone else’s thoughts without permission? It’s very rude,’ Lilith grumbled.
-If you didn’t want me to read your thoughts, I wouldn’t have been able to read them in the first place.
‘Stop talking,’ Lilith snapped. She turned her attention back to her path. Her destination, the dungeon, was located on the outskirts of the Palace.
‘...Wait.’ Lilith’s feet stopped. ‘I’m detecting a presence inside.’
-That’s strange. From what I know, there are no prisoners in the dungeon right now.
Lilith’s face darkened.
‘So it’s not a guard, right?’
She’d run into a problem even before she’d entered the vault. Even more troubling, the presence that she was detecting was extraordinary.
‘Can that be the Second Prince’s?’ Lilith guessed.
-Impossible. I already checked that he entered the vault.
‘What in the world is this vault? Why did you hide that in the dungeon? I’m going to find out anyway, so why don’t you just tell me now?’
Joshua was silent for a long time before he answered.
-...It’s an undead army.
‘U-Undead?’
-There are around a hundred thousand of them.
“Wh-What the hell!” Lilith swore, unwittingly saying it out loud.
An army of a hundred thousand undead could topple an entire kingdom. Lilith had personally experienced the horrors of those terrible creatures.
‘Is your plan to conquer the continent after you get out of that ice boulder? Why is such a thing underneath the Palace?’ Lilith demanded.
-I just hid it because I knew everyone would react like you if they found out about it. There’s no other reason.
‘The rumors about how the Avalon Imperial Family is involved with black magic are true. Once the existence of this army becomes known, the whole world will condemn Avalon.’
-Technically, I took most of them from other people.
‘It doesn’t matter! Keep your ears open, because I’m speaking from experience: you cannot, under any circumstances, allow the rest of the world to discover this army,’ Lilith warned Joshua.
The presence Lilith felt began to climb up the stairs, forcing Lilith to cut her lecture short.
-It looks like we’re made.
‘This person seems stronger than we expected. Does anyone come to mind?’ Lilith asked, tight with urgency.
-Not at all.
‘...They’re probably related to the Imperial Family, so hopefully I can talk this out.’
-It’d be simple if I did it, so why would you do it the hard way...?
‘I told you that I’m never letting that happen, didn’t I?’ Lilith snarled before turning back to the door just in time for the unidentified person to emerge from the darkness, revealing their identity.
-...I definitely did not expect this.