The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 19

The dagger kicked by Diangel’s foot flew away, and Hoakin tumbled as well.

He expressed his pain with somewhat exaggerated yet slow gestures.

“Fine, Your Majesty. Just kill me here instead! If I cannot remain in Valdina, death would be better. I no longer wish to live- Sob!”

As Hoakin collapsed and burst into tears again, Diangel’s face contorted.

‘That bastard really…’

Even if Hoakin had actually slit his own throat while throwing away his dignity and begging for forgiveness in such a pathetic manner, Diangel wouldn’t have batted an eye.

The Valdinians present felt no different.

However, the problem was that there weren’t only Valdinians here right now.

The foreigners gathered from various nations across the continent were surprised by the vivid anger displayed by the Valdinians, yet felt inwardly uncomfortable.

“He’s pleading so desperately, yet they won’t even pretend to listen… It’s been three years, and they’re still family, aren’t they? The Valdina Imperial Family is too heartless.”

“Having to leave the homeland where he was born and raised to wander foreign countries for life. And it’s not just anyone else – not being able to visit his dead parents’ graves is rather pitiful, isn’t it?”

“That once-mighty Regent has become quite pathetic… Tsk tsk…”

Most humans naturally empathize with the weak rather than the strong.

There was a big difference between actually experiencing the damage caused by Claudio’s family’s rebellion and hearing about it in a sentence or two.

Moreover, as a result, hadn’t Valdina been thriving even more since then?

They had grown fiercely and even declared an empire, so wouldn’t it be proper to generously overlook the small disturbance that occurred during their small kingdom days?

The foreign envoys carefully observed Peleus’s reaction.

How the Emperor of Valdina treated his fallen uncle might serve as an indicator of how he would treat the continent’s smaller nations.

Medeia noticed the tension flowing through the banquet hall. She swallowed a silent laugh.

‘The Emperor has used his head.’

She could guess that behind Claudio and his son deliberately causing this disturbance was Kazen’s Emperor Perdickas II.

The spark the Emperor threw today would remain deep in those envoys’ hearts and interfere with their relations with Valdina.

Sending Claudio after Jason.

Perdickas II apparently couldn’t bear to watch his bothersome brother nation comfortably complete their proclamation ceremony.

Then, someone approached the fallen Hoakin.

“Please stand up. Take my hand.”

Hoakin was momentarily flustered and stared blankly at the white hand extended toward him.

‘What, what is this? I still need to draw more of that bastard Peleus’s attention…’

“Saint, I’ll handle this.”

Before his thoughts could continue, Hoakin was pulled up by the firm grip of a guard who grabbed one of his arms, leaving him standing awkwardly.

“Wipe your tears. The goddess’s love is infinite, so if you truly repent, there is no transgression that cannot be forgiven.”

With a mystical yet gentle voice, a woman wiped away his tears.

“Who…”

Hoakin raised his head.

And discovered a beauty looking at him with a pitying expression.

Her white skin and delicate figure caught Hoakin’s eye.

Her beautiful golden hair flowing over her cream-colored priest robes looked even more sacred under the chandelier light from the ceiling.

It was Rachel.

“…”

The atmosphere among the Valdinians became even more chilly with the Saint’s appearance.

They recalled what she had done in the Valdina Royal Palace.

‘There are times when our Valdina becoming an empire isn’t good. Having to see the faces of those inhuman bastards all gathered in one place.’

Diangel ground his teeth.

The foreigners, unaware of the Valdinians’ displeasure, were simply excited that rare entertainment kept occurring and chattered away.

To see the rumored Saint known throughout the continent in this very place!

“A Saint? A real Saint came?!”

“The Holy Knights came with her too!”

Behind Rachel were High Priest Paulo and the Holy Knights as well.

White robes draped over silver armor plates bearing the Holy Kingdom’s emblem gleamed.

A sacred aura that seemed to purify the air filled the banquet hall.

“They say one Holy Knight can take down a hundred Masu, right?”

“That’s why even when waves break out in the Holy Kingdom, you can hardly find a Masu claw there.”

If Valdina’s Agema (Royal Guard) was known for their valor as the continent’s finest cavalry, the Holy Kingdom’s Holy Knights were renowned as knights specialized in wave suppression and Masu disposal.

“They’re rarely seen at official events, but they must have come to escort the Saint this time.”

“But do they catch Masu with their faces? How are they all so handsome?”

“What about the Saint? If I hadn’t heard she was of commoner origin, I would have thought she was royalty from some remote region.”

While attention was focused on the Saint and the Holy Knights.

“Now then, this old man offers congratulations for the coronation with the sacred blessings of the Holy Kingdom. I pray that Valdina will overflow with unprecedented prosperity and abundance under the goddess’s guidance.”

High Priest Paulo first offered the Holy Kingdom delegation’s congratulations. His arrogant and pretentious tone remained the same, but there was something slightly urgent about it.

‘That young Emperor hasn’t said a word to us since earlier. Is he trying to ignore us because of that incident? Hmph, I can’t let that happen.’

The Pope’s repeated advice and scolding before coming here had long been forgotten from the High Priest’s mind.

When the Pope learned the full story of Paulo’s group being practically driven out of Valdina, he severely reprimanded her.

Despite waiting so long for the proxy’s appearance, the Pope did not revere the Saint.

‘His Holiness has aged. His holy power hasn’t been the same for a long time… So, without realizing it, he envies the Saint’s powerful holy power.’

The High Priest thought there was another reason why the Pope, unlike others, could hardly trust the Saint.

‘Even His Holiness has ultimately become bound by human constraints… At least I must come to my senses and reclaim the Holy Kingdom’s initiative.’

For such Paulo, the first step was right here, where people from across the continent gathered – Valdina’s Empire proclamation ceremony.

He had to demonstrate the Holy Kingdom’s prestige and furthermore showcase the Saint’s appearance at a gathering of continental people.

He needed to widely spread faith in the proxy, but since that ice-cold Emperor seemed unlikely to give such an opportunity, he stepped forward first.

“The Saint herself has set aside all matters to personally attend, so this will remain a blessing for Valdina for ages to come.”

He lavished praise upon the Saint.

After leaving Valdina, High Priest Paulo’s blind faith in the Saint had become even more solid.

Behind this was Rachel’s bone-cutting effort.

She had struggled desperately to regain the trust of the Holy Kingdom’s people.

She demonstrated increasingly powerful holy power daily, solidifying the fact that she was God’s proxy.

She made Paulo and the other Holy Kingdom members believe that even the unseemly ‘incident’ that occurred in Valdina was a trial given by the goddess to test their faith.

“The Saint prays daily for Valdina and this continent. Only for the peace and love that will dwell within all of you. Can you believe that since arriving in the Holy Kingdom, she has refused even meals to devote herself to prayer?”

As if making excuses for that day’s disturbance, Paulo’s voice passionately addressed the direction where the Valdinians stood.

However, his efforts were unnecessary.

No matter what he said, the Valdinians would not forget the ugly true face the Saint had revealed that day.

“You’ve arrived early when it shouldn’t be your turn yet.”

Peleus quietly pointed out that Rachel had suddenly interjected into the conversation with the Kazen delegation.

Paulo’s face instantly turned red and blue.

“The Saint simply could not turn away from one who was being rejected. Moreover, she has deep ties with Valdina from long ago.”

By deep ties, he must mean that the Saint had awakened on Valdina’s land.

As people were nodding, Peleus replied indifferently.

“Then the person the High Priest serves needs to better understand her position. It’s not a place where one can hide behind others like a child and avoid responsibility.”

The gossipmongers’ eyes widened. They too had heard rumors circulating about the Saint and the Emperor.

They had heard they were close enough to share the moment of awakening, and the Saint had even saved him, but the Emperor didn’t seem that way at all right now.

Rachel’s face reddened at the cold treatment that showed no consideration for her dignity.

How could there be such a consistently ice-cold man when he wasn’t even made of stone?

The fact that his coldness only melted in front of his sister made her even more furious.

“Your Majesty, though it may be presumptuous, allow me to speak.”

Rachel suppressed her anger and turned toward Peleus.

“These people are also Your Majesty’s family. The goddess said that those bound by blood are connected by threads of fate. Wouldn’t generously accepting their faults and growing together be the natural order that the goddess desires?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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