The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 241

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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 88

“Fire and ash, does that mean hardship will befall the continent?”

“The daughter of Valdina… Medeia, how could the Emperor of Valdina’s sister be given to the evil dragon…”

In the beginning, even after the goddess destroyed the darkness, remnants that could not be completely purified remained.

Those remnants condensed over time, eventually gathering in their purest and most powerful form to birth the evil dragon.

In other words, the evil dragon was the last darkness that survived from the goddess and a sacred curse that possessed its own will.

The evil dragon appeared on the continent irregularly, and whenever it spread its massive wings to cover the sky, the poison it breathed would devastate the surroundings.

Even the Holy Kingdom dared not attempt to purify the evil dragon and kept this fact thoroughly secret.

“According to the oracle, the evil dragon will soon appear on the mainland.”

They let out sighs.

Their joy at seeing the oracle was brief, as anxiety and unrest suddenly arose as if the end times had approached.

“Oh, oh oh! The oracle again…!”

At that moment, exclamations burst out again among the recording priests.

“There’s still more oracle remaining!”

New letters were being carved beneath the original oracle remaining on the obelisk.

[That fate is known only to those chosen by god and stars, and under the bride’s name, the continent shall escape destruction and obtain salvation.]

“The fate is known only to the chosen? What does this… mean…”

The high priests tilted their heads at the cryptic words.

“What do you mean what! It literally means if we send the Princess of Valdina to the evil dragon, the entire continent will receive salvation!”

Paollo raised his voice among the high priests. His eyes gleamed.

‘I was right. The goddess thinks the same as I do.’

There were no more doubts.

‘The Princess of Valdina has dishonored the goddess and our Old Church with her vile nature and words, so the goddess seeks to wash away those sins through this oracle.’

The oracle turned his suspicion into conviction and even added confidence.

“Since the oracle says so, that must surely be the only way!”

“High Priest, even so…”

Though the oracle spoke of a bride, everyone present knew that it truly meant a sacrifice.

As those devoted to religion, how could they drive someone living to their death?

Silence fell in dismay.

However, the opponent was the evil dragon.

A curse that shook the goddess’s order, a burdensome existence that even the Holy Kingdom was desperate to hide.

‘Can we even handle the evil dragon ourselves? No, how many people would die for that vague task?’

If the death of one woman, Medeia de Valdina, could prevent this enormous tragedy,

Could that still be called meaningless?

Fear seeped into those in the Chamber of Oracle.

That fear rationalized the reality of having no choice but to choose coexistence through someone’s sacrifice rather than eliminating the evil dragon.

“Ah, ah… It’s unfortunate but unavoidable. Don’t we know all too well what the price was for turning away from oracles in history, what became of the foolish humans who defied them?”

“That’s right! What’s important is that the oracle precisely ‘named’ that we must offer Valdina’s daughter as the evil dragon’s bride to receive salvation!”

“Your Holiness, please make a decision quickly. We merely convey the goddess’s will through oracles; judging right and wrong is not our role.

“Yes, Your Holiness. There can be no exceptions! Since the oracle has been given, we must inform each nation according to procedure and implement it immediately.”

“…”

The Pope briefly closed and opened his eyes with a short sigh.

After a quiet silence flowed.

“…So be it.”

The command was given.

The priests moved busily.

They engraved the characters carved on the obelisk exactly as they were onto wooden boards.

Then, they applied ink to the wooden boards and printed the oracle onto the temple’s unique paper.

“Hiya! Hiya!”

The temple’s special envoys, carrying copies of the oracle rubbing in their arms, departed for each nation on the continent.

The laurel wreaths, symbols of the Holy Kingdom on their badges, glinted in the sunlight.

“Your Holiness, it is the divine will. Allow us to escort you inside.”

But even after all the priests had left, the Pope did not leave the front of the obelisk.

“Is there something troubling your heart?”

“…Is the oracle truly His will?”

Wrinkled eyes gazed at the obelisk.

More precisely, at the fine cracks in the letters carved on the obelisk.

The later oracle consisted of intact letters, but where the original oracle was carved, the engraved parts were broken.

The different reactions of oracles that appeared with a time gap.

The Pope stared at the broken parts for a long time.

If the oracle revealed with the obelisk broken feels somehow ominous, am I perhaps becoming too weak?

“…It’s nothing. Let us return.”

Behind him as he turned and began walking, frozen air seeped in.

* * *

The western border of Kazen.

Deep in the forest where not a ray of sunlight entered.

Chezare bent his waist and swept the ground.

Gray ash faintly remained where what appeared to be a magic circle had been.

“Those rat bastards, we were so careful but they noticed like ghosts and escaped.”

Terrence sighed. Beside him, Garo tapped the ground with his foot.

“Boss, the white horse arrived safely. I heard Princess already gave it a name, Silva?”

“…”

No answer came.

Garo, who hadn’t expected to hear an answer anyway, continued speaking nonchalantly.

“But you know what. If you’re going to give a lady a gift, don’t you usually do something like this? Not gifting a crazy horse? My arm still aches when it rains from where that bastard bit me.”

Garo, grumbling with a grass whistle in his mouth, plucked wildflowers growing in the bushes.

He handed the cute bouquet that quickly filled his hand to Terrence who was following behind.

“You get bitten because you mess with it unnecessarily, ha, did you come out to play? Please focus, Garo.”

Terrence pulled his head back and swatted away Garo’s arm.

“Well, Princess seems to have become friends with that guy, which is amazing. How exactly did she put a bell on that fierce thing’s neck?”

Despite Terrence’s scolding, Garo’s mouth wouldn’t stop.

“But Boss, I’m asking as a stateless free person, is it okay to export Kazen’s purebred famous horses like that?”

Even if Princess Medeia was a lifesaver.

“What if the already strong Agemas master Arion too? The Emperor would throw another fit if he knew.”

Why did his boss’s brilliant mind keep erasing the fact that his homeland and his benefactor’s homeland were hostile enemy nations?

“Not bad.”

For the first time, an indifferent answer came.

“That means you hope it happens…”

Garo could accurately interpret Chezare’s meaning through long experience.

Garo turned slightly and whispered to Terrence.

“What’s the reason Boss suddenly wants to lead peace between the two nations? He couldn’t have become a dove of peace overnight.”

His voice was low, but his eyes were full of curiosity.

“For a gift to a lifesaver, it’s a bit excessive. There’s something. He’s preparing something, making preparations alone. Keeping it secret from us, hmm…”

“I think I know but you don’t? Your youth spent in debauchery every day is useless.”

“Hyung, if you’re going to insult me, at least teach me the answer first-“

Garo, who was about to grumble, stopped speaking. His playful face suddenly contorted roughly.

Dozens, hundreds, maybe even more piles of beast corpses.

Above them, black smoke that had burned partway was rising along with a stench that stung the nose.

“What is this, this isn’t sane…”

Terrence also frowned.

The deeper they went, the increasingly heavy silence of the forest had a reason.

Rotting corpse chunks and occasionally bones that were impossible to tell whether they belonged to beasts or humans rolled around, blocking their path.

Somehow it brought to mind the bizarre rituals of the cannibalistic Kiquegr tribe that Chezare had massacred long ago.

Magic always requires equivalent exchange. Especially black magic makes possible taboos that go against the laws of this world by using sacrifices as payment.

What could they have been trying to obtain by offering these enormous lives as sacrifices?

“They used primordial darkness.”

Chezare, who still appeared calm, approached the two shocked people.

As someone who had once directly contained primordial darkness in his body, Chezare could sense the remnants of darkness left in the magic circle and pile of sacrifices.

“Ahhh! You black and evil one! Even demons would not be more wicked than you! The great primordial darkness will not forgive you! Are you not afraid!”

For a moment, his handsome brow furrowed slightly. It was because he felt a sharp, minute pain pierce through his chest.

‘Damn, it still remembers.’

His heart, which had been hardened by primordial darkness, recognized and reacted to those deep traces.

He had survived, but he wasn’t completely free from the aftereffects left by the primordial darkness.

Terrence’s face became even more serious, not noticing the momentary pain that crossed his friend’s face.

“Were they trying to cast a curse on someone with primordial darkness? Like they did to you?”

“It would be fortunate if that were the case.”

Because it would end with just one death.

It was an indifferent response for someone who had fought curses until the brink of death.

“My lord!”

Just then, Alpha could be seen rushing urgently through the bushes from far away.

In his hand was a cream-colored paper.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you suddenly look like that?”

Garo took the paper first and unfolded it, puzzled by Alpha’s unusually pale complexion.

Thud.

A bundle of broken wildflowers fluttered down from his hand. Garo, frozen like ice, stared at Chezare.

“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that too?”

When Terrence approached suspiciously.

“It’s a message from the Dawn Kingdom. An oracle has been delivered.”

An oracle? Chezare’s handsome eyebrow shot up.

“Princess—”

Before Alpha could finish speaking, Chezare strode over and snatched the paper Garo was holding.

Crackle.

The paper copying the obelisk crumpled unsightly in Chezare’s hand.

“We’re going to Valdina. Right now.”

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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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