novelraw Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Ch.98 He Was Thrilling Just to Imagine
“Prison of the Dead!”
Levi’s Dagger darkened…
Whoosh!
—sucking in the surrounding light.
Prison of the Dead was a skill that drew in spirit-type monsters like ghosts, imprisoned them, and converted them into stat stacks.
“Master?”
“It’s fine! Trust me!”
“Father Hans?!”
“Hans?!”
Cecilia and Scarlet called out to me from afar.
Just then—
the serpent hovering in midair began to wobble, losing its balance.
The Serpent of Doom was a monster composed entirely of ghosts—making it extremely vulnerable to the Prison of the Dead skill.
Its tail was swiftly yanked, as if gripped by an unseen force, and sucked into Levi’s Dagger.
Good! Just a little more…!
Perhaps startled by something tugging its tail, the Serpent of Doom’s breath attack halted for a split second—
“Raaah!”
—and Cecilia seized the opening, pouring every ounce of her power into her strike.
KABOOOM!
Her golden radiance overwhelmed the serpent’s corrupted power and blew its head apart.
Perfect! Now I just need to clean up the remaining ghosts!
Levi’s Dagger absorbed the decapitated serpent’s body.
‘Nooo! This is unjust!’
‘Aaah—nooo!’
‘Run!’
I couldn’t let the wailing souls scatter as fragments from the exploded head.
They had to be dealt with here—both to prevent them from possessing innocent people and because they made excellent stat material.
“Leah! Use your Fly spell to send me straight into the ghosts!”
“Yes! Fly!”
The moment her incantation ended, I felt my body lift into the air.
“Where do you think you’re running?!”
Spirit-type monsters permanently increased Levi’s Dagger’s stats.
In other words, those ghosts were about to become my precious ability points.
‘Spare us! We don’t want to be trapped!’
‘We’ve finally gained freedom!’
‘Nooo! Not hell again!’
“Become stats! Stats!”
As I finished absorbing every last ghost—
[Hoo… So you’re the one? The mortal the gods have named my adversary?]
A grating, elderly voice echoed from the sky.
“You’re… Roy?”
[To utter my name so casually… Well, I suppose you couldn’t possibly know the customs of this realm.]
His tone suggested he knew something about me—and it made my skin crawl.
“What do you think you know about me?”
[Plenty. You’re not even from this world, are you?]
“What?!”
A chill shot down my spine at Roy’s words.
How could he know I’m from another world?
The King of the Dead had no mind-reading or clairvoyance abilities—in fact, neither skill existed in ‘Destiny’.
This was impossible…
Had I missed something?
This place was another reality.
‘Destiny’ was a game modeled after this world.
Could there be unimplemented abilities here that didn’t exist in the game?
If so… this was going to be a serious headache.
[Heh heh… Curious how I know, aren’t you? But if you’re this shocked now, I wonder what face you’ll make when you see me?]
“What did you say?”
[Until we meet again… Adversary.]
With those words, the sky began to clear.
“Father Hans!”
“Hans!”
Scarlet and Cecilia waved at me from below.
***
An imposing, grand door—lavishly adorned to display the chamber’s authority.
Gold and silver leaf, intricate embossed patterns—a luxurious masterpiece, as if carved by a master artisan.
“Baron Pisa, enter!”
At the man’s voice from beyond the door, the ornate gates swung open.
Seated on a throne was a middle-aged man with golden hair—streaked with gray, crowned with the Imperial Diadem.
Thud… thud…
Was it just me, or did my footsteps echo louder than usual today?
Sigh…
Of all things, this is what I get the moment I arrive?
I’d barely finished handling the capital’s crisis when the Emperor summoned me.
As I stood before him, the Pope stood at his left, offering me a gentle smile and a subtle nod—clearly signaling me to bow.
Remembering my training, I knelt on one knee, lowered my head, and paid my respects.
“I offer my greetings to His Imperial Majesty.”
“I offer my greetings to His Imperial Majesty.”
But the Emperor gave no reply.
He should’ve told me to rise by now.
The servants had stressed it repeatedly: ‘Never stand unless commanded.’
Time stretched uncomfortably—but still, no response.
Was this a power play?
Just as I wondered—
“Rise, all of you.”
At the Emperor’s command, we stood.
His stiff expression softened slightly as he addressed the Hero Party behind me.
“Hero Party… it’s been a while.”
His voice carried a strange undercurrent.
“We apologize for our absence back then,” they replied.
What on earth happened before?
“Well, never mind. Lovers matter more than festivals. But why is only Baron Hans present? Couldn’t the rest of you find partners?”
The Emperor genuinely seemed concerned they hadn’t found love.
But at his words, the entire Hero Party subtly turned their heads away.
“Well… um…”
Seeing their hesitation, the Emperor turned to me with a puzzled look.
“Ah yes—you’re Baron Hans, correct? Are you the ‘Hans’ of Saint Cecilia?”
His innocent question made my throat go dry.
How was I supposed to answer this?
Every eye in the room—Emperor, Pope, imperial nobles, and the entire Hero Party—was fixed on me.
If I said, ‘Yes! I’m Baron Hans, beloved of them all!’,
I might as well have my liver served on a platter.
Especially since Pope Leo VII considered Cecilia his own granddaughter.
If I admit anything here…
wouldn’t I be branded a heretic and tortured?
Just imagining the torture made cold sweat trickle down my back.
“Y-your Majesty! Romantic affairs aren’t important right now! The King of the Dead has resurrected and seeks to claim the lives of all living beings!”
“The King of the Dead? What is this? What exactly happened in the capital, Baron Hans?”
Relieved he’d changed the subject, I nearly sighed—
—but Leah stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, with all due respect—he is not Cecilia’s man.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Ah! I see. So you’re his apprentice, Leah. Congratulations—you’ve reunited with the one you love.”
Pope Leo frowned, confused.
He’d met me before through Cecilia.
“Your Majesty, wait. Leah isn’t wrong—but he’s also my man.”
Cecilia’s shocking declaration plunged the audience hall into dead silence.
Oh… crap.
“Wh-what did you say?!”
The Emperor’s eyes bulged in shock.
“Father Hans… is this… truly so?”
The Pope stared at me, disbelief etched into his face.
‘What did I just hear?’
‘Oh… Lord El… Baron Hans bewitched both the Saintess and the Archmage!’
‘What a lecher!’
Whispers filled the hall, burning my ears like fire.
It’s not fair! I didn’t want this!
Do you think I’m insane enough to deliberately charm these lunatics?!
Who would understand that befriending them was just part of my plan to join the Hero Party?!
“Wait! He’s not a lecher! He’s our ‘Patron’—the one who’s supported us more than anyone, in every way!”
“P-patron? Could it be…?”
“Didn’t the heroes speak of an anonymous Patron?”
“G-good heavens…!”
Oh… Scarlet, you couldn’t have dug my grave more kindly.
Every person in the room now looked at me like they wanted to beat me to death.
This world had real gods—deities who proved their existence through Divine Light.
Religion held far more power here than on Earth.
“El decreed monogamy for men and women!”
“Such depravity… He’s trash.”
“Chasing three women when one would be more than enough?!”
“What kind of tricks is he using? Did he bribe them with money?”
As murmurs and disapproving tsking surrounded me, my face burned with shame.
You… you have no idea what you’re talking about!
Just then—
“Scarlet speaks the truth. The ‘Sage’ has done more than anyone to protect this world. His contributions cannot be ignored.”
Mia…? No—Lady Mia?
Why are you saying that with such a smug, venomous smile?
Scarlet dug the grave—and you’re the one shoveling dirt on me?!
Seeing their satisfied expressions, I thought:
‘Am I… completely done for?’
As I read the triumph in their eyes—
“Ahem! Silence! This is no place for personal matters!”
The Emperor spoke with authority—but his eyes gleamed with unmistakable envy.
He looked like he wanted to trade places with me.
Jealous? Then you take my spot!
These people have no idea how unhinged these girls really are.
Let him experience Mia flaying his skin, Leah burning off his hair, and Cecilia turning full yandere—then he’d come to his senses.
While I silently cursed them—
the hall fell quiet, as the Emperor commanded…
—but then:
“Th-that man!”
The Pope, veins bulging in his eyes, pointed a trembling finger at me and clutched his chest.
“Aaah… m-my head…”
“Your Holiness?!”
“Are you alright, Pope?!”
The Emperor leapt up to support him.
“Calm yourself. Here—sit in my throne.”
The Emperor offered his own seat.
“Your Holiness?!”
Cecilia rushed over and began healing him with Divine Light.
“Please calm down, Your Holiness.”
“Th-that man! My sweet Cecilia… huff!”
The Pope glared at me with furious, tearful eyes—then collapsed.
Thud.
“Kyaaaah! Your Holiness! No!”
“Call the palace priests and royal physicians!”
This was a disaster. A total disaster.
***
The King of the Dead, possessing Selena’s body, smiled coldly.
“So you didn’t die easily after all… Adversary.”
Cardinal Davinus approached, concerned.
“My King, what happened?”
“The Serpent of Doom is dead. The destruction of the capital failed.”
Though he spoke of failure, he sounded pleased.
“Well… it wouldn’t be fun if it were too easy.”
Heh.
With Selena’s beautiful face twisted into a sly smirk, the King murmured:
“Until next time… Hans.”
He’d glimpsed Selena’s memories—seen just how deep the bond between them ran.
Of course, in reality, Hans only thought they were ‘seeing each other,’ while Roy—by this world’s cultural standards—believed such emotional intimacy demanded marriage.
“I wonder what expression he’ll make when he sees my face…”
The King imagined it:
Hans’s shock upon seeing him…
the hatred burning in his eyes as he vowed to kill him…
Just the thought sent a thrilling shiver down his spine.
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