novelraw Chapter 381: Astroth Side Story
Chapter 381: Astroth Side Story
378: Astroth Side Story
The humans who had once fought against the Evil God were now battling among themselves.
None of them truly understood why they were fighting—what fundamental reason drove them.
The royal guards, for instance, were engaged in combat because they had been attacked by certain knights and had been ordered by their superiors to retaliate.
Of course, it was not logical to indiscriminately attack knights just because a few had attacked the guards.
However, an order was an order. The guards followed their training, forming groups to counter the knights. Their superior, who had given the order, initially grinned sinisterly but soon looked bewildered. He tried to hastily retract the order, but by then...
“The guards have lost their minds! I will not forgive them—fight back!”
A nobleman shouted, providing the embattled knights with justification to draw their swords against the guards.
This, too, was an unreasonable command. Thus, a conflict that none desired spread like wildfire.
Some nobles aligned with the Swordmaster faction provoked members of the royalist nobles. The royal guard and the Royal Knights indiscriminately attacked factions of nobles, while the Crusaders of the Cross Church focused on subduing injured soldiers who wielded swords against priests.
A desperate cry from one of the crusaders encapsulated the chaos of the situation:
“Oh, Lord! Remember the wicked! Please!”
The crusaders used sacred chants to mark individuals who had committed evil deeds, distinguishing friend from foe through the mark. Yet, no marks appeared over the heads of the madmen swinging their swords at priests.
To make matters worse, the words of those who killed priests were absurd.
“It... it wasn’t me! Oh, no... Father! Father, no!”
But if they weren’t restrained, they would soon act as though nothing had happened and stab another priest.
The fifty or so crusaders, overwhelmed by the endless tide of injured soldiers caught in battle, were plunged into despair. Priests, unable to approach the dying, clutched their heads in anguish.
The grand hall, now thick with black moss—grimly known as the "Executioner’s Shroud"—had transformed into an arena of senseless human slaughter.
Somebody stop this. Please, someone make it stop!
Although no one spoke the words aloud, the thought weighed heavily in everyone’s hearts. At that moment, Prince Lean de Yeriel rushed forward.
“Lean! Where are you going? It’s dangerous!”
“This is something I must do! Protect my sibling for me. Minseo, you too. Always prioritize protecting Lena and my siblings.”
“Then take this, at least.”
The prince caught what Rev threw to him. He nodded, saying, “Thank you,” before pushing through the battlefield where swords clashed. There was no way Astroth would miss the opportunity when the prince was separated from the Swordmasters.
A knight intercepted him.
“Leonel. I am not here to kill you. Come here. Fulfill the promise you made.”
“And if I refuse?”
The knight, Irene, smiled faintly.
“That’s not an option.”
The knight Irene, now revealed to be the Archduke Astroth in disguise, swung her spear. Lean barely managed to block with his sword but was overpowered and fell.
This is hopeless. There’s no way I can win. Lean thought as he pushed off the ground and started running.
“Halt!”
An unexpected chase began. Lean’s mind suddenly recalled a similar moment in the past. Hadn’t this woman chased him down like this before? Ack!
But the current situation was far worse. Irene was closing the gap with incredible speed, her weapon—a spear—perfect for subduing fleeing opponents.
She didn’t seem intent on killing him, as she aimed for his legs. Lean’s desperate dodging reached its limits, and he was struck.
[ Necklace – A beautiful necklace. ]
However, a blue barrier erupted with a resounding clang!. The necklace Rev had given him blocked the attack. Unfortunately, it was a one-time use. Lean bolted again.
“What a curious item you’ve got there.”
Despite the time the necklace had bought him, Lean was soon caught. The chaotic battle around him offered no clear escape route.
Ugh. Should I have sought Ray’s protection, even if it took longer?
As Lean braced himself, realizing he couldn’t outrun her, he slowed down to turn and fight. But then...
“Keep going!”
Turning, Lean saw someone attacking Irene. The sight briefly reminded him of Cassia, though it couldn’t be her.
“Santian?”
“Now, I am Banun, my lord.”
Santian Rauno, surrounded by a silvery blue light, had stepped in to face Irene. He fought barehanded, seemingly employing martial arts techniques.
“Banun? Hahaha! It’s been so long. Truly, ages. Of course, since Reisia has returned, it would feel wrong for you to be absent.”
Santian remained silent.
“But what a shame. Reisia will once again be bound to Leonel. Would you like me to fetch a potion for you out of pity? My wife has brewed plenty. Hahaha!”
“Silence, beast. If I had known a wretched creature like you was tied to my lord, history would not have come to this.”
Irene’s laughter stopped abruptly. She growled:
“You dare speak of history in my presence, you worthless vermin? A pathetic loser, a mere specter, dares to lecture me?”
While the ancient beings exchanged words, Lean took the opportunity to slip away. His priority was stopping the senseless bloodshed. He soon found Prince Cleon de Tatalia and called out:
“Cleon! Forgive my lack of etiquette, but we must stop this fighting!”
Cleon was surrounded by royalist nobles. In the absence of the king, Cleon was effectively the next king. He gazed intently at Lean.
“Before that, explain. What was that creature that appeared just now? And what were you discussing with it?”
“There’s no time, so I’ll be brief. The king is the Evil God. And right now, he’s driving us into division.”
“...Do you have proof?”
A more impulsive person might have shouted, “Look around! Isn’t the chaos proof enough?”
But Lean de Yeriel remained composed. Gently, he grabbed the wrist of Princess Chloe de Tatalia.
“Princess, forgive me for the impropriety, but may I ask: have you ever felt compelled to act against your own will?”
Chloe blushed.
“Yes. But how did you know...?”
“And you carry no consecrated items, do you? If I’m wrong, show me one.”
“I... I don’t have any.”
Turning to Cleon and the nobles, Lean declared:
“The Evil God possesses those without consecrated items, inciting them to violence. Those wielding that cursed red spear are undoubtedly possessed. Trust me.”
[ Achievement: Meeting Cleon de Tatalia – Gained slight favor with all nobles serving House Tatalia. Gained slight favor with Cleon de Tatalia. ]
Cleon blinked, pondering. He was well aware of Chloe’s erratic behavior, though he hadn’t known the cause. With a commanding voice, he addressed the nobles:
“From this moment, cease all violence for any reason! I, Cleon de Tatalia...”
Lean interjected:
“And I, Lean de Yeriel!”
Ahem. Lean gestured for Cleon to continue, only adding his name to the declaration.
Cleon finished:
“...will not forgive those who incite discord. Especially those wielding the red spear—they will be punished. Restrain anyone who takes up the spear. Royal Guards and Royal Knights, lay down your arms immediately. Carry out the order.”
“Carry it out!”
The joint decree of the two princes overrode the smaller commands of nobles, knights, and officers.
With over half the hall’s occupants being guards, the act of laying down their arms ushered in silence. Those still fighting noticed the shift and gradually withdrew.
Irene looked around, her expression one of frustration.
“TChapter I let myself get distracted by Banun. This is troublesome.”
She hadn’t been able to kill enough priests.
Amidst the chaos, Astroth should have captured Reisia and Leonel. But Reisia was guarded by a Swordmaster, and Leonel narrowly slipped away.
Hmph.
Astroth returned to calculate the remaining divine power at his disposal. Irene looked bewildered, and Banun, who had been fighting her, sighed deeply.
It was not a sigh of relief. Banun understood that although the fighting had stopped and the tide seemed to have turned, nothing had truly changed.
The enemy was monstrously strong and terrifyingly cunning.
Limping, Banun made his way to where Reisia lay. Seeing her pale, lifeless figure brought him pain, but he offered advice first.
“Lady Reyna. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Huh? Me? Are you talking to me?”
Who wouldn’t be surprised when a boy approached and addressed her as “Lady Reyna,” the first Saint?
Without hesitation, Banun continued speaking.
“Yes. I must inform you: you need to activate the Goblet of Equity immediately. Otherwise, Astroth will escape.”
“Uh... um, kid, I’m sorry, but I’m not Reyna. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Where’s your mom?”
“do as the boy says. That’s probably Banun Rauno.”
“W-What? Really?”
“It’s been a while, Lady Azura. Thank you for your assistance. Do you or Lady Reyna not know how to use the Goblet of Equity?”
Rev shrugged, and Lena, flustered, asked, “Is that what this goblet is called? I’m sorry. I don’t know how to use it. I tried pouring divine power into it before, but it only absorbed it without doing anything.”
“You didn’t try it just now, did you? It probably didn’t work because there wasn’t a target. Try again, but this time pour in all the divine power you have. And then turn it over.”
“All of it?”
“Yes. That is what makes it the Goblet of Equity.”
The boy, seemingly done with his task, sat down heavily on the floor. He gazed at Reisia as if she were a statue he had waited for millennia to see.
He had waited ten thousand years to meet her again.
Yet, for now, just watching her was enough for him. Lena had many questions but couldn’t bring herself to interrupt him. She turned away.
“He said to pour all my divine power.”
Lena held the brass goblet and slowly began pouring her divine power into it.
She couldn’t help but worry—what if nothing happened, and she was left drained of her power?
But she believed.
She believed that the chance Rev and his comrades had risked their lives to create was more important than her divine power. The brass goblet began to glow as if it were aflame.
“What?”
Astroth, who had been meticulously calculating his remaining divine power, was caught off guard.
The divine power he had carefully hoarded over sixty years since being freed from the ruins of Vadobona was halved in an instant, and then halved again. Panicked, Astroth rushed back.
“The king! The king has returned!”
Manifesting through the body of King Karoman de Tatalia, Astroth examined the source of the problem. Then, he spat a curse.
“Γειασου! Αυτός είναι ένας σκύλοξ!!!”
That accursed brass goblet!
It was the same goblet that had trapped him in the ruins of Vadobona for over 2,500 years.
Cursing, Astroth tried to escape, but Lena was faster. She overturned the goblet.
[ Lena has consumed {Divinity}. The trait bestowed upon her has been permanently removed. ]
“Aaaaargh!!”
The king clutched his head in agony.
The Goblet of Equity. When overturned, it brought about an excruciatingly unfair outcome—at least from Astroth’s perspective.
A dome descended over the royal palace.
Shaped like a goblet, it was formed of Lena’s divine power and an equal measure of Astroth’s stolen power.
Neither of them could leave until one of them died.
Even if Astroth killed that “replica woman,” he wouldn’t regain the power. It had merely been stripped away evenly.
“Ugh... Is there no one...?”
As this unfolded, words escaped the mouth of King Karoman de Tatalia—words Astroth had not intended.
With his divine power depleted, the king began regaining his own consciousness. Astroth could no longer fully control his mind.
Desperate, Astroth drove his spear into the king’s stomach.
From the outside, it appeared to be suicide.
But the people’s attention shifted behind the king.
“What is that beast?”
Astroth, now revealed in his true form, stood before them.
He was a 3-meter-tall creature with the head of a goat, goat-like legs covered in fish scales instead of fur, a mane like a horse’s, and a reptilian tail.
These were traits he had stolen from the animals that had passed by the rocks where he had been chained for millennia.
But his face was human. This was because the last being he had encountered before imprisonment was Leonel, a human.
Grinding his teeth, Astroth’s fury was evident.
His ashen, gray complexion—resembling Lean’s—darkened and lightened, betraying his shame.
I wanted to be human. Like Leonel.
Oh, how I loved him. The way he, unlike other creatures who fled from me, would visit and feed me nuts. He was so endearing.
I wanted to be like him. And so, I became one with him. Leonel even promised to give me everything.
Astroth looked up.
The humans pointed at him, whispering. Many drew their swords, their hostility clear. And behind them stood Lean de Yeriel.
Ah, Leonel.
You’re smiling so brightly now. You must think you’ve defeated me.
But I haven’t been idle during the ten thousand years you’ve been gone. I’ve created something, too—something unlike you.
With a hum, the spear spun in his hand, as familiar as if it were part of his body.
As an emperor, I often thought of you, Leonel. You were a natural swordsman. So I learned spear techniques, thinking it might be fun when we met again. It was partly to pass the time.
But now I understand why I became so enamored with spearmanship. It was because I fell for what made me different from you.
He declared to the grinning Leonel:
Without magic or divine power, with just this patched-up beastly body and this single spear, I will capture you. Again.
Clop.
Astroth’s goat hoof took a step forward.
Though a thousand royal guards, fifty crusaders, two hundred knights, ninety priests, and two Swordmasters stood in his path, his steps remained steady.
I love you, Leonel.