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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 231
The Earth God, who told him to come find him.
Everyone present understood what that meant.
It wasn’t just a casual invitation to meet face-to-face.
‘Judging by how he emphasized coming alone… he must have something to say only to me.’
And it seemed the Water God had noticed as well.
She was glaring down at the Earth God with a hostile expression.
“You’re telling Lord Kaylen to come alone… what are you scheming?”
[Heh heh. Who knows. Well then, I’ll be waiting at the Abyssal Gate.]
Rumble—
The Earth God disappeared into the ground in an instant, no longer interested in continuing the conversation.
“…To act the moment my power weakens—he truly is someone we can’t afford to ignore.”
The Water God glared fiercely at the spot where the Earth God had vanished, barely holding back her anger.
‘Still… this is unexpected.’
The Earth God.
Back when she first encountered him at the Abyssal Gate, he hadn’t shown any initiative to act on his own.
His attitude had been that of a pure bystander.
‘If he really wanted to make a move… cooperating with the Celestial Demon God would’ve been the better choice…
He just watched until the Celestial Demon God, a fellow native of Theia, disappeared… so why is he suddenly stepping forward now?’
“Has the seal on the Earth God weakened that much?”
“No. The Earth God's seal is one of the matters I monitor most closely. Just as he said, he can barely communicate from the surface.”
“I see…”
“Lord Kaylen. What do you plan to do?”
Kaylen paused to collect his thoughts, then replied.
“I’ll go to the Abyssal Gate.”
“That is… quite concerning. Who knows what the Earth God is plotting in the Abyssal Gate…”
“But isn’t it more important right now to figure out a way to reach the Moon?”
“…That is true, but…”
“Whatever he’s planning in the Abyssal Gate, it doesn’t matter. After all, my true body is this Six Sword. Even if he has malicious intent, all he can destroy is this body you completed for me.”
Kaylen already had one body on the Moon.
Even if the body here were detained by the Earth God in the Abyssal Gate, it would simply mean he’d have one more.
So to Kaylen, knowing how to reach the Moon was more important than this temporary form.
‘Well, what the Water God is worried about… probably isn’t my body.’
The relationship between Kaylen and the Water God was still ambiguous.
They had cooperated to drive the Celestial Demon God to the Moon, but nothing had been decided about what would come after.
"We're aligned in wanting to strike the Moon and eliminate the threat of the Celestial Demon God, but…’
That didn’t mean—
He had to do it with the Water God.
In the first place, wasn’t she a being akin to the Dragon God who plunged the Empire of Meier into ruin?
Depending on how you look at it, cooperating with the Earth God, rather than the Water God—who harbored old grudges—might not be a bad idea..
‘I need to hear the Earth God’s proposal.’
Perhaps Kaylen’s expression seemed resolute.
The Water God calmed her agitation and spoke with a composed face.
“...If that’s the case, understood. I’ll look for a way as well. But no matter what kind of proposal the Earth God makes, I ask that you think it through carefully before deciding.”
“I will.”
“Then, are you planning to go right away through the Spirit Realm?”
The massive portal connected to the Abyssal Gate in the Spirit Realm.
Dark spirits had continually emerged from within it before.
“I should. But I won’t go immediately.”
“Then…”
Kaylen reached toward the black sword on the ground.
One by one, black-glowing mana stones—Moonstones—began to spring out.
“Those are...”
“Moonstones. The Earth God's power was similar to that corrupted mana. I plan to prepare for that kind of power.”
“Understood.”
So he is being cautious of the Earth God.
The Water God felt a sense of relief at that.
And she spoke in a much lighter tone.
“Then I’ll take control of the Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm continents.”
“Both continents?”
“Yes. Especially on the Celestial Continent, which the Celestial Demon God ruled over for a long time… there might still be something left behind.”
“That’s a good idea.”
If the Water God happened to find a clue to reaching the Moon there, things could become easier.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
After the Water God departed—
For ten days, Kaylen handled the affairs of the Starn Empire by day and focused on researching Moonstones by night.
“This should take care of the urgent matters.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“There’s no need to continue aggressively buying mana stones like before. The immediate threat has retreated.”
“Actually, I’ve heard that the flames in the west have disappeared.”
The rumor that Emperor Kaylen of the Starn Empire appeared alone at the western wall, summoned a rain of tens of thousands of swords, and extinguished the fire—
Had spread not just through the western Lahendra Kingdom, but even to the heart of the Starn Empire.
‘The true enemy was the Celestial Demon God...
But regardless of the hidden truth, people only judged based on appearances.
The Dragon God’s flames devouring the kingdom, and the Celestial Demon God’s barrier stopping them.
To anyone watching, it looked as if the human world had been protected by the Celestial Demon God’s divine blessing.
Right now, people’s faith in the Celestial God was at its peak.
Because of the divine barrier cast by the god over the Rahendra Kingdom’s border—
Even those who didn’t believe in gods had begun praising the Celestial God.
‘There’s no need to correct that perception right away.’
Though Kaylen had unified all remaining human kingdoms under the banner of the Starn Empire—
The human world was still in a state of chaos.
There was no need to reveal that the Celestial God originally intended to destroy the surface, and thereby stir up further confusion—at least not until the various nations settled into a more stable state.
“Theresia. Then, I’ll ask you to govern in my absence.”
“...Govern, you say? You mean all this paperwork?”
Theresia glanced around the office with a tired look.
The Death Knight, Baldrix—
Without eating or sleeping, was repeatedly processing documents like a machine.
Though he had finally recovered his body, Baldrics had ended up becoming nothing more than a paperwork machine, instead of wielding a sword as a proper knight.
‘I told myself I wouldn’t work like that...’
But judging by the recent workload, she wasn't all that different herself.
‘Now I understand why Violet won’t come back, saying she’s studying magic.’
Back when she came down to the surface, she never imagined she’d be buried in nothing but work like this.
With a deep sigh, she said,
“...It really feels like I’ve become the emperor. Like I’m co-emperor with Lord Baldrixs.”
“Ho. Shall I hand it over to you? If you ascend the throne, you’ll go down in history as the empress who unified the continent.”
The reason he had taken over the kingdoms in the first place was only to overthrow the corrupt Bormian royal family and to resist the Demon Realm.
Having already once unified the continent through the Meier Empire, Kaylen had no particular ambition to continue ruling the Starn Empire.
Now that the Celestial Demon God was gone, it would be fine to hand the throne to someone suitable.
Looking at Kaylen, Theresia spoke lightly.
“Rather than empress. There’s something else I want.”
“What is it?”
“Empress consort.”
“...Empress consort?”
“Yes.”
Kaylen looked at Theresia with startled eyes.
To bring up becoming empress consort out of nowhere—
It was far too sudden a statement.
“I’ve grown up now. And I’m not a Saintess anymore. Don’t I meet the conditions to become empress consort?”
“Well, that’s true.”
No longer the girl she once was, Theresia had grown into a woman whose beauty now matched Ernstine’s exact tastes.
“You do know that I like you, right, Kaylen?”
“...I know.”
“To be honest, when we escaped from Sanctuary, I dreamed of a push-and-pull romance… but in reality, all I got was this mountain of paperwork.”
“My apologies for that.”
“And to think, a thousand years ago, you were so weak to women. But now you’ve turned into some kind of monk…”
Theresia pouted her lips.
She had finally outgrown her former young body and matured exactly to Ernstine’s preference—
“I thought, ‘I can’t let it stay like this.’
The one who’s thirsty needs to dig the well.”
“So, you want to become empress consort?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it sound good too? While the emperor is away, the empress consort governs in his place.”
At first, it sounded like a light joke.
But as she kept speaking, the topic gradually became more serious.
“I’ll go... get some sunlight for a moment.”
Baldrix, who had been silently working, suddenly stood up and left the room, saying he was going to get some sunlight.
‘What kind of Death Knight says he’s going to get sunlight… That guy. He’s running away.’
Kaylen looked at Baldrix with a dumbfounded expression.
Then turned his gaze back to Theresia.
She was smiling brightly.
“What do you think, Kaylen?”
Half joking.
Half serious—she was expecting an answer from Kaylen.
“...For now. Let’s take care of this matter first before I give you one.”
“Alright. I’ll wait. In this office. All the while.”
As if she didn’t expect to get an answer right away either.
Theresia smiled faintly and emphasized that she’d remain there.
“Right. I’ll definitely give you one.”
Kaylen said, looking again at Theresia seated at the desk.
She acted calm, but both her hands were trembling slightly.
To say something like that, she must have needed great resolve.
‘If it were the old Ernstine, he’d be thinking what a jackpot this is…’
Kaylen turned and left the office with a bitter smile.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t Ernstine—he was one of the Six Sword Path.
‘...Anyway, first things first. I need to completely eliminate the Celestial Demon God of the Moon before I think about anything else.’
Yes.
The most important issue right now was the Moon.
It wouldn’t be too late to give an answer after all that was resolved.
With that in mind, Kaylen arrived at the Moon Altar.
[Before we speak, would you like to see the current state of the Moon?]
There, through the authority of the Earth God, he could connect to the body of Kaylen that was on the Moon.
‘No special conditions… just showing it right away?’
Was it to prove that his power could indeed reach the Moon?
The Earth God readily offered Kaylen a gift.
He focused his senses through the Earth God.
‘I should be able to grasp the situation first…’
And so, vision and hearing gradually synced in.
The first thing he saw was a sunstone, glowing with pure white light.
And then, the next thing he heard—
[Honey. Are you awake?]
‘Honey…’
The voice calling him “honey” was coming from the stone.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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