The Emperor Has Returned - Chapter 70

Chapter 70 Rebuild(2)

Camille was wearing a puzzled look.
“…….What? What are you saying? If you’re telling me that you’re going to frame this all on Ethan kyung….”
“No. In fact it’s the opposite. We’ll make Ethan the one that dispatched Nigrato and saved Hiveden. Obviously, we can discuss before deciding on the specific details……ah, and we can say that Bishop Rieto helped as well in making this possible. Makes it easy for us since both are dead.”
Juan’s eyes turned and stopped at Anya.
“Bishop Rieto is dead?”
“Juan didn’t know? He was found dead after Nigrato was abolished.”
“How did he die?”
Camille answered this part.
“Me and another knight named Sina Solbein had been guarding him, but then suddenly his head tore into two……it wasn’t pretty. We thought it may have happened because he demonstrated a miracle that was beyond him.”
Juan carefully thought it over. He ended up with the conclusion that Bishop Rieto’s death was linked to the large amount of power that flowed into him during his fight against Nigrato.
There had been no one else in Hiveden that had the ability to show that kind of power except Bishop Rieto.
Being the possible reason for his victory, Juan decided that maybe he needed to look into Rieto’s death more closely. He didn’t feel well about the mystery that surrounded it.
“Hmm, I’ll look into that later on.”
“Anyways, Anya, why do you want to spread this false story?”
“Because the empire’s army will soon be coming.”
At Anya’s reply, Camille nodded her head promptly in understanding.
“While it’s the church’s business that a Paladin order was destroyed, the fact that heavy damage was done to Laus scout force and Hiveden……. The central administration won’t have any choice but to intervene. An inspection force from the church and the capital will arrive soon. And when that happens, we’ll conveniently put forth Rieto and Ethans name so that it’ll be the church’s problem then.”
“They’ll be sung as the empire’s new heroes. I don’t mind, but what about the possible testimonies from the residents?”
“There won’t be a more believable testimony than from the vice commander of the Paladin order. And plus, there isn’t anyone that saw the events that actually transpired inside the darkness in detail.”
“Are the Hugin knights alright with this? Making the commander of the enemy a hero?”
“We don’t care.”
The newly appointed commander of the Hugin knights, Anya replied delightfully. Juan grinned.
“Speaking from experience, having your name glorified and your grave plated in gold are the most meaningless things when you’ve died. No one will care that Ethan is revered as a hero if the Hugin knights benefit from it.”
Camille flinched at hearing Juan speak of having ‘experience in dying’.
Everyone knew what Juan’s words were implying.
There were countless things that she wanted to ask and say to Juan, but in doing so she would be acknowledging him as the emperor.
For now she kept silent as she was still unsure of anything. Instead she changed the topic.
“……..Is there a need for that? Why shouldn’t we say that you defeated Nigrato and is the hero that saved Hiveden?”
And proclaim that the emperor that returned to this land…. Camille barely managed to swallow her next words.
If Juan imposed such confident behaviour, Camille felt that she would no longer be able to fool herself from denying the truth.
Her eyes down, Camille stood still after spitting out what was on her mind.
But not hearing any reply of any sort, Camille lifted her head. Juan and Anya was looking at Camille.
“Camille, that story has long spread.”
“What?”
“It already spread between the people before the Hugin knights could stop it. At an alarming rate that we can;t do anything about it now. Reason why I asked to put this on Ethan was to create some disturbance and we’ll use that opportunity to think about our plans for the future.”
Anya laughed playfully.
“Though it is a distant future, that is.”
*****
Once the immediate issues were resolved, the meeting proceeded onto next issues on hand.
“So, who do we think will come from the capital?”
“Due to the sheer scale of the incident, we may see a bishop visit. Knowing that everything’s already in order, instead of an army, a high ranking official from the army and the Paladin order…..seems more likely.”
“Someone like Vares Valte?”
Camille and Anya both turned their heads at Juan’s question.
Their faces were filled with surprise, panic and a peculiar look. As if they were saying, why would you even suggest it.
“There’s no reason for the General to come.”
“Right. I know it’s Juan, but that was a bit unexpected.”
Actually, it was Juan that felt odd. If it was him, he would have definitely sent a General to the site where the god of death died to trace the truth.
“The General is the empire’s number one. He’s a General but a Regent at the same time. Though he doesn’t wear the crown, his authority rivals an emperor. So why would he bother coming here personally.”
Makes sense.
With this talk, Juan realised the difference in thought process between Sina, Camille and him.
They didn’t know how persistent these gods got in order to survive, and the dangers that followed it.
Though they got to see the god of death, it had only been an incarnation. To add to that, it was successfully eliminated not long after its appearance.
Meanwhile, Juan got to experience first hand the very limits of these gods and what they could really do.
When fighting a god, you need to despise, you need to hate every piece of them, even if they have been cut into hundreds of pieces.
But these people didn’t know such fear or hate. It was only natural that they were caught up in thinking about ranks.
“………Maybe it’s for their own good.”
If they knew of such fear, it would be hard to live out their lives peacefully. Juan hoped for their sake that they’d continue to not know for the rest of their lives.
“Juan?”
“Its nothing. I was thinking that if he’s the Vares Valte I know, then he might personally come. But if it isn’t himself, then I’m sure he’ll send one of the powerful beings in his army. Do you have any idea who it could be?”
“Hmm, the strongest would be General Vares Valte but……..”
Juan also thought the same. Even when Juan oversaw these lands, Vares was powerful enough to be second most powerful.
Plus, he was of the Honsluin tribe that didn’t weaken with age, so it was possible that he’d be even stronger now.
“How strong is Vares?”
“THe only time I got to see General Vares Valte was at a podium, so it’s hard to say. There aren’t many reasons for the church and the capital’s army to encounter. In fact, wouldn’t the Hugin knights know more about this?”
Anya shook her head at Camille’s question.
“Its hard for us to say as well. Lars nim and Hugin knights did try to assassinate him in the past but………even though we carefully drew up a plan, we couldn’t even land a mark on him before fleeing. And that was against Vares alone. Because of this, Lars nim fell into despair.”
Anya made a depressed look as she said her final words. It was likely that Lars had been strong before that incident.
If Lars who’d absorbed Nigrato’s essence wasn’t no match, then it was safe to assume that Vares Valte was stronger than as Juan knew of him in the past.
“So, who’s coming after?”
“Personally, I think it’s General Nienna Nelborn of the Fenrir knights. Though she’s not well known.”
Anya’s eyes drifted towards Juan.
The emperor had four children in total. Gared Ga-in, Nienna Nelborn, Dismas Dilver and Lars Raude.
Among them, Nienna was the second child. Juan had no qualms with Nienna being touted as the second most powerful being in the empire.
Nienna had been strong even before he began teaching her. She had been five when he’d taken her in as his own.
“Nienna won’t come. I can’t imagine a world where that child would leave the northern borders unattended.”
Nienna had fought the fissure monsters since she’d been able to wield a sword, and chose to remain in that cold land during Juan’s campaign over the empire.
It’s been even said that the northern people are more loyal to Nienna than to the empire. And to add to that, Nienna wasn’t on friendly terms with Vares.
“Third?”
“Commander of the Capital’s knights, Pavan Peltere.”
“Renri Loen of the imperial guard.”
Anya and Camille both answered Juan’s question simultaneously. They looked at each other.
“What, how can the captain of the imperial guard who’s virtually retired be number 3 in the empire?”
“No Miss Anya, you’re giving too much credit to Pavan kyung. With his skills…..he’d be 5 or 6 at best. Even amongst Paladin order commanders, there are plenty that could matc…..”
“Enough.”
To no one’s surprise, two soldiers were busy arguing over who was stronger in their first conversation.
Juan signaled for Anya to speak first. Anya replied smugly.
“Most accurate description would be ‘the loudest barking dog of General Vares Valte’.”
“……..It sounds like the church and the empire’s army don’t get along.”
“The Paladins are the emperor’s fist. The officers in chief are no match. But even so, they create the biggest fuss if we hint that we’re going to exercise our rights.”
She was implying how White crow knights conscripted the Laus mountain scouts to fight alongside them. In doing this, it would create less collisions between each other.
But even so, it was hard for the empire’s army to publicly rebel against the church due to their power in the empire.
So this only led to a gap between the empire’s knights and the Paladin knights in times of war.
“What about this Renri Loen person?”
Anya waived her hand at Juan’s curiosity.
“There’s no reason to even ask. The emperor’s imperial guard dissolved and disappeared into pieces. The imperial guards today do nothing more than manage and clean the eternal throne. Sentenced to a tomb.”
Camille nodded.
“I agree with Miss Anya’s words to this point. While it’s an honorable position, there’s shame in being named the imperial guard when there isn’t an emperor. After the emperor’s assasination, the imperial guard all but became a mere title without status. A place for those without a future is sent to….But do know that, this doesn’t apply to Renri Loen.”
“Hmm.”
“Renri, after being appointed as a Paladin, quickly moved up to become one of the first commanders of a Paladin order. But for some reason, decided to indoctrinate as an imperial guard, waving goodbye to all success. There were talks of clashing with the Pope, and that Renri may have been forgiven if an apology was made, but in the end Renri chose the royal guard. Truly unfortunate as Renri is one of the few in the empire that has reached stage 4 of the Valte swordsmanship.”
“Valte swordsmanship stage?”
Anya asked in a confused tone.
“Ah, it’s not an official term nor something to openly discuss. It simply quantifies four levels of Valte swordsmanship. The swordsmanship left behind by the emperor was deep and hard to fully grasp, so grasping it through each level unlocks new power.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of it. That the more you train Valte swordsmanship, there’s a magical effect that occurs. Casting, moving mana with the path of your sword, and that your sword strikes becomes magic. There were a few sunbaes from the Hugin knights that said this.”
“If the 1st stage is an average knight, then the 2nd stage would allow you to produce ki from your sword. Most Paladins would belong here. A female knight named Sina would find herself sitting at the beginning stages of stage 2. Stage 3, one would reach sword speed and power that is several times faster than a normal person. Commander Ethan Ethil would have been at around stage 3.”
“Interersting.”
“It’s been said that if you’d reach even stage 3, you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find anyone equal. Not much is known about stage 4. Rumours suggest it goes beyond the physical side and the effects can be seen with eyes. Basically, real magic. Renri Loen is at the very least on that level.”
As a fellow Paladin, Calmiile had a proud expression on her face.l.
Hearing Camille’s story, Juan made a strange face.
It was true that motions in Valte swordsmanship did create magical effects just from swinging and he’d divided into stages.
But, this didn’t mean that the opponent was stronger because they were of a higher stage.
If one learnt Valte swordsmanship, while the useful effects were split into different stages, Juan didn’t think it was the deciding factor in determining who was victorious.
He didn’t see why a stage 4 representative was praised so highly. He assumed the general standard around here had fallen since his days.
‘How many did I create again?’
The upper limit was based on how far Juan had gotten.
Right now, Juan’s current strength was not much but just Valte swordsmanship.
‘……….Hmm.’
A number did pop into his head, but not wanting to get Camille too excited, he held himself from saying it out loud.
Right now, Juan wasn’t able to fully utilise swordsmanship due to his inadequate physicality.
Eventually, when he would reach adulthood, things would be different. Anyways, there were too many things different compared to his golden days, so it was best for Juan to quickly get accustomed to his new size.
The conversation redirected back to its original topic.
“Listening in, I heard Renri would not be the one.”
“Yes, of course. After the assasination the emperor’s imperial guards became prohibited from leaving Holy city of Torra. Anyone that didn’t obey this rule was executed personally by a fellow royal guard.”
“Weren’t we discussing who from the capital might show up?”
“……..Ah, we were too.”
Bloody sword wielders.
“Then I assume it will be Pavan from the Capital knights. He’s a devoted follower of Vares.”
Anya proclaimed confidently as if she won.
Juan smirked as he supported his chin with his hand. As he listened to the two squabble, he remembered something from the past.
“Maybe we won’t even need to wait.”
“What?”
“When Nigrato perished, for a moment a link opened up to my original body, directing some of the strength into me. Though a very weak link, I felt a connection remain. Not enough to direct power into me, but enough to influence it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, it might be possible for me to get into contact with my old body. Why don’t we pay them a visit before they do.”